Tanaris

Tanaris is a large desert in southeastern Kalimdor, south of Thousand Needles and east of Un'Goro Crater, with quests for characters from about level 40 to 50. Its capital is Gadgetzan, a neutral goblin town of the Steamwheedle Cartel where both factions trade and quest side by side. The zone also holds the troll city of Zul'Farrak and, from patch 1.9, the entrance to the Caverns of Time, where the bronze dragon Anachronos takes part in the opening of Ahn'Qiraj.

Geography

Tanaris is mostly open sand broken by mesas, canyons and dry valleys. Gadgetzan sits in the north, inside a low wall, with Steamwheedle Port on the eastern coast. The Wastewander bandits camp in the dunes east of town, and Southsea pirates hold Lost Rigger Cove on the southeastern shore.

Further south lie the Dunemaul ogre compound, Thistleshrub Valley with its walking cactus elementals, and the Gaping Chasm, a crack in the earth full of Gorishi and Centipaar silithid. Zul'Farrak's sandstone walls rise in the northwest. In the south, the sealed gates of Uldum and the Valley of the Watchers hint at titan ruins that would not open until much later. The Caverns of Time lie in the eastern mountains.

History

The desert was once the domain of the Sandfury trolls, whose city Zul'Farrak is one of the oldest troll settlements in Kalimdor. The goblins of the Steamwheedle Cartel founded Gadgetzan as a trading post open to anyone who keeps the peace, and the town's bruisers enforce that rule against both factions. The cartel's other neutral towns, Booty Bay and Everlook, work the same way, and goblins from all three appear in each other's quest chains.

The bronze dragonflight guards the Caverns of Time, but in patch 1.12 the caverns are only a gateway for the Ahn'Qiraj storyline. Anachronos stands at the entrance and takes part in the quest for [[forever:item:21175]].

Quests and notable NPCs

Gadgetzan

Gadgetzan has quests for both factions. Chief Engineer Bilgewhizzle posts the bounties against the bandits in Wastewander Justice and More Wastewander Justice and hands out Slake That Thirst, since water is the town's most valuable resource. Senior Surveyor Fizzledowser sends players down into the silithid hives with The Scrimshank Redemption and Noxious Lair Investigation, and the reports they bring back start the Rise of the Silithid chains that lead to Darnassus or Orgrimmar. Tran'rek wants the Thistleshrubs culled in Thistleshrub Valley.

The best-known chain belongs to Marin Noggenfogger, the town's leader. In The Thirsty Goblin and the quests that follow, players help him and the vendor Sprinkle brew the [Noggenfogger Elixir]. Drinking it has random effects, including turning the drinker into a skeleton, shrinking them or giving them slow fall, and the elixir stayed popular for years afterward.

Steamwheedle Port and the coast

Security Chief Bilgewhizzle at Steamwheedle Port leads the fight against the Southsea pirates, including WANTED: Andre Firebeard and Southsea Shakedown. In Pirate Hats Ahoy!, a fashion-minded goblin at the port wants twenty pirate hats.

Escorts and oddities

• Tooga's Quest: lead the lost turtle Tooga across the desert to his wife Torta. Tooga is slow, and the walk takes a while.
• Rescue OOX-17/TN!: rescue Homing Robot OOX-17/TN, the first of three robot escorts.
• Gahz'ridian: collect ornaments with the [Gahz'ridian Detector] near Zul'Farrak.
• The Stone Watcher: a titan construct in the Valley of the Watchers points toward Uldum, continuing the titan storyline that begins with the Platinum Discs in Uldaman.

Dungeons

Zul'Farrak is a five-player dungeon for levels 44 to 54 in the northwest corner of the zone. It features the Sandfury trolls under Chief Ukorz Sandscalp, the overseer Antu'sul, and the hydra Gahz'rilla, summoned with a mallet at a sacred pool. The steps of the temple are the site of a famous event in which players free prisoners and hold off waves of trolls.

Getting there

Most players come down the road from Thousand Needles, through the Shimmering Flats. Gadgetzan has both gryphon and wind rider masters. Un'Goro Crater is reached by a long ramp from western Tanaris.

Sources

• Tanaris, Warcraft Wiki
• Gadgetzan, Warcraft Wiki
• Noggenfogger Elixir, Warcraft Wiki