Northrend uncovered

Northrend West

You think it’s going to be snow, snow, snow. But strangely, Northrend, despite being cold, isn’t all white powder and yeti-fur coats. There’s jungle, magic crystalline forests, autumnal gardens and spires of throbbing magic. You’ll find old-world World of Warcraft favorites, such as the Argent Dawn and the Scarlet Crusade, alongside whole new factions, like the Dragonflight and Tuskarr (a race of sentient walruses). And there are new monsters to face. Watch out for the bigger, badder brothers of the almost cute Murlocs. Brr.

1) Fishy business: On the western edge of Borean Tundra, you’ll find a tribe of Murlocs and a party of naturalists observing their behavior. There seems to be a problem: the Murlocs have burrowed under Coldarra and no Murloc babies have been seen for months.

2) The Nexus: Separated from Borean Tundra, and only accessible via a flight-point, the Nexus is a truly awesome sight: a glowing beam of magical energy surrounded by stone rings. Inside, you’ll find caverns carved out of solid ice by dragons, and two instances: one for level 73 players, the other for level 80 types.

3) Warsong arrivals: Horde arrivals to Borean Tundra are processed at Warsong Hold: a giant orc fortress that’s under constant attack from spiders. So much so that portions of its wall are wrapped in spider webs. Arachnophobes, stay away.

4) Now boarding: Fizzcrank Airstrip is a must-visit: a mostly disused aerodrome where harvest watchers push and pull rocket-sleds across the runways. It’s also where you start a questline to take on a giant mecha-gnome and his clockwork gnome allies.

5) Crash, burn: Those Necropoli that the Scourge favor aren’t invincible. On the edge of Borean Tundra, you’ll come across a crashed one, half buried under a snowdrift.

6) Tropical cold: In the dread cold of Northrend, Sholazar is an anomaly: a fertile jungle crater where life flourishes. The tropical climate is maintained by a series of magical pillars – and has attracted interest from legendary hunter Hemet Nesingwary. Expect to kill many, many leopards.

7) Snowdrift: The Scourge have obvious interests in the power that is maintaining Sholazar’s micro-climate, and they’ve been tinkering. They’ve shut down one pillar, and dramatically let the cold in: an avalanche of snow intrudes right into the rainforest.

8) Purple leaves: An extraordinary sight. Even in its incomplete state, Crystalsong Forest is exactly what the name implies – a gorgeous forest, each tree encased in diamonds. No singing, though.

9) Quad core dragons: The pockmarks in the landscape of Dragonblight are the seats of each of the four dragon clans (‘Aspects’ in Warcraft lore). A war is being fought between each as they react to the Scourge, either by allying, ignoring, or attacking it. These fights culminate in the Wyrmrest dungeons.

10) United dragons: Wyrmrest Temple is an ancient Titan temple (the race of semi-gods that created Azeroth), since abandoned and now home to a dragon council. It’s also the place to go for quickfire raid encounters: underneath, you’ll find the single encounter raid instance ‘The Chamber of Aspects’ where you’ll fight dragons from each Aspect.

11) Turtle powered: Moa’ki Harbour is a neutral port and quest hub for Tuskarr (a race of sentient walruses). It’s a must-visit, just to meet their preferred mode of transport: shacks built onto the shells of sea-turtles.