Borean Tundra: the story of the zone in WotLK

October 7, 2026•Lore•Brendo Arruda

The story of the Borean Tundra is the story of the arrival in Northrend: it is where the Horde raises Warsong Hold under Garrosh Hellscream and the Alliance founds Valiance Keep with Bolvar Fordragon's army. At the same time, Malygos begins the Nexus War on the island of Coldarra, and native peoples like the tuskarr and the taunka ask for help against the Scourge.

This post explains who's who in the zone and where to see it all in WotLK 3.3.5a. For the overview of the whole expansion, see the history of Wrath of the Lich King.

Where is the Borean Tundra?

The Borean Tundra lies in the far southwest of Northrend. The wiki describes it as the flattest part of the continent. In the south there is land you can farm. In the middle, steam vents and geysers. In the north, fields and hills. In the east, snow.

The zone borders Dragonblight to the east and Sholazar Basin to the north. To the west, off the coast, is the island of Coldarra. It is one of the two gateways into Northrend. The other is Howling Fjord.

Why did the Horde and the Alliance go to the Borean Tundra?

The reason is the Lich King. After the Scourge attacked the capitals, Thrall sent Varok Saurfang to gather the forces of the Horde and prepare them to travel to Northrend. On the Alliance side, King Varian Wrynn sent an army to destroy the Scourge.

The two armies landed on the same coast. To understand the road to this point, see why Northrend became the focus of the war.

Who's who in the Borean Tundra

| Group | Side | Base in the zone | Who leads | | --- | --- | --- | --- | | Warsong Offensive | Horde | Warsong Hold | Garrosh Hellscream, with Varok Saurfang | | Valiance Expedition | Alliance | Valiance Keep | Bolvar Fordragon, later General Arlos | | Kalu'ak (tuskarr) | Neutral | Kaskala and Unu'pe | Elder Atuik | | Taunka | Horde | Taunka'le Village | Chieftain Wintergale | | Kirin Tor | Neutral | Amber Ledge and Transitus Shield | Librarian Donathan and Surristrasz | | D.E.H.T.A. | Neutral | D.E.H.T.A. Encampment | Archdruid Lathorius | | Blue dragonflight | Enemy | Coldarra and the Nexus | Malygos | | Scourge | Enemy | Naxxanar and Temple City of En'kilah | Prince Valanar |

Warsong Hold: Garrosh's fortress

Warsong Hold is the Horde's headquarters in Northrend. It sits in the south of the zone, near Garrosh's Landing. Garrosh Hellscream sent an army of peons from Orgrimmar. They cut stone blocks, raised everything with cranes and then built towers and gates around the quarry they had dug, the Mightstone Quarry.

Garrosh was named Overlord of the Warsong Offensive, the main army of the Horde Expedition. From there he led the advance across the tundra and gained support within the Horde.

Garrosh and Saurfang

Garrosh was still young and aggressive. Varok Saurfang stayed at the fortress as his advisor and commanded the Kor'kron in Northrend. Saurfang feared the bloodlust that was returning to the orcs with Garrosh's brutal tactics. The tactics worked, but they recalled the time when the Horde drank the blood of Mannoroth.

The two argued a lot, especially about the supply lines between Warsong Hold and the Forsaken in Howling Fjord. Saurfang even warned that if Garrosh led the Horde down a dark path, he would kill him himself. Garrosh never challenged him openly.

To see where that temper led Garrosh years later, read Garrosh corrupted and the siege of Orgrimmar.

The problem beneath the fortress

Warsong Hold was built on top of a part of Azjol-Nerub, the old kingdom of the nerubians. The peons accidentally opened tunnels and were captured by the Nerub'ar, nerubians serving the Scourge. Overlord Razgor sent troops against them, and Quartermaster Holgoth worked to seal the holes they used. In the end, the Nerub'ar pulled back.

Later, the Cult of the Damned took over the peons' shelters outside. About the underground kingdom, see Azjol-Nerub and Ahn'kahet: what confuses beginners.

Valiance Keep: Bolvar Fordragon's landing

Valiance Keep is the Alliance's main town in the zone. It is a fortified town on two islands and the seat of the Valiance Expedition, the army Varian sent against the Scourge.

The fortress was founded by Highlord Bolvar Fordragon. He later left to lead the siege of the Wrathgate (Angrathar the Wrathgate), in Dragonblight. In his place stayed General Arlos.

The traitor inside the Keep

The Keep had a secret. Counselor Talbot, one of the administrators, was actually Prince Valanar, a San'layn disguised with an illusion. He used Arlos as a puppet and tried to destroy the Valiance Expedition from within.

The death knight Thassarian was sent by Talbot to take the Wailing Ziggurat, south of the Temple City of En'kilah. There, he questioned servants of the Scourge about the necropolis of Naxxanar and began to suspect the infiltration in the Keep.

In the end, Thassarian defeated Valanar and saved his sister, Leryssa, and General Arlos. Both were under mind control and were about to be handed over to the Lich King.

The Scourge in the zone: Naxxanar and En'kilah

The center of the Scourge in the Borean Tundra is Naxxanar, a necropolis floating over the Temple City of En'kilah, in the northeast of the zone. Prince Valanar ruled from there, with the lieutenants Vanthryn the Merciless and Luthion the Vile.

The architecture of En'kilah recalls that of the old nerubian empire, but the city belongs to the Scourge. To get into Naxxanar, players killed three High Priests (Andorath, Naferset and Talet-Kha) and took their scrolls with the words of power.

Coldarra and the Nexus: where the Nexus War begins

On the west coast is Coldarra, a snowy island of high cliffs. It is the ancestral home of Malygos and the blue dragonflight. In the middle of it is the Nexus, a set of caves and tunnels that is Malygos's home.

Malygos is the Aspect of Magic. After regaining his sanity, he concluded that mortals used magic recklessly. With the Arcanomicon, a map of the ley lines, he began diverting that energy to Coldarra. The result was tremors and magical rifts across the world. That is how the Nexus War began. Malygos also imprisoned the red dragon Keristrasza in the Nexus.

The full story is in Malygos and the Nexus War.

Kirin Tor at Amber Ledge

At Amber Ledge, a cliff in the west of the zone with a mage tower over the Westrift, the Kirin Tor of Librarian Donathan and the red dragon Surristrasz investigated the kidnapping of mages.

The kidnapping happened at Beryl Point, just to the south. There, draconid mage hunters of the blue dragonflight, helped by human sorcerers (the Beryl Sorcerers), locked spellcasters in arcane prisons. The most famous prisoner was Archmage Evanor, of the Kirin Tor. On Coldarra, the Kirin Tor set up the Transitus Shield camp.

The native peoples: tuskarr and taunka

Kalu'ak, the tuskarr

The Kalu'ak are a tribe of tuskarr. The name means "tuskarr" in their language. They are a tough but peaceful people who live off fishing and whaling.

In the Borean Tundra, the village of Kaskala is under siege, and the tuskarr moved to Unu'pe. They made a pact with the Horde against the naga attacking from the Riplash Ruins. The kvaldir also attack the tuskarr. Their leader in the zone is Elder Atuik.

Taunka, the cousins of the tauren

The taunka are an ancient offshoot of the yaungol and relatives of the tauren. In the Borean Tundra, the Scourge and the Anub'ar nerubians were besieging Taunka'le Village. The Horde made contact with them during that siege.

The leader of Taunka'le was Chieftain Wintergale. He sent Horde adventurers against the Scourge commanders in Naxxanar and helped bring down Prince Valanar. The taunka officially joined the Horde later, in Dragonblight.

The other groups in the zone

D.E.H.T.A. ("Druids for the Ethical and Humane Treatment of Animals") are radical druids of the Cenarion Expedition, opposed to Hemet Nesingwary's hunt. If you kill an animal in the zone, you get the Animal Blood debuff and their NPCs turn hostile. Jumping into water removes the debuff.
Fizzcrank Airstrip (57, 18) is a gnomish Alliance base, run by Fizzcrank Fullthrottle, which faced the mechagnomes of Gearmaster Mechazod.

Where to see it in WotLK

The Borean Tundra is a level 68–72 zone in WotLK. The best zones for leveling fast explain why it usually works well for the Horde.

Warsong Hold (42, 53): Garrosh Hellscream and Varok Saurfang. The quest "Hellscream's Vigil" sends the Horde player to talk to Garrosh. In the Mightstone Quarry you will find "Taking Back Mightstone Quarry" and "Bury Those Cockroaches!".
Valiance Keep: Recruitment Officer Blythe (57.8, 67.6) and General Arlos. Quests like "Enlistment Day", "The Siege" and "Plug the Sinkholes" start here. The Thassarian and Talbot plot goes through "Last Rites".
Amber Ledge (45, 33): flight point and Kirin Tor base. From here you fly to Coldarra. The quest "Rescuing Evanor" covers the rescue at Beryl Point.
Naxxanar and En'kilah: "Words of Power" (both factions), "Buying Some Time" (Alliance) and "Blending In" (Horde).
D.E.H.T.A. Encampment: the series runs from "A Mission Statement" to "The Assassination of Harold Lane".
Dungeons: the Nexus (71–73), with Keristrasza as the final boss, the Oculus (80) and the Eye of Eternity raid, where Malygos is fought. See The Nexus and The Oculus: are they worth doing?.
Transport: zeppelin from Warsong Hold to Orgrimmar and boat from Valiance Keep to Stormwind.

Who commands Warsong Hold in WotLK?

Garrosh Hellscream, as Overlord of the Warsong Offensive. Varok Saurfang stays at his side as advisor and commander of the Kor'kron.

Who founded Valiance Keep?

Highlord Bolvar Fordragon, leader of the Valiance Expedition. When he left for the Wrathgate, General Arlos took over the fortress.

Where is the Nexus?

On the island of Coldarra, off the west coast of the Borean Tundra. You get there by flying from Amber Ledge. The dungeon entrance is at the bottom of the rifts, in the middle of the island.

Borean Tundra or Howling Fjord: which one to pick for leveling?

Both work for levels 68–72. If you like the story of the Horde and Garrosh, the Borean Tundra shows the beginning of the Warsong Offensive. Howling Fjord is the other gateway, where the Forsaken are.