Zul'Drak: The Trolls Who Killed Their Gods

October 12, 2026•Lore•Brendo Arruda

The story of Zul'Drak is the fall of the Drakkari troll empire: besieged by the Scourge, they killed their own gods, the loa, to drink their blood and gain power. It did not work, and in WotLK the player arrives to watch the end of an entire civilization.

What is Zul'Drak?

Zul'Drak is a huge region in eastern Northrend, land of the ice trolls, the Drakkari. The whole zone looks like a giant ziggurat, built in tiers, full of temples.

The capital is Gundrak, in the northeast. On the highest tiers stand the great altars where the Drakkari worshipped their loa, the animal gods of the trolls.

Zul'Drak borders the Grizzly Hills, Dragonblight, Crystalsong Forest and The Storm Peaks. One of the ways in is Drak'Tharon Keep, on the border with the Grizzly Hills.

The origin of the Drakkari empire

The Drakkari are a very old troll tribe. In the war against the aqir, thousands of years ago, they fought alongside the Zul Empire. Afterward, they were the first to move up into the frozen lands of the north.

Their violence was so extreme that the other troll nations exiled them. In the north, the Drakkari founded their own empire and raised the temple city of Zul'Drak.

The empire grew through conquest. One tribe absorbed its neighbors until it ruled the region from Gundrak. Whoever resisted was destroyed.

The Drakkari even survived the nerubians of Azjol-Nerub. But nothing compares to what came with the Lich King.

To understand the Drakkari's place among the tribes, see Trolls of Azeroth.

How did the Scourge invade Zul'Drak?

The Scourge attacked Zul'Drak from every side. The Drakkari fought back. They even brought down the necropolis Kolramas. Even so, they kept losing ground.

The worst blow came from within. Drakuru, a Drakkari, betrayed his own people and began serving the Lich King. He helped the Scourge take Drak'Tharon Keep, once a major troll outpost. Inside, the Prophet Tharon'ja became a skeletal wind serpent.

As a reward, the Lich King gave Drakuru the necropolis Voltarus, in the Dead Fields. There he became Overlord Drakuru.

Drakuru captured troll chieftains and filled them with plague using blight crystals. The result was the Blightblood Trolls, deformed weapons serving the Scourge.

The start of this betrayal happens in the Grizzly Hills. The previous post in the series tells that part: Grizzly Hills: lore.

Why did the Drakkari sacrifice their loa?

With the Scourge at the gates, one troll leader had a terrible idea. Warlord Zol'Maz convinced the prophets of the loa to kill their own gods. A loa's blood grants power. With that power, the trolls thought they could defeat the Lich King.

That decision sealed the fate of the Drakkari people. Each loa reacted in its own way.

If you want to understand what the loa are, read Wild Gods and Loa.

Who's who: the loa of Zul'Drak

| Loa | Animal | What happened | | --- | --- | --- | | Sseratus | snake | Killed by High Prophet Slad'ran, who became half snake | | Mam'toth | mammoth | Blew up himself, his temple and his worshippers so he would not be sacrificed | | Quetz'lun | wind serpent | Killed by her own prophet; before that, she trapped her worshippers in a nightmare | | Rhunok | polar bear | Body kept alive while his spirit suffered | | Har'koa | snow leopard | Imprisoned, not killed; survived and escaped | | Akali | rhino | Chained outside Gundrak; killed by the Prophet of Akali |

Sseratus, the snake god

High Prophet Slad'ran killed Sseratus. The god's power turned him into half troll, half snake. He took no pleasure in it: he believed it was the only way to save his home.

Mam'toth, the mammoth

Mam'toth discovered the plan and destroyed himself, taking his temple and worshippers with him. What remained was Mam'toth Crater, full of a blue ooze: the god's blood, which moves on its own. Even so, the prophet Moorabi drank that blood and gained part of Mam'toth's power.

Quetz'lun, the goddess of cunning

Quetz'lun's prophet killed her to drain her power. Before she died, she created a nightmare underworld and dragged her former worshippers into it. Only the prophet escaped. Later, with the player's help, she regains her power and drags the prophet into the nightmare too.

Rhunok, the polar bear

Rhunok's prophet tried to absorb the god's power and died, but the priests brought him back. The worshippers kept Rhunok's body alive, with his spirit trapped, only able to watch. Rhunok asks the player for something hard: revive him and kill him, to end his suffering.

Har'koa, the last goddess

Har'koa was the last to be overpowered. Her prophet chose to imprison her rather than kill her. The trolls used her power to curse her cubs. The player frees the cubs and Har'koa herself, who takes refuge at Zim'Torga.

Akali, the rhino

Akali was chained outside Gundrak. To free him, the player needs Warlord Zol'Maz's key. And the price is grim. The player kills the Warlord's family for a ritual, and Zol'Maz dies in the clash that follows.

Once free, Akali kills those who held him, but the Prophet of Akali kills him and drinks his blood. With the help of Har'koa and Khufu, the player defeats that prophet.

The Zandalari at Zim'Torga

The Zandalari, the oldest and most learned trolls, set up an outpost at Zim'Torga. According to the wiki, they came more to record the end of the Drakkari empire than to save their cousins.

The exception is Witch Doctor Khufu, who came from the South Seas to stop the Drakkari from betraying their loa. He sends the player to help the gods that remain. Almost always, it is already too late.

The Zandalari side of the story continues much later, in Zandalar. See Zandalar in depth.

The Argent Crusade and the Ebon Blade in Zul'Drak

Two forces fight in Zul'Drak against the Scourge and also against the maddened Drakkari.

The Argent Crusade has two bases. The larger one is The Argent Stand, led by Crusade Commander Korfax. The crusaders chose the spot to keep the Scourge from taking Zul'Drak's second tier. It did not work. Eitrigg, the old orc and friend of Tirion, is there too.

The smaller base is Light's Breach, led by Crusader Lord Lantinga. The Rageclaw are there as well, a wolvar tribe allied with the Crusade.

The Crusade lost Drak'Sotra soon after the Scourge arrived.

The Knights of the Ebon Blade have a small outpost, Ebon Watch, commanded by the death knight Stefan Vadu. The Ebon Blade sends the player as an undercover agent into Voltarus to bring Drakuru down.

To follow the rest of the two factions' path, read the Argent Crusade, the Ebon Blade and the fall of the Lich King.

How does Drakuru die?

Undercover in Voltarus, the player earns Drakuru's trust until he shows off his Blightblood Trolls. In the final showdown, the player uses Drakuru's own Scepter of Domination to turn the trolls against their master.

Defeated, Drakuru calls on the Lich King. The Lich King appears and beheads Drakuru for his failure, but spares the player, who amused him.

Gundrak: the last bastion

Gundrak is the empire's last bastion. That is where the prophets who drank the gods' blood stay, stronger and more twisted.

In the dungeon, the group faces Slad'ran (Sseratus), Moorabi (Mam'toth), the Drakkari Colossus and, at the end, Gal'darah, the High Prophet of Akali. He turns into a rhino in the middle of the fight. One of his lines sums up the Drakkari: "Who needs gods, when WE ARE GODS!" When he dies, he admits: "Even the mighty... can fall."

Where to see it in WotLK

Zul'Drak is a level 74–76 zone in WotLK (the site's leveling guide places it in the 75–77 range, together with the Grizzly Hills). Gundrak was a 76–78 dungeon.

Way in: the neutral quest "Into the Breach!", in Dragonblight, takes you to Light's Breach (31.9, 75.1).
The Argent Stand (40, 66): start with "Defend the Stand", from Commander Falstaav.
Drak'Sotra: "Leave No One Behind", from Dr. Rogers (58.6, 72.5), to rescue wounded crusaders.
Zim'Torga (60, 57): Witch Doctor Khufu and the Har'koa chain, with "To Speak With Har'koa" and "But First My Offspring".
Loa altars: "Seek the Wind Serpent Goddess" (Quetz'lun), "An End to the Suffering" (Rhunok), "Trouble at the Altar of Sseratus" (Altar of Sseratus, near 40.2, 38.6) and "Rampage" (Akali, near 78.6, 24.9).
Ebon Watch (14.7, 73.1): the Voltarus chain starts with "An Invitation, of Sorts..." or "Darkness Calling", goes through "Infiltrating Voltarus" and ends in "Betrayal".
Amphitheater of Anguish (47.3, 57.1): the goblin Gurgthock runs six fights to the death, from Yggdras to Vladof the Butcher ("The Champion of Anguish").
Dungeons: Gundrak, in the northeast, and Drak'Tharon Keep, on the border with the Grizzly Hills.

Before going into the instances, read What to know before entering Gundrak and Drak'Tharon Keep: tips to avoid needless pain. To fit the zone into your route to 80, see the 5 best zones for rushing levels.

Why did the trolls of Zul'Drak kill their gods?

To gain power against the Scourge. Warlord Zol'Maz convinced the prophets that the blood of the loa would give them the strength to defeat the Lich King. It did not work.

Which loa were sacrificed in Zul'Drak?

Sseratus, Quetz'lun and Akali were killed by their own prophets. Mam'toth destroyed himself first. Rhunok was trapped in a living body until the player freed him. Har'koa was the only one who survived and escaped.

Who is Drakuru?

A Drakkari who betrayed his people to serve the Lich King. He was given Drak'Tharon Keep and Voltarus, and was beheaded by the Lich King in the quest "Betrayal".

What level is Zul'Drak in WotLK?

A 74–76 zone. Many players do it between 75 and 77, before moving on to Sholazar Basin.

Who is the final boss of Gundrak?

Gal'darah, the High Prophet of Akali. On heroic mode, there is also an extra boss, Eck the Ferocious.