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The Borean Tundra is the primary starting zone for Alliance players in Northrend. Even though most Alliance will start here, there is a significant Horde presence and several neutral factions for both groups to quest with. The main Alliance town is Valiance Keep found along the southern coast and connects to Stormwind city via a boat. The main Horde area is Warsong Hold connected back to the old world via a zeppelin at Orgrimmar.

The zone while being called a tundra actually has quite varied terrain, as opposed to the wide flat waste land that most players would expect. The zone has settlements and farms along the south coast area and plains as you move north. Near the centre of the zone you can find steam pools, and in several places there are rock outcrops and mining areas. Along the western edge of the zone, off the coast, you can find the island of Coldarra, home of the Nexus.

The zone has a large number of small quest hubs that help you explore the zone and move from area to area. For players that thought there were a lot of quests in the Outland zones, be prepared for even more! There are easily over 100 quests in the zone, and they will keep you busy for a while. The zone is meant for players level 68-72, however if you are level 68 expect some difficulty at times.

Borean Tundra is home to many different factions including the Tuskarr. The Tuskarr are a walrus like people that settle and fish along the coast. You can find their capital city of Kaskala along the south east coast, and it has a turtle ship that allows easy transport to the other starting zone of Howling Fjord.

Other zones around the Borean Tundra include Sholazar Basin to the north, and Wintergrasp and Dragonblight to the east.

The Nexus is also located in the region, located of the western coast on the island of Coldarra. The Nexus houses three instances that you will want to check out, they are:

You can find guides for these (and other) instances on our Wrath of the Lich King Instance Guide page.

For miners you are able to find the Cobalt Ore in the zone. For players collecting herbs, you can find Goldclover and Tiger Lily throughout the zone and Firethorn near the geyser field.

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The Howling Fjord is the primary starting area for the Horde in Northrend. Horde can reach if using the zeppelin that leaves from Tirisfal Glades just outside of the Undercity. Once they arrive in the zone their quests start at Vengeance Landing. The Alliance also has a strong presence in the zone however and can reach Valgarde from Menethil Harbor in the Wetlands.

The zone is split up through the middle by it's most prominent geographic feature, a huge canyon. Much of the zone is bordered by the ocean and the fjords along the coast are steep and treacherous. The area however is scenic enough even inland with forests, plains, and mountains.

This is the zone that many players will remember from Warcraft III where Arthas landed with his fleet when trying to track down Mal'Ganis. Since then many faction have vied for control of the area. Currently the zone is under a mix of factions control. However, the Vrykul warriors that make their base in Utgarde Keep seem to have the most control over the zone.

As with the other starting zone in Northrend (The Borean Tundra) this zone has a large number of small quest hubs that help you explore the zone and move from area to area. There are easily over 100 quests in the zone, and they will keep you busy for a while. The zone is meant for players level 68-72, however if you are level 68 expect some difficulty at times.

Other zones around the Howling Fjord include Grizzly Hills to the north, and Dragonblight to the west.

The fortress called Utgarde Keep is also located in the region, which houses two instances, although only one is fit to explore at this level range. You will need to come back to the zone at level 80 for the other instance. The instances are as follows:

You can find guides for these (and other) instances on our Wrath of the Lich King Instance Guide page.

For miners you are able to find the new ore type of Cobalt Ore in the zone. For players collecting herbs, you can find Goldclover and Tiger Lily throughout the zone.

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Dragonblight is the second zone that most players will explore in Northrend. It is however supposed to be the third in zone progression. It is meant for players level 71 to 74 and while it can be completed after either the Borean Tundra or the Howling Fjord zone, it is best to complete both before this zone. You can enter the zone from either the west end from the Borean Tundra or the east end from Grizzly Hills.

The Dragonblight is the dragon graveyard where all factions of dragons come to pass away. It also houses the Wyrmrest Temple in the centre of it where the various dragon factions meet. Along the edges of the zone there are rugged mountains and even forested areas, however once near the centre of the zone, the waste prevails.

The zones in this area focus heavily around the Wyrmrest Temple and the red dragonflight attempts to stop Malygos and the blue dragonflights plan to alter the magical ley lines in Northrend. Quests eventually lead you to Alexstrasza, leader of the red dragonflight and a quest chain that has you visit and help the various other dragonflight shrines in the area.

Also, featured heavily in the zone is the fortress Naxxramas and the scourge attempting to overrun the Alliance settlement of Witergarde Keep. Lastly the entrance to the Nerubian underground empire can be found in the zone in the south west.

The zone of Dragonblight has several instances located in it. The first two are found just north of Star's Rest, while the third is a raid instance found in Wyrmrest Temple in the centre of the zone. The fourth is the 10 man raid instance of Naxxramas found hovering over the eastern part of the zone. The instance are as follows:

You can find guides for these (and other) instances on our Wrath of the Lich King Instance Guide page.

For miners you are able to find the Cobalt Ore in the zone. For herbalists you can find Goldclover throughout the zone.