Hillsbrad Foothills

For how the Hillsbrad Foothills was prior to Cataclysm, see Hillsbrad Foothills (original).

Hillsbrad Foothills
Level 20 - 25
The Ruins of Southshore
Capital	Tarren Mill
Races	Undead  Orc  Ogre  Worgen  Goblin  Naga  Murloc  Gnoll
Rulers	Queen Sylvanas Windrunner
Major settlements	Ruins of Alterac Sludge Fields
Minor settlements	Dalaran Crater Purgation Isle Strahnbrad
Affiliation	Forsaken (Horde)
Location	Central-south Lordaeron
PvP status	Contested territory (PvP realms only)

The Hillsbrad Foothills is a large region of the former Kingdom of Lordaeron and is mostly untouched by the Scourge. This beautiful land is torn by conflict and aggressive expansion of the Forsaken, trying to conquer the whole of Lordaeron for themselves, opposed by dwarves of the Stormpike Clan allied with Bloodfang worgen of the Alliance. Its hills are green and pastoral, its meadows fertile and its soil rich. The Forsaken maintain their holdings in Tarren Mill, which is the largest settlement in this region, the dreaded Sludge Fields, where many terrifying experiments are being performed. As the result of their expansion, the humans of Southshore were driven off to Fenris Keep in Silverpine and the town itself devastated by the New Plague.

The land also consists of Alterac Mountains and its surroundings, such as Dalaran Crater and Strahnbrad.

History

Hillsbrad is traditionally the most blood soaked battlefield on Azeroth, despite its pleasant, pastoral setting. In the Second War, it saw several important skirmishes between orcs and forest trolls on one side, and humans and high elves on the other. In the Third War, the Scourge wiped out the human town of Tarren Mill, though it was later claimed as the southernmost holding of the Forsaken and expanded over the years. The undead battled fiercely with the humans of Southshore, until the crushing blow in form of New Plague rendered the town uninhabitable and forced its inhabitants to flee. Now the expansive Forsaken seek to maintain their holdings in order to conquer the rest of Lordaeron for the Horde.

The northern part of this region consists of the chilly Alterac Mountains, where the ruins of the city of Alterac have been claimed by a tribe of ogres and the majestic city of Dalaran was once annihilated by the demon lord Archimonde during the Third War. The Dalaran mages fought against the Forsaken while they rebuilt their city, only to move the city to Northrend to combat the Lich King. What little Alliance activity is left in the region is centered around Dalaran Crater and the "four fingers" of Alterac, where the Stormpike with the aid of their new Bloodfang allies seek to drive out the Forsaken.

Geography

Though the rest of Lordaeron was ravaged by the Scourge and twisted into a haunted perversion of its former self, the Hillsbrad Foothills largely managed to escape this fate. It remains the best preserved region of the fallen kingdom, giving travelers a feeling for what the land was like before the Plague. Yet the destructive efforts of the Forsaken threaten this land with devastation. Pine trees dot the ample farmland, and the rolling pastures are frequently crisscrossed with roads leading to the gloomy Forsaken settlements. A river flowing from Darrowmere Lake in the Western Plaguelands runs north to south. There are a few small, empty islands off the southern coast, and one larger one, Purgation Isle.

The Alterac Valley battleground can be found in the zone.

Maps and subregions

Hillsbrad Foothills map

Travel hubs

The Sludge Fields

Flight paths from Southpoint Gate

• The Forsaken Front, Silverpine Forest
• Ruins of Southshore, Hillsbrad Foothills

Flight paths from Ruins of Southshore

• Southpoint Gate, Hillsbrad Foothills
• Tarren Mill, Hillsbrad Foothills
• Eastpoint Tower, Hillsbrad Foothills

Flight paths from Tarren Mill

Hillsbrad Foothills prior to Cataclysm

• Undercity, Tirisfal Glades
• The Bulwark, Tirisfal Glades
• The Sepulcher, Silverpine Forest
• Ruins of Southshore, Hillsbrad Foothills
• Eastpoint Tower, Hillsbrad Foothills
• Strahnbrad, Hillsbrad Foothills
• Hammerfall, Arathi Highlands
• Hiri'watha Research Station, The Hinterlands
• Revantusk Village, The Hinterlands
• Thondroril River, Eastern Plaguelands

Flight paths from Eastpoint Tower

• Ruins of Southshore, Hillsbrad Foothills
• Tarren Mill, Hillsbrad Foothills
• Galen's Fall, Arathi Highlands

Flight paths from Strahnbrad

• The Bulwark, Tirisfal Glades
• Tarren Mill, Hillsbrad Foothills

Adjacent regions

Ruins of Southshore

Zone Name	Faction	Level Range	Direction	Access
Silverpine Forest		10-20	West	By foot, or by flying.
Ruins of Gilneas		14-16	Southwest	By swimming from Purgation Isle, or by flying mount.
Arathi Highlands		25-30	Southeast	By foot, or by flying.
The Hinterlands		30-35	East	By foot, or by flying.
Western Plaguelands		35-40	Northeast	By foot, or by flying.

Notable characters

Tarren Mill

Main article: Hillsbrad Foothills NPCs

• High Warlord Cromush
• High Executor Darthalia
• Helcular
• Ivar Bloodfang
• Kingslayer Orkus
• Vanndar Stormpike
• Dumass
• Johnny Awesome

Quests

Main article: Hillsbrad Foothills storyline

Resources

Azurelode Mine

• Herbs
  •  [Briarthorn]
  •  [Bruiseweed]
  •  [Grave Moss]
  •  [Mageroyal]
  •  [Kingsblood]
  •  [Stranglekelp]
• Leather
  •  [Thick Murloc Scale]
• Ore
  • Tin Vein
  • Silver Vein

Dig sites

Hillsbrad Foothills has two dig sites:

1. River next to Tarren Mill and Southshore; contains Fossil Archaeology Fragments.
2. Dun Garok; contains Dwarf Archaeology Fragments.

Wild creatures

Nethander Stead

• Bears
• Deer (Stags)
• Ghosts
• Gryphons
• Horses
• Mountain lions
• Owlbeasts
• Sharks
• Oozes
• Spiders
• Turtles
• Yetis
• Zombies

Notes

• Although still a contested zone, by the end of the storyline, the Forsaken would have taken control and Alliance players have no reason to visit the zone, except to visit Brazie Farmstead.

Patch changes

• Patch 4.0.3a (2010-11-23): Retuned to 20-25 zone, merged with Alterac Mountains, scenery and quests updated as part of level 1-60 content revamp in Cataclysm expansion. Southshore has been destroyed due to the Forsaken's New Plague.
  
• Patch 1.6.0 (2005-07-12): The pair of gryphons guarding the entrance to the Hinterlands have finally decided to stop staring at one another and will now wander around the entrance to the pass.
  

External links

• Wowhead