World of Warcraft Classic is a return to what many people believe to be the best MMORPG of all time. With thousands of people logging and queuing into servers every day, there's a ton of nostalgia going around for the long-lost days of vanilla WoW.
World of Warcraft Classic is as close to the original 2004 game as possible, and that means there are a ton of 15-year-old characters and guilds coming back to life from their digital graves. Along with all the fun has come the realization that nostalgia isn't the same as hindsight. Not only do players have to level the old, slow way, but they also have to do a lot of walking.
While the old scenic World of Warcraft Classic roads might be great to travel down memory lane, no one wants to get lost. It's already taking a ton of game time to get anywhere. Here's a quick guide to help get any character from their nearest capital to the Tauren city of Thunder Bluff.
Updated on December 28th, 2021 by Kristy Ambrose: With TBC Classic now in the Serpentshrine Cavern phrase and talk of another expansion in the future, some guides needed a couple of updates to reflect these new changes. Veteran players of the series are likely more than familiar with how exactly to traverse the lands and make it to Thunder Bluff but players new to the series might be struggling a bit. In order to give everyone adequate information regarding TBC Classic and the path forward, this spoiler-free guide has been given a once-over and is filled with even more information for better clarity.
About Thunder Bluff
This is one of the major Horde cities. It's in an isolated area on a high mesa in the plains of Mulgore in the eastern continent of Kalimdor. This zone is west of the Barrens, east of the lonely hills of Desolace, and is the home of the Tauren, staunch allies of Thrall and members of the Horde. When the Centaur took over these lands, the leader of the Orcs stepped in a saved the Tauren from extinction, earning their gratitude and loyalty.
Thunder Bluff is the home of a few unique trainers and vendors, so almost all Horde players have to visit sooner or later. For tourists, it's also the permanent residence of Cairn Bloodhoof, their leader. There are only two reasons that Alliance characters might seek out this location. One is the Darkmoon Faire, which occasionally sets up in a grassy plain just outside the elevators that lead to the mesas. The second is to raid the city, but considering this inconvenient location it's not high on the list of raid targets.
How To Get To Thunder Bluff
Even the Tauren have to do some walking when it comes to getting to this city, and Mulgore is their starting area. Bear in mind that even if a character has a flying mount, that only works in Outland. There's also only one road in and out of this zone, which isn't so bad as it's one of the most beautiful in Azeroth.
The critters here are in the 1-10 range, so don't worry too much about getting wrecked by an overpowered mob. From Camp Narache, where all Tauren players begin their journey, walk northwest along the road to get to Bloodhoof Village and then over Stonebull Lake. The road should lead directly to the elevators that are the only way up to Thunder Bluff. As soon as Horde players arrive, they'll want to make sure to find the flight master. No one wants to make that long walk twice.
Mulgore is completely cut off from the western side, with the only a single entrance from the southern Barrens to the east. This trip is either going to be on foot or with a ground mount, so deal with it or go play retail.
How to Get to Thunder Bluff: Alliance
- Darnassus. This is the one of two major Alliance cities in Kalimdor, and it's miles away from everything else on a tiny island. Don't be fooled by the Njil's Point flight path, which looks like the closest one to Thunder Bluff on most maps. Astrannar and Stonetalon Peak are actually closer when the possible routes are taken into account. From either city, head southeast until reaching the Barrens, then keep heading south. Turn west at Camp Taurajo and follow the road through Mulgore straight to Thunder Bluff.
- The Exodar. This is the second of Kalimdor's Alliance cities and it's even less convenient to the mainland than Darnassas. Take a ship to Teldrassil. Then use the same general directions as from Darnassus and prepare to do some running.
- Stormwind. There's a ship that goes directly from the Stormwind Harbor to Theramore Isle, an Alliance settlement on the east coast of Kalimdor and the residence of Jaina Proudmoore. It's located in Dustwallow Marsh, a mid-level area, so lower-level characters should stay close to the road. Run directly west from here to reach Mulgore. This is one of the easiest routes for Alliance players.
- Ironforge. Take the Deeprun Tram to Stormwind and take the boat to Theramore Isle. Head west from there.
How To Get To Thunder Bluff: Horde
- Orgrimmar. The Horde capital city is located in Durotar, a zone in Kalimdor northwest of Mulgore. Head to the Southfury River and follow it south until reaching Far Watch Post by the river. Cross the bridge here and continue east along the road towards Crossroads. This area is a 10-20 zone, so low-level characters should do their best to avoid mobs or make your own WoW Classic guild and bring some friends along. The road south should lead players right to Camp Taurajo.
- Undercity. Head to the zeppelin tower located between the Ruins of Lordaeron and the town of Brill. Forsaken players start in the Shallow Grave northwest of here, and often find this tower before they get to Undercity. The zeppelin on the west side of the tower is the one to Orgrimmar in Durotar, the starting area of Orcs and Trolls.
- Silvermoon. This is the farthest that anyone has to travel to get to Thunder Bluff, but ironically it takes much less time than other methods. Use the Translocation Orb in Silvermoon City to port instantly to the ruins of Lordaeron and jump on a nearby zepplin to Orgrimmar.
How To Get To Thunder Bluff: Neutral Cities
- Booty Bay. Located on the southern tip of Stranglethorn Vale in the Eastern Kingdoms. There's a ship here that can take players to another neutral city, Ratchet, on the east coast of Kalimdor. There are also flight paths here for each faction.
- Ratchet. Players from both Alliance and Horde can take a ship here from Booty Bay in the Eastern Kigdoms. This settlement is located in the northern part of the Barrens, so follow the road east to the Crossroads, the turn south, take a right at Camp Taurajo and head into Mulgore.
- Moonglade. Players of any class are permitted to visit Moonglade in peace, but only Druids have the power to hearth there and take advantage of the flight paths within the city. These flight paths only lead to two cities, Thunder Bluff and Darnassus, and only Tauren and Night Elves can use them. There are conventional flight paths that any race or class can access outside of town.
- Shattrath. Only Horde players can access the direct portal to Thunder Bluff located in the center of the city. Alliance players can take a portal to the Alliance city of their choice and go from there.
World of Warcraft Classic is available for PC and comes free with regular subscriptions. Expansions are included.