Blackrock Mountain Blackrock Mountain is a zone between the Burning Steppes and the Searing Gorge , linking the two regions in the Eastern Kingdoms . This zone is deceptively small , and appears empty when first entered — however , it was at one point , without doubt , among the most dangerous places in Azeroth . It is hotly contested between the forces of Ragnaros and his Dark Iron servants on one side and the black dragon Nefarian and his orc minions on the other . This is one of the most important areas in the " World of Warcraft " lore . It contains five high - level instances ( with 2 more added with ) : History . The mountain is actually a volcano that was created at the end of the War of the Three Hammers when the Dark Iron dwarf Lord , Thaurissan , accidentally summoned Ragnaros the Firelord from his prison beneath the earth . The power unleashed by his " rebirth " was so massive it shattered a large section of the Redridge Mountains creating the areas now known as the Searing Gorge and Burning Steppes . Ragnaros enslaved the Dark Iron dwarf clan , and they have dug many tunnels and created a huge underground city in the depths of the mountain . Dwarves would later name this mountain Blackrock Spire . The name Blackrock Mountain and Blackrock Spire predates the coming of the orcs . Blackrock Spire is the part of Blackrock Mountain that is above ground , and Blackrock Depths is the parts underneath the mountain . During the events of the First War , the Blackrock clan of orcs had taken over the upper reaches of the mountain . Led by chieftain Rend Blackhand , they eventually struck a deal with the current head of the black dragonflight , Nefarian . During the Second War , the Blackrock Mountain was the headquarter of the Horde . When this war was ending , one of the fiercest battles in the history of Azeroth took place here , the Assault on Blackrock Spire . Both Ragnaros and Nefarian now wage a brutal war for supremacy and control of the mountain . Ragnaros controls his Dark Iron dwarves and their various machines and golem s , as well as an army of elementals , beasts , and powerful lieutenants such as Baron Geddon , Garr , and Sulfuron . As an Elemental Lord , he has also gained the favor of the Twilight ' s Hammer . Nefarian controls the Blackrock tribe of orcs , a small army of trolls and ogres , as well as his dragon lieutenants and his latest invention , the chromatic dragonflight . Nefarian leads from his throne over looking the mountain while Ragnaros leads from its very volcanic core . The two rivals both hope to raise a powerful army that can take over Azeroth . We are fortunate that they spend most of their efforts fighting each other and not the mortal races , for then we would surely be doomed . . . In Cataclysm . The Blackrock Mountain becomes the home of two more locatons : Blackrock Caverns and the raid Blackwing Descent . The Caverns serve as a transport route from the mountains to the Twilight Highlands , where the Twilight Hammer ' s base can be found . Blackwing Descent is an extension of Blackwing Lair . According to the lore , after Nefarian ' s death at the hands of heroes from the Alliance and Horde , Deathwing collected the heads of his children and resurrected the two dragons . Nefarian now rules from the center of Blackwing Descent . Upon his return to Azeroth , Deathwing , the Patriarch of the Black Dragons , somehow managed to convince Ragnaros to join him in an alliance in order to destroy the mortal races of Azeroth . Although Ragnaros himself is currently in the Firelands , his alliance with Deathwing will no doubt have some major effect on the current situation inside Blackrock Mountain ; however , the full nature of this effect is not known at this time . Player interaction . Before the Burning Crusade expansion was released , Blackrock Mountain was a PvP hotspot ( even more intense before Ahn ' Qiraj ) due to the fact that Upper Blackrock Spire , Lower Blackrock Spire , Blackrock Depths , Molten Core and Blackwing Lair were ALL in Blackrock Mountain . Since these were the most popular instances , many players of both factions would clash here on their route to their instance . Many PvP videos feature extended segments of Blackrock Mountain PvP , or what was known as BRM PvP . If one was going to Blackrock Mountain , one could expect to encounter resistance on the way there . However , with the release of the expansion , BRM PvP has " died " to say the least . A more complete explanation of Blackrock Mountain ( from Paxton ' s " The Death of PvP " ) : " Some called this the gauntlet . . . " " everyone from 50 - somethings to the fully geared raider frequented this warzone cleverly disguised as a mountain . Some in hopes of acquiring powerful epic item , others to ensure that didn ' t happen . " " There were more dangers lurking around every corner in this mountain than to possibly list . Even the most experienced raider couldn ' t anticipate rogues hidden in these corridors , or the priest hiding in the shadows helplessly tossing mind - controlled opponents into the fiery lava pits below . " " As with most Pre - TBC content , the objectives and rewards found in this mountain have been trivialized to the extent that there is no motivation for players to come here . Blackrock Mountain may only be remembered for what it was , the destination for end game PvE and high - stakes PvP . " Geography . There are four ( six after the Cataclysm ) dungeons in Blackrock Mountain , suitable for players starting level 50 and increasing in difficulty . Blackrock Depths is a 5 - player instance recommended for players level 48 - 60 . Blackrock Spire is usually divided into two parts : Lower Blackrock Spire which is a 5 - player instance recommended for players level 52 - 60 ; Upper Blackrock Spire is a 10 - player raid instance recommended for players level 52 - 60 . Molten Core is the first 40 - player raid instance recommended for players level 60 + . Blackwing Lair is a 40 - player raid instance recommended for players level 60 + + ( after Molten Core in difficulty ) . " " will introduce two more Blackrock dungeons . Blackrock Caverns will be an introductory 5 - player dungeon for level 80 - 81 players and Blackwing Descent will be a 10 / 25 - player raid inspired by Blackwing Lair , and will feature Nefarian as a boss . There are no flight paths or battlegrounds in this zone . Notable characters . Blackrock Mountain is home to three characters of note : Quests . For the most part , no quests occur in Blackrock Mountain itself , though it is a gateway to 6 instances . However , there are a few quests that are categorized as Blackrock Mountains quests , in particular some of the Dungeon Set 2 quests . These quests are primarily given by Bodley , the ghost of a gnome located in Blackrock Spire .