Swamp of Sorrows The Swamp of Sorrows ( also once known as the Swamps of Sorrow ) is a contested territory in the southern part of the Eastern Kingdoms . Among its murk - ridden marshes the green dragonspawn patrol at the behest of their dreaming mistress , Ysera . The great Dragon Aspect has warned of a lurking terror within the Temple of Atal ' Hakkar , and her loyal servants are determined to protect the land from the emerging doom . Overview . Far distant from civilization , the Swamp of Sorrows is a stagnant marshland of sucking bogs and weeping trees . The ocean seeps into the fen , making the water brackish and ideal for alligator s and crocolisk s . Salt deposits encrust fallen logs and protruding rocks . Bog beast s slog through the interior . Despite these dangers , the Horde has taken advantage of the region ' s distance from Stormwind to establish a colony in the zone . A flight of green dragons guards the Lost Temple , or Temple of Atal ' Hakkar , an ancient troll edifice that channels demonic energy and drives living creatures to madness and violence . Some draenei were led through the Dark Portal by a few unknown leaders with the hopes of finding a new life , and have settled in the Swamp Of Sorrows . Unfortunately , most of them were driven mad due to homesickness , and attack all on sight . They routinely send assassins and saboteurs against the orcs . The orc outpost of Stonard , built during the First War and rebuilt under Thrall ' s rule , is the only civilized town in the swamp . It serves as a base for the Horde . While being rather isolated from other Horde settlements , it has gained new interest with the re - opening of the Dark Portal . Most of the swamp is dominated by nature . Wild beasts like crocolisks and jaguars hunt for prey , and ancient Bog Beasts wander through the land . Aggressive Murloc tribes populate the coast and nearby caves . The Swamp of Sorrows stands on the eastern side of Azeroth , east of Deadwind Pass , north of the Blasted Lands and south of the Badlands . The only established foot route to it is through Duskwood , then Deadwind Pass , although it is also possible to gain entry from Redridge Mountains by climbing through the peaks south of Render ' s Valley . History . Originally , the Swamp of Sorrows was the northern part of an enormous swampland called the Black Morass . After the fall of the Gurubashi Empire , a renegade faction of trolls , the Atal ' ai , fled into the swamp and built a large temple , the Temple of Atal ' Hakkar . Ysera of the green dragonflight learned of their evil plans , drowned the temple into the largest bog , and sent several members of her flight to guard the ruins . Years later , in the southern part of the Morass , the Dark Portal was opened , and the Horde invaded the area . The orcs built two settlements in the Swamp of Sorrows , Rockard and Stonard . These towns , and later Blackrock Spire farther north , were the Horde ' s main bases during the First War against the humans . During the war , Rockard was destroyed and Stonard was severely damaged . With the implosion of the Dark Portal during the Second war , the southern part of the morass was separated and transformed into the barren Blasted Lands . The implosion left some groups of draenei on Azeroth , forever changed by the disaster . Most of them went mad from homesickness and the separation from their land , transforming into the hostile Lost Ones . A small group , calling themselves Broken Exiles , managed to escape that fate and struggle along . The northern part of the Black Morass is now called the Swamp of Sorrows and the southern part is the Blasted Lands . After the Warchief , Thrall , assumed command of the Horde , the old outpost of Stonard was rebuilt by the orcs to its former glory . Researchers have come to study and exploit ancient magical artifacts , as well as the abundant flora and fauna of the swamp . After the crash of the Exodar , some draenei arrived to help their broken cousins , but they decided to stay neutral towards the Horde and remain in the Swamp of Sorrows . Warcraft III map . Once a tribe of furbolg s stubbornly held its own against foul creatures invading the swamp . Unfortunately , they weren ' t able to hold out long . The tileset is called " Felwood " . Geography . The swamp is aptly named , as water from the ocean estuary encrusts fallen logs and rocks with salt deposits . The road rises mere inches from the water , painstakingly built to allow travel through this wretched area . This stagnant land is made worse by the jaguars , the hulking bog beasts and the crocolisks , many - toothed beasts that lurk at the water ’ s edge waiting for travelers . The Swamp of Sorrows contains no raid dungeons or battlegrounds . The Temple of Atal ' Hakkar ( aka the Sunken Temple ) , an instanced dungeon for adventurers levels 50 - 56 , can be found in the eastern part of the zone . Sorrowmurk , east of the Sunken Temple , is a micro - dungeon full of elite dragonspawn . The orc outpost , Stonard , can also be found in this zone , and is a Horde travel hub ( their nearest one to the Dark Portal ) , and the location of the master alchemist trainer . Harborage is a small village of draenei broken , who deal with both the Horde and the Alliance . Although the Alliance has no travel hub in this zone , both Darkshire and Nethergarde Keep are valuable alternatives as their locations lets one run to the Swamp without encountering any enemies on the way . Notable characters . Swamp of Sorrows is home to several characters of note . At Stonard , Fel ' zerul seeks aid in the battle against the Atal ' ai . Near the entrance to the Blasted Lands , the Fallen Hero of the Horde attempts to cleanse the corruption that stems from a grand demon to the south . And southeast of Stonesplinter Junction , Watcher Biggs sends bold adventurers into the swamp in search of his lost shipment . At the Harborage in the northwest , Anchorite Avuun studies the Lost Ones of Fallow Sanctuary in hopes of curing their condition . Quests . Quests in the Swamp of Sorrows are few and far between , stretched out across level 35 - 55 . A few quests in this zone lead to the Temple of Atal ' Hakkar , and so merit a visit . For the most part , however , this zone is seldom seen as a prime questing area . In Cataclysm . In " Cataclysm " , Swamp of Sorrows will be a 52 - 55 zone . The Alliance and Horde will be fighting siege battles . The Alliance will at last have a proper town in this zone , located on the lakeside near the Sunken Temple . In addition , the coastline that once enclosed the Temple ' s " lake " is now open to the sea . The storyline starts out in Bogpaddle in the northeast , after being led here from the Burning Steppes down the Redridge Highway . Areas affected : Additional changes :