Barrens The Barrens is a large zone in central Kalimdor controlled mostly by the Horde . It is a massive savanna , with a few oases in the north - central region around the Crossroads . Before the upheaval , several large kaldorei cities stood here . Now , those brave few willing to scrape out a life on the arid plains inevitably run afoul of centaur warbands or quilboar raiding parties . Despite its often uninviting terrain and hostile inhabitants , the Barrens receive a good deal of interest from Alliance and Horde alike , as well as races native to Kalimdor . Trade routes crisscross the landscape leading to and from more inviting regions , and the most notable route is the Gold Road that runs north - to - south through the Barrens and beyond . Rumours suggest that precious minerals and treasure - filled ruins await those with the courage to investigate . History . The Barrens was once a thriving forest under the protection of the night elves and their kind . Several kaldorei settlements dotted the land , and there was no ocean for miles . Then came the Burning Legion and the Great Sundering , which shook ancient Kalimdor to the bedrock . This forested landscape transformed into a scorched plain and is battered now each day by the sun ' s rays . The Barrens is a sprawling and arid savanna that stretches between the Stonetalon Mountains to the west and Durotar to the east . The grasslands and mesas of Mulgore rise to the southwest , while the wetlands of Dustwallow Marsh lie to the southeast . The majority of the region consists of vast plains . Mountains to the west hold in heated air , creating the swirling winds that rage across the plains . These windstorms stir up dust devils and tear apart anything larger than the small , tenacious scrub trees . Water is more valuable than gold in the Barrens , and the locations of hidden watering holes are the residents ' most closely held secrets . Dry riverbeds and a never - ending spider web of canyons make any journey across the Barrens a dangerous and winding trek . The few brave adventurers willing to scrape out a life on the arid plains inevitably run afoul of centaur warbands or quilboar raiding parties . Despite its often uninviting terrain and hostile inhabitants , the Barrens receive a good deal of interest from Alliance and Horde alike , as well as races native to Kalimdor . Trade routes crisscross the landscape leading to and from more inviting regions , most notably the Gold Road that runs north - to - south through the Barrens and beyond , and rumors suggest that precious minerals and ruins await those with the courage to investigate . Centaur warbands are most often seen in the Barrens ' canyons , though they roam as far as the river that forms its eastern border with Durotar . Fearlessly aggressive , the centaur are known for their savagery , especially against tauren and night elves . They are not above attacking trade caravans also , for the goods or just for the sake of violence . Travelers who survive the centaur ’ s battle lust are used as slave labor in the hardscrabble mines the centaur carve into the hard - baked earth . Displaced from Durotar by Orcs , quilboar have built crude villages along the river that separates the orc nation from the Barrens . From there , they strike out across the river to raid settlements or deeper into the Barrens to attack caravans along the Gold Road . The caravan raids have hurt the goblin trade princes ’ profits , so they have started negotiations to pay the quilboar gold and goods to protect caravans against centaur warbands . The quilboar have also erected a fortress called Razorfen Downs in the southeastern Barrens . Razorfen is a sprawling mass of giant , twisting thorns and crude mud huts . It serves as the center of quilboar society . Other dangers include harpies who watch from perches atop mesas in the northern Barrens and large beasts such as lions and thunder lizards - though these creatures tend to avoid the Gold Road . Native dangers have not stopped the Ironforge dwarves from establishing a stronghold near the titan excavation site of Bael Modan . The centaur have made forays against it , but are repelled decisively each time . Scouts claim that the centaur are amassing other tribes to launch a major attack , but the dwarves are unconcerned . Each day that passes sees Bael Modan grow stronger as the inhabitants build up its defenses . When the orc s under the new Warchief Thrall had landed on the Barrens , it saw civilization anew . The Horde built new settlements among the dry grasses and arid hills , and placed the Barrens solidly into the heart of Horde territory . The Horde has set up numerous outposts in this barren land , the largest being the Crossroads . The Barrens are also dotted with numerous farms populated by orcs and their families , and guard towers manned by orcish and tauren guards . Razorfen Downs lies just opposite the road , but this dungeon has been infested by agents of the Scourge , and poses great threat to anyone who is traveling to or from the Thousand Needles . Geography . The Barrens are a temperate and warm land . It has hot rugged hills , plains ( grassland ) , some rocky desert and rugged mountains . The Barrens are huge , one of the largest zones in kalimdor . The land is mostly flat , with a few hills scattered throughout . The climate is harsh and hot , but survivable due to several lush oasis . With a stretch of coastline to the east , mountains to the northwest , plains to the west , forest to the north , marsh to the southeast , and the desert conditions to the south and northeast , the Barrens is surrounded by extremely varied landscapes . The Barrens contain three instanced dungeons , the Wailing Caverns , Razorfen Kraul , and Razorfen Downs . The Horde entrance to Warsong Gulch is located to the north . There are two Horde aligned travel hubs in this zone : the Crossroads and Camp Taurajo , in addition to the flight path and boat in Ratchet available to both factions . There are no raid dungeons in the Barrens . Travel hubs . The Crossroads is likely the biggest travel hub for Horde characters , with a total of 13 flight paths . Camp Taurajo , a secondary hub in the southern Barrens , is very useful for travel from one end of the zone to the other . Ratchet has both a Horde and Alliance flight master , and a boat which sails to Booty Bay in Stranglethorn Vale . Notable characters . The Barrens are home to several characters of note . At the Crossroads , Sergra Darkthorn sends promising young adventurers to prove their worth to the Horde by hunting local wild creatures . She is assisted in her efforts by Jorn Skyseer in Camp Taurajo , who also refers them to continue their quests in Thunder Bluff . At his fortified camp west of the Crossroads , the beleaguered Regthar Deathgate fights a one - man battle to keep the savage centaur from breaking through the Horde defenses . The Barrens is also home to Mankrik who gives out the ever so infamous quest to find his wife . Quests . Being such a huge zone , the Barrens has a wealth of quests for Horde characters between levels 10 and 20 . Of particular note are the hunting quests given by Sergra Darkthorn at the Crossroads , which lead to similar quests in other zones . Many quests in the Barrens deal with fighting back the centaur and the quilboars . In addition , the Venture Company has taken a foothold in the northern Barrens and several quests involve investigating and causing trouble for them . Notes and Other Info . Avoiding the Barrens . Following the release of " The Burning Crusade " expansion , Horde players now can completely bypass the Barrens if they wish by questing in Ghostlands and then moving onto Silverpine Forest and Hillsbrad Foothills . There are a number of reasons that a player might choose to do so : World of Warcraft : Cataclysm . After the , the zone is split in two with a lava river separating the Northern Barrens and Southern Barrens . A fortified gate and high wall now separates the southern Barrens from Mulgore . The zone was split into Northern ( about the same level range as it is now ) and Southern Barrens ( levels 30 - 35 ) . Camp Taurajo was burnt to the ground by the Alliance , who begin to move into Southern Barrens ( no doubt from Northwatch , or perhaps Bael Modan ) , constructing guard towers throughout . Also portions of the southern part of the zone will become lush , thanks to the efforts of druid Naralex ; however , the Emerald Nightmare is pouring out into the zone , causing trouble . Finally , the pirates near Ratchet will be forced out , and Mankrik will find his wife ' s body . The lava at the Barrens is , as of the playing of the beta , a non - flyable area , where a player will be dismounted if they try to fly over the lava . There is no indication as to if this is a bug or an intended action , or if this will change for the final release , though it appears to be the former since there is no visible way to escape from the lava other than death and resurrection ( and in one YouTube upload , releasing after death makes the player automatically rez in a random spot in Southern Barrens , giving more indication that the no - fly zone is not intended and is rather a bug ) . There is no reason given as of yet from Blizzard as to why the no - fly zone would be intentional , assuming it is intentional . The latest images from World of Warcraft the Magazine , show a section of the Barrens as a battlefield between the Horde and the Alliance , with war machines littered on the battlefield , it also shows the Oasis next to the Wailing Caverns north of the Lava rift that cuts the Barrens in two , confirming the Wailing Caverns to be on the Horde side of the Barrens for Cataclysm .