Eastern Plaguelands The Eastern Plaguelands ( formerly known as the Eastweald ) is the more heavily devastated half of the Plaguelands , the remnants of the Kingdom of Lordaeron . They are located east of the Western Plaguelands , north of the Hinterlands , and south of the Ghostlands . The Scourge ’ s rule here is supreme . Their northern capital of Stratholme is here , under the command of the lich , Kel ’ Thuzad . The ground is brown , ugly , and sick , the trees corrupted into giant mushrooms and the air polluted with orange mist . Undead , necromancers , and Damned cultists prowl the land . The Scarlet Crusade boasts a large army and battles fervently and vainly against the Scourge ; outsiders are also unwelcome . Amani forest trolls strike from the north , attempting to reclaim their ancestral empire . The area is roamed by mutant creatures and soldiers of the Scourge , while members of the Scarlet Crusade fight a constant battle to drive the Scourge out of Stratholme from their Chapel and key base at Tyr ' s Hand . Only a small camp maintained by the Argent Dawn remains friendly to all , welcoming adventurers that would lend a strong arm or spell . Located at Light ' s Hope Chapel , this staging area serves as a last bastion of Light in a land blanketed in darkness . With Patch 1 . 12 , objective - based world PvP was added to the zone . Members of the Horde and the Alliance battle in A Game of Towers for four strategic ruined outposts spread throughout the land . Controlling these towers gives area - wide benefits and certain towers provide other , unique advantages . This contest was removed with the Cataclysm . History . Like the Western Plaguelands , the Eastern Plaguelands were once beautiful and brimming with farms and small villages . The regional government was centered around the city of Stratholme , the largest city in Lordaeron . Also nearby were the towns of Darrowshire , Corin ' s Crossing , and Tyr ' s Hand , and to the east of Stratholme was the pass leading into the southern boundaries of Quel ' Thalas . At this time , it was known as the Darrowmere Forest after the lake with the same name to the south . In the opening hours of the Third War , the investigations into the origins of the Scourge led Prince Arthas and Jaina Proudmoore through the Tirisfal Glades and what is now the Western Plaguelands ( more specifically , the towns of Andorhal and Hearthglen ) , where they confronted the necromancer Kel ' Thuzad and his Cult of the Damned . Kel ' Thuzad told Arthas to seek out the leader of the Scourge in Lordaeron , the Dreadlord Mal ' Ganis , at Stratholme . While en route via Hearthglen , Arthas and Jaina were joined by Lord Uther , master of the Silver Hand . When they arrived at Stratholme , Arthas realized that the villagers had been infected with the Plague of Undeath . When Uther refused to obey Arthas ' command to purge the city , Arthas relieved Uther of command and disbanded the Silver Hand , then slaughtered the townsfolk himself . After hunting down Mal ' ganis in Northrend , Arthas returned as one of the Lich King ' s death knights and toppled the Kingdom of Lordaeron by murdering his own father , King Terenas . After the fall of Lordaeron ' s capital , the plague spread throughout the northern regions of Lordaeron , turning them into the blighted lands they are today . The resistance against the Scourge was particularly bloody at Darrowshire , where the ghoul Horgus the Ravager and the death knight Marduk Blackpool ( alias Marduk the Black ) led an army of Scourge against the town . Only surviving paladins under Davil Crokford and the Darrowshire militia under Captain Joseph Redpath were able to stand in their way . Though they put up a valiant fight , the defenders of Darrowshire were not enough to stave off the endless legions of Scourge . Davil managed to defeat Horgus in combat , but he succumbed to the horrific wounds the ghoul had inflicted . Captain Redpath fell to Marduk ' s necromancy , his soul taken from his body and corrupted into the service of the Scourge , where he proceeded to turn on his fellows and tear Darrowshire apart , killing everyone who hid in their homes . After the fall of Lordaeron , the Scarlet Crusade attempted to retake the shattered kingdom from both the Scourge and the undead renegades known as the Forsaken . In the Eastern Plaguelands , they took control of both the town of Tyr ' s Hand and the western districts of Stratholme , where they battle the forces of Baron Rivendare to gain control of the destroyed city . Eventually , the master of the Scourge in Lordaeron made his return to the blighted lands . From his citadel of Naxxramas , floating over the Plaguewood near Stratholme , he prepared to continue the work he began in the name of his master , the Lich King . Recently , Naxxramas floated away from the Plaguelands and reappeared over Dragonblight in Northrend , though it was replaced by over the far eastern portion of the zone . From there , Arthas sent his death knight s to exterminate both the Scarlet Crusade and the Argent Dawn and leave his grip over the Plaguelands unchallenged . But , there is that old saying about the best - laid plans of mice and men ( and Lich Kings ) . . . Geography . The Eastern Plaguelands contain a normal instanced dungeon ( Stratholme ) , and formerly contained the raid dungeon Naxxramas . The micro dungeon Tyr ' s Hand can also be found here . Light ' s Hope Chapel serves as a travel hub for both the Horde and the Alliance . There are no battlegrounds in this zone , though it is a world PvP area . Flight Master Locations . Light ' s Hope Chapel is the primary travel hub to and from the Eastern Plaguelands , and connects directly to the Alliance city of Ironforge and the Horde city of Undercity . Directly above Light ' s Hope Chapel is , the main hub for player - character death knights , which provides flight paths to various destinations via Light ' s Hope Chapel ( Light ' s Hope will always be the first stop , regardless of whether you ' re going there or not ) . Prior to the Cataclysm , the Plaguewood Tower flight path could only be used if a player ' s faction controlled the tower ( as it was part of the A Game of Towers World PvP event ) . Plaguewood Tower ' s flight path was also the only path in the game to use the spectral gryphon for all character classes ( versus Death Knight s use of the spectral gryphon when flying out of the Ebon Hold ) , and it was used regardless of Faction . " Wrath of the Lich King . The Eastern Plaguelands have been expanded somewhat to include a small area for death knight s , including their home base of , a massive Scourge necropolis floating above the hills behind Light ' s Hope Chapel . It is here that the death knight trainers , as well as their leader Highlord Darion Mograine , can be found . Death knights start out in Scourge service in a special instanced area east of Tyr ' s Hand known as the Scarlet Enclave . As they progress in their training , death knights are tasked with laying waste to the towns of New Avalon and Havenshire , which lay below the fortress . The towns are left in ruins as the death knights sweep through them with the Scarlet Crusade inhabiting them all but destroyed . After sacking both towns , death knight players participate in a final , epic Battle for Light ' s Hope Chapel . After the battle is concluded , the death knight is deposited into the " main " ( non - instanced ) Eastern Plaguelands , where they begin their service to the faction their race belongs to . In the " main " Eastern Plaguelands , the Scarlet Lands - consisting of Tyr ' s Hand , New Avalon and Havenshire - are left completely in ruins , their once - green pastures devoured by the blight that permeates the rest of the region . The ruins of the towns of New Avalon and Havenshire , collectively referred to as the Ruins of the Scarlet Enclave , are reachable from two directions . First , players may travel through Tyr ' s Hand , and take the final fork in the road to the north . Alternately , players may travel through Browman Mill into the Noxious Glade and follow the south wall to a cave which leads to Death ' s Breach , at the northern end of the Ruins . Cataclysm . The Eastern Plaguelands will be retuned as a level 40 - 45 zone . The Plague is still present in the zone , although it slowly recovers from its influence . Light ' s Hope Chapel has been fortified , the towers claimed by the Argent Crusade and the scars have been filled with water . Areas affected : Notable characters . The Eastern Plaguelands are home to several characters of note . At Light ' s Hope Chapel , Lord Maxwell Tyrosus leads the Argent Dawn in the fight against the Scourge . At the Marris Stead , Nathanos Blightcaller sends bold heroes of the Horde against the Scarlet Crusade . At his home by the Thondroril River , Tirion Fordring seeks to eradicate the dark horrors that the Plaguelands offer . And in the halls of Acherus , high above Light ' s Hope Chapel , Highlord Darion Mograine commands the Knights of the Ebon Blade .