Long , exceptional , or hidden questlines Long quests are questlines that are more than 10 - 15 steps long . Exceptional quests are quests that were memorable for folks while playing the game , or contain a significant amount of lore or world - related information that is interesting for players interested in the World of Warcraft . Hidden questlines are those that are hard enough to come by that most players never come across them in normal play . The list was spawned from a discussion on the Elitist Jerks forum , called Long , Hidden , or Exceptional Questlines . Note that items are listed under the first category in which they appear . If a questline is both long and hidden , it appears under " long . " Long quests . The Hermit . The subject of this section has been removed from World of Warcraft , leaving a much shorter and rather different quest chain in Cataclysm . A long 15 step quest chain , that begins at level 20 in Darkshire from Elaine Carevin who asks you to check on the old man in the shack overlooking Raven Hill Cemetery where resides , who sends you on many errands in the zone . It has you running up and down Duskwood to talk to other townspeople and collect ingredients for him as he is too old and frail and the path too dangerous . With each quest completed it digs deeper into his secret , and an unsuspecting adventurer to find out , at the very end , of his gruesome creation the abomination Stitches ( a level 35 elite ) . This is a very fun quest chain , and nets a large amount of experience and the small event of Stitches invading the town , with a small army of the Night Watch ready to fight back . Stitches drops no interesting loot but the rewards at that level plus the experience make it worthwhile to complete . Most of the quest chain can be done in conjunction with other quests in the zone . Covert Ops - Alpha and Beta . A long chain which begins off in Ashenvale which requires checking up on a night elf sentinel in Stonetalon Mountains , eventually it leads to killing , material gathering , explosions , distractions and item retrieval for the gnome quest giver Gaxim Rustfizzle . You Are Rakh ' likh , Demon . Also known as the " Fallen Hero " questline , or simply as the " Blasted Lands " questline , this is an exceptionally long set of quests in which the player is tasked with quelling some of the evil demons that have been causing trouble in the Blasted Lands . The questline starts at the Fallen Hero of the Horde in the Swamp of Sorrows , and continues for many steps . It takes you all around the world , from Azshara to Stranglethorn Vale , and has you entering areas that seem to serve no purpose except as a piece of this quest . This is an exceptionally detailed , well - thought - out quest , with a coherent story and good rewards . The chain may require a full group to complete , as it also involves killing four different elites / bosses . Linken ' s quests ( removed ) . A gnome NPC named Linken in Un ' Goro gives a rather long questline with some very decent rewards . It , again , takes you all over the world , from Winterspring to Tanaris , and has you helping Linken recover his sword . It ' s a tribute to the " Legend of Zelda " series . It begins with . The Onyxia Key ( discontinued ) . The quest to get the Drakefire Amulet necessary for gaining entrance into Onyxia ' s lair was a long , difficult , elite questline , designed to be completed by a group of 5 players of level 60 . The rewards were mediocre , but the questline itself is an excellent example of storytelling and world - building , as it reveals the details of the Dragonflight s for the first time , and continues the quests that both factions can do in Dustwallow Marsh . Moreover , the quests themselves are rather unique . There are a few of the typical , " Go here , kill this " - style quests , but there are also unique events , like disguising your character as a member of the Dragonflight and speaking with a dragon . Overall , this questline is worth doing just for the story , even if you never plan to raid Onyxia . This quest chain was largely disabled in Patch 3 . 0 . 2 when the requirement of having the amulet was removed from the instance . The Missing Diplomat . A long questline for the Alliance that has you running all around the world trying to find the King of Stormwind . Though the questline used to end anti - climatically , it has been continued in Patch 2 . 3 . 0 . The line is well worth doing if you ' re looking for some excellent lore about the Human race in WoW . The line , and provides Jaina ' s Signet Ring . The Shady Rest Inn . This is a long questline to discover the perpetrators of a hideous act . The second half of the questline was not added until Patch 2 . 3 . 0 , so the end remained long hidden , in the spirit of most crime stories . The plot shows a rare example of cooperation between Horde and Alliance to solve a tragic mystery , though the factions characteristically end up getting in each other ' s way . Hero of the Mag ' har . An exceptional addition to the lore of the Orcs , particularly of Thrall himself , in " " . This questline has you running errands for Thrall ' s grandmother , Geyah . It ' s exceptionally long , the rewards are excellent , and the storyline reminds you why you love video games . Attunement to the Eye . A 25 part quest chain that ends with the player being attuned to the Eye in the Netherstorm . This quest line no longer needs to be completed to enter the eye and formerly awarded the title " Champion of the Naaru " . The quest line begins with . Escape the Lich King ' s Grasp . Death Knight s start in an instanced version of the Eastern Plaguelands called the Scarlet Enclave at level 55 . After an exceptionally long series of quests involving many famous Scourge bosses from Naxxramas , you must break free from the Lich ' s tyrant will with the help of The Knights of the Ebon Blade in a battle with Patchwerk and his minions . Afterwards , the knights ask you to act as ambassador to the Horde or Alliance . Exceptional Quests . Rated one of the most interesting and difficult quest chains pre - the burning crusade , this adventure begins at Baristolth of the Shifting Sands and takes people all around Azeroth , exploring unexpected areas and dangerous zones , talking with quiet folk and legends . This is the quest about the War of the Shifting Sands between the Ahn ' qiraj , the Cenarion Circle and the bronze dragonflight and is hailed to be the most lore - packed chain in World of Warcraft . Though the quest is not for the everyday quester as it requires effort put into it , players would be tasked with " unusual " quests and eventually a focused raid group would have to be formed to battle through the tough Blackrock Mountain , Onyxia ' s Lair , Stormwind Keep , Undercity , The Tainted Scar , Darkwhisper Gorge , Alcaz Island and the Isle of Dread as well as combat World Bosses beyond the difficulty of the four Nightmare Dragons of Azeroth . ( Obsolete ) . Varimathras and Grand Apothecary Putress have taken the Undercity by storm and are now holding it as a home base for summoning demons and performing blight experiments . The heroes of the Horde will battle alongside Thrall and Sylvanas to reclaim the city from Varimathras , while Alliance adventurers must side with Varian and Jaina to defeat Putress . Each side ' s viewpoint is unique , so it is recommended that you play it as a Horde and an Alliance character . Both sides , however , will get great enjoyment , as the quest has a rich story and each side will have to fight against multiple bosses to win . Tirion Fordring ( obsolete ) . Widely hailed as one of the best questlines in the game , Tirion Fordring in the Western Plaguelands starts a line of quests that reveals his relationship with the Scarlet Crusade , and explains a large portion of the story behind the army in red . The line begins with , and completes with . If you level in the Plaguelands , it ' s definitely worth pursuing this quest line . Added in a later patch , Screecher Spirits is basically an introduction to the lore that surrounds the god Hakkar , the master of Zul ' Gurub . It has several pieces that span Zul ' Farrak and The Sunken Temple , and the rewards are excellent for their level . The Scythe of Elune . This is an interesting bit of game . It concerns itself with the lore of Duskwood , though it takes characters around to various places in that area . It also explains the power of Arugal from Shadowfang Keep . The ending to the quest is rather anti - climactic . The intended ending was probably for Alliance characters to go to Shadowfang Keep and retrieve the Scythe of Elune from Arugal , but that never really panned out . The questlines also contains a few bits of cross - faction lore , which is rare in WoW . The Legend of Stalvan . This quest - line also takes place in Duskwood . Players will be running all around the Duskwood and the other nearby regions to find information on Stalvan ' s past and the horrendous crimes he committed in life , before confronting him as an Undead in an epic battle . Note that since Stalvan has been nerfed into a non - elite , the quest chain does not end off as climactically as before , but is still worth playing for its rich story - line . Rewriting the Battle of Darrowshire ( obsolete ) . Darrowshire is a ruined town in the Eastern Plaguelands . The humans could not hold out , and the Scourge , led by Horgus the Ravager and Marduk Blackpool won the day in the name of evil . The trapped spirits would ask your help to save their souls , with you and your allies ultimately battling against Horgus and his army as they invade Darrowshire . " Note : Marduk is not fought because he is now a teacher at the Scholomance . " This quest is quite short , being that you only have to deliver a letter found on the corpse of a supposed " traitor , " who had joined the blue dragonflight . However , the traitor in question was actually forced to serve them , but had been sabotaging them all along . Your commanding officer has the good taste not to mention your part in the traitor ' s demise , however it still leaves a pit of guilt in your stomach , especially after the traitor ' s loved one writes you back , thanking you . This brief quest has a huge payoff : You give Lady Sylvanas her necklace , and she sings an elven ballad that she remembers from before she was undead . It ' s absolutely worth spending 30 minutes to complete as a level 80 for this . This questline , is an excellent way to guide exploration of Blackrock Depths , and to get a general sense for the stories and trials that the Badlands , Searing Gorge , and Burning Steppes are dealing with . The rewards are excellent and the storyline is a great introduction to Blackrock Mountain . Archmage Vargoth . This series of 8 or so quests has you running errands and finding out about the Archmage Vargoth . One of the better additions to The Burning Crusade , the line sports a good story and excellent rewards . See also , available after you finish this line . Sprite Darter Egg ( obsolete ) . This Alliance - only quest has you running all around the world in pursuit of the final reward : A non - combat Sprite Darter pet . The above links to the quest chain page , but an external guide is available here , and the line is recommend to all players just because it ' s extremely fun . Hidden Quests . Awbee ' s Scale ( obsolete ) . While not hidden before " " , this questline starts in Upper Blackrock Spire with , making it relatively hidden for the majority of the post - expansion crowd . It explains a small piece of lore dealing with the dragonflights , and has a unique teleportation gimmick in Winterspring that is rather fun . You pick it up from Awbee in the dungeon . ( obsolete ) . This quest starts from a letter that you pick up inside one of the ships in southern Stranglethorn Vale . The line itself ends with a rather simple reward ( a 14 - slot bag ) , but the quest texts are riddles , making the line unlike anything else in the game . Don ' t spoil this for yourself — try to figure out the riddles without resorting to the wowhead spoilers ! ( obsolete ) . Not a hidden quest to the Alliance , but one of the few true cross - faction quests in the game . Horde players can do this quest , but it can rather difficult due to over zealous guards . Also known as the King Kong quest , this gem of a task starts on the southern beach of STV , where some of the bottles on the beach contain a scroll with a message . The reward is relatively mediocre , but the experience of finding a giant gorilla ( King Mukla ) on an island is pretty outstanding . Picked up from a letter hidden underwater underneath the Thandol Span . ( obsolete ) . This starts in Westfall , but the level requirement is such that most players will never know it ' s there . It has you running a small set of errands , and concludes with a nice little trinket reward . Another Westfall quest , that has you running around clucking like a chicken for up to five minutes . However , the reward is a Westfall Chicken small pet . Since patch 3 . 1 . 0 the same quest is done in Brill so Horde players can get the pet too . ( obsolete ) . A horde only quest , found in Weathered Nook started at Dorn Plainstalker . Takes the player to Stonetalon Mountains , Ashenvale , Undercity and the Scarlet Monastery . Meanwhile the player have to answer the correct answer to questions about lore along the way .