Wetlands The Wetlands is a large , wet zone below Stonewrought Dam and north of Loch Modan , covered with small rivers , lakes , and ponds . Bordered on three sides by mountains , the Wetlands are open to the ocean to the west . Adventurers seeking a route to the Wetlands must either come through sieged Dun Algaz from Loch Modan or cross the damaged Thandol Span from Arathi Highlands . The northern slopes of the Wetlands are generally classed within the Khaz Mountains . The Wetlands is a vast , cold swamp . Mists cloak the ground , and the overcast sky makes the land a uniform gray . Many Ironforge strongholds once stood in this region , but war has reduced them to rubble . Wild creatures , murlocs , and renegade orcs now control the land . Menethil Harbor , a city on the west coast , is the Alliance ’ s only presence in this dreary region . History . The Wetlands have been the site of many a battle through the times . Nestled among the Khaz Mountains and open to the ocean as it is , it is a prime location for invading forces . It was historically part of the original dwarven kingdom while the three tribes were united , but after the War of the Three Hammers , it fell under control of the Wildhammer Clan . The Dark Irons invaded Grim Batol and almost succeeded in taking full control of it , but were driven back at the last minute . During the Second War , the bastion finally fell prey to the invading orcs , most notably by those of the Dragonmaw Clan . Although the orcs took possession of Grim Batol for a time , they were subject to the wrath of the red dragonflight who , when freed of their enslavement from the orcs , destroyed their bases and burned their catapults , killing orcs en masse . The orcs who survived the onslaught fled south to the mountains , where they live to this day . Horde and Scourge forces devastated the Wetlands in the Second and Third Wars , forcing the Ironforge dwarves to retreat to Loch Modan and Dun Morogh . Grim Batol is now under the control of the red dragonflight , who fiercely defend their lair from outsiders . Alliance forces have since established Menethil Harbor , but the area is still wild and untamed . The dwarves and allied humans built the port city on an island in Baradin Bay , which they named after King Terenas Menethil II — Menethil Harbor . The Wetlands is a buffer zone between inhabited Khaz Modan and Scourge - infested Lordaeron . Menethil Harbor withstood the brunt of the effects of the Cataclysm , the large city flooded by the high waters . The citizens have done what they can while maintaining a tenuous hold on the port , sandbagging areas and repairing others . It is hard to walk through the town without sloshing through deep pools . The docks are even damaged , though still functional . The Dark Iron dwarves have attempted to take advantage of the distraction , somehow infiltrating and holding Menethil Keep , though this is ultimately short - lived . The other major disaster to strike the Wetlands is the destruction of the Stonewrought Dam in Loch Modan . The waters of the loch plummeted into the marshes far below , not only flooding much of the surrounding area but also displacing several species unfamiliar to the zone , including threshadon s . Perhaps the only good to come of this is that the gnoll s have largely abandoned that southeastern portion . A host of new elementals have risen to swarm the now - unoccupied areas , including Direforge Hill and parts of Mosshide Fen . Whelgar ' s Excavation Site has been abandoned by the dwarves , fleeing from skeletal raptors that now skulk through the dig site , though Whelgar himself has set up camp nearby . Battles wage on a few fronts : the dwarves still fight at Dun Modr , but now it has been revealed their fight has been with the Twilight ' s Hammer clan all along ; and the gnolls and dark iron dwarves squabble over Saltspray Glen . A number of new dragonkin now inhabit the Green Belt as well . There have been some Alliance gains , however . The largest of them is the addition of a new night elf - inspired town built up around Rethiel the Greenwarden . A small dwarven camp has been established near Mosshide Fen and now even Fradd Swiftgear can boast an inn of his own . Geography . The Wetlands is a large marsh , full of swampy pools and very little flora besides tall grasses and a scattering of trees . High mountains border the zone on every side but the west , which is open to the sea . Passes lead to Arathi Highlands in the north and Loch Modan to the southeast . Since the Cataclysm much of the southeast portion is flooded due to the destruction of the Stonewrought Dam , and Menethil Harbor is also flooded along the coast . Notable characters . The Wetlands are home to several characters of note . In Menethil Harbor , Captain Stoutfist sends promising young adventurers to end the threat of the Dragonmaw Clan . At Dun Modr , Rhag Garmason seeks to recover the besieged town from the dark iron dwarves . And in the Green Belt , the wise Rethiel the Greenwarden wishes to put an end to the gnoll incursion and the corruption of his lesser bog beast brethren . Areas of interest . Elite areas . Prior to the Cataclysm , both Dun Modr and Dragonmaw Gates were elite areas . Now , however , the former is filled with regular mobs and the latter is now part of the Twilight Highlands . In Warcraft III . A Warcraft III map exists called Wetlands . A once thriving metropolis has all but been covered by the jungle .