Suramar
- This article is about about the region in the Broken Isles. For the city, see Suramar City. For the elven kingdom, see Suramar (kingdom).
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Level: 45 Battle Pet Level: 25 | |
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Capital(s) |
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Races |
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Ruler(s) |
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Former ruler(s) |
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Major settlements |
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Minor settlements |
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Affiliation | The Nightfallen, Kingdom of Suramar, Moon Guard, Jandvik vrykul |
Former affiliation(s) | Burning Legion, Highborne, Kaldorei Empire |
Location | Central Broken Isles |
PvP status | Contested territory |
“Once a shining symbol of Highborne society, Suramar never recovered from the trauma of the War of the Ancients. To survive the devastation of the Sundering, the city's inhabitants sealed themselves away from the rest of the world. Isolated for millennia, they had no allies to call upon when the Legion invaded. Now their ancient city, and all of its power, is at the mercy of demons.”
- — The Art of World of Warcraft: Legion, pg. 55
Suramar is a max-level zone located in the central Broken Isles.[1] Once a great night elven settlement — though not as glorious as the capital of Zin-Azshari — it was famously the hometown of several important night elves: Illidan Stormrage, his brother Malfurion, their friend Tyrande Whisperwind, and the siblings Jarod and Maiev Shadowsong. Today it is the home of the Nightborne. Suramar is built on ley lines,[2] and arcane coils in the tunnel system running beneath Suramar and the surrounding areas tap into those ley lines' power.[3] Since the creation of the Nightwell, the ley lines have become redundant and the arcane coils abandoned.[4]
History
Suramar was the location of the Temple of Elune, the central place of worship for the night elves and where the high priestess of Elune lived. The Boughs of Azshara, Izal-Shurah and Arauk-Nashal were also located here.[5]
War of the Ancients
During the War of the Ancients, the Legion's efforts in the city were led by the pit lord Ronokon.[6] The city was attacked and ravaged by the Burning Legion. Suramar was subsequently used by the nathrezim in an experiment to create an army of the undead, an experiment which laid the groundwork for the Scourge ten thousand years later.[7] At some point during the war, the demon lord Sciallax came to Suramar and offered the night elves at the time a powerful artifact in return for their servitude to the Legion.[8]
The Burning Legion attempted to open a second portal besides the one at the Well of Eternity in the Temple of Elune in order to attack the night elves on two fronts. The resident Highborne used the Pillars of Creation to close the portal and put several seals on the temple.[9] The Wild God Ashamane battled Ronokon in Val'sharah just outside Suramar and sacrificed her life to kill him. In doing so, she was able to buy the elves the time they needed to craft a shield around their city.[6]
Most of Suramar was blasted to the bottom of the Great Sea during the Sundering. However, some of it remained above shore in the Broken Isles due to the efforts of the resident Highborne, who crafted a magical shield that kept a section of their city together. This shield would stay up for 10,000 years, as the Highborne believed the world outside of Suramar City had been destroyed. Under their shield they would evolve into the Nightborne, reliant on their source of power, the Nightwell.[10] While the city was shielded, it was next to impossible for normal Nightborne to leave,[11] though some illegally did through skillful navigation.[12] Much later, dwarves recovered a Highborne Astrolabe from the undersea ruins of Suramar.
The sunken Temple of Elune in Suramar City was later used by the Guardian Aegwynn to hold the physical remains, Jeweled Scepter, and Eye of Sargeras, which led to the building's more familiar designation, the Tomb of Sargeras.[13]
Great Wars
During the Second War, the portion of Suramar containing the Tomb of Sargeras, now known as the Broken Shore, was raised up from the seafloor by Gul'dan.[14][15]
A battle was fought there between Maiev Shadowsong's Watchers and Illidan's Naga in the aftermath of the Third War.[5]
Nightborne: Twilight of Suramar
Shortly after the conclusion of the war in Draenor, the alternate Gul'dan was sent by the Burning Legion to act as their ambassador to the ruler of Suramar, Grand Magistrix Elisande, and her closest advisors. If the nightborne would lower their protective shield and grant the Legion access to the energies of the Nightwell, then they would not only be spared the demons' wrath but also be welcomed as allies; should Suramar refuse, then the Legion would lay waste to their entire civilization. Ultimately, Elisande pledged herself and her people to the same demons she stood against in defiance of Queen Azshara and decided to lower the shield. Seeking to depose the Grand Magistrix and prevent the lowering of the shield, First Arcanist Thalyssra led a small group in attempting to breach the Nighthold. The plot failed, however, and the rebels were exiled outside the city.[16]
Legion
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This section is a lore stub. |
At some point during the third invasion, the Order of the Silver Hand sent their troops in the region to intercept during the night a nightborne convoy containing a large shipment of [Lumenstone], guarded by Warden Jor'al and some Duskwatch Enforcers behind the walls of Suramar City.[17]
Getting there
Suramar is the most central region in the Broken Isles, making it naturally accessible from almost every other zone.
Roads lead directly into the Suramar from the neighboring regions of Azsuna, Val'sharah, and Stormheim from the west, northwest, and east respectively. A small mountain path even connects from the remote area of Highmountain far to the north near the Moon Guard Stronghold.
There are three separate neutral flight points located throughout the zone:
Alyndra Stormgazer at Irongrove Retreat[25, 31]
Ancient Cloudwing at Meredil[34, 49]
Ancient Cloudwing at Crimson Thicket[62, 41]
Geography

Suramar is an ancient land, much like the other regions of the Broken Isles. It is strewn with lush and colorful flora, covering almost every cliff and crevice. Ancient Highborne towns cover much of the landscape, now inhabited by fouler creatures. The zone is incredibly diverse, featuring many distinguishable regions.
The southern portion of Suramar holds its most recognizable feature, Suramar City. Almost all of the roads in Suramar lead here, as it was once the center of Highborne civilization. Another notable feature to the south is to the west of Suramar City, Felsoul Hold; a rather recent addition to the zone.
The western portion of Suramar is a flat and grassy area, orange and red in color. It holds two large and now abandoned towns - Falanaar and Ambervale. The great Sundering had especially affected this place, collapsing much of Falanaar. A lot of the snowmelt from Highmountain flows through here and into the Sundered Shoals. Another feature is tucked away to the northwest, Moon Guard Stronghold - built against Highmountain in a strategic manner.
In the northern center of Suramar, one finds perhaps the most treacherous and difficult to traverse place in the zone. Anora Hollow is a maze-like canyon with many precarious pathways carved throughout. On top of it is the Highborne gravesite, Tel'anor. Tel'anor's city-like fabrication on the cliffs of Anora Hollow is perhaps strategic, to prevent the desecration of its heroes' tombs. That hasn't stopped the harpies, though, who have invaded over half of the ruins.
The last major area of Suramar is the Crimson Thicket, found in its easterly portion, near Stormheim. Like its name, the Crimson Thicket is a forest of deep red color and massive trees. A small path from the forest leads to Azuregale Bay.
Maps and subregions
Instances
Instance name | Level range | Group size |
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45 | 5 |
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45 | 5 |
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45 | 10-30/20 |
Travel hubs
Flight Paths from Meredil
Flight Paths from Irongrove Retreat
Flight Paths from Crimson Thicket
Adjacent regions
Zone Name | Faction | Level Range | Direction | Access |
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Azsuna | ![]() ![]() |
10-45 | Southwest | By foot or by flight path |
Highmountain | ![]() ![]() |
10-45 | North | By flight path |
Stormheim | ![]() ![]() |
10-45 | Northeast | By foot or by flight path |
Val'sharah | ![]() ![]() |
10-45 | Northwest | By foot or by flight path |
Notable characters
- Main article: Suramar NPCs
Quests
- Main article: Suramar storyline
Vignettes
- Main article: Suramar vignettes
Resources
- Cloth
[Shal'dorei Silk]
[Imbued Silkweave] (By extension of the Queen's Grace Loom)
- Herbalism
- Skinning
- Mining
- Fishing
Wild pets
Wild creatures
In the RPG
In Lands of Conflict
Suramar was a great Kaldorei city ten thousand years ago. Some important night elves once called this place home: Tyrande Whisperwind and the brothers Stormrage. The ruins are now a sad reminder of ancient Kaldorei folly. In the center of the ruins, the stumps of two great aspen trees stand side by side. It is strange, since the climate is not right for aspens; and even if a seedling did manage to grow, it would not have had time to reach the girth of these enormous stumps. As some night elves later clarified, in ancient times, a great garden stood at Suramar's center, and at the center of this garden stood the fabled Boughs of Azshara. Now, these petrified stumps are all that remain.[18]
As capital of the Kaldorei
- In some RPG books, Zin-Azshari was seemingly replaced by Suramar.
Suramar was the ancient Kaldorei capital.[19] In the time of Queen Azshara, the religious community of Suramar was a complicated structure intimately intertwined with the arcane community and involving nearly everyone in the city.[20] The great arcane academies of Suramar trained entire generations of mages.[21]
Once a gleaming city of polished wood and marble, of silken banners and graceful spires, Suramar was torn asunder by the War of the Ancients and was being battled over during the final stages of the war. Queen Azshara and her Highborne followers climbed to the heights of power when their heedless studies of magic brought the Burning Legion to Azeroth. The Kaldorei and the ancients were making one last attempt to prevent the Highborne from leaping over the brink of destruction. A portion of Suramar, the temple district, was located near the Well of Eternity. The city was also the location of the Eternal Palace where Queen Azshara lived.[22]
Notes and trivia
- Ga'han used to be near Suramar.
- The demonyms used for something originating from Suramar are Suramari[23] or Suramarian.[24]
- The Highborne Astrolabe in the Ironforge museum is said to have come from the "undersea ruins" of Suramar.
- In the Azewrath alternate timeline where the Burning Legion won the War of the Ancients, Suramar is the secretive headquarters of the Kaldorei Resistance against the demonic occupiers.[25]
- PTR strings of patch 8.3.0 suggested that Suramar would be attacked by N'Zoth's forces.
[111] Remnants of the Sashj'tar would possibly be part of the content.
- Two realms are named after Suramar: Suramar US and Suramar Europe. See Realm name lore.
Speculation
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This article or section includes speculation, observations or opinions possibly supported by lore or by Blizzard officials. It should not be taken as representing official lore.
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The ruins of Suramar in The Frozen Throne used the "sunken ruins" tileset. It is never explained why the kaldorei city of Suramar has the statuary and motifs of a seaside civilization when the city was several thousand miles inland. Moreover, the distance between Suramar and Zin-Azshari (in the War of the Ancients novels) was implied at being between a third to a half the distance from the Well of Eternity to Mount Hyjal, while the maps in The Frozen Throne show the Broken Isles to be close to the Maelstrom, and on the opposite side. It is implied in Lands of Mystery that the Broken Isles are being pulled towards the Maelstrom. One could say there might have been a big lake and Suramar was located on its shore.
Gallery
- The ruins of Suramar in Warcraft III.
- BlizzCon 2015 map.
- Suramar in its past glory at the time of the Kaldorei Empire.[26]
- Suramar concept art
- Suramar flora
Videos
Patch changes
Hotfix (2016-11-03): Some unintentionally hidden World Quests in Suramar have been re-activated, including World Quests that are new to Patch 7.1.
Patch 7.0.3 (2016-07-19): Added.
References
- ^ Legion Zone Overview: Suramar
- ^
[Ancient Mana]
- ^
[45] Network Security
- ^
[45] Tapping the Leylines
- ^ a b The Broken Isles (WC3 NightElf)
- ^ a b Tome of the Ancients
- ^ The Demon Soul, chapter 14
- ^
[45] Narrowing Down
- ^ World of Warcraft: Chronicle Volume 1
- ^ BlizzCon 2015
- ^ Alex Afrasiabi on Twitter: "When the bubble was up it was probably next to impossible for normal Nightborne to leave."
- ^ Captain Caspartine#Quotes
- ^ Tome of Blighted Implements
- ^ Blizzcon 2015 | Alex Afrasiabi Legion behind the scenes!!
- ^ Dave Kosak on Twitter: "The Tomb of Sargeras was raised. Other parts of the Broken Isles in Legion expansion have been around since the Sundering."
- ^ Nightborne: Twilight of Suramar
- ^
Lumenstone: Suramar City
- ^ Lands of Mystery, pg. 69
- ^ World of Warcraft: The Roleplaying Game, pg. 377
- ^ World of Warcraft: The Roleplaying Game, pg. 382
- ^ World of Warcraft: The Roleplaying Game, pg. 381
- ^ Shadows & Light, pg. 65 - 66
- ^
[45] The Thread of Souls
- ^
[Suramarian Sapphire]
- ^
[Map to Suramar]
- ^
[45] The Nightborne Pact
External links
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