Storm Peaks
Storm Peaks | |
---|---|
Level: 25-30 Battle Pet Level: 22 - 23 | |
Capital(s) | Ulduar |
Races |
Frost vrykul Frost giant Stone giant Frost dwarf Iron dwarf Earthen Mechagnome Taunka Goblin Harpy Wendigo |
Ruler(s) |
King Jokkum Mimiron Thorim |
Former ruler(s) | Loken † |
Major settlements |
Terrace of the Makers Dun Niffelem Sifreldar Village Brunnhildar Village Frosthold Camp Tunka'lo Valkyrion |
Minor settlements |
Temple of Storms Temple of Life † Bouldercrag's Refuge Uldis Inventor's Library Mimir's Workshop K3 Brann's Base-Camp (abandoned) Abandoned Camp Grom'arsh Crash-Site Loken's Bargain Nidavelir |
Affiliation | Titan, Old Gods, Scourge, Hyldnir, Taunka, Horde Expedition, Frostborn, Alliance Vanguard, Garm |
Former affiliation(s) | Zann'esu clan |
Location | Northeastern Northrend |
PvP status | Contested territory |
“Legends maintain that the benevolent titans monitored Azeroth from the Storm Peaks in the years following their reshaping of the world. It is further believed that the secrets of Azertoh's past, present, and future may be found in the time-lost ruins of Ulduar.”
The Storm Peaks are a mountain range and region located in the northeast of Northrend. To most, it is a dangerous place that requires caution, as the cold is enough to freeze someone, and its winds are so strong they could pluck people right off a mountain.[1] The mountains of the Storm Peaks are some of the tallest in the northern parts of the world, matched only by Thaldraszus.[2] Due to high winds and avalanches, the Sons of Hodir recommend bringing at least two companions if venturing into the dangerous Storm Peaks.[3]
As the home of the titan-forged keepers, nearly every mountain of Storm Peaks carries their mark.[1] Among them, the Temple of Storms, home of the titan watcher Thorim, is located on this peaks. The third known titan city of Ulduar is also located here.
History
This section is a lore stub. |
The North Wind was once the elemental ruler of the Storm Peaks, crushing the land and its denizens, including the tribes of the taunka, in its iron grip. Seeking to end the North Wind's domination of his people, the taunka hero Stormhoof, brother of Chieftain Swiftspear of Camp Tunka'lo, did battle against the North Wind in the Plain of Echoes and weakened it, but did not manage to defeat it before he fell.[4][5] Biding its time as it regained strength, the North Wind plotted an insidious revenge against both Stormhoof and his people: it would erase the hero from history, altering the timeline and ensure its continued domination of the Storm Peaks. It changed the recorded history of Tunka'lo, portraying Stormhoof as a servile insurrectionist executed for his "crimes", rather than the hero who had liberated his people.[5]
Exploring Azeroth
Following the war against the Jailer, the brothers Bronzebeard visited the region and were excited to greet the keepers, and to see all the titan sites again, now that they're more likely to be operating correctly and less likely to be filled with people who want to kill him on sight.[1]
Geography
The highest mountain in the Storm Peaks is also the highest point in all of Northrend, and atop it sits the open-sided, titan-made Temple of Storms.[6]
Maps and subregions
Instances
Instance name | Level range | Group size | Approximate run time |
---|---|---|---|
Halls of Stone | 65 - 80 | 5 | 1 hour |
Halls of Lightning | 67 - 80 | 5 | 1 hour |
Ulduar | 80 - 83 | 10 - 25 | 3+ hours |
Travel hubs
- Flight paths from K3
- Dun Niffelem, Storm Peaks
- Grom'arsh Crash-Site, Storm Peaks
- Frosthold, Storm Peaks
- Ebon Watch, Zul'Drak
- Dalaran
- Windrunner's Overlook, Crystalsong Forest
- Sunreaver's Command, Crystalsong Forest
- Flight paths from Frosthold
- Bouldercrag's Refuge, Storm Peaks
- K3, Storm Peaks
- Ulduar, Storm Peaks
- Argent Vanguard, Icecrown
- Camp Tunka'lo, Storm Peaks
- Bouldercrag's Refuge, Storm Peaks
- K3, Storm Peaks
- Ulduar, Storm Peaks
- Argent Vanguard, Icecrown
- Grom'arsh Crash-Site, Storm Peaks
- K3, Storm Peaks
- Ulduar, Storm Peaks
- Zim'Torga, Zul'Drak
- Flight paths from Dun Niffelem
- Frosthold, Storm Peaks
- Camp Tunka'lo, Storm Peaks
- Grom'arsh Crash-Site, Storm Peaks
- Ulduar, Storm Peaks
- Flight paths from Ulduar
- Frosthold, Storm Peaks
- Camp Tunka'lo, Storm Peaks
- Grom'arsh Crash-Site, Storm Peaks
- Bouldercrag's Refuge, Storm Peaks
- Dun Niffelem, Storm Peaks
- Zim'Torga, Zul'Drak
Regions adjacent to the Storm Peaks
Zone Name | Faction | Level Range | Direction | Access |
---|---|---|---|---|
Dalaran | N/A | West | By flight path | |
Zul'Drak | 64 - 80 | Southeast | By flight path | |
Crystalsong Forest | 67 - 80 | Southwest | By foot | |
Hrothgar's Landing | 67 - 80 | Northwest | By flying mount | |
Icecrown | 67 - 80 | West | By flight path |
Notable characters
- Main article: Storm Peaks NPCs
Resources
- Cloth
- Herbalism
- Skinning
- Mining
Dig sites
The Storm Peaks has three dig sites:
- Valkyrion; contains Vrykul Archaeology Fragments.
- Sifreldar Village; contains Vrykul Archaeology Fragments.
- Brunnhildar Village; contains Vrykul Archaeology Fragments.
Wild creatures
Please add any available information to this section.
Rare creatures
Time-Lost Proto Drake is known to live in the Storm Peaks.[1] Rare Elite NPCs associated with the Northern Exposure achievement.
Quests
- Main article: Storm Peaks quests
In the RPG
From the name, you would think the Storm Peaks are mountains but that is not entirely accurate, though they have the highest elevation of any region in Northrend. However, they are not mountains, they are cliffs. The "peaks" are the spots where wind has not cut away the ice and rock, as opposed to the narrow paths it has carved. Through large parts of this region you can literally leap from peak to peak, provided the wind does not throw you over the edge.
Ulduar, like much of Northrend, is sparsely inhabited. The giants stay hidden, their golems don't bother you unless you approach the giants' homes, and the magnataur and wendigo are infrequent and large enough to spot from a distance. It is a good place to be alone with your thoughts if you don't mind the biting wind, the searing cold, and the repetitive stretches of ice and rock.[7]
The Storm Peaks have treacherous paths, powerful winds, jagged cliffs and hungry monsters. They are also home to the storm giants, one of the oldest races in the world and the keepers of the Titans' legacy.[8]
History
Long ago the Titans lived here. They created Ulduar as their city, and from there they worked their experiments. The storm giants began here, and perhaps the dwarves and troggs as well. Then the Titans disappeared, leaving the races to survive on their own. The dwarves moved south, into warmer climates, but the storm giants remained and claimed Ulduar. They developed crystalline golems to aid them in their research and to defend them. Over time the giants have dwindled in number and grown ever more reclusive. Now only a handful remains.[8]
When the Lich King and the Scourge invaded Northrend, the storm giants, who might have been strong enough to stop him, hid away in the Storm Peaks and avoided all contact.[9]
During one of the frequent storms, a lightning shattered a small peak, revealing a cave hidden within. Some explorers saw that the cave walls had clearly been fashioned by an artisan, and resembled a strangely organic city or house. One of them brought word back to Valgarde and created a stir. They speculated if the cave could have been a Titan home and wondered what secrets remain hidden there. A group of heroes decided to mount an expedition and explore the cave before the storm giants could find it and claim it.[8]
People and culture
The storm giants make their home here. They are impressive, more than 30 feet tall and powerfully built and they can even summon small storms. They normally keep to themselves, hidden in their caves and tunnels below the surface, and avoid visitors. The giants like their privacy, and their crystalline golems help maintaining it. The same golems can be found down in Crystalsong Forest, gathering crystals to bring back here. There they are servants and couriers but here they function as door wardens and bodyguards, making sure no intruder gains entrance to the giants' lairs.
Magnataur and wendigo roam the peaks, fortunately they are solitary, and easy to spot.[7]
Geography
On the edge of the peaks you can look out over Icecrown Glacier to the west, Crystalsong Forest to the south, Zul'Drak to the southeast, and the ocean to the north.[7]
The two biggest dangers in the Storm Peaks are not necessarily its inhabitants. The wind is fierce and constant, and can easily tug a grown dwarf off a cliff. One look at those paths it has cut through them and you realize how deadly wind can be.
The second danger is sunlight. That might sound strange but the peaks are covered in ice and the light reflects from every angle. Icecrown Glacier has the same effect, but the ice there is composed of flat sheets so you can't look down easily. Up here the ice is everywhere. Wearing dark glasses is the only way to survive — otherwise you are blinded every time you move your head, and before long you step wrong and tumble off a cliff or down a ravine. The weather doesn't help — it is either clear and sunny, with that nasty glare, or dark as night and pouring, with sheets of freezing rain, hail or snow battering you and making every surface as slick as oil.
The peaks are handsome in an austere way. Little grows here — a random bush sprouting in a nook along a cliff face, a few tough blades of grass in a crack. Everything else is stone and ice. Animals appear to be rare, so what the wendigo and magnataur eat to survive is a mystery. Probably each other and any travelers they can find perhaps.
No one lives here except the storm giants, their golems, and beasts like the wendigo and magnataur. The latter have caves they have found or dug into the ice and rock. The giants have their city, Ulduar, and the Temple of Storms.[7]
Notes
- Only the southern portion of the zone, where K3 is, is accessible by foot. Almost everything else requires a flying mount to access. This zone and Icecrown are the only two sections of Northrend where a flying mount is required to comfortably navigate.
Gallery
Patch changes
- Patch 7.3.5 (2018-01-16): Level scaling implemented, previous zone level: 77 - 80.
References
- ^ a b c Exploring Azeroth: Northrend, pg. 146
- ^ World of Warcraft: War of the Scaleborn, chapter 20
- ^ Mount Journal entry for [Reins of the Grand Ice Mammoth] ()
- ^ [The Legend of the Horn]
- ^ a b [25-30] The Witness and the Hero
- ^ Exploring Azeroth: Northrend, pg. 151
- ^ a b c d Lands of Mystery, pg. 109
- ^ a b c Lands of Mystery, pg. 110
- ^ Lands of Mystery, pg. 86