In Classic World of Warcraft, Desolace is a zone that's aptly named. It has a few quests and some obscure NPCs and settlements, but at the same time, everyone has to trek there for certain specific quests, items, and resources. Unlike certain other isolated zones, Desolace has the unique position of frustrating both Alliance and Horde players equally, not only because it's hard to get to but also because it's impossible to ignore.
Want to raise the character's Cooking level past 200? Then trek out to Nijel's Point or Shadowprey Village to find an obscure trainer selling a book only available here. Trying to get attuned to the Onyxia raid? Then run along the roads of this zone until Rexxar appears, an important character from World of Warcraft's lore that's part of the long quest chain that leads to her lair.
Updated on December 28th, 2021, by Kristy Ambrose: Now that The Burning Crusade of Classic WoW has been up and running for some time, the height of end-game raiding has shifted to Outland. However, that doesn't mean players aren't interested in the Classic raids, and Onyxia still has a lot of best-in-slot (BiS) items for players that want to take down the first raid boss that Azeroth ever knew. Even if you don't care about your Cooking or Fishing skill, sooner or later, every player has to get to Desolace.
About Desolace
Desolace is a neutral zone located on the western coast of Kalimdor. The region is mostly barren wastelands or grey sand and rock, a stark contrast to some of the more scenic zones such as Feralas to the south. The landscape is filled with vicious tribes of centaurs, pesky lizards and carrion bords, and coveted resources like grave moss, iron, and mithril. It's a 30-40 level zone that isn't held by either faction, which makes a fertile breeding ground for PvP.
This contested land holds smaller settlements of both Horde and Alliance races. Nijel's Point is considerably closer to the road that leads into the Charred Vale. Horde players have two settlements, Ghost Walker Post and Shadowprey Village, but both of these towns are much further away.
Ghost Walker Post is in the center of a dangerous plain of angry desert critters and doesn't have a flight path in this version of Classic. Shadowprey Village does have one, but it's located on the western coast on the opposite side of the main road leading south from the Charred Vale and Stonetalon Mountains.
How To Get To Desolace
In Cataclysm, one of the many expansions of WoW, Blizzard added more boats that sail out from Stormwind to help players get around a little easier. Lower-level players were tired of getting ganked in Menethil Harbor.
In Classic and Burning Crusade Classic, players won't have access to these routes, so getting around will take a little bit longer. Most characters walk on their first trip, but some characters are better at making gold or have class mounts, making their trip a bit easier. Here's some World of Warcraft Classic tips on how to get any character to this hotly contested zone.
How To Get To Desolace: Alliance
- Darnassus: This is the closest Alliance city to Desolace, which is nice because it's not convenient to anything else. Jump on a boat to Auberdine in Darkshore and run south down to the southwestern part of Stonetalon. This leads through Ashenvale and the Barrens, part of the natural level progression anyway. Characters heading in this direction can take advantage of the Deeptalon Path, a secret tunnel that leads from Ashenvale directly to the Stonetalon Mountains, allowing the player to skip the Barrens entirely.
- Ironforge: Head east from Ironforge, then north to the Wetlands. Continue following the road to the western edge of the Wetlands to find Menethil Harbor. Take the northern of the two boats to Auberdine in Darkshore. Players can also take the Deeprun Tram to Stormwind, and take a boat from there to Theramore Isle, which takes them to Ratchet, a neutral city in Kalimdor with an Alliance flight path.
- Stormwind: Higher-level players or those who are prepared for a long run can take the ship to Theramore Isle from the Stormwind docks. For others, head for the Dwarven District. Take the Deeprun Tram to Ironforge, then follow the same directions from there to Menethil Harbor.
- The Exodar. After the Draenei city was introduced in TBC, Darnassus lost the award for most isolated Alliance settlement. From here, take a boat or flight path to Teldrassil, where Darnassus is located, and go from there.
How To Get To Desolace: Horde
- Orgrimmar. Follow the road south and then west into the Barrens. In the northwest, the Stonetalon Mountains await. Then, follow the northwest road that connects to the southwest path heading to Charred Vale. There's a little road in the southwest corner of Charred Vale that leads south into Desolace.
- Thunder Bluff. How do players get to Desolace from Mulgore? The flight path from Thunder Bluff to Sun Rock Retreat and a walk south is one of the shortest ways to get to Desolace.On foot, players have to travel east and north out of the protected lands of Mulgore before heading west.
- Undercity. Instead of ships, the Horde forces of the Eastern Kingdoms do their long-range travel via goblin-operated Zepplin. The Undercity Zeppelin will take players to Orgimmar and they can either take a flight from here or head west on foot. It's a long journey but through low-level areas that are Horde-friendly.
- Silvermoon City. The max-level zones that Made Warcraft III famous lie between the home of the Blood Elves and the rest of Azeroth. Thankfully, a handy Translocation Orb in the northwestern corner of Silvermoon will port a player directly to the ruins of Lordaeron, a few steps from the Undercity Zepplin tower.
All Horde races have pretty much the same path they will need to follow if they start in Orgrimmar. It's dull but easy to travel through the Barrens, with Stonetalon Mountains being slightly less dangerous than Ashenvale, and the Horde has a private road from Sun Rock Retreat into the Charred Vale.
Neutral Routes
Players who have higher levels or belong to certain classes have access to neutral cities in Classic WoW, which can make the trip to Desolace easier.
- Booty Bay. A neutral city on the southernmost point of Stranglethorn Vale, this is a handy transport hub with flight paths for both factions and a boat to Kalimdor. It's also a short run away from the Horde settlement which also has a zeppelin tower with connections to Undercity and Orgrimmar.
- Ratchet. A neutral city located on the east coast, this is the first location in Kalimdor that some Humans and Dwarves. It's a convenient location with an Alliance flight path and a direct boat from Booty Bay.
- Moonglade. Druids are able to access this city very early on through a special hearthstone, and from here they can either take a flight to Thunder Bluff or Darnassus. Even if a character has to run, that cuts the time and distance considerably.
- Shattrath. There are several portals in the center of this city that can take a player to any major city in Azeroth. The flying mounts of Outland don't work in Azeroth, but characters that are high enough level to access this sanctuary city in Outland likely have most of the flight plans and an epic mount to get them to Desolace anyway.
World of Warcraft Classic is available now.