This blog is part of the series that I am putting together about The Dwarves. My husband and I are running two low level Dwarves through Azeroth, one zone at a time. He has a Hunter named Hansbrix (with a pet bear named Fridge). I have a Priest named Bradanna.
In this blog, I post the highlights of The Dwarves trip through Gnomeregan. They also finished up some “odds and ends” while they were on the way from Arathi Highlands and heading back through Dun Morogh.
The screenshots you see in this blog were taken on April 25, May 2, and May 4, 2015.
Previously, The Dwarves were in Faldir’s Cove, in the Arathi Highlands. They finished all the quests there. Two of the NPCs (non-player characters), a goblin and an ogre, didn’t have any quests at all, which was disappointing.
The Dwarves decided to hearth back to Stormwind in an effort to finish up some “odds and ends” quests and then eventually end up in Gnomeregan.
There was a good reason for going to Stormwind. A while ago, when The Dwarves were exploring The Wetlands, Bradanna got a quest from High Priest Rohan. He wanted her to go speak to High Priestess Laurena in Stormwind’s Cathedral of the Light. Bradanna procrastinated and finished off The Wetlands and Arathi Highlands before completing that quest.
High Priestess Laurena: It heartens me to see that you received my message and responded so quickly.
My guess is that most players who started this quest chain really did rush right over to the Cathedral of Light to turn it in to High Priestess Laurena. But, since Bradanna took her own sweet time getting there…. it now feels like High Priestess Laurena is being sarcastic.
Or, maybe she honestly was “heartened” to see that Bradanna managed to show up at all. Perhaps not all Priests make it this far. I mean, there are lots of ways to end up dead when you are a low-level Priest (especially if you aren’t in a group).
High Priestess Laurena: The Light truly shines in you and your dedication to the Alliance, Bradanna. You serve as an example to your fellow priests and comrades in arms.
In recognition of your deeds, King Wrynn has commissioned the royal enchanter to create a special staff.
The materials for such a weapon can only be found in the cursed Shadowfang Keep in Silverpine Forest. Travel there and find the lost holy symbol of Commander Springvale, a supply of moon touched wood, and ghostly essence from the spirits haunting the keep.
The most interesting part about this quest is the location. Hansbrix just so happened to have a Hunter quest that asked him to go to Shadowfang Keep. The Dwarves can work on these two quests together!
After finishing up in Stormwind, The Dwarves went back to Dun Morogh so they could check out Gnomeregan. They weren’t going there on a whim. One of the NPCs in Arathi Highlands, a Dwarf named Skuerto, gave them a quest that sent them to Gnomeregan.
It seems rather odd to have made it as far as Arathi Highlands and have an NPC send you back to a zone that you had already completed.
Skeurto: I used t’ have quite the home back in Ironforge. That is, I did until I was booted out to make way for the gnomes.
They couldn’t stop a bunch of troggs with all them gizmos and machines! An’ I have to pay for their weakness?
No, sir. No longer.
Go to Gnomeregan and talk to Commando Murd Doc. Sure, he’s a gnome, but his crew, S.A.F.E. I think they call ’em, are going to take Gnomeregan back.
Go! I want my house back!
Oddly enough, Senator Mehr Stoneshallow, in Gol’Bolar Quarry, had a quest for us. This was unexpected because The Dwarves finished this particular quest the first time they explored Dun Morogh. As you can see, the exclamation point above his head is yellow. If it was supposed to be a repeatable quest, the exclamation point should have been blue.
Senator Mehr Stonehallow: As a member of the Senate and the Explorers’ League, I’ve taken it upon myself to investigate conditions at the quarry. The troggs have run wild!
They’ve made a mess of the Gol’Bolar quarry. As we dug deep into the earth, they poured out, destroying our equipment and trapping many of the miners below ground.
We have to get them out of there. I’ve had mages working overtime to enchant these runes of return. If you can get them to the trapped miners, they can return to the surface in safety.
So, The Dwarves saved the Miners once again, and then turned the quest in to Senator Mehr Stoneshallow. For whatever reason, Hansbrix and Bradanna got credit for completing this non-repeatable quest twice. The Dwarves had now completed all the little “odds and ends” that were lying around, and were ready to travel to Gnomeregan.
Xi, Friend to the Small is a Pandaren Monk Trainer. I don’t think she was here the last time I went through Gnomeregan over a year ago.
Mekkatorque’s Mechanostrider is here, too.
Mekkatorque is not on his Mechanostrider, though.
You can find High Tinker Mekkatorque, King of Gnomes, hanging out under one of the tents that is near Gnomeregan.
High Tinker Mekkatorque: Operation: Gnomeregan was a success. Sure, that dastardly Thermaplugg had an unforeseen trick up his sleeve, but we have him on the run! It’s only a matter of time before Gnomeregan is cleaned up and in our hands again!
Operation Gnomeregan was the pre-Cataclysm world event for Alliance players. I put together a series of blogs about it in 2010. Here’s where to find them: Operation Gnomeregan! – A Few Good Gnomes, Operation Gnomeregan! – Basic Orders, Operation Gnomeregan! – Mechano-Tanks and Flying Machines, and Operation Gnomeregan! – Prepping the Speech
It is interesting to return to Gnomeregan and have High Tinker Mekkatorque mention this event, that happened years ago (in real world time), and that I actually had the opportunity to participate in. New players, however, won’t have any direct connection to any of this.
This machine shows a “hologram” (for lack of a better term) of the Image of Razlo Crushcog. I had no idea who he was. My characters weren’t at a high enough level to complete everything in the Operation Gnomeregon event. I suspected that this NPC had something to do with some fight that the characters who were higher level than I was could participate in.
There was nothing in-game to tell me about him. WoW Wiki has some information about Razlo Crushcog. It seems to me that he was a boss that appeared toward the end of the Operation Gnomeregon event. I’m not sure why there is still a hologram of him floating around out here now. Didn’t we defeat him? I feel like most of this area is a “loose end” that seasoned players would have some nostalgia over, and that new players wouldn’t really understand the significance of.
The Dwarves are now ready to explore Gnomeregan!
They ran past the front area, where a Gnome is ready to aid the remaining Gnome Refugees, and down a hallway.
Now The Dwarves were officially in Gnomeregan. Their main quest is printed on the screen: Defeat Mekgineer Thermaplugg. The first NPC they meet is Murd Doc. Skuerto mentioned him.
This is the starting point for a series of quests with NPCs that are clearly named after the characters from “The A Team” TV show. (When I brought my Gnome DK here, about a year ago, the quests didn’t appear for her because it was her second time through Gnomeregan).
Murd Doc is an elite Level 26 NPC. He has two quests for The Dwarves. Each quest leads them to another one of the 4 NPCs that make up the G-Team.
Murd Doc: If only I could get to the Launch Bay. Gimme one, just one, of those beautiful airborne machines and I could retake Gnomeregan and scare the goggles off of B.E. Barechus at the same time! If you need another parachute, we’re stored some in chests near the drop points.
Some of this could be confusing to players who are unfamiliar with “The A Team” television show. The quest text assumes you already know the personalities of the characters in the show (and can extrapolate which character each G-Team NPC is modeled after). The other confusing part is the bit about parachutes. At this moment, The Dwarves have no reason to think they will need a parachute.
Turn in the “Home Sweet Gnome” quest, and Murd Doc says: Never thought I’d see a dwarf like you down here. Any particular reason you’re risking life and limb? He then gives The Dwarves “The G-Team” quest.
Murd Doc: How did you get in here?
Oh, it doesn’t matter. I’m Murd Doc of the G-Team. We’re the best there is, and we’re here to retake Gnomeregan!
When nobody else could help him, the High Tinker found and hired us.
But we simply can’t do this alone! You’re an honorary G-Team Commando now, Bradanna.
Take this parachute, jump down straight ahead into the Hall of Gears, and kill the Viscous Fallout. After you’re done, report to Commando B.E. Barechus by the west hallway. You two will get along great, I’m sure.
Something I’d never seen before in World of Warcraft appeared on the side of the screen (above the list of quests I was tracking). It says that the main objective of the Dungeon is “Mekgineer Thermaplugg defeated”. There are also four Bonus Objectives: Grubbis defeated, Viscous Fallout defeated, Electrocutioner 6000 defeated, and Crowd Pummeler 9-60 defeated.
Players have a choice. They can fight their way to Mekgineer Thermaplugg, defeat him, and complete the Gnomeregan Dungeon. Or, they could choose to do that and complete the Bonus Objectives along the way.
To me, this feels like a way for players to opt-out of whatever Gnomeregan quests they didn’t feel like doing. It also enables players who don’t have a whole lot of time to play video games to get through Gnomeregan, and earn the Achievement, as quickly as possible.
Before The Dwarves could get to the edge, jump, and use the parachutes that Murd Doc gave them, they had to fight some Irradiated Pillagers. This one was Level 27 and an elite. These enemies took longer for The Dwarves to kill than one might assume.
There goes Bradanna, jumping down into The Hall of Gears. The parachute is invisible, so it can be a bit nerve wracking to make this jump. One way to tell if the parachute worked is to see if there is a “slow fall” icon at the top right hand corner of the screen. If it isn’t there, it means that you didn’t open the parachute correctly. Hopefully, someone in your party is a healer.
Bradanna, Hansbrix, and Fridge fought the Viscous Fallout. It is a Level 29 elite enemy. Defeat the Viscous Fallout, and you complete one of the four “Bonus Objectives”. You also complete “The G-Team” quest that Murd Doc gave you.
The Dwarves tried to run around the rest of the enemies in The Hall of Gears, but got stuck fighting one or two more of them anyway. In this screenshot, they are fighting an Irradiated Slime, which is a Level 27 elite enemy.
So, Level 27 elite enemies are roughly Dwarf size, and Level 29 elite enemies are BIG! Off to the side, B.A. Barechus is sitting on a motorcycle. Players need to turn “The G-Team” quest in to him.
B.A. Barechus: I hope that wasn’t too much for you. The mission is far from over! He then gives the players the second part of “The G-Team” quest.
B.A. Barechus: That Murd Doc is crazy, priest. Never, ever, let you find yourself in an aircraft with that gnome.
Stealth usually isn’t my thing, and it’s certainly not going to be yours. Go down this hallway to the Launch bay and dispose of the Electrocutioner 6000.
The Electrocutioner is in charge of the aircraft… and I hate aircraft. I’m not getting in any sort of aircraft!
Use this parachute to drop down afterwards and speak with Commando Face for your next job.
Leprous Defender: The troggs…they never stop coming. Die trogg! Die!
On the way, The Dwarves got attacked by Leprous Defenders They were Level 27 elite enemies, and they were confused. They think The Dwarves are troggs.
There were also some Mechanized Sentry enemies to fight. Kill the mount, and the Sentry riding it hops off and continues to attack.
Way over there, on the yellow platform, stands Electrocutioner 6000. To get to him, The Dwarves have to travel around the Launch Bay, and fight off the enemies that are scattered across it.
Players who attack one enemy end up pulling the entire mob.
Electrocutioner 6000 is a Level 27 elite. Shortly after a player begins fighting him, he says “Electric Justice!” (and shoots out some lightning bolts).
The Dwarves continue their habit of taking a photo after killing off a noteworthy boss. In general, this means a boss that a quest required them to kill.
Then, things started going wrong. Bradanna jumped off the platform that Electrocutioner 6000 was on and fell directly into a mob, which killed her. When this happened, she automatically ended up back at the start of Gnomeregon.
Bradanna wasn’t strong enough to defeat an Irradiated Pillager on her own. The Caverndeep Ambusher that ran up to join the fight make things worse. So, she died again. This was when I realized that there was no way for Bradanna to get back to where Hansbrix (and Fridge) were at and no good way for them to get back to where she ended up.
In Diablo III, a player who is in a party can click on another player’s banner, or their portrait, and teleport directly to them. It would have been nice if we could do something similar in World of Warcraft in situations like this one.
So, how did we resolve this problem? Eventually, Hansbrix (and therefore, Fridge) died, too. They couldn’t take on the enemies in Gnomeregon by themselves, either.
The Dwarves both ended up in the front area of Gnomeregon at the same time. This space didn’t have any enemies in it, so The Dwarves were able to heal up. Once they were ready, they had to fight their way through the sections that they already completed. This was frustrating.
After fighting their way back to the Launch Bay, The Dwarves decided to use the parachutes and jump so that they would land right in front of the doorway that was below the Launch Bay. There was an NPC waiting for them near there. This seemed the least difficult way to get to where the NPC was hiding.
The next S.A.F.E. NPC is named Face, who says: Took you long enough. Get behind the pillar with me before you blow our cover! Face gives The Dwarves the next part in the series of “The G-Team” quests.
Face: I’d keep my distance from B.E. Barechus and Murd Doc, neither is terribly stable.
You are, though, so let’s get you to work! Go down into this tunnel until you get to Tinkers’ Court. Hopefully, you’ll know what to do when you meet Mekgineer Thermaplugg.
Our leader, Commando Hann Ibal waits somewhere in there. He’ll reward you handsomely for all your work. Probably.
This quest is the one that players need to complete in order to kill the “big bad” of the Gnomeregan dungeon. Kill Mekgineer Thermaplugg, and you will earn the Achievement for completing Gnomeregan. Players that have no interest in working on the remaining Bonus Objectives can hearth away after that kill.
The next step was to kill the mobs that were standing between The Dwarves and Mekgineer Thermaplugg.
Grime Encrusted Ring – You have uncovered what appears to be a ring from the corpse of one of the Dark Iron dwarves. It is difficult to tell what kind of ring it is, however; dirt and hardened residue cake the item completely, making wearing it impossible. You think you can make out the slight luster of precious metal and maybe even the glint of a gem under the residue.
If you are going to make use of this ring, you are going to need to find something to get the hardened residue off of it.
This ring is the start of a quest. It should drop for all players as they fight their way towards where Thermaplugg is located. Hang on to this ring. You won’t be able to complete this entire quest chain while you are inside Gnomeregan. (Later in this blog, I’ll show you where to take the Grime Encrusted Ring).
I’d also like to note that this ring will drop after you kill one of the Dark Iron Dwarves that are in this area. Once again, we have Dark Iron Dwarves who are aligned with the “bad guy”. So far, there hasn’t been one single example of a Dark Iron Dwarf doing something good.
Mekgineer Thermaplugg is way over there. He is a Level 29 elite.
Mekgineer Thermaplugg: Usurpers! Gnomeregan is mine!
Here we go!
Mekgineer Thermaplugg: My machines are the future! They’ll destroy you all!
Mekgineer Thermaplugg: Explosions! MORE explosions! I got to have more explosions!
The Dwarves have slain Mekgineer Thermaplugg and earned the Gnomeregan Achievement!
Before leaving this area, The Dwarves took a photo next to the slain Mekgineer Thermaplugg.
Hann Ibal, the fourth and final NPC that is part of S.A.F.E., is hiding behind the pillar in the room that The Dwarves fought Thermaplugg in.
Hann Ibal: I’d love for you to come aboard as a full G-Team Commando, but you have other adventures to pursue. I’m sure we’ll meet again, and I hope you’ll have considered joining by then. Here’s something for your trouble.
This is the end of “The G-Team” quest chain. So now, a choice must be made. The Dwarves could hearth out of Gnomeregan right now. They’ve defeated the “big bad”, and earned the Achievement that players get after completing the Gnomeregan dungeon. Or, they could stay and attempt to finish off the remaining two “Bonus Objectives”.
So far, Bradanna and Hansbrix have been working on completing each zone before they move on to the next one. It would have felt wrong to leave Gnomeregan unfinished. They decided to find their way down some hallways to where Crowd Pummeler 9-60 was located.
Crowd Pummeler 9-60 is a Level 29 elite.
This time, The Dwarves lined up at Crowd Pummeler 9-60’s feet to take their photo.
There was only one “Bonus Objective” left to complete. The Dwarves needed to find an NPC named Grubbins. He wasn’t very easy to locate. As they tried to find him, they stumbled into a safe area called The Clean Zone. There are no enemies in this zone. It’s a good place to take a break and sell “trash” to the Gnome vendor who is standing near one of the walls.
The Clean Zone is where to find the Sparklematic 5200. There are several of them lining the walls. It doesn’t matter which one you pick, they all work the same. Hopefully, you saved at least a few of the Grime Encrusted Objects that the mobs drop. The Sparklematic 5200 can clean off the grime – for a price.
The Sparklematic 5200!: You insert the grime-encrusted item and three silver coins into the Sparklematic 5200. The machine surges to life in an almost frenzied attempt to purge the grime from the unknown item. Loud, violent churning sounds beat from the heart of the machine. The metal frame of the beast creaks and groans as it lurches from side to side.
In other words, the Sparklematic 5200 is a Gnomish washing machine. Only instead of washing clothing, it washes grime off of random objects.
The Sparklematic 5200!: As quickly as it started, the Sparklematic 5200 comes to an abrupt halt. A simple “ding” is heard from the machine, and the mouth of the machine spirals upward. Inside the Sparklematic 5200 is a small box wrapped in a little bow. The machine would appear to wrap an object up after eliminating its grime-encrusted status. Even if the machine didn’t work, at least the item is now wrapped in a pretty box.
Well, there is one way to find out if it cleaned the item or not…
The player will receive one of these Sparklematic-Wrapped Box items every time they use the Sparklematic 5200. You can open the box immediately. A random object will be inside. In my experience, it seemed like the objects were all engineering materials. Bradanna is not an Engineer, so she gave all her “loot” to Hansbrix (who is an Engineer).
What about those Grime Encrusted Rings that Hansbrix and Bradanna picked up? Could the Sparklematic 5200 clean the grime off of them?
Grime-Encrusted Ring: The gnomish contraption before you bears a plaque calling it “The Sparklematic 5200”. The gist of the machine, from reading the instructions below the plaque, is to scrub away dirt that an item might have. The machine has a coin slot, accepting three silver coins to start the process once the item is placed inside it.
It would seem as though the grime-encrusted ring you found earlier is just the thing to try in this machine!
Use the Sparklematic 5200 on the grime encrusted ring, and it will clean the grime off of it. The ring is called “Brilliant Gold Ring”. At first glance, it’s not incredibly special. If you want to finish this quest chain, you need to keep the Brilliant Gold Ring until you get out of Gnomeregan and find someone who can turn it into something better.
To complete the last “Bonus Objective”, you need to find Blastmaster Emi Shortfuse.
Blastmaster Emi Shortfuse: Thank the light you are here! I’d accept help from a two-headed ogre at this point.
The city has been overrun by troggs! The attempts to wipe them out resulted in mass contamination. But there is still hope.
Our scientists who evacuated to Ironforge are working on a cure for the fallout sickness. Meanwhile, if you can help me stop the trogg invasion, perhaps the city can be retaken.
This is one of those quests where the player clicks “I am ready to begin” and the event immediately starts happening. It has more than one phase to it, and it is going to continue through from start to end. There is no way to pause it.
Emi Shortfuse: With your help, I can evaluate these tunnels.
Emi Shortfuse: Let’s see if we can find out where these Troggs are coming from…and put a stop to the invasion!
Emi Shortfuse: Such devastation… what a horrible mess…
Emi Shortfuse: It’s quiet here… too quiet.
Emi Shortfuse: Look! Over there at the tunnel wall!
Emi Shortfuse: Trogg incursion! Defend me while I blast the hole closed!
From this point on, the player must kill as many troggs as possible. They will continue to come out of the “hallway” behind the boulders for a while. Eventually, Emi Shortfuse will seal off the tunnel again (by blowing it up). This puts new boulders back in front of the hole.
Emi Shortfuse: FIRE IN THE HOLE!
After the first tunnel is sealed, the exact same thing happens at the tunnel that is directly across from it. After many troggs are killed, Emi Shortfuse gets ready to use some explosives to seal off that tunnel. This is not the end of the event. Something happens before she can detonate the explosives.
Grubbis: We come from below! You can never stop us! Grubbis is the last “boss” left to kill (from the list of “Bonus Objectives”). He brought his pet, Chomper, with him.
The Dwarves fought Grubbis (and Chomper). They are much bigger than Hansbrix and Bradanna are, but weren’t too difficult to slay. After the battle is over, Emi Shortfuse finishes detonating her explosives and closing the tunnel.
Emi Shortfuse: Superb! Because of your help, my people stand a chance of re-taking our beloved city. Three cheers to you!
It is so dark in this area! So, I decided to enhance this screenshot so that you can almost see Bradanna and Hansbrix standing next to Grubbis and Chomper. I don’t think there would have been much to see if I didn’t enhance it. You can pick out Hansbrix and Fridge, because their names are visible. Bradanna is standing near Chomper’s head.
The Dwarves have now completed everything that there is to do in the Gnomeregan dungeon. It was time to hearth on out of there.
But wait! What about the Grime Encrusted Ring that became a Brilliant Gold Ring? Where in Azeroth is a player going to find someone who can improve this item? There is nothing in-game that will easily answer this question. We figured it out because we noticed that there a random turn in quest had appeared in Ironforge that certainly wasn’t there before we entered Gnomeregan. It would have been extremely easy to miss.
Head for The Mystic Ward in Ironforge and look for a Gnome named Talvash del Kissel.
Talvash del Kissel: Hey, easy there partner – I’m a very important businessman! I am sure that the courier is simply late with the delivery of the rent… wait…you’re not my landlord.
Well, of course you aren’t – silly me! You’ve come to me seeking the finest jeweler in all of Ironforge, one who does NOT make CURSED items! Yes! Um…what do you need?
To complete this quest, you need to hit “continue”. Doing so will give Talvash del Kissel the Brilliant Gold Ring you got in Gnomeregan.
Talvash del Kissel: A ring, you say? Let’s see…yep, I made that ring by golly.
Before Gnomeregan went up, I had a small shop there. Perhaps it’s one I left behind when I ran for the hills; it’s a simple design, and I made several like it. Maybe it’s from someone who didn’t make it out.
Dark Iron dwarves had this? Well, that puts a new layer of conspiracy on the nine different layers already floating about. Maybe the authorities would like to know; it’s wasted on the likes of me. Now, back to the ring…
Talvash del Kissel: Listen Bradanna, that ring is yours, sure…but I can make you a better one! That design, like I said, is really simple. I am a lot more skilled now, and for the mere fee of thirty silver coins I’ll spruce it up for you! Well, a little more than thirty, actually…
I’m in a tight spot right now; all my material stock is all dried up. If you bring me a bar of silver and a moss agate, I’ll add a silver and agate lattice to the ring that will give it a little more pizzazz! Trust me!
Bradanna didn’t happen to have a silver bar or a moss agate on her at the moment. She didn’t pick up the mining skill. Hansbrix did, however, and he gathered up the required items for Bradanna. (But, not right at that moment. I’ll return to this quest in a later blog).
The “odds and ends” were almost done. It turned out that Roetten Stonehammer had a quest for The Dwarves to pick up.
Roetten Stonehammer: There’s work to be done in Desolace, Bradanna. It’s an atrocious place, befouled by centaur and other nasties. But if you’re looking for a good week’s honest work, then head there, meet with Kreidig Ungor, and tell him I sentcha.
You can find him holed up at Nijel’s Point – it’s a little cozy camp hidden in the mountains of northern Desolace. Just head east if you enter from the Stonetalon Mountains. It’s easy to miss, so be on the lookout.
The Dwarves took this quest even though they aren’t planning on going to Desolace anytime soon. There was still one unfinished quest that they picked up in Refuge Point. That quest will send The Dwarves to The Hinterlands.