Back to Blackrock; part 1

Ah, there's nothing like the good old vanilla instances, ey? Long, confusing, dark... It must have taken forever to run these at proper level, I wouldn't really know since I'm not a instance-person at all and since I started gaming just months before the release of WotLK. But that doesn't mean I haven't been to them all, either farming for rep or other rewards or simply just to have a look around. Today I'm taking you Back to Blackrock!

The towering Blackrock Mountain, uniting Searing Gorge in the north and Burning Steppes in the south. This mountain is home to many souls and is mainly contested between Ragnaros and his Dark Iron servants which rules the lower part of the mountain, Blackrock Dephts and Molten Core. While the upper parts of the mountain, Blackrock Spire and Blackwing Lair is ruled by the black dragon, Deathwings son, Nefarian and his followers. These mountains are not for easily scared souls to enter...

The entrance to Blackrock Mountain from Burning Steppes

In this post we are only gonna visit Blackrock Spire, Lower Blackrock Spire to be exact. Since I've called this post Back to Blackrock; part 1, there's a good chance there'll be more visits to this boiling hot mountain, so we can explore the other parts as well. The goal for this visit is to obtain two companions, they used to be quest rewards, but since Cata they are now pretty certain drops instead. This post is a mix of a sightseeing tour and a step by step description on how to find your way in this dark and intricate instance. The companions we are hunting for is the Smolderweb Hatchling and Worg Pup.

The first challenge is to actually find the entrance to Blackrock Spire, as I already said, this place is dark, and sometimes it's just hard see where to go. When you get into the mountain (from both zones) you enter a gigantic forge of some kind, there is an enourmus lava pit at the bottom, black dragons flying at the top, large dwarf heads carved in the mountain bursting with lava and a big rock floating in the center, only held in place by gigantic chains. There is a road circeling around the lava pit, enetering the mountain you get directly out on this road. On the east wall of this round road the entrance to Blackrock Spire is located. You can either enter the gate where the meeting stone is or you can head a bit north and fly directly in through the balcony.

The loading screen...

The Upper and Lower Blackrock Spire both share the same entrance, so when you are inside the instance, in the first room, you have to go right to get to the Lower Blackrock Spire. If you go left you get to the Upper parts. There are two right side doors, one upper and one lower, you enter the same room from both, so it doesn't matter which one you choose.

From this second room you take a left and then enter Hordemar City, there will be orcs patrolling everywhere.

Overviewing Hordemar City

Continue down the cracked road, keep to the left if you wanna stay out of trouble, cross two wooden bridges. 

The first wooden bridge

As soon as you have passed the last bridge, turn right and you will see two Ogres guarding a door. Look past them to the right and you will see a group of orcs at the corner, you'll have to kill the orcs and continue around the corner and down a ledge, turn left at the bottom and you enter a room filled with trolls.

Down the ledge and into the room filled with trolls

In this room you have to use the ramp to get down and out, turn right halfway down the ramp, and then turn left and you are on ground level. At ground level, turn left and you can see a door at the far wall, go through this door and you are outside among orc tents.

First right, then left on the ramp

Once outside of the troll-room, it first seems like a dead end, but you have to find your way through big stones, there is a well hidden path there which leads to even more orc tents and patrolling orcs.

There is a well hidden path here

Just follow the way through all these orc camps, and you will finally see a steep, rocky road filled with white spiders, that's right, you have to follow the spiders!

Funny details from one of the orc camps

Follow the spiders...

Reaching the topp of this steep hill, you have to turn a 180 degrees to continue, and then you will see her, Mother Smolderweb, on your left side, kill her to take her hatchling as your own.

There she is...

Watch out for incoming spiders

Looting the Smolderweb Egg

And, there you go, your very own Smolderweb Hatchling!

One down, one to go. 

You have to continue past the rest of the spiders, this also looks like a dead end, but it's really just another steep hill and a really low celling. After a while you'll reach a group of Ogres, make a sharp left turn (180 degrees), and then go down a long hallway. There are rooms at both sides down this hallway, you can just ignore them as there is only non-elite insects there.

At the end of the hallway you go through a door and then up a ramp/stairs, then make a left turn and further up some stairs. At the top you'll have a room at your right handside, in this room you'll find Quartermaster Zigris.

The Quartermaster is a rare spawn walking amongst several other orcs

Looting the Worg Carrier

And there it is, another amazing new pet! <3

If you want the achievement Lower Blackrock Spire, you can just go a little step back, and instead of making a right turn in the staircase leading down to the hallway, just go straight forward and follow the road for a while, and you'll soon get to Overlord Wyrmthalak, the last boss of the instance.

Happy pet farming!