Changes: Mount Hyjal

Mount Hyjal
Level: 80-82
Capital(s)	Nordrassil
Races	Black dragon; Dryad; Template:Green Dragonflight Race; Night elf; Template:Ogre Race; Tauren; Human
Ruler(s)	Cenarius
Affiliation	Contested
Location	Northern Kalimdor

Revision as of 01:01, 2 August 2010

Template:Cataclysm

For the mountain this zone is named after and resides on, see Mount Hyjal (mountain).

For the Caverns of Time raid, see Battle of Mount Hyjal.

Mount Hyjal will be a level 80-82 zone in the upcoming expansion, World of Warcraft: Cataclysm. Hyjal is under heavy siege by Ragnaros, who is trying to destroy the World Tree. Malfurion Stormrage will be returning from the Emerald Dream, and will command the armies of Cenarius, known as the Guardians of Hyjal. The zone will make extensive use of the terrain phasing technology.^[1]

Zone usage before Cataclysm

Before World of Warcraft: Cataclysm, two versions of the Hyjal zone were present in the game. The first one in terms of lore-chronology is the map used for the Caverns of Time instance "Battle for Mount Hyjal". This map, however, was a retouched version of the zone which was present in the game from the very beginning but inaccessible via normal means. Nevertheless, it used to be possible to access pre-Cataclysm Hyjal via Winterspring with some skillful rock climbing. However, after Patch 2.1.2, Blizzard implemented a " [No Man's Land]" teleport that removes you from the zone.

Hyial-CavernsOfTime.jpg

Hyjal as it appeared during the Caverns of Time instance "Battle for Mount Hyjal".
Hyial-Pre-Cataclysm.jpg

Hyjal as it appeared as part of Kalimdor until World of Warcraft: Cataclysm.

Description from official site

For years, Mount Hyjal and the wounded World Tree, Nordrassil, have remained cut off from the rest of Azeroth. Sealed away within a protective field of dense foliage by Malfurion Stormrage, Nordrassil has been slowly recovering from the devastation of the Third War, when Malfurion called upon the tree's power to destroy the archdemon Archimonde and repel the forces of the Burning Legion and Scourge. Now, with the impending cataclysm, the World Tree's well-being is threatened once more. From the Firelands within the Elemental Plane, Ragnaros and his minions prepare to burst into Hyjal and set Nordrassil ablaze -- and the conflagration would endanger all life on Azeroth.

In World of Warcraft: Cataclysm, players will have the opportunity to explore the newly reopened Mount Hyjal as Azeroth's heroes, with the help of Ysera, Malfurion Stormrage and Hamuul Runetotem, are called upon to push back the armies of the Firelord, banish Ragnaros to the Elemental Plane and lay waste to the twilight dragon stronghold in nearby Darkwhisper Gorge. This all-new level 78-82 zone will feature multiple quest hubs, phased terrain and quest lines, portals to micro-zones within the Firelands, an all-new raid dungeon, and much more.

The World Tree

Nordrassil Cataclysm — Underneath Nordrassil

Players will be able to enter Hyjal by way of Moonglade, to take on a series of high-stakes quests in a historic location alongside some of Azeroth's most renowned heroes. With a longstanding rivalry among the night elf leadership threatening to undermine the campaign against Deathwing, players will quickly discover the task of defending Nordrassil is more daunting than they had anticipated. In order to succeed, they must seek out the help of extremely powerful allies: the Ancients.

The Ancients

To protect Nordrassil and heal the devastation the invading fire elementals are causing across Mount Hyjal, players must first recapture the shrine of the wolf god Goldrinn. The ogres surrounding the shrine will not leave peacefully, but seizing the shrine will allow players their first opportunity to infiltrate the Firelands and shut down a key Twilight portal, slowing the advance of the nearby Twilight's Hammer in Hyjal. With the first portal dismantled, players will soon be sought by the wilderness spirit Aessina to assist in cleansing and healing the nearby forest, ultimately returning the land to its former splendor. This small victory, however, isn't enough to deter the Twilight Remnants from attempting to scorch the forest once more. As you struggle to keep these foes at bay, you'll also need to help the Guardians of Hyjal -- a new neutral faction of druids and worshipers of the Ancients -- repopulate the forest with animal life. It's even rumored that Malorne has been spotted in the wilderness. Perhaps further investigation is necessary.... Amid the chaos, the Druids of the Talon will need players' assistance to resurrect the goddess of winged creatures. Players begin the process by helping to slay a group of black dragons and closing a second Firelands portal from within. Just when you think things might be heating up, you'll need to fight through a burning night elf town to shut down the third and final portal with the assistance of the turtle god Tortolla.

Darkwhisper Gorge

Your successes in Hyjal will ultimately lead you to the assembly of the Ancients, who have set a plan in motion to bring a powerful ally and demigod back into this realm. Before that can happen, however, you will need to infiltrate Darkwhisper Gorge disguised as a follower of the Twilight's Hammer, acting quickly to sow discord within the entrenched faction, weakening it for the coming struggle. Only time will tell if the Ancients' plan is a success -- but you'll need to do your part if there's any hope of saving Mount Hyjal from the twilight dragons, Ragnaros, and his minions of the Elemental Plane.^[2]

Geography

Maps and subregions

Dungeons

Dungeon Name	Level Range	Group Size	Approximate Run Time
Firelands	85 (Raid)	10/25 man	?

Regions adjacent to Mount Hyjal

Zone Name	Level Range	Direction	Access
Moonglade	N/A	North	By flight path
Ashenvale	20-30	South	By flight path
Felwood	48-55	West	By flight path
Winterspring	55-60	Northeast	By flight path or by foot
Deepholm	82-84	Underneath	By foot (via portal)

Cataclysm quests

WorldMap-Hyjal terrain1 — Zone map after Aessina's Miracle

Main article: Mount Hyjal quests

The quest line in Hyjal is intensively phased and takes players from Nordrassil to the four shrines to Darkwhisper Gorge and finally to Sulfuron Spire. Hyjal is one of the few non-starting-experience zones that has a phased zone map as well as phased terrain, unlocked halfway through the storyline.