Tanaris

Tanaris is a desert located in southeastern Kalimdor, east of Un'Goro Crater and south of Thousand Needles. It is an arid land, covered in sand dunes and frequently exposed to dangerous sandstorms. The Steamwheedle Cartel has its main base of operations here - Steamwheedle Port and Gadgetzan have been founded by the goblins of Undermine since this desert is as close to home as they can get on the continents. The dock in Steamwheedle is presumably used for transport to the outer islands, but so far, the goblins have proved unwilling to share the ships with the other races.

History
The Tanaris Desert has been an endless sea of sand for aeons. Nozdormu, the great dragon of time, was said to make this land his home since time immemorial, thriving in the solitude of oppressive heat and miles of sand.

Tanaris is the ancestral home of the bronze dragonflight based out of the Caverns of Time. The titans also have a holding here in form of the ancient city of Uldum, found in the southern parts of the desert. It was here that Anachronos first discovered the full threat of the silithid, who had been making hives in the remote regions of Tanaris. The War of the Shifting Sands was consequently unleashed upon the western land of Silithus.

Getting There

 * Alliance: From Thalanaar, head east through Thousand Needles and south through the Shimmering Flats. Through the mountain pass to the south of the flats lies Gadgetzan.
 * Horde: From Freewind Post travel east into the Shimmering Flats, then head south through the mountain pass to Gadgetzan.

Geography
The Tanaris Desert covers a vast expanse of southern Kalimdor, just south of the Thousand Needles. It is a blazing hot expanse of rolling sand dunes under a cloudless sky. The southern region is more mountainous, with large cavern networks - some extending deep beneath the surface. A vast realm, the Tanaris Desert holds many secrets. The land is mostly desert, with many huge creatures such as kodo beasts, sand worms, and tallstriders roaming about looking for food. Below the ground are gigantic tunnel networks. They remain largely unexplored, for few have the fortitude to venture into such a harsh landscape. Still, rumors tell of all manner of creatures that hide within the tunnels and slaughter trespassers without hesitation. Although the sea of dunes does not look as if it would support a variety of wildlife, kodo beasts, tallstriders, lions, and massive birds of prey are quite common. Drakes and the occasional dragon are also seen soaring on the thermals that swirl over the great desert.

Tanaris contains quite a few instances, including all the Caverns of Time instances, as well as Zul'Farrak and the yet-to-be-implemented Uldum. In addition, there are several micro dungeons in this zone, but no battlegrounds.

Maps and subregions


Topographic map of Tanaris

Micro Dungeons

 * Sandsorrow Watch
 * Land's End Beach
 * Valley of the Watchers

Flight paths from Gadgetzan

 * Orgrimmar
 * Thunder Bluff
 * The Crossroads, the Barrens
 * Camp Taurajo, the Barrens
 * Theramore Isle, Dustwallow Marsh
 * Brackenwall Village, Dustwallow Marsh
 * Thalanaar, Feralas
 * Camp Mojache, Feralas
 * Marshal's Refuge, Un'Goro Crater
 * Cenarion Hold, Silithus
 * Ratchet, the Barrens (added in patch 2.1.0)

Notable Characters
Tanaris is home to several characters of note. At Gadgetzan, Mux Manascrambler seeks aid in obtaining ghostly ectoplasm from undead spirits, and Senior Surveyor Fizzledowser investigates the coming of the silithid. And at Steamwheedle Port, Yeh'kinya attempts to learn more of the essence of an ancient god...

Resources

 * Herbs
 * Firebloom
 * Purple Lotus
 * Leather
 * Turtle Scale (Skinning level 38-53 turtles)
 * Scorpid Scale (Skinning level 40-50 scorpids)
 * Ore
 * Silver Vein
 * Iron Deposit
 * Gold Vein
 * Mithril Deposit
 * Truesilver Deposit
 * Small Thorium Vein

Wild Creatures

 * Basilisks
 * Bog Beasts
 * Bronze Dragons
 * Earth Elementals
 * Hyenas
 * Mountain Giants
 * Ogres
 * Pirates
 * Sand Trolls
 * Sea Giants
 * Scorpids
 * Silithid
 * Turtles
 * Vultures
 * Water Elementals

Notes, Tips, & Additional Info

 * Since Alliance has no travel hub in Thousand Needles, Gadgetzan makes a great alternative to get to the Shimmering Flats since it is just a short run over the hill to get there. Even Horde can benefit from this shortcut as it is even faster than running from Freewind Post.