How to Reach Gurubashi Arena in WoW 1.12.1: Routes and Rewards

◆Where Gurubashi Arena is located

The arena stands in Stranglethorn Vale in the southwest of the Eastern Kingdoms, beside the main road running south from Grom'gol Base Camp to Booty Bay. It is a subzone of the vale and hard to miss: a huge stone gate shaped like two cobras leads into the colosseum. The zone is meant for levels 30–45, and the southern half where the arena sits is noticeably more dangerous than the north. The zone is covered in detail on the Stranglethorn Vale page.

The arena was added in patch 1.4. It is run by the goblin pirate Short John Mithril, who shouts the announcement and drops the chest onto the sand.

How to get there as Alliance

In 1.12 the Alliance has only one flight path in the vale — in neutral Booty Bay.

1. If you have the Booty Bay flight path, fly there from Stormwind, Darkshire or Westfall.
2. Leave the town through the shark-jaw tunnel and follow the road north — the arena is on the way.
3. If you do not have the flight path yet, fly to Darkshire in Duskwood and walk south along the road through the whole of Stranglethorn, past the Rebel Camp.
4. From Kalimdor you can take the boat from Ratchet straight to Booty Bay.

The full trip to the port is described step by step in how to get to Booty Bay.

How to get there as Horde

The Horde has it easier thanks to Grom'gol Base Camp and its zeppelins.

1. In Orgrimmar or Undercity climb the zeppelin tower and take the flight to Grom'gol.
2. In the camp pick up the flight path and, if you like, set your Hearthstone with the innkeeper.
3. Leave the camp to the east, join the main road and turn south — the road takes you to the arena gate.
4. If you have the Booty Bay flight path, you can fly there and walk north along the road instead.

Details about the camp are in how to get to Grom'gol, and the general route into the vale is in how to get to Stranglethorn Vale.

◆How the arena works and when the chest appears

• Entrance: from the road through the cobra gate; corridors then lead to the stands and the ring.
• PvP rules: on the sand of the ring it is every player for themselves — you can attack anyone except your own group, even players of your faction.
• Chest: every three hours — at 0:00, 3:00, 6:00, 9:00, 12:00, 15:00, 18:00 and 21:00 server time. Short John Mithril announces the giveaway, places the chest in the middle of the ring and the fight begins.
• Loot: healing and mana potions, sometimes rare Arena bracers for different armour types, and always the Arena Master trinket.

◆Table: the way to Gurubashi Arena

Arena Master and the Grand Master quest

The trinket from the chest starts the quest Arena Master: take it to Short John Mithril. After that he offers Arena Grandmaster — bring him 12 Arena Master trinkets to receive a rare trinket. The trinkets bind when picked up and do not stack, so you will need 12 separate bag slots to collect them.

Arena MasterBinds when picked upThis Item Begins a QuestTrinket+5 StaminaRequires Level 35

Arena Grand MasterBinds when picked upTrinketEquip: Increases your chance to dodge an attack by 1%.Use: Absorbs 750 to 1250 damage. Lasts 20 sec. (30 Min Cooldown)

◆Why go to Gurubashi Arena

The arena is the heart of world PvP in Stranglethorn: players levelling nearby clash here with trinket hunters. Tips for open-world fights are collected in the world PvP guide, and the quest route of the vale is in the Stranglethorn Vale leveling guide. The Grand Master trinket is popular with twinks — see the twinking guide.

◆Related guides

• Flight paths: complete guide
• Travel guide to Azeroth
• Booty Bay city guide
• How to get to Zul'Gurub
• Stranglethorn Vale zone overview

Ready to fight for the chest? Create an account on the WoW x5 server and connect to the game — the next giveaway is only a couple of hours away.