How to Reach Searing Gorge in WoW 1.12.1

◆Where Searing Gorge is located

Searing Gorge lies in southern Khaz Modan, in the Eastern Kingdoms. It borders Loch Modan to the north-east and the Badlands to the west, and to the south it runs into Blackrock Mountain, beyond which Burning Steppes begins. The recommended level is 43–50. The centre of the zone is a giant quarry called The Cauldron, where Dark Iron dwarves mine ore, and in the north stands the neutral camp of Thorium Point. Lore and a zone overview are on the wiki page for Searing Gorge.

How to get there as Alliance

The Alliance has two options: the open trail from the Badlands and the gate from Loch Modan, which requires a key.

1. Fly to Thelsamar in Loch Modan.
2. Without the key: walk south into the Badlands, then west towards Kargath, and find the trail south of the Horde camp that leads into the gorge. Be careful near Kargath: it is a Horde camp with guards.
3. With the key: go to the Valley of Kings in south-western Loch Modan. The gate of the tunnel into the gorge is there, guarded by Mountaineer Pebblebitty.
4. In the gorge, learn the flight path at Thorium Point. Alliance gryphons fly from there to Ironforge and to Morgan's Vigil in Burning Steppes.

Alliance players coming from Stormwind can also use the southern route: fly to Morgan's Vigil in Burning Steppes and walk north through Blackrock Mountain.

How to get there as Horde

The gate key is not available to the Horde, because the chain is Alliance-only. The main route goes through the Badlands.

1. Fly to Kargath in the Badlands. If you do not have that flight path yet, you have to unlock it on foot first; the road from Arathi Highlands runs through the Wetlands and Loch Modan, which are Alliance territory.
2. From Kargath head south along the western edge of the zone. The narrow mountain pass is easy to miss: it sits at the very edge of the map, around coordinates 5, 61.
3. The trail leads into Searing Gorge. Climb to Thorium Point and learn the flight path from the wind rider master.

If you already have Flame Crest in Burning Steppes, you can also come from the south through Blackrock Mountain.

The gate, the key and the Blackrock Mountain passage

The Loch Modan gate. The tunnel between the Valley of Kings and the gorge is locked on both sides. The Key to Searing Gorge is the reward of a level 48 Alliance chain:

• inside the gorge, kill the elite beast Margol the Rager; she drops a horn that starts the quest The Horn of the Beast;
• Mountaineer Pebblebitty will not believe you and sends you to Curator Thorius in Ironforge (quest Proof of Deed);
• bring the curator's document back to Pebblebitty, and the quest At Last! rewards the key.

In other words, you still have to enter the gorge another way to earn the key. Rogues with 225 Lockpicking can open the gate without one.

The Blackrock Mountain passage. The southern edge of the gorge goes down to the mountain gates. The corridor inside leads to Burning Steppes and is free of mobs, while dungeon entrances branch off to the sides — see how to get to Blackrock Depths.

Entrance table

◆Why go to Searing Gorge

The zone is a good place to level from 43 to 50 — the route is described in the guide on Searing Gorge leveling. Thorium Point is where reputation with the Thorium Brotherhood begins, unlocking fire resistance recipes for Molten Core. And The Cauldron is a source of Dark Iron ore — details in the guide on Dark Iron ore farming.

◆Related guides

• Flight paths: how to unlock and use them
• Travelling around Azeroth: general guide
• How to get to Burning Steppes
• Badlands: zone wiki page
• Loch Modan: zone wiki page

Ready for Blackrock Mountain? Create an account, connect to the server and unlock Thorium Point on WoW x5 — with boosted rates, the trip from the gorge to the raids takes far less time.