- Level
- 55+
- Group Size
- 5
- Bosses
- 19
- Quests
- 10
- Location
- Eastern Plaguelands
- Continent
- Eastern Kingdoms
About Stratholme
Engulfed in eternal pyres beneath the poisoned skies of the Eastern Plaguelands stands Stratholme, the tragic epicenter of Lordaeron’s fall. It was here that Prince Arthas Menethil severed his paladin vows and carried out the brutal purge of infected citizens, taking his first irrevocable step toward damnation. Today, the scorched city burns without end, transformed into the Scourge’s most heavily garrisoned fortress in the subcontinent.
The urban sprawl is partitioned into two distinct campaigns: The Scarlet Live Side, entered through the main gate, is garrisoned by puritanical crusaders fortifying ruined town squares, blind to the fact that their revered leader, Grand Crusader Dathrohan, is actually the dreadlord Balnazzar in disguise; and the Scourge Dead Side, accessed via the service gate, where bloated abominations, wailing banshees, and crypt fiends butcher anything with a heartbeat upon the Slaughter Square.
Within the necropolis citadel at the rear sits Baron Rivendare, directing Scourge forces across Lordaeron. Breaching his ziggurat requires beating the clock in the legendary '45-Minute Baron Run' to rescue hostages before they are executed. Beyond the prestige of purging Arthas’s pyre, Stratholme holds the rarest equine treasure in classic history: the coveted Deathcharger's Reins.
First Run
- Main gate sits on the northwest border of Eastern Plaguelands; the service gate (Dead Side) is tucked along the eastern wall and requires the Key to the City.
- Target level 55 to 60. Partitioned into 'Live Side' (Scarlet/Balnazzar) and 'Dead Side' (Undead/Baron Rivendare). Necromancers summon endless skeleton swarms if casts are not strictly kicked.
- Beware traps: stepping near human corpses across Dead Side cobblestones frequently spawns ambush swarms of crypt maggots and shrieking gargoyles.
- The Slaughter Square gauntlet is a legendary DPS check: once entered, gates seal behind you as waves of stitched abominations and Ramstein the Gorger attack back-to-back before Rivendare emerges.
Veteran Notes
- Nineteen encounters across both sides: Timmy the Cruel, Cannon Master Willey, Balnazzar (Live); Anastari, Maleki, Ramstein, and Baron Rivendare (Dead).
- Thirteen attached quests, driving the conclusion of the emotional 'In Dreams' Fordring family saga and the holy Argent Dawn token turn-ins.
- Baron Rivendare boasts a microscopic drop chance for the Deathcharger's Reins, cementing Stratholme as an eternal pilgrimage for mount collectors.
Stratholme Quests
Plan all 10 dungeon quests before you enter. Open a quest for its objective, pickup and turn-in details; rewards appear only when verified for Forever.
Bosses
19 bosses wait in Stratholme.
- 01Hearthsinger Forresten
- 02Timmy the Cruel
- 03Malor the Zealous
- 04Cannon Master Willey
- 05Archivist Galford
- 06Balnazzar
- 07The Unforgiven
- 08Baroness Anastari
- 09Nerub'enkan
- 10Maleki the Pallid
- 11Magistrate Barthilas
- 12Ramstein the Gorger
- 13Baron Rivendare
- 14Black Guard Swordsmith
- 15Crimson Hammersmith
- 16Ezra Grimm
- 17Postmaster Malown
- 18Skul
- 19Stonespine
Getting There
- ContinentEastern Kingdoms
- ZoneEastern Plaguelands Levels 54–59 · Contested territory
- Nearest flight pathPlaguewood Tower, Eastern Plaguelands Both factions · 18.4, 24.2
- Entrance26.1, 10.4