Vashj'ir

Vashj'ir
Level: 80-82
Population	Unknown
Government	None
Ruler(s)	Lestharia Vashj (formerly)
Affiliation	Contested
Location	Underneath the Great Sea, off the western coast of Khaz Modan

Template:Cataclysm

Vashj'ir (pronounced /vɒʒɪər/) is a new zone featured in World of Warcraft: Cataclysm, located to the south east of the Maelstrom, off the western coast of Khaz Modan. The city was the home of Lady Vashj before the Sundering.^[1] Players can swim throughout the zone by jumping but when on the ground it acts similar to the terrestrial zones and players can use special underwater mounts to move around the zone. In the Abyssal Depths is the Abyssal Breach to the Abyssal Maw, which contains two 5-man dungeons.

The Vashj'ir Honor Guard are likely from here.

Unlike surface zones, zones throughout Vashj'ir have no official night cycle. At night Kelp'thar Forest, Shimmering Expanse and Abyssal Depths appear fully lit by some sort of light source.

Description from site

Once a great Highborne city housing some of the most revered night elves of Kalimdor, Vashj'ir was swallowed by the Great Sea in the Sundering and thought to be lost forever. Queen Azshara, formerly a beloved leader of the Highborne, escaped death in the depths of the sea when the Well of Eternity imploded. Such salvation came at a great cost, as the queen and many of her fellow Highborne were forever transformed into the monstrous naga, doomed to wander the seas for thousands of years. Their existence mostly remains a mystery to the peoples of modern Azeroth, though the Earthen Ring has learned of Azshara's naga seizing Vashj'ir for an unknown purpose as the cries of the elements echo across Azeroth from the Abyss.

The Sunken City

Vashj'ir is a level 80-82 zone in World of Warcraft: Cataclysm where players will be called to explore the depths of the Great Sea and stop the naga from seizing immeasurable power from the realm of Neptulon the Tidehunter. This expansive underwater zone will feature an unprecedented fight for survival against the naga overwhelming the area, several new quest hubs - including Alliance and Horde naval ships and submarines - all-new underwater travel and combat mechanics, several pocketed undersea caves free from water's grip, a new five-player dungeon (Throne of the Tides), and the first-ever opportunity to explore the remains of the once-majestic city of Vashj'ir.

Bottled Distress Message Found Adrift at Sea

Need your help. Time is short. I'm held captive in what I hope to be a nightmare.

Enjoying the ocean air just days ago. We were determined to control key trade routes through victory at sea over the Horde. Their fleet came into our scopes. Our world became the deafening sound of battle, the smell of gunpowder, and the feeling of fear. Looking back now, though, that wasn't real fear.

We weren't alone in those waters. Our naval warfare attracted attention and rendered us prey. With our vessel already torn apart and taking on water, we saw a tremendous creature rise from the depths and shatter the hull, sucking us down to the sea floor. It all happened so fast. I was quick to tread the waters, hoping to regroup with any survivors I could find through a dense garden of kelp, constantly gasping for a chance breath. That's when the onslaught began. From all directions swarms of brutal naga swept through and captured a great many of us. Beaten near to death, I awoke in agony, bound in chains.

And here I still sit. I can only describe our prison as very big and somehow very much alive. We're in the hands of the naga now. Surviving crewmates in better condition than me are driven into slave labor.

One escaped. Thomas. He didn't make it far before I saw him dragged back. Before being forced into labor, he spoke in a panic about some large shell protecting this living prison, expansive night elf ruins in the distance, strange naga rituals underway, and sea vrykul battling our captors. He made little sense. Could be mad. Or I could be mad to hope vrykul are fighting to free us.

Prison patrols out again. Send word to Stormwind. Sunken city far from extinct. Naga plotting something horrific. Please help.^[2]

Vashj'ir subregions

Vashj'ir quests

Main article: Vashj'ir quests

Vashj'ir plays out as one long, cohesive storyline, from the very beginning in Kelp'thar Forest when players find themselves shipwrecked by Ozumat, through the Shimmering Expanse, where players come to the horrible realization of just what the naga are planning for Azeroth, and climaxing in the Abyssal Depths, as players try to defend Neptulon from the naga forces' attack.

Resources

Herbalism
- [Azshara's Veil]
- [Stormvine]
Mining
- [Obsidium Deposit]

Wild creatures

Whale Shark (Level ?? Boss)

Refuges

Air-filled caves are scattered throughout the continent. Explorers can spot their entrances by searching for yellow tube worms with purple shells. You can place a campfire or eat food.

Some refuges have an innkeeper, vendors, seahorse point and even a mailbox. Often these NPCs are added by completing phased quests.

To use a [Traveler's Tundra Mammoth] you have to exit the cave and stand on the sea floor. It can not be summoned while swimming above the sea floor.

These refuges are often informally called "save caves" due to the way the city port works when sending you to the zone.

How to get to Vashj'ir

The intended way to get to Vashj'ir for the first time is via the quest Quest:To the Depths or Quest:Hero's Call: Vashj'ir! or Quest:Warchief's Command: Vashj'ir!.
- Alliance players are sent to Stormwind Harbor to the northernmost dock. With one of these quests in the quest log, players are in another phase where a mercenary ship appears instead of the normal ship to Borean Tundra. This mercenary ship then takes them to Vashj'ir.
There is a portal from the Valley of Wisdom in Orgrimmar and from Stormwind City. This sends you to a refuge such as Smuggler's Scar or Silver Tide Hollow depending where on the quest progression you are; the most recently-unlocked refuge is generally chosen.
You can fly to Vashj'ir with a flying mount: fly directly west from Dun Morogh, west-north-west from the Stormwind lighthouse or south-west from Gilneas.
There is a flight point at Sandy Beach that is directly connected to Undercity and Ironforge respectively. From there one can utilize the sea horse "flight" service to travel between the various caverns/quest hubs in Vashj'ir..