Shimmering Flats

The Shimmering Flats

File:Shimmering Flats Map.jpg

Map location of The Shimmering Flats

The Shimmering Flats is at the southeastern end of Thousand Needles, on the border with Tanaris. The area is an open expanse devoid of any vegetation and home to various varieties of, among other things, basilisks, scorpids, tortoises and vultures. The area is a now-dried lakebed, as evidenced by the wrecked sailing vessel in the northern part.

Although the flats are somewhat spartan, many find the sense of loneliness and silence give the area a unique beauty, and the Mirage Raceway in the middle of such a lonely place gives a strange sense of the surreal.

Known as the Scorched Basin by some, the Shimmering Flats are a flat, barren area just southeast of Thousand Needles (and are technically a part of that zone).

The flatness of the area makes it especially desirable for goblins and gnomes, who have set up the Mirage Raceway and constantly compete against each other to see who can build the fastest racing machine. Their inventions are frequently unstable, and the area is littered with the wreckage and parts of countless failed gizmos, as well as numerous craters.

Thanks to goblin prospecting, the large salt flat is actually a rich source of oil. The goblins have ventured to the basin in great numbers to collect and refine the "black gold." The otherwise amiable goblins are not very hospitable in this region and maintain guards to ensure no one steals their claim.Template:Cite

The area is full of turtles, buzzards, scorpids, and basilisks. A group of dwarven archaeologists were driven out of the ruins in the southwest when they inadvertently dug into a subterranean silithid hive.

In Cataclysm

This section concerns content related to Cataclysm.

Shimmering Flats is a lake now!

Shimmering Flats NPCs

• Wizzle Brassbolts quest giver
  • Gahz'rilla
  • Hardened Shells

• Engineering Supplies (Jinky Twizzlefixxit)
  • Standard engineering supplies
  •  [Schematic: Lovingly Crafted Boomstick] 10
  •  [Schematic: Gnomish Universal Remote] 12 long restock timer (Limited Sale Recipe)

• Gun Merchant (Synge)

• Drink vendor (Riznek) wandering
  • Mana drinks from  [Refreshing Spring Water] to  [Morning Glory Dew]
    • Ice Cream Vendor (Brivelthwerp) sells Ice Cream.

Trivia

• The Shimmering Flats appear to be based on the Bonneville Flats in Utah, or Arizona's flats, many of which are test sites for rocket cars and airplanes.
• The area must have been a lake (due to the fact of the boat)and seems to have a long river through Thousand Needles and Feralas and emptied into the Veiled Sea.
• The Mirage Raceway is rumored to be a homage to Star War's Tatooine planet. Some of the Goblin racers have a slight resemblance to Star Wars Pod Racers, also similar is the fact that the course takes place in a desert, similar to the movie franchise.

Battle.net map

A wrecked sailing vessel in the northern region of The Shimmering Flats.

This article contains lore taken from Warcraft III: Reign of Chaos, Warcraft III: The Frozen Throne, the manuals, and/or official bonus maps.

As vicious as they are lovely harpies once moved on the sands of the Scorched Basin vying with the centaur and Razormanes for resources. The tileset is called "Barrens".Template:Cite