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Thousand Needles
Level 40-45

Population	5,000
Races	Centaur, Galak (1,750) Tauren (1,250) Harpy (750) Gnome (500) Goblin (500) Kobold (250)
Government	Tribal
Rulers	Rau Cliffrunner, Overseer of Freewind Post Arnak Grimtotem Grenka Bloodscreech
Major settlements	Mirage Raceway (1,000) Roguefeather Den (750) Freewind Post (800) Darkcloud Pinnacle (450)
Minor settlements	Camp E'thok (750) Splithoof Crag (1,000)
Affiliation	Horde
Location	South of the Barrens
Sources: Lands of Mystery, 56

Thousand Needles (aka The Thousand Needles)^[1] is a huge wet canyon in Southern Kalimdor, filled with towering mesas. In the east, the canyon opens up to the Shimmering Flats, a vast salt pan that is used by Goblin and Gnomish engineers for their races. Despite being relatively barren, the area has its own harsh beauty, and the sunrise seen from either Freewind Post or one of the mesas around Darkcloud Pinnacle can be spectacular. The Shimmering Flats and Mirage Raceway are also worth visiting for their surreal, lonely atmosphere.

The Thousand Needles is a contested territory, and can be tiresome to travel around without a Flying mount, especially since the bridges linking major sites are packed with battling Tauren. As a result this area doesn't see anywhere near as much action as some, but Darkcloud Pinnacle is a favorite stealth ganking spot for Alliance rogues due to the many Horde quests there as well as the relative difficulty of the mobs/remoteness of that location. The Alliance attack the Great Lift and Freewind Post fairly regularly - however the Great Lift was demolished in Cataclysm. In addition, players questing on the Shimmering Flats near the Tanaris border are advised to look over their shoulder from time to time, as the unwary can occasionally find themselves being stabbed in the back by a passing member of the opposing faction.

History

Before the great Sundering, the region of Thousand Needles was a river canyon, the spires of sandstone shaped from years of rushing water. Water flowed to the sea from a large lake to the east, fed by an underground tributary. Then came the demons and the destruction that threw the entire world into upheaval. The canyon was thrust above the water table; the eastern lake dried into a vast salt flat and Thousand Needles became a sandy gorge. Thousand Needles rises south of Dustwallow Marsh and serves as a channel to Desolace to the west or the Tanaris Desert to the South.^[1] It also connects to Feralas. The long canyon stands as a natural divide between central and southern Kalimdor. The realm gets its name from the dozens of giant, cylindrical columns of sandstone that rise from the bottom of the canyon like a forest. Bridges have been constructed atop many of the spires, connecting pathways across the canyon from one side of the surrounding mountains to the other. To the east of Thousand Needles, the canyon opens into a large, dry lakebed. This dried-out salt flat is actually below sea level. At its center stands an alkaline lake with ten times the salt of any ocean. The sere region is so hot, dry and salty that few creatures venture here. Lizards, scorpions, vultures, and birds of prey are not uncommon and neither are centaur war bands. A contingent of goblins mines for oil in the Scorched Basin. The spire bridges allow travelers to traverse the canyon without running into the barbaric centaur who patrol the canyon floor. The bridges are not entirely safe, however, as birds of prey will attack the unwary. Larger birds have even sabotaged the bridges from time to time. There is very little of interest in this land, unless someone has a passion for salt or sandstone... or oil.^[1]

The barren canyons of Thousand Needles have traditionally been the territory of several Tauren tribes. The Tauren were forced to live precariously on the tips of the high mesas in order to avoid the large tribes of Centaur that almost wiped them out. Now, with the help of the Horde, the Tauren are fighting back against their enemies, including the fanatical Grimtotem Tribe. The Shimmering Flats to the southeast are also the home of the world famous Mirage Racetrack, where gnomes and goblins race their respective rocket cars in order to permanently settle the question of which race has better engineering.

It is suspected that ages ago Thousand Needles was once a small inland sea, or perhaps even an inlet of the Great Sea. This explains the salt flat as well as why there are so many "needle"-like mesas (once possibly islands). The cause for the sea's evaporation could be attributed to the sundering, which tore the ancient Kalimdor cleanly in two. A catastrophe such as this could easily have caused climate change.

Another theory states that a river with its source in Feralas, possibly Wildwind Lake, flowed into the area that would become Thousand Needles. The river cut through the earth, carving the canyon and shaping the dramatic pinnacles that became the Thousand Needles. It was a verdant, forested land. The river emptied into a large inland sea in the east. When the Great Sundering occurred, the course of the river was altered and ceased to flow through what would become Thousand Needles. The forests died and the fertile soil became orange dust. The inland sea, without its source of water, evaporated, leaving behind a vast salt flat.

It has also been thought by Falfindel Waywarder of Thalanaar that dark magic of some kind blighted the land.

Getting there

Alliance: Alliance characters will first reach Thousand Needles from the north. The traveler can either take a boat to Theramore Isle in Dustwallow Marsh or flying to Mudsprocket, run west to the Barrens, then south to the Great Lift (avoiding its Horde guards) and into Thousand Needles; or head south from Ratchet in the Barrens (Ratchet can be reached either by boat from Booty Bay or by running south from Ashenvale). The route from Theramore or Mudsprocket is faster but much more dangerous, as Dustwallow Marsh is a 35-45 level zone.
Horde: From Camp Taurajo in the Barrens, head south along the road to the Great Lift and down into Thousand Needles.

Geography

Thousand Needles contains no raid dungeons, micro dungeons, or battlegrounds.

Maps and subregions

In-game

Topographic map of Thousand Needles

Flight Master Locations

Fizzle and Pozzik's Speedbarge

Westreach Summit

Adjacent regions

Zone Name	Level Range	Direction	Access	Access
Dustwallow Marsh	35-40	Northeast	By foot west of Splithoof Heights; from Fizzle and Pozzik's Speedbarge to Mudsprocket	By foot west of Splithoof Heights; from Fizzle and Pozzik's Speedbarge or Westreach Summit to Mudsprocket; also from Westreach Summit to Brackenwall Village
Feralas	35-40	West	Swimming west; from Fizzle and Pozzik's Speedbarge to Shadebough	Swimming west; from Westreach Summit to Camp Mojache
Southern Barrens	30-35	North	By foot near Razorfen Downs	By foot near Razorfen Downs; from Westreach Summit to Desolation Hold
Tanaris	45-50	Southeast	By foot south; from Fizzle and Pozzik's Speedbarge to Gadgetzan	By foot south; from Fizzle and Pozzik's Speedbarge or Westreach Summit to Gadgetzan
Un'Goro Crater	50-55	Southwest	via Gadgetzan (see above), then to Marshal's Stand or Mossy Pile	via Gadgetzan (see above), then to Marshal's Stand or Mossy Pile

Notable characters

Main article: Thousand Needles NPCs

The Thousand Needles are home to several characters of note. At Freewind Post, Cliffwatcher Longhorn seeks aid in the battle against the evil Grimtotem Clan. At the Weathered Nook, Dorn Plainstalker attempts to teach members of the Horde about Faith, Endurance, and Strength. And at the Mirage Raceway, Kravel Koalbeard sends bold adventurers around the world in search items that will give him personal gain in his bets at the gnome and goblin races.

Quests

Main article: Thousand Needles quests

See also: Thousand Needles questing guide

Horde quests in Thousand Needles begin around level 25 and go through level 35. Neutral quests at the Shimmering Flats begin around level 30 and continue to level 35. Some of the neutral quests that send players out of the zone continue all the way up to level 45. Notable quest chains include Goblin Sponsorship and Errands for Kravel, both neutral and available at the Mirage Raceway.

Cataclysm

This section concerns content exclusive to Cataclysm.

In World of Warcraft: Cataclysm, Thousand Needles is completely flooded ^[2] and retuned as level 40-45 zone.^[3]

Razorfen Downs, previously located in the southern part of the Barrens, is located in the North of Thousand Needles in Cataclysm (Razorfen Kraul is still in the Southern Barrens).

In the lake that was formerly the Shimmering Flats, a massive "speedbarge" floats over the flooded ruins of the Mirage Raceway.

Areas affected^[4]:

Camp E'thok – submerged; NW of here is a Horde encampment called Westreach Summit
Darkcloud Pinnacle – slightly NE of the Pinnacle a path has collapsed in the high hills, allowing access to Razorfen Downs
Freewind Post – apparently taken by the Grimtotem; at the base of the Post is a very small camp of both Horde (Tauren) and Alliance (Night Elf) NPCs, who seem to be working in conjunction to drive away the Grimtotem
The Great Lift - destroyed
Highperch – slightly flooded; Heartrazor is bound by a band of Twilight Subduers; the shelf above this is called Twilight Aerie, whose skies are patrolled by hostile Aerie Aces
Mirage Raceway – underwater; now a giant boat sits in the flooded area with a neutral quest hub with flight path, Fizzle and Pozzik's Speedbarge; SE of here along the high ledge is Tirth's Haunt, where Magus Tirth is now Mad Magus Tirth and is constantly attacking "Plucky" Johnson, who is the new vendor of the Ancona Chicken
Rustmaul Dig Site – now known as the Rustmaul Dive Site
The Screeching Canyon – submerged; in the hills above there is a large Twilight Cult encampment called the Twilight Bulwark
Weazel's Crater – now submerged; the hills east of here have collapsed and opened to the sea; on the high ledge to the south of the opening is a Southsea Pirate area known as Southsea Holdfast; to the slight north of here on the opposing high ledge is Splithoof Heights where the Galak have moved – it appears they are neutral at first; to the NW of the former crater is a path high in the hills that leads to Dustwallow Marsh with a platform overlooking Thousand Needles
Windbreak Canyon – submerged; south of here is another Twilight establishment, Twilight Withering
Due to the extensive flooding of the zone, many areas are now underwater. In addition to the above mentioned, other areas include: Whitereach Post, Splithoof Crag, Splithoof Hold, The Weathered Nook, Ironstone Camp, and the entirety of The Shimmering Flats.
New tameable creatures: Saltspray Gulls, Brilliant Clayscrapers (colorful, macaw-like bird), and Monstrous Macaws
New untameable creature: Dead Whale Shark. This massive corpse is located in the Shimmering Deep north of the Speedbarge.

Videos

Resources

Wild creatures

Main article: :Category:Thousand Needles mobs

Notes

You can't race on the Mirage Raceway.
Shimmering Flats mobs have an oddly high rate of dropping blue BoE (lvl 20-27) gear, though this rate seems to only go as high as .5%.