The Scourge Cauldrons — Western Plaguelands quest guide (Classic Era baseline)

The Scourge has set up four plague cauldrons across the Western Plaguelands' farmland. Both factions get a chain to shut them down: Alliance from Chillwind Camp, Horde from the Bulwark. Each cauldron has a Cauldron Lord who carries its key, and you bring back a bottled sample of the poison. It's one of the best XP sources in the zone at level 53–58, and it ends with a weapon reward.

How the chain works

Community-reported, not yet confirmed by Blizzard.

The structure is the same for both factions, with different NPCs:

	Alliance	Horde
Start	Commander Ashlam Valorfist, Chillwind Camp	High Executor Derrington, the Bulwark
Cauldron quests from	High Priestess MacDonnell, Chillwind Camp	Shadow Priestess Vandis, the Bulwark
Final quest	Mission Accomplished! (5237), from Valorfist	Mission Accomplished! (5238), from Derrington

Each cauldron then follows the same three-part loop:

1. Target: [cauldron]. The priestess gives you an empty bottle. Go to the cauldron, kill its Cauldron Lord and take the cauldron key.
2. Return to Chillwind Camp / Return to the Bulwark. Bring the filled bottle back to the priestess for XP and silver.

Every Target and Return quest is not shareable, so each player in a group needs their own bottle and their own key. Party members can still help kill the Cauldron Lord.

The four cauldrons

Community-reported, not yet confirmed by Blizzard.

Quest levels and XP. The Cauldron Lord for each site is confirmed on its NPC page.

The Target quests themselves give 5,250 to 6,200 XP, plus a smaller amount for each cauldron step. All of them need level 50.

Doing each cauldron

Community-reported, not yet confirmed by Blizzard.

Felstone Field (Bilemaw, 53). The closest cauldron and the easiest. It's the natural first stop for both factions, and you can do it as soon as you arrive in the zone at 50–51. Clear the skeletons and ghouls around the farm, then pull Bilemaw on his own.

Dalson's Tears (Malvinious, 55). The farm at Dalson's Tears is busier, with undead around the buildings and the cauldron. Clear a space first so you aren't fighting extra mobs when Malvinious engages. If you're under 54, consider a partner.

Writhing Haunt (Razarch, 56). The quest is level 55, but Razarch is listed at 56. The site is a ruined farmstead to the south-east. Players note the Writhing Haunt has plenty of casters and the area respawns quickly, so don't hang around after you have the key.

Gahrron's Withering (Soulwrath, 58). The hardest one, in the east of the zone. Soulwrath is level 58 and the area mobs are high 50s. It's a good one to do last, near level 57–58, or with a group. Since the Target quest can't be shared, everyone needs their own copy, but party members can help with the kill.

General tips:

• Keep your bottles. The empty bottle is "provided" by the quest. If you delete it you'll need to drop and re-take the Target quest.
• Loot the key before moving on. Each Cauldron Lord drops one key for that cauldron only, so check you have it before you walk away.
• Combine routes. The cauldrons sit next to the zone's other farm quests, and Andorhal is close by for the city quests. Plan loops so you hit each cauldron with other objectives.

Mission Accomplished! and the reward

Community-reported, not yet confirmed by Blizzard.

Once all four bottles are handed in, the Alliance chain points you back to Commander Ashlam Valorfist (5237) and the Horde chain to High Executor Derrington (5238). Both at level 58, worth 9,300 XP, with a choice of:

Both are bind on pickup with item level 58. Their damage is the same, but their secondary stats differ, so read the tooltip in game and pick the one that suits your class. We haven't confirmed Forever's stat values.

Adding it up at baseline values, the four cauldron loops plus the finale come to well over 40,000 XP and over 3 gold, before any other Western Plaguelands quests.

Suggested order

Community-reported, not yet confirmed by Blizzard.

1. Arrive (50–52): pick up The Scourge Cauldrons at your camp and do Felstone Field straight away.
2. Mid zone (53–55): do Dalson's Tears and the Writhing Haunt together with the zone's farm quests.
3. Late (56–58): finish with Gahrron's Withering, then hand in Mission Accomplished!.

For flight paths and how the Plaguelands fit your route, see the Western Plaguelands zone guide and our 50–60 travel routes.

FAQ

Can I share the cauldron quests? Not the Target or Return steps. Those are listed as not shareable. The opening quest and the cauldron step itself are shareable. [Unconfirmed]

Which Cauldron Lord is at which cauldron? Bilemaw at Felstone Field, Malvinious at Dalson's Tears, Razarch at the Writhing Haunt and Soulwrath at Gahrron's Withering.

Do Alliance and Horde do the same cauldrons? Yes. Both factions use the same four sites and Cauldron Lords, with their own quest IDs and NPCs.

What level should I be? All the quests need 50. The cauldron levels run from 53 to 58, so most players do them across 52–58.

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