Thundering Steppes are the Eastern remains of the once grand (4 zones wide) Plains of Karana, The parts of the zone that survived from the plains days are parts of the eastern zone and parts of the southern zone the remnants of the north and western are either long gone or have yet to be found over the new mountain ranges.
Unfortunately it has not rained here since Karana left Norrath to it's own devices, this may or may not change with Rise of Kurnark, also many farms have not been rebuilt since the Rending nor the Shattering.
Many of the remaining villages seem woefully undefended Such as Thundermist with it's lack of walls Gate Keep with only a double northern wall and no southern protection from the undead surrounding the Ruins of Varsoon.
Dead River Docks also seems precariously positioned at the end of an once great river and the draining point of any floodwaters should there be rain.
The Thundering Steppes has been hit hard within the last 500 years and recovery seems to be a long way off for many residents.
The Thundering Steppes is one of the better level 20 through 35 to even 40 level zones and usually has a decent population of players both of new main characters and alternate characters.
I would say this zone has a mid-level difficulty, there are many places for both soloist and hard-core groupers, although some of the areas especially around Splitpaw tend to be a little crowded with heroic single mob Gnolls. The Giants you expect to be that strong.
There are several quest lines in the zone, of those that start in the Thundering Steppes, I would qualify theses as must do:This is a wide open zone with only a few choke-points for you to worry over this allows both soloist and groupers to get around to the needed places. Most of the best pull spots seem to be cliff-sides and can be found throughout the zone. If you manage to keep a good faction with the centaurs harvest with only minimal problems with wandering mobs. Just watch out for the dead trees near the Ruins of Varsoon as some of the harvesting nodes next to trees will not allow you to harvest there and you can easily be set upon by wandering undead. Unfortunately for shiny harvesting, it is spread through the zone with no particular concentration point, however red stripped ants will go for a decent amount as they are needed for quest lines as well as collections.
The random loot tables are not the best (something of a drawback), for better items, you want to do any of the zone's quest lines.
As a Zone Thundering Steppes is one of the best connection points of the game, even once you have outgrown the native dangers it is a hub of travel to many other destinations.
Character name: Klornie ShadowfistCharacter level: Level 70 Monk
Server: Befallen/Faydark server
Level Suggestion: Any
While Thundering Steppes is a Q zone, its an absolute marvel for Harvesters! T3 resources are always a high demand commodity and sell very quickly on the broker. The nodes are plentiful and spaced out efficiently so that several people can harvest in the same area without dispute. As I play on Venekor, disputes that do arise over nodes are easily settled by those of opposing factions. ;)
Instances: SplitpawSplitpaw is highly recommended for those in the 20-50 range who need a little "time out" from the usual 'get and gather' quests. While it requires an Adventure Pack purchase, it's well worth the money. For those on a PvP server that complain that they are unable to level at T2-T4 due to interruptions *coughs* ganks *coughs*, Sundering Splitpaw is the answer and well worth the money.
Difficulty: Easy to ChallengingEven at level 42 I have to traverse this large zone carefully. Let's face it. 20 gray mobs are going to hurt just as much as 3 orange mobs. Not to mention that by tossing in the element of danger while wandering about on enemy territory makes the zone quite challenging at times. Due to the openness of the zone some really great PvP battles take place in Thundering Steppes.
Character name: SpyderbiteCharacter level: 42
Server: Venekor
Thundering Steppes
recommended lvl: 18 - 25
So you are tired of fighting the Gnolls in Antonica? Especially after you surely had your first encounter with Nathan Ironforge? Then welcome to the Thundering Steppes, yes, there are Gnolls there too, but there is so much more to that Zone, from the Docks which serve as an important hub in traveling all over Norrath and through the Canyon with the Undead Hordes to the Griffons and the mighty Giants.
On your way from the Antonica Gate you can already pick up your first Quests and you will find what you need for them if you head towards the Docks where you can pick up some more Quests, or have a little Chatter in the Tavern and hear the latest fashion trends straight from the ones that are stopping by on the way home after a long day of Dragon Slaying for a pint of Ale.
When you explore the Zone you get to choose, do you want to assemble a Group of brave Adventurers or do you want to be the lone wolf? If you decide to go with a Group you can go down through the Canyon where the Undead are lurking in masses and advance down to the Giants, or even further to the dungeon Ruins of Varsoon, but we will let that be for another Chapter. If you decide that you are brave enough to explore on you your own you can pass by the Bears, the Gnolls, with a stop at Thundermist Village and onwards to the Griffons, but, in any case, don't forget to pick up the Quest from the Griffon tamer, because the reward will speed up your future traveling throughout Thundering Steppes much faster.
Keep your eyes open for Coldtooth if you get close to the Coast line past the Giants though, as he doesn't really like unwary Adventurers, you will want to bring some Friends with you once you have some more experience, but, the area there is of importance still, because there are two heritage Quests starting close by, the Manastone and the Polished Granite Tomahawk to be more precise.
There is not only content for Adventurers though, there are also several areas the tradeskillers at heart will like, around the Ruins of Karana, where the Griffons roam or for the ones that like to hunt the shiny things in life the Thundering Steppes have the area rather close to wher we started our little roundtrip between the Undead and the Scarecrows.
In short: Thundering Steppes is a place you will often head through, no matter of your level, there are plenty of Quests, no matter if you prefer shorter solo Quests or if you are in for a Heritage Quest, the monsters are of varying kind so that boredom is absent, there is a good balance between solo and heroic content, there are scary epics roaming, it has everything a Zone should have.
Character name: IcougCharacter level: 70 Troubadour and Provisioner
Server: Runnyeye
(A note found blowing along the northern Antonican Road in the Thundering Steppes)
Captain Eitoa,
Things are rough on the steppes. Centaurs regularly raid Thunder Mist village to the west. I've sent men, but that only lessens what I've here at Bridge Keep to fight them and the gnolls off. The gnolls themselves seem further over west from the village in the Steppes, but just how far they're spread I can't be sure.
For some reason we're seeing an increasing number of undead. This chills me more than the gnoll and centaur problem combined. I don't know who - or what - has done it, but undead are popping up everywhere. If you care to look either way off the keep bridge there's undead as far as can see. Heh, the dead river is sure living up to its name.
Sentry Captain Pierce is doing a fine job keeping the Dead River Road south off the bridge clear of centaurs down to Tower Three. Bah, I've not got the numbers to do the same between it and Tower Four. I asked Waylon March to pitch in with the centaur problem that way, but he's a bumbling coward.
What little I've heard from scouts off towards Tower Four on the edge of the Crested Lowlands isn't welcome. Seems the undead are thickest to the south of it. But we can't be sure, there's no one in Tower Four. Any we put there don't last long.
Perhaps you could send some adventurers this way? The Centaurs seem not aggressive to the new ones. They might be able move more freely than my men and figure out what's going on. I've had some groups pass through here saying they've actually helped some centaurs escape from an undead prison! Others reported that the gnolls are capturing all they can get their grubby paws on, up on the Antonican Road.
Bah! I've not got the men; I need more to sort this place out. And that's not even getting started on the Giants, the Sirens in the sea, and the sightings of some strange Shadow creatures lurking about! But, we'll try and make do for now. We'll hold the area as long as we can. I just don't know how long that will be.
Captain, at least send any adventurers you think are able! Heh, Antonica's a walk through the peat bog compared to the troubles we've got here. Send them east to the Thundering Steppes and I'll sort them out!
Captain Sturman, Bridge Keep, Thundering SteppesCharacter name: Elhanna
Character level: 70 Paladin
Server: Runnyeye
