by JR Cook - 9 years ago     show comments

Exploring Draenor delves into the hidden places of the world that will one day become Outland. From the volcanic landscape of Frostfire to the gloomy dells of Shadowmoon, these articles are your guide to events that are off the beaten path.

Location: Shadowmoon Valley, north of Exile’s Rise

Task: Assassination

Rewards: Staff of the Mad Bramble King and (a chance at) Staff of the One True Brambleking

Alliance players questing through Shadowmoon Valley will at some point be sent to the shadowy Gloomshade Grove, east of their Garrison. This area is infested with podlings – the small swarming plant-like creatures that can be found throughout Draenor. While neutral at first, eventually these little buggers will turn hostile at a certain point in the quest chain.

It’s easiest (although by no means necessary) to begin your assassination of the podling royal family while the creatures are neutral, to avoid too many jumping on you at once with their sharp little teeth and annoyingly piping voices.

Mad “King” Sporeon is a podling hiding in a cave on the eastern side of the Grove, who has deluded himself into thinking that he is their king. He certainly has enough minions willing to die for him to put some truth to the lie, and probably achieved his position because he’s about twice the size of his cohorts. AoE damage is key to the fight; both giving and receiving.

Sporeon’s cave is covered in plants, which you should avoid; walking over them will summon small plants (Gloomshade Blossom) and release a cloud of Gaseous Spores. Use area damage to clear the adds up quickly, or simply manoeuvre the podling to the cave entrance to avoid his traps. Sporeon himself only has a single ability: a front cone AoE.

When pulled, Sporeon yells about the player being sent to kill him by King Deathbloom, another podling found on the west side of the valley (and the objective of Game of Thorns – what an incredibly appropriate reference for a group of warring would-be kings). However, level 100 players can find the one true ruler of podling society in Shadowmoon to the south.

Brambleking Fili (not a Hobbit) is a rare spawn who appears near the Socrethar’s Rise flight point. Like Sporeon, he has his own minions, except these ones are loyal podlings (Shadowglen Spitter), rather than mindless plants. There’s not a lot of point killing the Spitters, as Fili will simply bring them back with Rise of the Flora – although, as a four-second cast, that’s time when he’s not hitting you. Fili’s only other attack is Bramble Whirl, which causes AoE damage and a knockback.

There is a chance when killing Fili to loot the Staff of the One True Brambleking.

As well as being an extended Game of Thrones homage (although the obvious House Tyrell reference is missing), the podlings of Shadowmoon Valley give an insight into how these plant vermin organise themselves. There are several questions that I’d like to see answered, such as: where did these podlings get their titles? Are they rulers simply because they’re larger, or is there an actual lineage there? Do other zones have their own podling kings and queens, or is it a peculiarity of the Shadowmoon flora? Hopefully we’ll discover more about these treacherous little plant-men later in WoD.