WoW Forever Riverglades Zone Explained

Riverglades is one of four new zones launching with World of Warcraft: Forever — a mid-level region roughly the size of Stranglethorn Vale, built from a part of the map that was never actually reachable in the original game, packed with somewhere between 150 and nearly 200 quests depending on which official source you check.

For the full announcement roundup, see our WoW Classic Plus / Forever hub.

Where It Is and What It’s Built From

Riverglades sits east of the Badlands and Burning Steppes, between Redridge, Burning Steppes, and the Swamp of Sorrows. What makes it truly new rather than a reskin: this is land that existed conceptually in the original map but was never actually accessible to players. Lead content designer Evan described it as “an expansive new zone roughly the size of Stranglethorn Vale,” with a level range in the mid-30s to mid-40s.

Starting Points and Settlements

Faction	Starting Point
Horde	Rog’mar
Alliance	Farholde Keep, meeting the Brotherhood of the Horse

TIP

Other confirmed settlements include the neutral Bolder’ok and Powderfuse Port, run by the new Powderfuse goblins. The zone opens directly off the existing Redridge road, so it connects naturally into familiar territory rather than requiring a long detour to reach.

Who You’ll Actually Meet

Riverglades is populated by gnoll camps continuing conflicts from neighboring zones, an ogre clan with apparent Twilight’s Hammer ties, and the Brotherhood of the Horse — a faction with roots stretching back to early Warcraft lore. The Twilight’s Hammer’s presence is felt in specific locations like Sunnyglade.

TIP

The zone’s stated tone is deliberately smaller in scale than typical WoW questing — trade routes, local grudges, and survival between neighbors, not another world-ending threat. It’s framed as a grounded, character-focused stretch of content rather than an epic save-the-world arc.

The Krol’dok Stronghold Connection

Riverglades is also home to Krol’dok Stronghold, one of the nine new dungeons — a large outdoor dungeon controlled by an ogre civilization, tied directly into the same regional conflicts playing out across the zone. See our full New Dungeons guide for the complete list.

A Small Mystery Worth Checking

Blizzard’s own panel recap dropped a specific, deliberate tease: try a corpse run to Grim Batol during beta, and you may notice a larger-than-normal red dragon presence there. Nothing else was confirmed about what that means — just a hint worth investigating yourself.

Tips & Tricks

Don’t expect a single quest-count number to be exact. Different official presentations have cited figures from roughly 150 to nearly 200 — treat it as a truly large zone rather than fixating on the precise total.

Budget real time here if you’re leveling through the mid-30s to mid-40s range. With this much content packed into one zone, it’s likely to carry a meaningful chunk of that stretch on its own.

Check out Krol’dok Stronghold while you’re in the area. Since the dungeon and zone share the same regional storylines, running it alongside your questing may connect narratively in ways a separate visit later wouldn’t.