A Bot in Mammoth’s Clothing

Quest Giver: Abner Fizzletorque, Fizzcrank Airstrip [57, 18]

Turn In: Abner Fizzletorque [57, 18]

Objective: Collect 6 Thick Mammoth Hides from mammoths south of Fizzcrank Airstrip.

Quick Facts

• Quest Type: Collection (kill and loot)
• Chain Position: Third quest from Abner Fizzletorque.
• Previous: Fueling the Project.
• Follow-up: Deploy the Shake-n-Quake!

Walkthrough

Head south from Fizzcrank Airstrip to find mammoth herds roaming the plains.

Mammoth Types:

• Wooly Mammoths (adult)
• Wooly Mammoth Bulls (adult male)
• Mammoth Calves / Baby Mammoths (juvenile)

All types can drop Thick Mammoth Hides. The drop rate is not 100%, so expect to kill more than 6 mammoths.

Recommended Locations

Primary Location:

• [55, 30] – Several packs of mammoths throughout this area. Most players complete the quest here in about 15 minutes.

Additional Spawn Areas:

• [58, 32] – High concentration of Mammoth Calves
• [64, 13] – Northern herds, less crowded if the primary location is busy

Efficiency Tip: Target Baby Mammoths

Mammoth Calves have a noticeably higher drop rate for Thick Mammoth Hides (players report approximately 28% vs. lower rates from adults). They’re also:

• Neutral (won’t attack unless you attack first)
• Easier to kill (less health)
• More numerous

Despite any guilt you might feel, the babies are objectively the most efficient choice.

WARNING: Animal Blood Debuff

Killing any animal in Borean Tundra applies the Animal Blood debuff. While active:

• You glow red
• Lasts 3 minutes
• Refreshes with each kill
• Makes D.E.H.T.A. NPCs hostile

If you approach D.E.H.T.A. druids while bloody, they will attack you on sight, screaming insults like “BUTCHER! DIE!” and “Calf killer! Murderer! You will pay for this!”

To Remove the Debuff:

• Jump into any body of water (including the hot springs in the Geyser Fields)
• Or simply wait 3 minutes

Hunter Tip: Some players report that if your pet lands the killing blow, you might avoid receiving the Animal Blood debuff. Unverified but worth testing.

Pro Tip: Farm near water so you can quickly wash off the blood if you need to pass through D.E.H.T.A. territory.

Story Context: Cold Weather Engineering

Abner explains: “I’ve reconfigured the skeleton of an old bot to create an earthquake large enough to collapse the tunnels, but the machinery is delicate and sensitive to Northrend’s biting cold. I’ve devised a means of insulating it using the thickest hides of the native mammoths.”

The Shake-n-Quake machine needs protection from Northrend’s freezing temperatures. Mammoth hides, evolved for arctic survival, make perfect insulation for the sensitive seismic machinery.

Abner’s completion: “<Abner inspects the hides, coughing at all the dust rising from them.> Don’t these animals even try to keep clean? Some of these are absolutely filthy. Well, I guess I’d better get started cleaning them. It’s not like anyone’s got spare time around here.”

The Moral Irony

Many players feel guilty completing this quest, especially after doing the D.E.H.T.A. quest chain, which includes Help Those That Cannot Help Themselves, where you rescue trapped Mammoth Calves from Nesingwary’s hunters.

One moment you’re freeing baby mammoths from cruel trappers, the next you’re skinning them for robot insulation. Some even do both quests simultaneously, rescuing calves with one hand while harvesting hides with the other.

Easter Egg: The Title

“A Bot in Mammoth’s Clothing” is a play on the idiom “a wolf in sheep’s clothing,” meaning something dangerous disguised as harmless. Here it’s a seismic destruction robot wrapped in fuzzy mammoth fur.

Explore Borean Tundra’s hidden easter eggs, lore mysteries, and connections across Warcraft history in Vikstone’s Borean Tundra Chronicles, along with the complete quest storyline.