War stories, articles & game guides
Gamer
Tribute
2026
Expeditions,
War Stories &
Culture
War stories, articles & game guides
Gamer
Tribute
2026
Expeditions,
War Stories &
Culture
“Oh good, you’re back! When the landslide at the village across the water exposed the caverns, a malevolent lobstrok, known as Claximus, came out of the caves and stole the Winterfin tadpoles away. Something happened to all of the murlocs that followed him in there, and when they re-emerged, they were under his control. Warrior, you must swim across the waters and rescue the Winterfin tadpoles in the village and caverns.
The future of the Winterfin tribe depends upon you!”
-King Mrgl-Mrgl
King Mrgl-Mrgl has asked you to rescue 20 Winterfin Tadpoles. Return to him at Winterfin Retreat once you have done so.
You will be able to choose one of these rewards:
Upon completion of this quest you will gain:
Quest Giver: King Mrgl-Mrgl at Winterfin Retreat [44, 23]
Turn In: King Mrgl-Mrgl [44, 23]
Objective: Rescue 20 Winterfin Tadpoles.
Quick Facts
Walkthrough
Swim west across the water from Winterfin Retreat to Winterfin Village [41, 16]. Watch for sharks in the channel.
Tadpoles are held in small cages scattered throughout Winterfin Village and inside the Winterfin Caverns. Click a cage to open it (no key required). Each cage holds a few tadpoles.
Cage Locations:
High-Competition Tip:
If the village is crowded, head into Winterfin Caverns. The lower room where Keymaster Urmgrgl patrols has approximately 5 cages concentrated together. This area often has less competition and better respawn rates because most players focus on the outdoor village first.
Efficiency: Combine Multiple Quests
This quest pairs naturally with several others in the same area:
Work through the village killing murlocs and opening cages, then continue into the caverns to finish all four quests efficiently.
The Cutest Quest in WoW
This quest is legendary among players for one reason: the tadpoles.
After you free them, the baby murlocs follow you around for a while, making adorable “mrgurlurgul” baby murloc noises. As you move through the village opening cage after cage, you’ll amass an army of tiny murlocs waddling behind you.
Tadpole Sayings:
The freed tadpoles make comments as they follow you:
Sadly, the tadpoles eventually disappear on their own. Many players have wished they could keep one as a pet.
Post-Quest Interaction:
After completing the quest, you can still open cages in the area. However, the tadpoles no longer follow you. Instead, they say things like:
Then they shut the cage door. Apparently, their parents taught them well about stranger danger.
Story Context: Saving the Winterfin’s Future
King Mrgl-Mrgl explains the dire situation: “When the landslide at the village across the water exposed the caverns, a malevolent lobstrok, known as Claximus, came out of the caves and stole the Winterfin tadpoles away. Something happened to all of the murlocs that followed him in there, and when they re-emerged, they were under his control.”
An earthquake in Coldarra caused a landslide that exposed the Winterfin Caverns. From within emerged Claximus, a makrura (lobster-like humanoid) who kidnapped the tribe’s tadpoles. The adult murlocs who chased him into the caves became corrupted by magical emanations seeping in from nearby Coldarra. This magic affected their minds, allowing Claximus to enslave them.
“The future of the Winterfin tribe depends upon you!”
Without their tadpoles, the Winterfin murlocs have no next generation. The quest’s completion text confirms this: “Now no matter what happens, the Winterfin murlocs have a secure future.”
Lore: Lobstrok or Makrura?
The quest text calls Claximus a “lobstrok,” but King Mrgl-Mrgl also refers to him as a “makrura” elsewhere. Both terms refer to the same creature type: humanoid lobsters. “Lobstrok” appears to be an older naming convention preserved in some WoW game files, while “makrura” is the more commonly used term in lore. The Lobstrock Slicer reward references this terminology.
Claximus uses arcane magic (likely empowered by Coldarra’s magical ley lines) to control the murlocs. He’ll meet his end later in the chain when you infiltrate his lair disguised in King Mrgl-Mrgl’s spare murloc suit.
Easter Egg: Claximus Knows the Truth
When you eventually confront Claximus in Surrender… Not!, he makes an interesting comment: “Did ‘King Mrgl-Mrgl’ send you? I know what he truly is!”
Claximus apparently recognizes that the “murloc king” is actually a night elf in a costume. Whether this knowledge would have helped him is debatable.
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.
Vikstone's War Journal“When the landslide exposed the caverns, a malevolent lobstrok named Claximus came out and stole the Winterfin tadpoles away,” Mrgl-Mrgl said, beneath the burbling murloc accent. “Something happened to the murlocs who followed him in. When they re-emerged, they were under his control. You must rescue the tadpoles. The future of the Winterfin tribe depends upon it!”
Lobstrok and mind control. Stolen murloc children.
I swam across to the village, then into the caverns beyond. The cages weren’t hard to find, being made of crude constructions of kelp and bone, each holding clusters of tadpoles no bigger than my thumb. They wriggled and chirped when I opened the locks, darting away toward safer waters. Cage after cage, while Claximus’s thralls patrolled the tunnels around me. Some noticed. Some didn’t survive noticing.
Mrgl-Mrgl greeted the news. “Now no matter what happens, the Winterfin murlocs have a secure future. You are to be commended for your selflessness!”
Twenty tadpoles saved, and the murlocs who went into those caverns after Claximus had come back wrong, so somebody was going in after Them!
