War stories, articles & game guides
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2026
Expeditions,
War Stories &
Culture
War stories, articles & game guides
Gamer
Tribute
2026
Expeditions,
War Stories &
Culture
“Hours before the Naxxramas invasion, one of the miners stumbled upon a dark ore that was oozing a viscous fluid. In the chaos that occurred during the evacuation of the mine, we lost the samples taken from the alien node. Now the Scourge prospects the ore for use in their machines of death.
You must get back to Wintergarde Mine, due northeast of here in the Carrion Fields, and recover the strange ore. It is imperative to our mission’s success!”
-Siege Engineer Quarterflash
Siege Engineer Quarterflash at Wintergarde Keep in Dragonblight wants you to recover 10 samples of Strange Ore from Wintergarde Mine.
Provided item:
Quest Giver: Siege Engineer Quarterflash — Wintergarde Keep, Dragonblight
Turn In: Siege Engineer Quarterflash
Objective: Recover 10 samples of Strange Ore from Wintergarde Mine.
Walkthrough
Quarterflash explains that shortly before Naxxramas attacked Wintergarde, miners discovered “a dark ore that was oozing a viscous fluid.” During the evacuation, the original samples were lost.
Now the Scourge is mining the ore for their war machines. He provides you with Quarterflash’s Mining Pick and sends you to collect 10 samples.
Getting to the Mine
The mine entrance is at approximately [80, 46]. Head south from the Keep into the ruined lower village area. Exit Wintergarde Keep, go left to [81, 45] for the upper mine entrance.
Collecting the Ore
The Strange Ore nodes are scattered throughout the mine. You do not need the Mining profession; Quarterflash’s Mining Pick is a quest-provided item that allows anyone to gather the ore. Interact with the glowing ore nodes to collect samples. You need 10 total.
The Node Competition Problem
This quest is notoriously frustrating on populated servers.
Tips for beating the competition:
Enemies in the Mine
The mine is occupied by Scourge, not Scarlet Onslaught. After Naxxramas appeared over the Carrion Fields, the original Alliance miners were killed and raised as undead by Kel’Thuzad’s acolytes.
These risen miners now work the ore for the Scourge war machine. The companion quest Not In Our Mine makes this explicit: Highlord Leoric Von Zeldig tasks you with destroying the risen miners and recovering their miner identification cards so their deaths can be officially recorded.
Quick Facts
Do Alongside
All three of these quests take place in the same mine. Pick them all up before heading in:
Complete all four in one extended mine trip if possible.
Lore & Story Context
“The Bleeding Ore”
The quest title is literal. The ore “oozes a viscous fluid,” essentially bleeding. This is because the “strange ore” is saronite, the crystallized blood of the Old God Yogg-Saron imprisoned beneath Ulduar.
At this point in the Wintergarde storyline, the Alliance doesn’t know what the ore is. Slinkin’s dying note (from the previous quest) mentioned the word “Yogg-Saron” and “saronite” overheard from Scourge miners, but nobody at Wintergarde understands the significance yet. Quarterflash calls it “strange ore” and an “alien node.”
The follow-up quest, Understanding the Scourge War Machine, reveals how limited their understanding remains. Quarterflash’s analysis goes to Wyrmbane, who admits they “still don’t know jack squat about the Scourge war machine” beyond confirming the metal is used for siege engines, armor, and weaponry.
Cross-Zone Connection
You ncounter similar ore in Howling Fjord earlier in the leveling path, then collect more here, and later again in Icecrown before the Alliance finally concludes the material is dangerous.
Explore Dragonblight’s hidden easter eggs, lore mysteries, and connections across Warcraft history in Vikstone’s Dragonblight Chronicles, along with the complete quest storyline.
You will be able to choose one of these rewards:
Upon completion of this quest you will gain:
Vikstone's War JournalSaronite. The name Slinkin found in his final hours. Now Quarterflash wanted samples.
“Hours before the Naxxramas invasion,” the gnome said, “one of the miners stumbled upon a dark ore that was oozing a viscous fluid. In the chaos during evacuation, we lost the samples taken from the alien node.” He pressed a specially crafted pick into my hands. “Now the Scourge prospects the ore for use in their machines of death. You must recover it.”
I returned to the mine I had just sealed. There were other entrances, other shafts the Scourge still worked. The ore was easy to find. Dark veins ran through the rock like diseased arteries, and when I struck them with Quarterflash’s pick, they wept.
I couldn’t find another word for it. It clung to the samples, viscous and in chunks, each one heavier than stone ought to be.
The undead miners watched me work without interfering. Perhaps they knew the ore would find its way to Scourge hands eventually, or they simply did not care when veins of the stuff ran through half the mountain.
Quarterflash’s eyes widened when I returned.
“This might be the moment,” he said, turning a sample over in his fingers. “The very second that the tide turns against the Scourge. Now if you would be so kind as to give me some space. I will require additional time to study this ore in order to isolate impurities and weakness.”
Saronite. Named for something the dead feared, fueling their war machines. If we could find its weakness, perhaps we could break their strength.
The men who once worked those shafts for the Alliance were still shambling through them, and Von Zeldig wanted them put down with their cards recovered, because whatever else is true they are Not In Our Mine and their deaths ought to be on paper.
