War stories, articles & game guides
Gamer
Tribute
2026
Expeditions,
War Stories &
Culture
War stories, articles & game guides
Gamer
Tribute
2026
Expeditions,
War Stories &
Culture
“Quarterflash recently requisitioned my group for a specialist that he could send on a reconnaissance mission to the Wintergarde Mine. To that end, I sent him Slinkin, my demolitionist. I foolishly thought that he could close off that pit of damnation after his mission for Quarterflash was complete, securing another victory for us against the Scourge. An entire day has now passed and Slinkin has not returned. I want answers!
Speak with Siege Engineer Quarterflash and track down my missing agent!”
-High Commander Halford Wyrmbane
Speak with Siege Engineer Quarterflash at Wintergarde Keep in Dragonblight.
Upon completion of this quest you will gain:
Quest Giver: High Commander Halford Wyrmbane — Wintergarde Keep, Dragonblight
Turn In: Siege Engineer Quarterflash — Wintergarde Keep
Objective: Speak with Siege Engineer Quarterflash at Wintergarde Keep.
Walkthrough
This is a short breadcrumb quest that begins a new chain. Wyrmbane explains that he lent his demolitionist, a gnome named Slinkin, to Quarterflash for a reconnaissance mission into Wintergarde Mine.
Slinkin was supposed to scout the mine and then seal it off against the Scourge. An entire day has passed with no word. Wyrmbane’s quest text: “An entire day has now passed and Slinkin has not returned. I want answers! Speak with Siege Engineer Quarterflash and track down my missing agent!”
Quarterflash is located nearby within Wintergarde Keep, around [77, 50]. He stands next to Highlord Leoric Von Zeldig, and the two have a recurring dialogue about the Keep’s dire situation.
Speak with Quarterflash to complete the quest. His completion text reveals his guilt: “I feel terrible about this, friend. I fear that in my haste to recover the strange ore from Wintergarde Mine I may have doomed agent Slinkin.”
Quick Facts
Do Alongside
This quest unlocks at the same time as several other Wintergarde chains after Return to the High Commander. Pick up everything available before heading out:
Since The Demo-gnome just requires talking to Quarterflash within the Keep, turn it in immediately and pick up The Search for Slinkin before heading anywhere else.
Also grab Not In Our Mine and The Bleeding Ore from Quarterflash, which send you into the same mine.
Lore & Story Context
The “Strange Ore” and the Mine
Quarterflash’s completion text mentions “strange ore” being extracted from Wintergarde Mine. This is the first hint at what will become a significant Dragonblight subplot. The Scourge isn’t just occupying the mine for territory; they’re mining material that fuels their war machines.
The follow-up quests explore this further.
The mine’s loss is part of the broader Wintergarde crisis. Quarterflash and Leoric Von Zeldig’s conversation establishes the stakes: the mine’s ore is needed to repair the Keep’s walls, without which the fortifications will fall within twelve hours. Losing Wintergarde would leave Bolvar Fordragon’s forces at the Wrathgate completely exposed to Naxxramas.
Easter Eggs
Explore Dragonblight’s hidden easter eggs, lore mysteries, and connections across Warcraft history in Vikstone’s Dragonblight Chronicles, along with the complete quest storyline.
Vikstone's War JournalWyrmbane’s demolitionist had gone missing.
“I sent him to Quarterflash for a reconnaissance mission to Wintergarde Mine,” the High Commander said. “I foolishly thought he could close off that pit of damnation after his mission was complete. An entire day has passed. Slinkin has not returned.”
Another soldier swallowed by the war, a new name to add to the ledger.
Siege Engineer Quarterflash waited near his workshop, surrounded by contraptions and the acrid smell of gunpowder. A gnome, barely reaching my hip, with oil-stained fingers and guilt written across his face.
“I feel terrible about this, friend,” he said. “I fear that in my haste to recover the strange ore from Wintergarde Mine, I may have doomed agent Slinkin.”
Strange ore. The mine had been compromised since Naxxramas arrived, its depths crawling with Scourge. Whatever they were mining down there fueled their war machines, and Slinkin had walked straight into it.
Quarterflash handed me a small mechanical device. “This will help you find him,” he said. “Or what’s left of him.”
Slinkin had been down there a full day and the Scourge had spent all of it digging something strange out of the dark, which makes The Search for Slinkin urgent rather than merely overdue.
