Slaves of the Stormforged

Quest Giver: Bouldercrag the Rockshaper — Bouldercrag’s Refuge, Storm Peaks [31, 38]

Objective: Attempt to free 8 Captive Mechagnomes and kill 3 Stormforged Taskmasters in the Frozen Mine.

Quick Facts

• Level: 80 (requires 77)
• Location: Frozen Mine [26, 51], southwest of Bouldercrag’s Refuge on the western edge of the Snowdrift Plains
• Chain Position: Rare Earth → Fighting Back + Relief for the Fallen → Slaves of the Stormforged + The Dark Ore → The Gifts of Loken + Facing the Storm
• Pairs With: The Dark Ore (same mine, collect 5 Dark Ore Samples while you’re inside)

Walkthrough

• Fly southwest from Bouldercrag’s Refuge to the Frozen Mine. The mine entrance is at ground level around [27, 49], on the valley floor at the western edge of the Snowdrift Plains. Don’t confuse it with the village or structures on the hills above.
• Inside the mine, right-click on Captive Mechagnomes to speak with them. Wait for their reply text before moving on to the next one, or the credit won’t register. Not every mechagnome will agree to join the earthen cause, so you need to attempt more conversations than the quest text implies.

Count Discrepancy: The quest description says “free 6,” but the in-game tracker may require 8 attempts. The actual requirement is 8. Talk to every mechagnome you see to be safe.

• Kill 3 Stormforged Taskmasters inside the mine. There are only 3 in the mine, and they have a slow respawn timer (reportedly around 10 minutes). If another player recently cleared them, you may need to wait.
• While inside, collect 5 Dark Ore Samples from ore nodes on the ground for The Dark Ore quest.
• Return to Bouldercrag at [31, 38] to turn in.

Efficiency Tips

• Always pair with The Dark Ore. Both quests send you to the same mine. Pick up both before heading out.
• Kill Taskmasters first. Since there are only 3 in the mine and they respawn slowly, prioritize killing them the moment you see them. Talk to mechagnomes while waiting for respawns if needed.
• Move fast on the mechagnomes. The mine is small and straightforward. Speak to each mechagnome in sequence, but make sure to wait for the reply text before moving to the next.

Lore & Context

The Captive Mechagnomes are described as servants of Keeper Mimir, the titan Keeper of invention better known by his later name, Mimiron. How they ended up enslaved in Loken’s mine is unclear, but they represent another group of titan-forged victims caught in the iron dwarf expansion.

Bouldercrag’s completion text reflects a bittersweet outcome: not all the freed mechagnomes choose to fight alongside the earthen. Willing allies are scarce, and some simply want to escape rather than join another war.

The “dark ore” mined here has unusual properties. Bouldercrag recoils from it when you bring samples back, noting it “seethes with unnatural energy” that no creature of stone can handle. This foreshadows the corrupted materials being used by the stormforged in Loken’s operations.

The seven possible responses are the quest’s real content. Only two mechagnomes agree to fight. Two revert to their original directive and head back to the Inventor’s Library. The remaining three cannot process the offer at all, answering “Does not compute,” “Unit malfunctioning,” or simply “Directive: shut down.” Bouldercrag’s disappointment that so few joined is not a comment on their courage. Most of them no longer have the capacity to choose.

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