Throwing Down

Quest Giver: Captain Rupert  — Drak’Sotra, Zul’Drak [58.1, 72.4]

Objective: Use High Impact Grenades near 5 Nerubian Craters.

Quick Facts

• Level: 76
• Faction: Both
• Prerequisite: Pa’Troll (must be active)
• Chain Position: Sub-quest of Pa’Troll → leads to Captain Grondel’s task (Creature Comforts)
• Unlocks: Cocooned!, Death to the Necromagi, Skimmer Spinnerets

Walkthrough

• Accept the quest from Captain Rupert at his outpost in Drak’Sotra [58.1, 72.4]. He provides the High Impact Grenades, which appear on your action bar.
• The Nerubian Craters are located in the spider-infested area near Rupert’s position. Despite the quest text saying “northwest,” the craters are actually found by heading up the stairs to the east of Rupert, then into the area where the Nerubians are nesting. Key coordinates: around [55, 70], [52, 66], and inside the building at [55, 68].
• What the craters look like: They resemble medium-sized, flat sand piles or ant mounds, NOT holes in the ground. Many players waste time looking for depressions or craters when the objects are actually raised mounds. Look for small bumps in the terrain near the cocoons and Hath’ar Broodmasters.
• Stand on the mound before using the grenade. You must be nearly point-blank for credit. If you throw from a distance and move away, the completion may not register.
• When the grenade detonates, 6-7 Burning Skimmers (small spiders) spawn from the tunnel. They are non-hostile, cannot be attacked, and die on their own after a few seconds. You do not need to fight them.
• The craters respawn on a short timer. You can run back and forth between two nearby mounds rather than searching for five separate ones, which saves time. At least one crater is also located inside the building at [55, 68] if the outdoor ones are recently destroyed.
• On completion, Rupert directs you to Captain Grondel in Drak’Agal.

Efficiency Tips

• Flying mount users: Land directly on the mound, throw the grenade, wait for the credit confirmation, then immediately fly to the next one. The Burning Skimmers are irrelevant.
• Druids with Flight Form (level 77+): Land in caster form, throw the grenade, then shift back to flight form instantly. You’ll never enter combat since the Skimmers are non-hostile.
• Avoid clearing mobs. The Hath’ar Nerubians patrolling between craters are unnecessary kills. Dodge between them to save time, especially if you’re running the 20-minute Pa’Troll timer.

Do Alongside

• Cocooned!, Death to the Necromagi, and Skimmer Spinnerets — These quests unlock from Captain Rupert and other Drak’Sotra NPCs after you complete Throwing Down. They all take place in the same Nerubian-infested area. Circle back after finishing the Pa’Troll chain to grab them.

Lore Context

The Nerubians tunneling into Drak’Sotra are Hath’ar forces, a group of undead Nerubians serving the Scourge. They’ve burrowed up from beneath the troll ruins, creating a two-front war for the Argent Crusade: Drakkari trolls above, Scourge Nerubians below. Rupert’s frustration in the quest text is palpable as his forces are caught between both threats.

Captain Rupert himself is Forsaken, one of the undead who broke free from the Lich King’s control and joined the Argent Crusade. His later daily tasks include incinerating fallen Argent soldiers to prevent the Scourge from raising them, a grim duty he’s uniquely suited for. He also appears in the Icecrown Citadel raid as one of five NPCs who assist players in the Frostwing Halls.

There’s a chance that the Val’kyr Sister Svalna kills and raises him as an enemy, forcing players to fight the captain they once helped in Zul’Drak.

Easter Eggs and Fun Facts

• This quest is widely recognized as a Gears of War homage. In that game, players throw grenades into Locust emergence holes to seal them and stop enemy reinforcements, exactly matching the mechanic here.
• It is also compared to the bug-hole scenes in the film Starship Troopers (1997), where soldiers fight swarms of alien insects pouring out of underground tunnels.

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