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Quest Log

Ancient Obstacles (Alliance)

Ancient Obstacles is an Alliance-only quest for level 15-30 in Tanaris. It is step 37 of 48 in the Tanaris storyline. The quest's turn-in marker is in Tanaris at 40.1, 77.0. It rewards 3 reward items, 1 reputation reward, 4,100 experience and money.

Description

I've studied the gate here for years, trying to find a way of entry that wouldn't disturb any of the ancient architecture just behind it. It figures a few overgrown earthquakes decided to muck the whole thing up! But what's done is done, and the entrance to Uldum is revealed.

I wasn't expecting anything to come out of the ruins before we went in, though. A whole mess of golems are running amok in the valley now, let loose from inside. Someone needs to clean them up if we're gonna get in there!

Rewards

You will be able to choose one of these rewards:

Money10 gold50 silver
Experience4,100 XP
ReputationIronforge +250
Top Comments

The highest voted Wowhead comments for this page. They are community notes, not TheWoWDB comments.

1
salvo1+5via Wowhead (opens the original comment in a new tab)

To get to this questline, you have to fulfill the prerequisite quests, which begin all the way back in Gadgetzan with this version of Kelsey Steelspark. I figured this out the hard way while looking for the second (phased) Kelsey that only appears at Land's End Beach when you've completed her Gadgetzan questline. It's a long questline too with multiple stops along the way, FYI.

I'm just writing this for the people here to grab one of these quest items for Transmog purposes. For me, it was the leather shoulders.

2
Freedomage+4via Wowhead (opens the original comment in a new tab)

Easy quest with 2000-2100hp Sandstone Golems.
First one dropped [Vanadium Loop of Spirit].
Total loot for me from Quest and 10-Golems was 1g 61s 71c

p.s. of course you only need 6 of them.

"But what's done is done, and the entrance to Uldum is revaled."
"revealed" from proofreader lol :)

3
1021255+2via Wowhead (opens the original comment in a new tab)

While you do this quest go inside the Ruins of Uldum to the far side of the big cavernous room (or as [npc=40109] calls it the Antechamber of Uldum) and pick up The Grand Tablet quest. There are no mobs to kill or traps of any kind. When you return to Prospector Gunstan he will declate that you and he together have "made the find of the century!"

Or you can wait and pick it up while you are there doing The Secrets of Uldum. You will have to kill the [npc=39077]. But this way you can "kill two birds with one stone" so to speak.

Read all 4 on Wowhead ↗

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Rewards in detail
TypeRewardAmount
ExperienceXP4,100
MoneyGold10g 50s
ReputationIronforge+250

Reward details

Pick one of these

TypeMail Shoulder
Item level25
BindingBinds when picked up
Armor10
Stats+5 Agility or Intellect, +8 Stamina
Suited toElemental, Restoration, Devastation, Preservation, Augmentation, Marksmanship, Beast Mastery, Survival, Enhancement
Sells to vendors for24 gold61 silver
TypeLeather Shoulder
Item level25
BindingBinds when picked up
Armor7
Stats+5 Agility or Intellect, +8 Stamina
Suited toBalance, Restoration, Mistweaver, Devourer, Vengeance, Feral, Guardian, Brewmaster, Subtlety, Outlaw, Assassination, Havoc, Windwalker
Sells to vendors for24 gold53 silver
TypeCloth Waist
Item level25
BindingBinds when picked up
Armor3
Stats+5 Intellect, +8 Stamina, +10 Haste
Suited toAffliction, Frost, Discipline, Holy, Fire, Arcane, Shadow, Destruction, Demonology
Sells to vendors for16 gold41 silver

Reputation: Ironforge +250

This Alliance capital is the pride of the Dun Morogh dwarves. Home to King Magni.

Reputation group: Alliance.

Other quests in Tanaris that reward Ironforge reputation: The Grand Tablet (+350), Laying Claim (+250), Fragments of Language (+250).

Item facts are the current retail client’s (ItemSparse); the specialisations for a pick-one item are the ones the Blizzard quest API lists; faction and currency text is the client’s own. Lowest listed price = the US commodity auction house now.

3D Model

First-party render from the game files. Model © Blizzard Entertainment.

Where it comes from
Turn-in mapTanarisTurn-in marker at 40.1, 77.0, 9 mapped points
World Map

Where to go

Pins are the quest’s own POI points from the current retail client, projected onto the in-game zone map. The game marks one blob as the quest’s turn-in; the rest are objective areas. Points that fall outside a map’s window are dropped rather than guessed at.

Tanaris Quest turn-in 9 mapped points
Tanaris map showing where to go for Ancient ObstaclesTurn-inObjective areaObjective areaObjective areaObjective areaObjective areaObjective areaObjective areaObjective area

In-game waypoint: /way #71 40.1 77.0

Coordinates

  • Turn-inTanaris 40.1, 77.0/way #71 40.1 77.0
  • Objective area (centre of the marked area)Tanaris 37.0, 76.5/way #71 37.0 76.5

Map coordinates of the pins above. An area the client draws as a shape is given by the centre of its points.

Nearby on the Tanaris map

Quests whose map markers the client places closest to this one on Tanaris, nearest first. Distances are straight lines between the markers.

Getting there

Alliance flight points closest to the quest’s turn-in marker on Tanaris:

  • Gunstan's Dig, TanarisAlliance · about 20 yards south
  • Bootlegger Outpost, TanarisAlliance and Horde · about 1,400 yards north-east
  • Ramkahen, UldumAlliance and Horde · about 1,900 yards west

From the turn-in, the objective areas lie:

  • Objective areaabout 230 yards west

Straight-line distances in yards between the quest’s own map markers (QuestPOI) and the client’s flight-point positions (TaxiNodes); flight paths and terrain are not modelled.

Quest Line

Storyline

Tanaris

Part 37 of 48.

Previous: Thunderdrome: Grudge Match! · Next: Laying Claim

  1. 32Sandscraper
  2. 33Thunderdrome: The Ginormus!
  3. 34Thunderdrome: Zumonga!
  4. 35Thunderdrome: Sarinexx!
  5. 36Thunderdrome: Grudge Match!
  6. 37Ancient Obstacles
  7. 38Laying Claim
  8. 39Fragments of Language
  9. 40The Secrets of Uldum
  10. 41Thunderdrome: Grudge Match!
  11. 42Laying Claim
  12. 43Fragments of Language

Showing steps 32 to 43 of 48.

Storyline order is the client’s own QuestLine data from the current retail build.

Where this quest fits

Before this quest

Taken from the storyline's own step order.

  • Thunderdrome: Grudge Match!Tanaris · Level 15-30

    It seems we have a special request! I have here a note from one Kelsey Steelspark, requesting to enter the cage and settle a dispute. She's asked for you to be her partner, <name>. A fan of your previous victories? Or perhaps you're acquainted outside the ring?

After this quest

Taken from the storyline's own step order.

  • Laying ClaimTanaris · Level 15-30

    We're not the only ones interested in these ruins, it seem. Of all things, we've got blood elves after our dig sites.

Other quests with this name

This one: Alliance only · Tanaris · Level 15-30.

The storyline at a glance

Tanaris has 48 steps, from Seaside Salvage to The Grand Tablet.

Maps its steps are placed on (steps per map): Tanaris (48).

Steps of this storyline count toward:

Other storylines on the Tanaris map

Steps, storylines and map placement from the client’s QuestLine, prerequisite and QuestPOI data; neighbouring quest text is Blizzard’s own (quest API), shortened to its opening sentences.

Other versions of this quest

2 quests carry the name Ancient Obstacles. They differ in the faction/rewards shown here.

QuestFactionRewardsID
Ancient Obstacles (this page)Alliance4,100 XP, Sandstone Pauldrons, Decomissioner's Monnions, Gatewatcher Belt25420
Ancient ObstaclesHorde4,100 XP, Gatewatcher Belt, Examiner's Monnions, Sandstone Pauldrons25017
Related
Ancient Knowledge
Ancient Magic
Ancient Mana
Ancient Obstacles
Ancient Power
Ancient Protectors
Ancient Protectors
Ancient Respite
Database

Quest Location and Connections

More Quests in Tanaris

See all 99 quests in Tanaris
Downloads

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