A Call to Arms: Jintha'Alor

So last night I was making yet another run through ZF trying to down Gahz and get my Carrot when the mage who was carrying our Mallet made a joke that he was probably one of four people on the server who currently had it in possession. Could that be true? Are there that few people out there carrying around the Mallet of Zul'Farrak, the only way to summon Gahz'rilla and clear Zul'Farrak?

If it is true, it's probably because of Jintha'Alor. A huge troll city practically hidden in the Hinterlands (it's just south of the entrance to the beach on the eastern coast), Jintha'Alor might be the biggest non-instanced elite area in the world of Azeroth. Home to a bevy of elite quests, tons of elite trolls, slimes and wolves, and (at the center of the city on the hill) the Altar of Zul, Jintha'Alor is definitely a great place to visit with a full party on your way to 60.

So why do so few people go there? When there's so much to do and see there, why do so few people make it to the Altar and create the Mallet?

First of all, the obvious: Jintha is long, and (for the level, anyway) pretty difficult. The Gahz'rilla quest is obtained at 40, but you'll need at least a 50 or two in a full party to survive Jintha. Not to mention that because the entire area is noninstanced, mobs respawn fairly quickly, so you have to move fast through there or face refighting through seperate areas to get where you need to be. If you don't have a party that knows what they're up against (and considering how sparsely Jintha is run, those parties are hard to find), a lot of people will be turned off by what they thought was a quick run of elite quests turning into an instance-long grind.

Still, there are a lot of good reasons to run Jintha, if you've got the party for it. Since there are so many mobs, the loot comes fast and quick (my Shaman found his trusty Blanchard's Stout up there). There are two seperate dens inside the area, one filled with wolves and another filled with slimes. If you're Alliance, make sure to stop and kill the Vile Priestess Hexx to save Sharpbeak (the gryphon is just off to the right of the big ampitheatre). If you're Horde, there's a quest to kill Vilebranch that gives a pretty nice trinket, easily doable as you climb your way through the terraces. And after you've activated your Mallet at the Altar, make sure to invade the cave behind it for The Ancient Egg, a quest line that takes you all the way to Sunken Temple.

Jintha'Alor does have a few problems-- the length and difficulty can wipe and end many a party if you're not ready for it. But it's a great place to fight through if you've never been. And once you emerge triumphant from the Vilebranch city, sprinting and jumping down the terraces weighed down with loot and Mallet in hand, there's nothing to stop you from putting down Gahz'rilla once and for all!