5 creepy Outland locations for roleplaying evil misdeeds

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It is really odd to see videos of the "old" Outland -- but keep in mind, this wasn't really Outland at all. It was a development area that wasn't accessible to players, and people managed to glitch their way into it. What's really weird about these areas is that despite their age, you can see areas that look hauntingly similar to what we got with The Burning Crusade's release.

Speaking of Outland, it was once known as Draenor, whole and complete just like Azeroth, but the land was shattered due to Ner'zhul's attempts to open dimensional portals across the land. However, Draenor was a dark place even before that moment, home to betrayal, manipulation, treachery. Needless to say, Outland is teeming with raw, evil energy -- and perfect for a villain looking for somewhere to siphon all the power he could ever desire.

Because these areas are for evil deeds, all are surrounded by evil mobs. While most mobs will happily ignore level 85 players, low-level players may find a less than pleasant reception. That said, it would be highly recommended that low-level villains stick to finding some crazy, evil places in Kalimdor or the Eastern Kingdoms, rather than trying to find a spot in Outland.

5. Vim'gol's Circle

Hidden within the northeastern corner of Blade's Edge is the altar known as Vim'gol's Circle, a place of hidden power and the home of the ogre Vim'gol the Vile. Vim'gol trained one of several

monstrous gronn that still walk the paths of Blade's Edge, and his grimoire is required as part of a quest. Because this is a quest location, you may occasionally see a random leveling player looking to summon and kill Vim'gol the Vile, but otherwise, your evil villains should be able to perform whatever dark rituals they'd like without interruption.

Located at coordinates 78,29 in Blade's Edge, this location is tucked into a corner, just off the road from Blade's Edge into Netherstorm. It features a suitably dark and fiery ritual circle as well as an altar -- and being the home of Vim'gol the Vile, it's a suitable place of power for any dark activities. However, you'll want to be careful if you're roleplaying here; the flame circles around the main ritual circle will summon Vim'gol to life if your player stands in them. Originally, it took five players (one for each circle), but these days, you only need to stand in one of these flame circles to summon Vim'gol for questing. It's convenient for questing, but if you just want to use this location for performing some evil deeds ... not so much (although it would definitely offer a nasty surprise to anyone who tried to foil your plans!).

4. Soulgrinder's Barrow

There's another spot in Blade's Edge ripe for villainous misdeeds as well. Remember Vim'gol and how he trained one of the gronn? This is the home of that gronn, Skulloc Soulgrinder. Skulloc is

nowhere to be seen, however, and he won't be seen unless someone on the quest happens by to summon him. You cannot summon Skulloc without performing a ritual and killing a lot of ghosts, so you don't have to worry about your villain inadvertently making Skulloc appear. Skulloc is monstrously powerful in his own right, and the altar of the Soulgrinder is a great place to mess around with dark and evil rituals and misdeeds.

Located at coordinates 59,23 in Blade's Edge, the Soulgrinder's Barrow is smack in the middle of a lot of ogre activity. None of them actively patrol the Barrow itself, however. And if you're in the mood to do a little questing, you can make sure none of them pester you by completing the chain of quests that involve killing Vim'gol and Skulloc. At the end of the chain, all ogres in Blade's Edge will go neutral. In order to do this, talk to the ogre Grok in Shattrath City -- he'll give you a quest that will start the chain.

3. Twilight Ridge

Nagrand may feature some exquisite scenery, but it's also the home to one of the most evil locations in Outland. The Twilight Ridge contains one of four different portals used once upon a time by Magtheridon to pull in demons from the Twisting Nether that he could then

control. The portal itself is no longer functional -- likely the destruction of Draenor had quite a bit to do with that -- but there's a ton of cultists swarming this area who are trying to channel power back into the defunct portal, likely to bring more of the Burning Legion swarming through it.

Sounds pretty nasty, right? Well, there's more to it than just that. On a series of floating islands that have broken away from the mainland are statues that look just like the ones that border the original Dark Portal. You can see one of the statues above, but you can't really get a good judgment of its size until you fly out there and take a look for yourself. They are absolutely huge -- and the eyes blazing in the darkened stone hoods give these statues and this location a sense of impending doom like none other. If there were ever an out-of-the-way place for an evil ritual, this is totally it.

Located at coordinates 8,45 in Nagrand, the Twilight Ridge requires a flying mount to get to. While the defunct portal and the areas around it are swarming with cultists, the islands and the statues have no NPCs or mobs, so your evil character has no potential interruptions to worry about.

2. Terokk's Rest

Would your villain character like to try his hand at harnessing the power of a god? This location may be right up his alley. Located high above the rest of Terokkar Forest, the city of Skettis is

the home of the Arakkoa, a race of humanoid birds that are completely native to Outland. Terokk is their god, and he is said to have built the city of Skettis with his own claws. Unfortunately, Terokk is not a benevolent god, and much like Hakkar over in Azeroth, Terokk had his priests routinely sacrifice the lowly members of the arakkoa to dark powers. Terokk's legacy continues on today, and while you may find a friendly arakkoa or two wandering Outland, most are hostile to both Alliance and Horde and busy continuing Terokk's legacy of evil.

Terrokk's Rest is located on an island in the center of Skettis, and this area is a quest location for those who are working on the quest to summon and then defeat Terokk himself. However, there aren't many players working on this content these days, so you shouldn't have to contend with Terokk's spirit suddenly showing up. The arakkoa on the island rarely patrol into the summoning circle, so you shouldn't have to worry about hostile mobs.

Located at coordinates 65,78 in Terokkar Forest, this location is only accessible by flying mount. You'll want to watch it while you're flying in -- there are plenty of giant kairi birds flying around, and they will aggro on flying players.

1. The Altar of Damnation

This is where it all began -- the site upon which Gul'dan sealed the fate of the orcs and cut off all ties to the elements of the world. The Altar of Damnation rests at the base of the Hand of Gul'dan, the massive volcano smack in the center of Shadowmoon Valley. It was at this location that Gul'dan severed the connection between orc and elemental; it was at this location that he caused the very world to rip apart. The Hand of Gul'dan is a direct result of this dark ritual, and players who venture to this location can still see the spirit of Gul'dan as well as the ghosts of orcs from days past, damned to eternally lament their downfall.

That said, short of the Dark Portal itself, this location is one of the biggest sources of raw power in Outland, and it's ripe for your villain's taking. Forget Terokk -- here is where your villain could potentially harness the spirit and power of Gul'dan himself. This is a quest location, but as with other Outland locations, you will rarely find players questing in this area. There are two quest NPCs located just outside the Altar itself, but they don't travel inside -- and hey, while you're there, if you want to pick up the starting quest and check out the story for yourself, it's one hell of a quest line, one of the best ones from The Burning Crusade.

Located at coordinates 42,45 in Shadowmoon Valley, this location is accessible by land or air; simply head west from Terokkar Forest to find it. You can't miss it -- it's at the base of the giant volcano that dominates the zone. The area is surrounded by various hostile mobs, but they will ignore higher-level players. If it's power your villain is after, there is likely more latent power in this location than his evil little heart ever dreamed of possessing, making it an ideal location for villainous misdeeds.

There are plenty more altars scattered here and there around Outland; these are simply five that are readily available for roleplayer use. Outland may be breaktakingly beautiful, but its past is one filled with strife, terror, betrayal and destruction -- and a lot of locations reflect that. For a roleplaying villain, Outland is ripe with opportunity and perfect for those intent on preying on the remnants of the shattered world and leeching away that which was left behind years ago, in dark ages past.

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