Pandaria is the mystical land that is shrouded in mystery…
…at least according to the Mists of Pandaria expansion released by Blizzard.
World of Warcraft has always had a pretty large map, even back in the days of vanilla. With each new WoW expansion, the land size has only gotten bigger and bigger. Sometimes it’s just been an extra area latched on to the original mainland, but in this case, it’s a whole island situated to the south of the world. It’s actually pretty big considering the size of the rest of the world, so it was a significant expansion.
Of course, the island itself isn’t easy to get to, and in fact, you can’t even begin to think about getting on until you’ve hit level 85. So if you’re a lower level, you might have to come back when you hit that level minimum! Otherwise, here are the different ways to get to Pandaria depending on what faction and area you’re in
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How to Get to Pandaria from Stormwind
Now, assuming you’ve hit level 85 and have the Mists of Pandaria expansion, you’ll need to go to Stormwind Keep to start the quest that gives you access. Just walking in should trigger a cutscene that you can watch, and if it doesn’t, then just delete a quest to empty up your quest log. Also, be aware that there can sometimes be a bug with the cutscene if you bought the level 90 boost, but in that case, you can skip to the next part.
Once the cutscene is over, you’ll be standing in front of an elf called Rell Nightwind who gives you another quest called ‘The Mission’. I know, don’t even ask.
After you accept ‘The Mission’, you’ll need to fly to the north of Stormwind harbor to a big flying gunship called Stormfire. There, you’ll find Sky Admiral Rogers, who you need to talk to and who will start the actual trip to Pandaria. Once you do that, you’re all set! You’ll find yourself in Pandaria.
How to Get to Pandaria from Orgrimmar
For the Horde, the questline is essentially the same with just a couple of different names.
Again, once you hit level 85 and have the Mists of Pandaria expansion, go to Grommash Hold in Orgrimmar and a cutscene should automatically trigger. Once you’re out of the cutscene, you can accept the ‘All Aboard!’ quest which sends you to the bay to the east of Orgrimmar. Once there, you have to get up to the airship and find General Nazgrim who will trigger the actual quest to go to Pandaria.
And that’s it! Pretty simple right?
How to Get to Back to Pandaria
Ok, but what if you’ve done the quest to get to Pandaria and want to get back there?
For the Alliance, you need to get to Eastern Earthshire, which is to the northwest of Stormkeep. From there, go west and look for a bunch of Pandaren looking stuff, specifically an arch and a big hot air balloon which will help tell you where it is. Once there, you’ll find a portal being cast nearby by Ang the Wise, which will take you to Paw’don Village once you click on it.
For the Horde, you’ll need to go to Ogrimmar, then head to the Valley of Honor, which is in the easternmost area of the city. At that point (or on the way), you’ll probably see a Pandaren encampment, with the telltale hot air balloon. Nearby you’ll find a portal being cast by Ji Firepaw, click on that should get you to Pandaria and you’ll be all set!
Some Tips to Help Getting to Pandaria
For starters, be aware that you can also get to Pandaria from Dalaran. If you go to the Windrunner’s sanctuary, you’ll find a bunch of portals, and one of them will be for the Jade Forest.
Another thing to keep in mind if you’re planning to go to Pandaria often is to set your hearthstone somewhere there so that you don’t have to keep going through the whole process again.
Also, if you end up changing faction, you’re going to have to go through the questline again, as its apparently reset. So, don’t freak out too much if you can’t suddenly go to Pandaria right after switching factions.
Finally, the process is rather simple but there have been some bugs reported related to boosted characters or if you’re currently in another questline. Just make sure you follow the process here and find the people who give the quests and always double-check your quest log to see if it’s full or if you already have the quest.
Final Thoughts
That’s it! As you can see, it’s a relatively simple process to get to Pandaria regardless of what faction you’re in. So go out, enjoy yourself in the mystical and strange land of the Pandas, and try not to do too much Kung Fu!