In the wake of the recent Scourge invasion, the Eastern Plaguelands of Lordaeron have gained new strategic importance in the ongoing struggle between the powers of Azeroth. Naxxramas looms on the horizon, and the Scourge is preparing to move once again. The floating necropolis is a clear threat to all of Azeroth, but the presence of one of the Scourge’s most important agents also provides a great opportunity to those willing to take the fight to the heart of the undead war machine. With this goal in mind, the Horde and Alliance are now vying for control over strategic points in the Eastern Plaguelands.

Four towers are crucial to establishing complete strategic control over the Eastern Plaguelands: Crown Guard Tower to the south, Eastwall Tower near Light’s Hope Chapel, Northpass Tower to the north, and Plaguewood Tower in the northwest. Capturing these towers works very much like a tug-of-war. Control over a tower shifts depending on which faction has more characters with an active PvP flag in the tower’s direct vicinity. This means that in order to gain control, you need to see to it that there are more members of your own faction present, and you should also hunt down and slay members of the opposite faction to ensure that your side keeps the upper hand.

For each tower that your faction holds, all members of your faction in the Eastern Plaguelands will receive a buff due to the strategic control over the area. Your faction's spell and melee damage against undead enemies is increased by one percent for each tower you control.

In faraway Silithus, geysers of a strange red crystalline dust have started to appear in the desert. Both the Alliance and the Horde have taken an interest in this new substance, which is called silithyst, and researchers on both sides have discovered unique and valuable properties in the dust. The Horde and Alliance camps in the region have both been outfitted with turn-in stations where adventurers can unload the silithyst they collect.

There are two methods for collecting silithyst. The most obvious one is to simply pick it up from a geyser. A character can carry only one load of silithyst at a time, so whenever you collect some silithyst, you should immediately return to your faction’s encampment. Nevertheless, be careful: the dust’s glow makes you very easy to spot, and the silithyst automatically makes you a target for members of the opposite faction. Until you turn in the silithyst you are carrying, an enemy can slay you and pick up the dust you drop in death. Of course, this enemy in turn becomes a target.

Once either the Alliance or the Horde has acquired enough silithyst, that faction's base will send off a full shipment of the dust, and the count for both factions will be reset. All members of the winning faction in Silithus will receive a buff, and the race for the precious silithyst will begin anew.