Townlong Steppes: Storyline, Screenshots, Quests, and More (No replies to this topic)

Spoiler disclaimer: this article contains many spoilers.

The Townlong Steppes is a level 89-90 zone located on the northwestern part of Pandaria. It is bordered in the east by Kun-Lai Summit and in the south by the Dread Wastes. Northwest of the Townlong Steppes, the map of Pandaria shows an island, which is not currently visible from the Townlong Steppes, but not accessible. It is widely believed that this island will be the subject of one of the content patches of the expansion.

The Townlong steppes can be divided in two parts. In the northeastern area, you will find Yaungol settlements. The rest of the area resembles the Dread Wastes and there are many gigantic trees, from which the Mantid extract the amber that they need to live.

Niuzao, the Black Yak, is one of the four August Celestials and he resides in the Townlong Steppes.

Storyline

The Towlong Steppes are home to the Yaungol tribes who have been driven mad by the Sha's manifestation. In their madness, they crossed the Ox Gate to invade Kun-Lai Summit. The Shado-Pan response to this invasion was to regain control of the gate and take the fight to Fire Camp Osul, a Yaungol settlement near the gate.

The first part of the storyline focuses on the struggle of the Shado-Pan against the Yaungol. After helping the order deal with the Yaungol threat, you will be dispatched to the southern frontier of the area where the Shado-Pan is battling against the Mantid armies. The fight against the Mantid represents the second part of the storyline.

There are additional quests at the Shado-Pan Garrison and in Sumprushes.

Screenshots

As we were progressing through the zone, we took a number of screenshots.

Longying Outpost and Hatred's Vice

• Complete these two quests from Kun-Lai Summit: Beyond the Wall and My Husband...
  
• A Foot in the Door
  
• First Assault, Running Rampant, and Perfect Pitch
  
• Seeing Red, Ranger Rescue, Pitching In, and The Exile
  
• Jung Duk
  
• In Search of Suna
  
• Dust to Dust, Slaying the Scavengers, Totemic Research, and Last Toll of the Yaungol
  
• What Lies Beneath
  
• Hatred Becomes Us and Spiteful Spirits
  
• The Point of No Return
  
• Gao-Ran Battlefront (to Gao-Ran Battlefront)

Gao-Ran Battlefront and Dusklight Hollow

• Complete Gao-Ran Battlefront
  
• Complete these two quests:
  
  • Behind the Battlefront, followed by:
    
    • Unwelcome Intruders
      
    • Breach in the Defenses, and The Restless Watch, and Trap Setting
  • Treatment for the Troops
• Returning from the Pass
  
• The Endless Swarm, Back on Their Feet, and Rummaging Through the Remains
  
• Improvised Ammunition, Thieves and Troublemakers (taken on the way to Improvised Ammunition), and In the Wrong Hands (taken on the way to Improvised Ammunition)
  
• Cutting the Swarm
  
• Terror of the Dread Wastes
  
• Along the Southern Front
  
• Enraged By Hatred and Taking Stock
  
• Joining the Fight
  
• Raising Spirits and Up In Flames
  
• The Taking of Dusklight Bridge (To Rensai's Watch Post)

Rensai's Watch Post

• Complete The Taking of Dusklight Bridge
  
• Joining the Hunt
  
• Complete these three quests:
  
  • In Skilled Hands, followed by:
    
    • Hostile Skies
      
    • Devastation Below
      
    • Heroes of the Shado-Pan
  • Grounded Welcome
    
  • Choking the Skies (taken on the way, given by Marksman Ye)
• Buried Beneath
  
• Taoshi and Korvexxis, Lao-Chin and Serevex, Nurong and Rothek, Thinning the Sik'thik, and The Search for Restless Leng
  
• The Sha of Hatred
  
• The Threat in the South (to the Dread Wastes)

Optional: Sumprushes

• A Spear Through My Side, A Chain Through My Soul
  
• The Torches
  
• Golgoss and Arconiss
  
• The Death of Me
  
• Golgoss Hungers, Arconiss Thirsts, and Orbiss Fades
  
• Mists' Opportunity

Optional: Shado-Pan Garrison and Niuzao Temple

• Optional: Natural Antiseptic, The Field Armorer, and A Proper Poultice
  
• The Motives of the Mantid and Set the Mantid Back
  
• The Wisdom of Niuzao
  
• Niuzao's Price
  
• The Terrible Truth, A Trail of Fear, and Give Them Peace

In addition, you can take My Father's Crossbow after the bridge that links the Shado-Pan Garrison and the Niuzao Temple. The follow-up quest is Father's Footsteps. Also, Bad Yak will be given to you at the temple and Pick a Yak, its follow-up quest, is to be taken west of the temple.

Finally, it is possible for an additional quest to be offered to you at the Shado-Pan Garrison, requiring you to defeat an opponent in the Challenger's Ring. This has to do with the Shado-Pan daily quests, which you will unlock after finish the above quest line.

More

The Townlong Steppes features a 5-man dungeon at the Niuzao Temple: Siege of Niuzao Temple. Another reason to go back to the Townlong Steppes is for the two daily quest hubs at the Shado-Pan Garrison and in the Niuzao Temple.

Note that daily quests will not be available every day at the Niuzao Temple. Indeed, each day you will be able to help out a specific August Celestial at a specific place: Niuzao at his temple, Yu'lon at the Temple of the Jade Serpent, and Xuen at the Temple of the White Tiger. It seems that the Red Crane daily quests, in the Krasarang Wilds, are always available.