Silithus and Ahn’Qiraj are thought of as many things, but peaceful is not normally one of them.

Andrestrasz cave

Andrestrasz cave map
The entrance to Andrestrasz’s cave

However, in the chaos of the fallen kingdom, there is a single remote bastion nestled in the southern tip of uninstanced Ahn’Qiraj. Sitting on an uncharacteristically lush shore, the small inlet isn’t marked on any maps, and isn’t part of any questline. Its remote location makes it easily missed by those not actively looking for it.

 

ahn'quiraj caveEntering the cave it appears completely empty, stalactites hang from the ceiling and there’s a noticeable lack of music. Explorers might come to the conclusion that the cave is simply an unused asset, until they reach a large pit in the center chamber and find a red dragon sleeping within.

Andrestrasz

Andrestrasz, a large level 5 red dragon, rests in the center of the cave. 

Andrestrasz bonesWith the exception of a few piles of bones littering his feet, Andrestrasz is the only npc or object in the chamber. What’s more there seems to be no way to interact with him; players have tried all manner of methods including detecting invisibility, tracking demons, and even equipping certain titles.

Andrestrasz 
It’s best not to wake sleeping dragons…

Added in Mists of Pandaria patch 5.3, some speculate that Andrestrasz exists as some sort of memorial; most likely to someone named Andre. Others think he’s part of some unimplemented questline or scrapped story. Even some of the developers aren’t sure. When asked via Twitter in 2014, former Blizzard developer Dave Maldonado said

I’d bet $20 it’s a homage to someone’s 5 yr old named Andre but would have to dig into data to find out for sure.

Andrestrasz

However, 4 years later the mystery remains unanswered. So whether Andrestrasz is the last trace of an untold story, or simply a memorial to an unknown player, he will continue to rest undisturbed beneath the sands.

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Ever since I started playing World of Warcraft back in 2009, I've loved hunting for hidden items, secret areas, and unanswered mysteries in the game. The goal of Hidden Azeroth is to combine all the things I've found into one place so that other players can learn about and explore them as well. I hope you enjoy!

1 COMMENT

  1. If you use the toy Wisp in a Bottle, Andrestrasz wakes up; however, the ‘Zzz’ sleeping animation remains over his head, so this may be unintended.

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