Elemental rock: Rumbler

The idea of different "pure" elements which exist in other dimensions is an important part of the cosmology of the Warcraft setting. Earth, fire, water and air all influence and interfere in the physical world, some with benevolent intents and others much more sinister. Many of the great elementals are known to serve the malevolent Old Gods and command legions of lesser creatures in their crusades against the mortal races. Other elementals are slaves to summoners, or simply exist as sentient forces of nature on Azeroth and Outland.

Today's rarespawn is Rumbler.



Identification and location

Rumbler is a rare mob earth elemental found in the Badlands in the Eastern Kingdoms.



The Badlands are a desolate area which greatly resembles the canyons and mesas on distant Kalimdor. Rumbler can be found along with the most powerful regular earth elementals in the zone, in the southwestern corner of the map. There are two areas here, one to the southeast and one to the northwest of the ogre cave. Rumbler can spawn in either area, and wanders around a bit. Visually, it is identical to the other elementals, and must thus be identified via its name.

An elemental's story

Earth elementals hail from the plane of Deephome, where they presumably exist in vastly different conditions than life on Azeroth. Earth elementals are also often allies to shamans, summoned to smite their enemies, and some are ancient and wise beings which give advice to mortals. Like most other elementals they will manifest most often in areas filled with their native element, and the Badlands certainly has its fill of rocks and stone.



As noted, Rumbler spends his time with his fellow elementals, but he does have an ability which sets him apart from the rest. Rumbler has an AoE knockdown attack which while not terribly dangerous can interfere with healing and spellcasting. If defeated, he will drop the standard uncommon quality drop.



While we don't know anything about why the earth elementals in the Badlands are there, there are a few quests involving them. The gnome researcher Lotwil Veriatus has a small camp in northern Badlands and is studying the local earth elementals to find more efficient ways of summoning and controlling them.

Elemental invasion?

It is believed that most elementals do not occur "naturally" on Azeroth (or Outland), they are transported there either by accident or by intent via interdimensional portals. It would seem that some elementals remain after such a crossover, and presumably try to make the new area their home as well as they can.



Elementals can often be controlled by elemental shackles, magical bracelets affixed to the creature which allow it to be safely controlled and commanded by a spellcaster. To this end, Lotwil is seeking to improve shackles for earth elementals by studying those in the Badlands. Mayhap these elementals were stranded after some ancient dimensional rift and have remained to this day, or maybe they were once summoned and abandoned. Presumably Rumbler is an elder among them.



Will his work be successful? Or will elementals continue to run rampant across the world in service to the Old Gods and unscrupulous mortals? We'll just have to wait and see. For now, Rumbler and his kin seem content to be often-overlooked mobs in a remote corner of a desolate area of Azeroth.

Until next time, keep those elemental shackles close by.
~Dragonshade