Hagg Taurenbane: Champion of the Razormane

The southern Barrens is an area set to undergo catastrophic changes in the oncoming Cataclysm. As such, today's rarespawn is another one which will very likely be gone for good once it happens. The reason is that the southern Barrens will become a quite changed place, and much higher in level. Because of this, and because the Barrens have a large amount of rare mobs, I am trying to feature as many of them as I can before Cataclysm hits.

Therefore, let us peek at Hagg Taurenbane.



Who is Hagg Taurenbane, and where do I find him?

Hagg Taurenbane is a rare elite quilboar found in the Barrens, on Kalimdor.



Hagg Taurenbane is found in Blackthorn Ridge, one of many quilboar settlements in the Barrens. Blackthorn Ridge is located in the southern part of the Barrens, almost straight west from the dwarven stronghold of Bael Modan. Hagg can be found standing around several of the camps here. He does not walk around at all, thus making him fairly easy to find (aided by the fact that he has a somewhat short spawn time).

Combat and loot

For an unwary adventurer, Hagg can cause some problems. As an elite, he has a lot of health for his level. Furthermore, he is immune to a number of conditions (like stunning, sleep, traps and fear) which can be a genuine problem for some classes. He also has a number of abilities, all classic warrior abilities. Hamstring, demoralizing shout and cleave are all in Hagg's arsenal.



An added note is that fighting Hagg may also involve adds, due to the stealthed quilboars in the area. If you can overcome these problems, Hagg can be downed and looted. Unfortunately he has no unique or special loot to provide, but at least a bonus magic item is a bonus. But maybe not worth it, depending on how easy you can kill him.



Lore and trivia

Hagg has a title, something that is rather uncommon among rare mobs (and classic WoW mobs in general). He is the "Razormane Champion", a title befitting an elite warrior-type monster. The Razormane quilboar are one of the most infamous tribes of quilboar, and go all the way back to Warcraft III, where you must defeat them during the orc campaign to secure the alliance with the tauren. That Hagg bears the surname "Taurenbane" only shows the deep hatred these two races harbor for eachother. Another notorious rare mob I covered earlier, Captain Flat Tusk, also belongs to the Razormane.



As a champion of the Razormane, there's a good chance Hagg has been involved in some of the deeds of his tribe, such as the slaying of Mankrik's wife, a rather famous Horde quest. The Razormane emerged from the Razorfen Kraul to invade the Horde territories, a major hostile move by the quilboar. As the Champion of his tribe, most likely Hagg has been in the forefront of this offensive, probably selected by Charlga Razorflank herself to lead the assault.



Having a name like "Taurenbane" is just another thing that makes this guy interesting. While not a very special rarespawn, he has enough little fun facts surrounding him to make him above average. I am very fond of mobs which ad to a small hierarchy or mini-story, and Hagg fits in well as the elected champion of a quilboar tribe. He's worth looking up, especially since he is most likely doomed.

Until next time, beware the pig-men.

~Dragonshade