Lore ·
Furbolgs of Azeroth: Tribes, Corruption and Where You Meet Them
Furbolgs are the bear-like people of Kalimdor, old allies of the night elves who revere the twin bear Ancients Ursoc and Ursol, and many of their tribes have been driven mad by corruption. In the first year of World of Warcraft, the era World of Warcraft: Forever (WoW Forever) recreates, Warcraft Wiki places the corrupted Gnarlpine on Teldrassil, the Thistlefur and Foulweald in Ashenvale, and the uncorrupted Timbermaw in Timbermaw Hold.
Quick answer: Furbolgs were a peaceful forest people. Fel moss, a demonic taint and Winterfall Firewater turned several tribes hostile, while the Timbermaw stayed clear-minded and keep a reputation of their own. In the original game, players meet them in Teldrassil, Ashenvale, Felwood and Winterspring.
Every forest has a hush that falls before the bear speaks. On Kalimdor that hush is older than the roads, and the people who keep it have been watching travelers cross their land for a very long time.
Key facts
- What they are: a bear-like people of Kalimdor with, in Warcraft Wiki's words, "no special love for war or murder" (Warcraft Wiki)
- Gods: the twin bear Ancients Ursoc and Ursol (Warcraft Wiki, Blizzard Watch)
- Old friends: furbolgs joined a night elf-led alliance in the War of the Ancients (Warcraft Wiki), and Wowpedia says they stopped much of the goblin logging of Ashenvale in the Third War
- Corruption: fel moss turned the Gnarlpine (Warcraft Wiki, Wowpedia), and Winterfall Firewater turned the Winterfall (Warcraft Wiki)
- Uncorrupted: the Timbermaw of Timbermaw Hold (Warcraft Wiki)
- Ashenvale: Thistlefur Hold and Thistlefur Village hold furbolgs (Wowpedia, Games.gg)
Who are the furbolgs?
The furbolgs began as a gentle people. Warcraft Wiki calls them hulking and simple-minded, descended from ancient stock and once peaceful, and says most tribes worship the bear Ancients Ursoc and Ursol as gods. Blizzard Watch agrees that furbolgs regarded the brothers as gods.
Their friendship with the night elves is old. Warcraft Wiki says furbolg packs gathered under Unng Ak, their spokesman, fought beside Malfurion and Cenarius in the War of the Ancients. Warcraft Wiki's page on the Battle of Mount Hyjal adds that the furbolgs of the Barkskin tribe joined the defenders there. For that history, read Night Elf History and the Mount Hyjal guide.
Which furbolg tribes are there, and where do they live?
Warcraft Wiki sorts the tribes by land.
- Gnarlpine: Teldrassil, led by Ursal the Mauler.
- Thistlefur and Foulweald: Ashenvale. Wowpedia places the Thistlefur at Thistlefur Hold and Thistlefur Village, and Games.gg lists a Foulweald camp in the same part of the forest, while Warcraft Wiki names Greenpaw Village as the Foulweald home.
- Deadwood: Felwood, around Deadwood Village. Warcraft Wiki's page on the Winterfall also names them as the Winterfall's allies.
- Winterfall: Winterspring, with their largest settlement near Everlook.
- Timbermaw: Timbermaw Hold, which Warcraft Wiki says spans Felwood, Moonglade and Winterspring.
Why did so many furbolgs turn on the world?
A forest remembers every wound. Warcraft Wiki says the Burning Legion's passing and its lingering taint drove the Ashenvale tribes mad, and it lists other causes by tribe.
For the Gnarlpine the cause is fel moss. Wowpedia's page for the quest Gnarlpine Corruption says the once-peaceful tribe turned on the forest's protectors, ambushing the night elf Gaerolas Talvethren and raiding Starbreeze Village, while their chieftain Ursal the Mauler was driven mad by the power of Fel Moss. Warcraft Wiki's Gnarlpine page gives the same cause. For the Winterfall, Warcraft Wiki says the demon Xandivious corrupts them through Winterfall Firewater, which its page on the furbolgs says is made from corrupted Felwood creatures. Of the Thistlefur it says troll charms corrupted them, and of the Deadwood that the fel has polluted their minds.
Which furbolgs are still friendly?
The Timbermaw. Warcraft Wiki describes them as the uncorrupted tribe of Timbermaw Hold. Its page on the Winterfall says the two tribes were once allies and are now at war, and that killing Winterfall furbolgs raises your reputation with Timbermaw Hold.
Where do you meet furbolgs in WoW Forever?
Ashenvale is the clearest place. Games.gg's Ashenvale guide for Forever, which lists the zone at levels 19 to 32, describes the Thistlefur furbolgs as dense humanoid pulls around Thistlefur Village, where Ruul Snowhoof is freed in the quest Freedom to Ruul. Alliance players there meet the Raene's Cleansing chain, and Wowpedia says Raene Wolfrunner works from Astranaar to cleanse the taint affecting local furbolgs. Horde players meet a group quest called King of the Foulweald. Read the Ashenvale guide for the whole forest.
In the original game, the Gnarlpine appear early, at level 6: Wowpedia says the Alliance quest Gnarlpine Corruption begins with Gaerolas Talvethren and ends with Athridas Bearmantle in Dolanaar. Games.gg says Forever's Ashenvale quest data comes from Classic, so expect the same stories. The free Lore Forever add-on shows readable zone and quest background as you level, and the optional Willo voice companion answers lore questions. Both are fan-made. For the route, see the Alliance leveling zones guide.
What is not confirmed yet
- Blizzard has not published a furbolg tribe list for Forever. This article uses the original game's tribes from Warcraft Wiki and Wowpedia.
- Whether the Timbermaw reputation, Winterspring and Felwood arrive in the same form in Forever is not confirmed.
- Later furbolg events from other expansions are outside WoW Forever and are left out.
- Only Warcraft Wiki says the Burning Legion's lingering taint lies behind the Ashenvale furbolgs; no quest we read states it.
Frequently asked questions
What are furbolgs in World of Warcraft?
Furbolgs are a bear-like people of Kalimdor, once peaceful and allied with the night elves. Many tribes are corrupted and hostile, while the Timbermaw are not.
Are furbolgs evil?
No, not by nature. Warcraft Wiki says they have no special love for war or murder, and describes the hostile tribes as corrupted by fel moss, demonic taint or Winterfall Firewater.
Which furbolgs are friendly in WoW Forever?
The Timbermaw of Timbermaw Hold are the uncorrupted tribe in Warcraft Wiki's account of the original game. Forever has not published its own tribe list.
Why are the Gnarlpine furbolgs hostile?
Fel moss drove the Gnarlpine mad, according to Wowpedia's Gnarlpine Corruption quest page and Warcraft Wiki, and their chieftain Ursal the Mauler leads them.
Where are the furbolgs in Ashenvale?
The Thistlefur furbolgs live at Thistlefur Hold and Thistlefur Village, according to Wowpedia and Games.gg, and the Foulweald have a camp in the same forest.
Do the night elves and the furbolgs get along?
They were allies in the War of the Ancients, according to Warcraft Wiki, but in Ashenvale the night elves now face corrupted tribes and work to cleanse the taint.
Sources
Reviewed October 24, 2026. Tribes and places follow the original game that WoW Forever rebuilds; later expansion events are not treated as Forever canon. Lore Forever and Willo are fan-made and are not affiliated with Blizzard Entertainment.