Lore ·
Gelbin Mekkatorque and Gnomeregan Explained: The Fall of Gnomeregan
Gelbin Mekkatorque is the High Tinker, the elected leader of the gnomes, and Gnomeregan is the gnomes' steam-driven underground kingdom in Dun Morogh, lost to a trogg invasion and a disastrous radiation leak. In World of Warcraft: Forever (WoW Forever), set in the first year of World of Warcraft, Warcraft Tavern's Forever guides list Mekkatorque as a leader in Ironforge, and Gnomeregan is a dungeon.
Quick answer: The gnomes lost their underground kingdom to troggs and radioactive fallout. Mekkatorque led the survivors to Ironforge, where King Magni gave them shelter, and the traitorous Mekgineer Thermaplugg remains in the ruined city. Players can enter Gnomeregan as a dungeon in WoW Forever.
Beneath Dun Morogh, the gnomes built a kingdom of steam-driven technology, and then they could not go home. Gnomeregan is a story about ingenuity and what it cost.
Key facts
- Leader: Gelbin Mekkatorque, High Tinker (Warcraft Wiki, Engadget, Warcraft Tavern)
- Rival: Sicco Thermaplugg, who wanted the title (Warcraft Wiki, Engadget)
- City: Gnomeregan, a steam-powered underground kingdom (Warcraft Tavern)
- Cause of the fall: a trogg invasion and radiation (Warcraft Tavern, Warcraft Wiki); Engadget credits a radiation weapon
- Refuge: Ironforge, where the survivors built Tinker Town (Warcraft Wiki, Warcraft Tavern)
- Dungeon in Forever: levels 29 to 38, entrance in northwest Dun Morogh (Warcraft Tavern)
- Final boss: Mekgineer Thermaplugg (Warcraft Tavern)
Who is Gelbin Mekkatorque?
A gnome chosen by his people. Warcraft Wiki says Mekkatorque was elected High Tinker of Gnomeregan and leader of gnomekind, and that Thermaplugg, his close friend and chief advisor, grew jealous of him. Engadget says Thermaplugg wanted to become High Tinker but Mekkatorque was chosen instead. Warcraft Tavern's Forever guides list High Tinker Mekkatorque, with King Magni Bronzebeard, as a leader of Ironforge.
What happened to Gnomeregan?
Troggs came up from below, and the cure was worse. Warcraft Tavern says the gnome kingdom was lost to a trogg invasion, and its dungeon page says mutant troggs invaded and were infected with radioactive waste but not killed. Engadget says the gnomes built a weapon so destructive that it rendered their own city unlivable for years, and that survivors inside were often twisted into deranged leper gnomes. Read the Dun Morogh guide for the zone above.
Who was to blame for the radiation?
The sources differ. Engadget credits the radiation weapon to Thermaplugg and calls him the insane ruler of a city of the mad, the dead and the troggs. Warcraft Wiki says Thermaplugg proposed releasing toxic radiation, that Mekkatorque approved it, and that Thermaplugg had presented falsified data and secretly planned to blame him. Warcraft Tavern's dungeon page calls Thermaplugg the traitorous Mekgineer, and every source here places him at the center of the disaster.
Where did the gnome survivors go?
To the mountain next door. Warcraft Wiki says Mekkatorque led the survivors to Ironforge, where King Magni granted them asylum and a district that became Tinker Town. Blizzard Watch's Magni column says Magni sheltered Gnomeregan's refugees after the Third War. Warcraft Tavern's Forever guide says gnomes live inside Ironforge and that Tinker Town is where Bubulo Acerbus is found. Read Magni and Muradin Bronzebeard, the dwarves of Ironforge and Ironforge explained.
Where do you meet the gnomes and Gnomeregan in WoW Forever?
Warcraft Tavern's Forever gnome guide says gnomes start in the Coldridge Valley part of Dun Morogh, where quests include eradicating irradiated Leper Gnomes, and that Forever lets gnomes be Priests. Its Gnomeregan dungeon page gives the level range as 29 to 38, puts the entrance in the northwest corner of Dun Morogh, and lists six bosses, one of them rare, ending with Mekgineer Thermaplugg. The same page says the dungeon is largely unchanged from Classic apart from loot and rewards. The free Lore Forever add-on adds readable zone and quest background as you travel, and the optional Willo voice companion can talk through the story. Both are fan-made. For the road to Stormwind, see the travel guide.
What happens to Mekkatorque later?
Later in the timeline, outside WoW Forever, Warcraft Wiki says Mekkatorque becomes king of a reunified gnomekind. This article leaves the rest unspoiled.
What is not confirmed yet
- Blizzard has not published Forever-specific changes to Gnomeregan's story; Warcraft Tavern says the dungeon is largely unchanged from Classic.
- Blame for the radiation: Engadget credits Thermaplugg, while Warcraft Wiki says Mekkatorque approved the release Thermaplugg proposed.
- Warcraft Wiki also gives casualty figures and a secret five-year trogg war, but only one source Lore Forever opened says so, so they are left out.
Frequently asked questions
Who is Gelbin Mekkatorque?
Gelbin Mekkatorque is the High Tinker, the elected leader of the gnomes. Warcraft Tavern lists him with King Magni as a leader of Ironforge in WoW Forever.
What happened to Gnomeregan?
Troggs invaded and radioactive waste made the city unlivable, according to Warcraft Tavern and Engadget. The surviving gnomes fled to Ironforge.
Who is Sicco Thermaplugg?
Thermaplugg is the Mekgineer who wanted to be High Tinker, according to Engadget and Warcraft Wiki. Warcraft Tavern calls him traitorous and lists him as the final boss of the Gnomeregan dungeon.
What level is the Gnomeregan dungeon in WoW Forever?
Warcraft Tavern lists Gnomeregan as a level 29 to 38 dungeon in WoW Forever, entered in northwest Dun Morogh.
Where do the gnomes live now?
Gnomes live inside Ironforge, according to Warcraft Tavern's Forever gnome guide, which also names Tinker Town as the place to find Bubulo Acerbus.
Sources
Reviewed October 27, 2026. This article covers history before and around Forever's setting and does not treat later events as Forever canon. Lore Forever and Willo are fan-made and are not affiliated with Blizzard Entertainment.