How to Complete Freedom to Ruul in WoW: Forever (Escort Despawn Fix)

Freedom to Ruul is a short, rewarding Horde escort deep inside a furbolg cave in Ashenvale – and in World of Warcraft: Forever it's one of a handful of escort quests Blizzard has confirmed can break. The tauren druid Ruul Snowhoof sometimes simply disappears partway through the escort, failing the quest. Here's how the quest works, the route to take, and how to give yourself the best chance of finishing it on the first try.

This guide is up to date for World of Warcraft: Forever as live since November 4, 2026.

Quick answer

The known issue: Ruul vanishing

Shortly after launch, Blizzard support said it was looking into a problem where escort NPCs can disappear near area or zone boundaries, causing the quest to fail. Three quests were named: Freedom to Ruul, Free From the Hold and The Defias Brotherhood (the Defias Traitor escort in Westfall). No fix date has been given yet.

That doesn't make the quest impossible – plenty of players finish it – but it means you should keep the escort short and clean. The tips below are built around that.

Before you start

• Pick it up during Troll Charm. The Ashenvale questing guide recommends grabbing Freedom to Ruul while you're inside Thistlefur Hold for the Horde quest Troll Charm, so you only clear the cave once.
• Bring a friend if you can. The cave is packed with furbolgs and respawns can catch you on the way out.
• Make sure you have the Splintertree Post flight path or know the way there – that's where you turn in.

Step-by-step

1. Enter Thistlefur Hold in Ashenvale and fight your way to Ruul Snowhoof's cage. He's a tauren druid in bear form, held prisoner by the furbolgs.
2. Clear the room around the cage before you talk to him. Anything left alive will jump him the moment he starts walking.
3. Accept Freedom to Ruul. Ruul leaves his cage and starts heading for the exit on his own.
4. Escort him out of the hold. Furbolgs attack along the way. Grab aggro off Ruul quickly – if he dies, the quest fails.
5. Stay close. Don't run ahead to pull extra packs; let the fights come to you and keep him in range of your heals.
6. Watch the finish. Once you're safely out, Ruul briefly takes his tauren form to thank you, then shifts back into a bear and runs off. The quest is now complete.
7. Turn in to Yama Snowhoof at Splintertree Post, the Horde outpost in eastern Ashenvale.

How to avoid the despawn bug

Blizzard hasn't detailed exactly where Ruul disappears, but its description – NPCs vanishing near area or zone boundaries – gives you a few sensible precautions:

• Don't pull him somewhere he doesn't want to go. Never kite mobs across the cave or out of it while Ruul is following; let him walk his own route.
• Avoid dying or leaving him. If you get too far away, you lose track of where he is and when he despawns.
• Don't change zones or take a flight until the quest is marked complete.
• If he vanishes, abandon and re-accept from his cage once he respawns, then try again. Group members who already completed it can still help you clear.

Rewards

In the classic version, Freedom to Ruul pays around 2,400 XP and 17 silver, plus Thunder Bluff reputation (sources disagree on the exact amount). There's no item reward, but it's a good chunk of experience for a short escort, especially if you combine it with Troll Charm.

Common mistakes

• Starting the escort with the room still full. Ruul is not a tank. Clear first.
• Running ahead. If you're fighting a pack around the corner, nobody is protecting Ruul.
• Turning in at the cage. The turn-in is Yama Snowhoof back at Splintertree Post.
• Going in too low. The furbolgs of Thistlefur are tougher than the ones outside. If you're at the bottom of the level range, bring help.

Also in Ashenvale: our guide to Vorsha the Lasher, the Horde escort that was disabled at launch. More help in all our WoW: Forever quest guides.