The Ringing Deeps plays host to some of the most interesting quests in The War Within, and Small Friend, Big Plans is part of a brilliant questline.
It can be hard to find the quest in-game, though. Here’s how to start and complete Small Friend, Big Plan in World of Warcraft, including the location of every key NPC.
How to start Small Friend, Big Plans in WoW The War Within
To get the quest Small Friend, Big Plans from High Speaker Brinthe, you need the quest A Mysterious Signal from Alleria Windrunner in the city of Dornogal first.
Some players have reported issues getting access to this initial objective, which is likely due to the number of required quests that it’s kept behind. To get A Mysterious Signal, you need:
- To make sure that your character is level 80. Small Friend, Big Plans is a max level quest, as are the quests that come before it, so you won’t be able to access it on a lower level toon
- To finish the After the Storm and Gathering Intel questlines. There are two key questlines that Alleria gives before A Mysterious Signal, with After the Storm’s line containing 17 quests on the Isle of Dorn and Gathering Intel containing 10 in Azj-Kahet
Having to complete After the Storm and Gathering Intel to trigger A Mysterious Signal may seem time-consuming, but they’re not particularly demanding.
After the Storm revolves around the Stormriders and finishes in an aerial mount boss fight, while Gathering Intel is an espionage-themed questline that heavily features Widow Arak’nai in her lair.
Both are interesting lore-wise and took us roughly 45 minutes during our playthrough, but you could easily do them quicker if you make sure to set your Hearthstone to Dornogal before you start.
When you turn in the final quest from the Gathering Intel line, which is News From Below, to Alleria in Dornogal, you will automatically get A Mysterious Signal.
A Mysterious Signal asks you to find High Speaker Brinthe at the Deepforge Golemworks, which is a section of The Ringing Deeps. Either hop on your favorite flying mount or take a flight path to Opportunity Point to get to the location shown below on the map.
When you get to the Deepforge Golemworks, you can speak to High Speaker Brinthe at her camp to turn in the quest. She can be found hanging out with ZZ-01-47, a tiny robot who plays a big part in the main storyline of The Machines March to War.
While you’re in the area, make sure to keep an eye on the chat to see if the Lurker of the Deeps has spawned. The rare elite that drops the Ol’ Mole Rufus mount can be found close to where this questline takes place, so watch out for the text prompt to kill two moles with one stone.
How to finish Small Friend, Big Plans in WoW The War Within
Unlocking the Small Friend, Big Plans quest takes a fair amount of time and effort, but actually finishing the quest is incredibly simple. It’s more of a transitional quest that leads you into the later sections of the main storyline than a fully-fledged objective.
When you turn in A Mysterious Signal to High Speaker Brinthe, she will automatically give you the Small Friend, Big Plans quest while handing over a small chunk of gold, too.
To complete it, speak to ZZ-01-47 and introduce yourself to the tiny creature. We went with the first dialogue option, introducing our character to the robot and promptly changing its name to Zee-Zee instead of ZZ-01-47. You can also question the robot or simply beep at it yourself.
There isn’t an incorrect answer here, but if you want the critter to have a cuter name, pick the first option and introduce your character politely. Small Friend, Big Plans rewards 10 Valorstones, which is an essential currency for The War Within if you want to keep your gear upgraded.
From there, you will be able to start the next quest in the chain called Factory Recon which involves working with Zee-Zee to infiltrate the Golem Factory and gather important information. Further quests in this chain are slightly more destructive.
Eventually, the quest line will lead you back to Alleria in Dornogal, which is why it’s beneficial to have your Hearthstone set to the tavern in the new capital city. Having to ferry back and forth between the two zones for the questline is a lot easier when you can simply take a flight path there and teleport back.
