Brotherhood of Thieves is one of the first real combat quests an Alliance character picks up in Northshire Valley, and it is the gateway to the rest of the starting chain. It sends you across the river to thin out the Defias Brotherhood and pays out a weapon upgrade that will carry you through the early levels of Elwynn Forest.
Quick answer: Take the quest from Deputy Willem outside Northshire Abbey, kill Defias Thugs across the river to the east until you loot 12 Red Burlap Bandanas, then return to Willem for a weapon.
Brotherhood of Thieves quest requirements
The quest is Alliance-only and sits at level 4, but you can accept it as early as level 2. In WoW Classic it becomes available after you finish A Threat Within, the very first Northshire quest.
| Detail | Value |
|---|---|
| Quest level | 4 (requires level 2) |
| Start and end NPC | Deputy Willem |
| Zone | Northshire Valley, Elwynn Forest |
| Objective | 12 Red Burlap Bandanas |
| Experience | 360 (495 in Season of Mastery) |
| Reputation | Stormwind |
| Sharable | Yes |
The objective count differs by version. Classic asks for 12 bandanas, while the older pre-Cataclysm version of the quest asked for 8 and was removed from the modern game in patch 4.0.3a.
Where Defias Thugs spawn in Northshire Valley
Every Red Burlap Bandana comes from Defias Thugs, which are level 3 to 4 humanoids grouped on the eastern side of Northshire Valley. Cross the small river east of Northshire Abbey and they begin appearing almost immediately, roughly around coordinates 54, 44.
The densest cluster is in and around the Northshire Vineyards, where thugs patrol between the vine rows in loose pairs. The bandana has a high drop rate of about 80 percent, so most kills will advance the counter and roughly 15 kills is enough for the full 12.
How to complete Brotherhood of Thieves
Confirming the quest turned in correctly
While the quest is still active, Willem will only ask whether you have gathered the bandanas yet. On a successful turn-in his dialogue changes to acknowledge the delivery, with the line “Back with some bandanas, I see. The Stormwind Army appreciates your help,” and the quest disappears from your log as the reward window opens.
If you are not sure whether an old character already finished it, paste this into chat and check the returned value.
/run print(C_QuestLog.IsQuestFlaggedCompleted(18))Brotherhood of Thieves weapon rewards
You pick one weapon from a set of five, so choose based on what your class can actually equip and what you are missing. There is no second chance to grab the others later.
- Militia Dagger
- Militia Shortsword
- Militia Hammer
- Militia Warhammer
- Militia Quarterstaff
Alongside the weapon you gain 360 experience on original Classic realms, 495 on Season of Mastery realms, and a block of Stormwind reputation. The reputation figure has shifted across versions, landing at 100 in Classic and 250 in the later retail-era version of the quest. At max level the turn-in converts to a small copper payout instead of experience.
What unlocks after the turn-in
Handing in the bandanas opens the next step of the Northshire chain. In Classic, Willem follows up with Bounty on Garrick Padfoot, a level 5 hunt for the Defias leader in the same area you just cleared.
The pre-Cataclysm version branched in two directions instead, sending players either after Garrick Padfoot or to Milly Osworth, which leads into Milly’s Harvest and Grape Manifest around the vineyards. Either way, staying in the eastern half of Northshire Valley after the turn-in keeps you on the fastest route out of the starting zone.
