darkmoon-faire
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Patch 6.0.3 hotfixes for November 3
You can stop pulling your hair out trying to complete the Brood of Alysrazor achievement for the Blazing Wings toy at the Darkmoon Faire. Up until these hotfixes, the fire rings were shared between players which made getting this achievement nearly impossible on a populated realm. All players should now have their own individual rings. I've personally had luck completing the achievement with this route. Here are some of the highlights from this round of hotfixes. Firebird's Challenge: Blazing Rings are no longer shared with other players. Moonfang should once again be tuned for level 90 players. Get Kraken!: Increased the health for North Sea Kraken by 1000%. Color blind shaders are back. New console command: /console colorblindsimulator [0-8]. Resolved a frame rate stuttering issue that was affecting some Mac OS clients. The full list of fixes is after the break.
Warlords of Draenor: Updates to Darkmoon Faire
The Darkmoon Faire has come to the beta servers, and with it, a bunch of updates and additions including games, pets, and vanity items. There are new ways to earn Darkmoon tickets, new ways to spend them, and new discoveries to be made on the mysterious Darkmoon Island. Our friends over at Wowhead have tested out the new games, and they seem like a ton of fun. The first is the Firebird's Challenge, where you have to fly through rings of fire in the air. If you miss, you lose the debuff that keeps you aloft. There are a series of achievements for staying aloft, and earning the last and most difficult of them rewards you with the Blazing Wings, a vanity item that gives you a pair of fiery but non-functional wings for an hour. The second game is a racing game around the island, with a series of quests to go with it. You have to make it to certain markers along the western part of the Faire, while zeppelins shoot at you to slow you down. There are a number of power-ups to be had along the way, from simple sprint shoes to a sack of bunnies that will distract a zeppelin from shooting at you. In addition, there is a new pet trainer--Cristoph VonFeasal--and a new pet you can win in the bag of goodies you get for defeating him. There are a bunch of new vanity items, including both skirt- and pants-set versions of NPC clothing items found only in Gilneas. Sadly, these clothing items are white-quality, which means they cannot be transmogged. Finally, there are, as ever, a whole set of new epic-quality Darkmoon deck trinkets--the Iron Deck, Moon Deck, Visions Deck, and War Deck--which I'm sure will be hot commodities come WoD. I'm glad to see the Faire getting an update, it's one of my favorite regular events, and new things to do there are always welcome.
Patch 5.4 PTR news roundup
Patch 5.4 has hit the PTR and a flurry of information regarding the latest patch has already been released. Featuring a new raid, patch 5.4 will also include a variety of new features that are quickly shaping up to be game-changers. Curious about all the new stuff? Take a look at our coverage for more information on patch 5.4 and the upcoming content. Patch 5.4 PTR patch notes Virtual Realms announced Datamined NPC, mount and pet models Moonfang, a new dire wolf boss for the Darkmoon Faire Ilvl restrictions lifted for item enhancements Siege of Orgrimmar's dungeon journal entries New pets and a new pet battle tournament Stromgarde Keep as a new scenario New Challenge Mode titles Proposed initial ilvl changes for new raid difficulties Stay tuned for more patch 5.4 information, and keep your eyes peeled for the PTR.
Breakfast Topic: What's your favorite Darkmoon Faire game?
In case you've been avoiding major cities recently, consider this your monthly reminder that the time of the Darkmoon Faire is once again upon us, bringing another month's worth of carnival games, prizes and fun. Never been? Start by heading to Goldshire or Mulgore, where a portal will take you straight there. If that's too much travel time, you should be able to find mages in all major cities willing to send you to your destination for a small fee. If you want to take advantage, act fast: it will only be here for a week. Once it closes up shop on the 13th, you'll have to wait another month. So go on, check it out; we promise that this Breakfast Topic will still be here when you get back. [hold music plays] Okay, back? Great! Now we can get to talking about everyone's favorite Darkmoon activities. You do have a favorite, don't you? Perhaps it's the island's unique wild pets or a certain top hat. But maybe carnival games are more your style, like shooting yourself out of a canon or tossing rings onto a turtle? Or maybe you're just in it for the pets, mounts, and heirlooms you can buy for Darkmoon Prize Tickets. Whatever your reasons for visiting the Faire, you must have a favorite thing to do once you're there. So share!
Should free-for-all PvP be applied to battlegrounds?
Yesterday, I finished gathering valor points for Wrathion, and moved on to the next step of the legendary chain. Unfortunately, this included winning two battlegrounds. I say unfortunately because while I enjoyed PvP back in the days of vanilla and Burning Crusade, I really haven't focused on PvP all that much since then. In fact, other than some excursions into Wintergrasp and Tol Barad, I tend to avoid it altogether. It's not that I don't enjoy PvP, honestly -- it's that I know, deep down in my heart, that I'm not terribly good at it. So I stay out of the battlegrounds and let those that know what they are doing excel at it. But last night's excursion into the Temple of Kotmogu and the Silvershard Mines were eye-opening, to say the least. Temple of Kotmogu was an incredibly fun frenzy of grabbing orbs and killing players, and escorting carts in the Silvershard Mines was pretty entertaining, too. Still, sometimes I miss the days where PvP was all about killing other players. It turns out, I'm not alone.
Breakfast Topic: Do you do the Darkmoon Faire?
I've been playing WoW which means that I've definitely been playing since The Darkmoon Faire Island made its debut in 2011. Yet my first trip to the isle was this month. I'm not sure why I didn't go before. I knew there were fun repeatable quests to do, and I knew there were nifty pets to be had. So why didn't I go? I think part of the reason was that I didn't realize that the profession quests gave experience as well as skill ups. I also thought that they still required you to pick up drops from all over Azeroth. But instead of picking up tails, pelts and feathers, there is just one quest that has you pick up Grisly Trophies of everything you defeat, which doesn't even require looting. I also was under the impression that it was a pain to get to. Wrong. Not only are the portals to the Faire outside of easy to get to places, you can buy a trip to the current portal from the Darkmoon Faire representative hanging out in major cities. By the way, if you are going to the Faire for the first time since the revamp, do bring 5 sacks of flour if you're a cook and 5 sheets of parchment if you're a scribe. That will save you from having to exit and find a trade supplies vendor in order to complete those two profession quests. I've been missing out and I feel pretty silly about it since I'm usually into the event-related content. What about you? %Poll-80719%
Capture a Crow when the Darkmoon Faire's in town
If you're into battle pets, the Darkmoon Faire needs to be on your monthly to-do list. Outside of the variety of pets and mounts available in exchange for Darkmoon Prize Tickets, Darkmoon Island is home to a few wild battle pets, including the Crow. Here's a rundown of its abilities: Slot 1 Peck or Alpha Strike Slot 2 Squawk or Call Darkness Slot 3 Murder or Nocturnal Strike We have some basic Flying-type abilities here, and between Peck and Alpha Strike, the latter is usually recommended. Even with a slower breed of Crow, the Flying family passive grants 50% extra speed above 50% health, so you can expect that extra hit from Alpha Strike. In slots 2 and 3, you have two paths to choose from. If you're going up against an Elemental battle pet with the Crow (not recommended), Squawk and Murder may be better choices, but against any other type, Call Darkness and Nocturnal Strike will be your powerhouse combo.
Patch 5.2 PTR: More hats!
Perculia of Wowhead has been very busy indeed dealing with the denizens of the Darkmoon Faire on the patch 5.2 PTR. Her hot topic of today is hats, including this fetching headgear in the header image. This is the Darkmoon Top Hat, a recently discovered headpiece which grants the wearer a 10% buff to reputation and experience gain that lasts one hour. Quite apart from that, it looks marvelously fetching, don't you think? Upon using said hat, as Perculia adeptly displays in the image above, the wearer will briefly experience the hat's built in firework display, which will sporadically reappear throughout the hour it lasts for. Note that we said using, not equipping, because the wearer only appears to be wearing the hat. There is no need to remove your existing hat, this hat is naught but an hour-long illusion. Alas, the hat is consumed upon use, but fear not, a fresh hat can be purchased from Gelvas Grimegate for the princely sum of ten Darkmoon Prize Tickets. The hat can also drop from the Darkmoon Game Prize awarded by the Darkmoon daily quests, such as The Humanoid Cannonball. In other Darkmoon hat news, Wowhead has also datamined the Darkmoon Fishing Cap. While it doesn't sound nearly as dapper as the Darkmoon Top Hat, the Fishing Cap grants the wearer an additional five fishing skill, and has a very handy on-use effect, summoning a pool of Shipwrecked Debris -- the Darkmoon fishing pool. Gone are the days of searching for fishing pools, now they come to you, as long as the Darkmoon Faire is in town, and you don't mmind waiting an hour between pools. On second thought, your fishing may be more time-efficient if you do also search for pools. The source of the Fishing Cap is, as yet, unknown... Mists of Pandaria is here! The level cap has been raised to 90, many players have returned to Azeroth, and pet battles are taking the world by storm. Keep an eye out for all of the latest news, and check out our comprehensive guide to Mists of Pandaria for everything you'll ever need to know.
Gold Capped: Inscription gold-making guide
"Every" week, WoW Insider brings you Gold Capped, in which Basil "Euripides" Berntsen and Fox Van Allen aim to show you how to make money on the Auction House. Check out Basil's re-reboot of Call To Auction, and email Basil with your questions, comments, or hate mail! Have a scribe? Need gold? Look no farther. Inscription is one of the best gold-making professions in the game. You can make glyphs, Darkmoon cards, and all kinds of other odds and ends. Each of these markets has a characteristic time investment requirement and potential profit. Each realm is going to be different, but in general: Darkmoon cards: Scalable time investment, massive profits Glyphs: Massive time investment, low profit Odds and ends: Minimal time investment, medium profit Darkmoon cards start off simply enough: if you do your daily research, you can make a card a day. Different cards have different values, but on average, you'll make back way more than the value of the inks. You can trade cards, and the more cards you make, the better efficiency you'll have making decks. Assuming you can make a full deck for every 12 cards you produce (which is the ratio you see if you trade really well and/or produce a lot of cards), it'll cost you 120 stacks of any herb but Fool's Cap, or 75 stacks of Fool's Cap. At 40g per stack of, for example, Green Tea Leaf, that's 4800g per deck. Some decks can sell for over 20,000g.
Ride your own Darkmoon Carousel (sandbox) mounts
The wonderful Perculia of Wowhead fame tweeted today that she'd added a new vendor's items to the site, and it caught WoW Insider's collective eye, with our love for quirky items and the like. Just added this to the DMF guide, Gelvas Grimegate sells more sandbox rides in 5.1, looks like carousel rides: wowhead.com/npc=14828 - perculia (@perculia) December 5, 2012 Sandbox mounts that look like the Darkmoon Carousel? We had to check it out. It took a short while to locate the vendor, Gelvas Grimegate, very near to the carousel itself. But once we did, he had a huge array of sandbox mounts to sell, for only one Darkmoon Prize token for ten charges. What's the catch? With a deal as good as that, there's always a catch. And this is no exception. Sandbox mounts don't move, they are stuck to the ground by their springy stands, and simply undulate gently back and forth. What's more, that one Darkmoon Prize Token only buys you ten charges, but you can carry as many sets of those ten-charge items as you see fit. So you can only summon this incredibly entertaining wooden murloc ten times per purchase, and the same applies for the rest, of which there are many! Mists of Pandaria is here! The level cap has been raised to 90, many players have returned to Azeroth, and pet battles are taking the world by storm. Keep an eye out for all of the latest news, and check out our comprehensive guide to Mists of Pandaria for everything you'll ever need to know.
Darkmoon Carousel increases XP and reputation gains
WoW Insider received various reports via Twitter and email of a bonus to reputation and experience granted by taking a ride on the Darkmoon Carousel. Further investigation indicates that this is indeed the case. The carousel works similarly to the maypole-styled stick during the Fire Festival, in that the longer you spend spinning the longer the duration of your buff. The buff is named WHEE! and increases experience and reputation gains by 10%. It's very fast to build up, and you don't actually have to ride the carousel itself to gain the buff, just be near to it. If you want to stand on it but not mount one of the carousel mounts, that's just fine too. To access the Carousel you'll need at least one Darkmoon Ride Ticket in your inventory. Fortunately, these can be bought 5 at a time in books from Kae Ti, the NPC in the tent through which you enter the Carousel. If you have a Darkmoon Ride Ticket in your inventory already, one will simply be subtracted from your total as you walk into the Carousel area. Don't confuse the ride tickets with Darkmoon Prize Tickets, which have an almost identical icon, but are rewards rather than access tokens. The Prize Tickets are a currency and appear with your Valor points and the like, while the Ride Tickets stack in your bag. If you get onto one of the carousel's mounts, and can't seem to get off, type /leavevehicle into chat. You can also keybind this function via the WoW Key Bindings menu. Mists of Pandaria is here! The level cap has been raised to 90, many players have returned to Azeroth, and pet battles are taking the world by storm. Keep an eye out for all of the latest news, and check out our comprehensive guide to Mists of Pandaria for everything you'll ever need to know.
Patch 5.1 alters US and Oceanic realm event times
Blizzard Senior Community Manager Zarhym has posted on the US forums, informing players that, with the arrival of patch 5.1, substantial changes have been made to realm reset times throughout the US realm region, including oceanic servers. The reason behind this is the impact of cross-realm zones, or CRZ, on times events such as the Stranglethorn Fishing Extravaganza. Previously, players were able to manipulate the new feature to "realm-hop" to hand in the quests the moment the tournaments began, so Blizzard shut them down while the devs worked on a solution. The solution they've reached for patch 5.1 is to normalize event times across the US, and set up a different group of normalized times for the Oceanic region. The EU's servers have worked like this for many years, and it seems a viable answer to the problem, although some adjustment will be necessary for those who are inconvenienced by the changes. Due to the huge time difference, as noted, Oceanic servers have different reset times, but they continue to share raid and dungeon lockouts with US servers as Blizzard's team wish to maintain the large player pool for their matchmaking systems to draw from. Hit the break for Zarhym's full post and to see when your new reset times are.
Patch 5.1 PTR: Blizzard reserves the final Darkmoon word
With this morning's minor PTR patch, a few changes were datamined, most notably to the trinkets earned from the Darkmoon Faire. Another small addition revealed itself, an achievement associated with the Wrathion quest chain called A Test of Valor. The Darkmoon Faire trinkets were said to have seen the stat levels of their procs altered considerably, indicating that they had all been nerfed down to a default value of 2,682 from their current positions. But datamining isn't always accurate. Lead Systems Designer Greg "Ghostcrawler" Street has tweeted in the past about this, and reiterated his message today with this missive: .@wtsheals We didn't change the stats on the relics. We made a behind the scenes change to let them upgrade correctly. Data mining issue? - Greg Street (@Ghostcrawler) November 13, 2012 Blizzard Blue Daxxarri then added a similar message to the US forums: Daxxarri No! Bad! Stop pointing to data-mined content as fact. The change that got picked up was actually an adjustment to Darkmoon Card trinkets for Challenge Mode stat scaling. source While it's important that the Darkmoon trinkets weren't nerfed, the big message here is that datamined content is not always fact. Yes, dataminers get a lot right, but always take their information with a pinch of salt. Mists of Pandaria is here! The level cap has been raised to 90, many players have returned to Azeroth, and pet battles are taking the world by storm. Keep an eye out for all of the latest news, and check out our comprehensive guide to Mists of Pandaria for everything you'll ever need to know.
Gold Capped: How to get a MoP Darkmoon trinket
Every week, WoW Insider brings you Gold Capped, in which Basil "Euripides" Berntsen and Fox Van Allen aim to show you how to make money on the Auction House. Check out Basil's re-reboot of Call To Auction, and email Basil with your questions, comments, or hate mail! The Darkmoon Faire comes to town once a month, and if you want to get one of those amazingly good darkmoon trinkets, you're going to need a fairly large pile of gold. There are a couple of ways of going about it with varying levels of cost and effort. Interestingly, our own Fox Van Allen became a "Darkmoon Mogul" last expansion when he made his first million gold. At the time, you could simply make as many cards as you were willing to mill the ink for, and people willing to make those cards could profit in spades. There's still money to be made in this, however don't walk in with your eyes closed -- the system has changed, and there's more risk now than ever. Getting one the hard way Getting a deck for yourself can be expensive and simple, or cheap and complicated. You basically have two choices: hustle for cards to make your own deck, or buy a finished deck or trinket.
Patch 5.1 PTR: Darkmoon hats, new pet models and more
Care for a fancy hat? Wowhead found some new models from the patch 5.1 PTR server, including a stunning array of fancy chapeaus courtesy of the Darkmoon Faire. Each has its own bizarre style, and some even include animations like flickering lights or bobbles that sway in the breeze. Wowhead has animated versions of all of the models so you can see the movements for yourself. How exactly one goes about obtaining these hats is unknown at this point, but you'll be able to find them at the Darkmoon Faire next patch. In addition, MMO-Champion dug up some new pet models from the PTR, including clockwork bears, cats and dinosaurs as well as an adorable group of red panda models in an assortment of colors. There have been some changes to pets as well -- Mr. Bigglesworth is no longer a drop from Kel'Thuzad. Instead, he's a reward for completing the achievement Raiding With Leashes, which requires the collection of all the new pets that have been added to raids. Since the new patch notes indicate players will no longer need to be in a raid group to enter pre-Mists of Pandaria raids, it should be even easier to get your hands on these new pets. Take a look at MMO-Champion for pet models, and head to Wowhead for the animated versions of all of the new hat models so you can see the movements for yourself. Mists of Pandaria is here! The level cap has been raised to 90, many players have returned to Azeroth, and pet battles are taking the world by storm. Keep an eye out for all of the latest news, and check out our comprehensive guide to Mists of Pandaria for everything you'll ever need to know.
Patch 5.1 adds new music tracks for Alliance, Horde
It's no secret that I love the music of Mists of Pandaria. But there's a part of me that missed the old themes and recognizable strains of the Alliance and Horde themes scattered about the old world. In patch 5.1, the Alliance and Horde will officially make their appearance on Pandaria's shores, bringing the conflict straight to the pandaren along with new scenarios, and new music. Wowhead dug up some of the tracks from the PTR and put them together in a video that's a little over 45 minutes long. Despite the length, it's well worth the listen, as the glorious sounds of Alliance anthems are brought back to life, as well as a darker, more haunting set of refrains for the Horde. Included too are tracks titled "Jaina's Homeland," which are recognizable variations of the Dalaran themes from Wrath of the Lich King. And if you'd like a little twisted fun, there's a track at the end for the new Darkmoon Faire carousel coming with the next patch, too. It's got that sweet yet slightly off feeling of any good track from a Burton movie. I love the music for Warcraft, and I love that we're getting so many music updates right along with patch updates. I hope we'll be able to purchase these pieces on a secondary soundtrack at some point! Mists of Pandaria is here! The level cap has been raised to 90, many players have returned to Azeroth, and pet battles are taking the world by storm. Keep an eye out for all of the latest news, and check out our comprehensive guide to Mists of Pandaria for everything you'll ever need to know.
Darkmoon Faire updates in store for patch 5.1
Those patiently waiting for additional updates to the Darkmoon Faire will only have to wait until patch 5.1 for more to do and items to collect! Wowhead dug up the latest details on the Darkmoon Faire, including several new pets as well as a new attraction. The Darkmoon Carousel can be ridden with tickets, and it has an added bonus for leveling players -- you'll receive a buff simply titled WHEE! that increases experience and reputation gain by 10% for an hour. The Darkmoon Faire also gets its own Master Pet Trainer for players to defeat. Jeremy Feasel will be available on the island with a monkey, a tonk, and a Darkmoon Eye for players to defeat. What's that Darkmoon Eye all about? Apparently it's a new pet that's available from Darkmoon Pet Supplies -- something that may be obtained from beating Jeremy Feasel. If you haven't been doing any Darkmoon Faire dailies recently, now would be a good time to start, as there's a new pet available for tickets. The Darkmoon Hatchling is an adorable mini version of the Swift Forest Strider already available at the Faire. It'll set you back 90 tickets, but it's completely adorable -- and who doesn't like a pet that matches a favorite mount? Visit Wowhead for more details on the new items and sites from the Darkmoon Faire. Mists of Pandaria is here! The level cap has been raised to 90, many players have returned to Azeroth, and pet battles are taking the world by storm. Keep an eye out for all of the latest news, and check out our comprehensive guide to Mists of Pandaria for everything you'll ever need to know.
Ink traders finally accepting new inks
If you're looking to get a Darkmoon Deck made before the end of the faire, you might be interested to know that despite a false start earlier this week, the Ink Traders and inscription vendors now accept trades of 10 Ink of Dreams for a Starlight Ink. Ink Vendors finally updated. Very sorry for the delay. - Greg Street (@Ghostcrawler) October 12, 2012 The Darkmoon Faire is only around once a month, and the one on now is ending this Sunday, October 14th. Unless the Faire is going on, you can't trade, for example, a Crane Deck in for a Relic of Chi Ji. This expansion, unlike in others, Darkmoon Cards require an item that can only be made once a day by scribes, the Scroll of Wisdom. Scribes who have been hanging onto their Scrolls should probably look into making them into cards now that the inks can be gotten cheaply, since by the time the next Faire rolls around, there will be 3 more weeks worth of daily cooldowns waiting to be turned into cards. These trinkets range from pretty good to among the best in slot for most classes, so almost everyone can use one, and many people really want one. Additionally, since the Starlight Inks have been so expensive lately, the epic quality shoulder enchants have been quite expensive. Now that you can trade the much less expensive Ink of Dreams in for them, you should see the prices lower on the Greater Ox Horn Inscription, the Greater Crane Wing Inscription, the Greater Tiger Claw Inscription, and the Greater Tiger Fang Inscription. Maximize your profits with advice from Gold Capped. Want to know the very best ways to earn 10,000 gold? Top gold making strategies for auctioneers? How about how to reach 1 million gold -- or how one player got there and then gave it all away? Fox and Basil are taking your questions at fox@wowinsider.com and basil@wowinsider.com.
The OverAchiever: That Rabbit's Dynamite!
Every Thursday, The Overachiever shows you how to work toward those sweet achievement points. This week, the shadow of a nameless, albeit cuddly, fear. One of the problems with WoW's complexity is how difficult it is to write about anything that you haven't personally done. As a result, most OverAchiever columns are about achievements I've either finished or am actively working on, in the hopes of avoiding outdated or inaccurate information. However, this week's option cracked me up so much that, even though my guild's largely on break until Mists of Pandaria hits, I kind of have to write about it. Today, dear readers, we are going to address a brand-new achievement, from what is currently the most dangerous raid boss in the game as of patch 5.0.4: The killer rabbit of Darkmoon Island. Stop laughing and get back here. That rabbit's dynamite.
Darkmoon Faire achievement progress reset yet again
Remember that big controversy in January when all of the progress people had made toward the big Darkmoon Faire achievements was reset? Remember how it happened again a month later, but we were promised that it would be saved from that point forward? Well, you can probably guess what happened: Orlyia -- Issue - Darkmoon Faire February's Darkmoon Faire achievement progress status was cleared prior to the launch of March's faire. Any achievements that were started but not completed have had their criteria reset. Completed achievements are unaffected. We previously announced that this was resolved for this month and going forward, unfortunately, that did not happen and this is still being investigated for a resolution. The following achievements are most likely impacted: Darkmoon Defender Darkmoon Dungeoneer Darkmoon Despoiler Regrettably, we are not able to restore any progress you may have made during February's faire. We understand the impact this may have had and sincerely apologize for any inconvenience caused. source At this point, I'd recommend to everyone still working on these achievements that you save up your artifacts and turn them all in during one Faire, in order to ensure credit. For the goblins among us, however, this means it's still a good gold-making opportunity, so check out our guide to profiting off the Darkmoon Faire.
