Festival days were always popular in Classic World of Warcraft which is why they still exist in the retail version of the game. This is the first time the official version of Classic WoW will celebrate the festival, and the event has evolved a lot in later expansions.
It’s safe to say the festival in Classic will be much different from the modern counterpart, known as “retail.” Some things are unrecognizable while others retain the look they had in the very beginning. Other details are missing entirely.
10 Real-World References
The Classic WoW festivals are based on real events and the Midsummer Fire Festival is no exception, but it’s not as universal as holidays like Christmas. The longest day of the year was celebrated in various cultures in ancient times, which explains the universal appeal of this holiday in World of Warcraft. It’s more popular today in northern regions where the summer solstice makes a bigger impact.
9 Burning Blossoms
Every festival has its own unique currency that players can collect and trade for buffs, edibles, accessories, and clothing from Midsummer Suppliers and Midsummer Merchants. Burning Blossoms are a special type of currency that is only traded during the Fire Festival. Folks in retail know that this is the stiff of transmogrification gold. You can also throw them into a bonfire to get a handy combat buff.
8 The Sacred Bonfires
There are sacred bonfires that pop up all over Azeroth during this time, some of them in the quiet wilderness and others carefully guarded in major cities. They aren’t just for show, although you have to admit the developers and designers did a great job.
Players visit the bonfires as part of the seasonal quests available during this period. You can also listen to stories, experience some lore, and collect Burning Blossoms during your travels.
7 The Festival Talespinner
Any questions that aren’t addressed here can be directed to the Festival Talespinner, who helps adventurers get started on their midsummer adventures. In the modern version of the game, these are “Loremasters.” That does roll off the tongue a bit better.
They send players on their first quests for the festivals, a long chain that gets progressively more difficult. This NPC only appears during the Midsummer Fire Festival and there are only six of them in the whole game, one for each major city.
6 The Festival of Fire Quest
The major quest for this holiday, it’s a fairly easy challenge and virtually all players can take part in it. Only players of level 50 or higher can move on to the others. It’s the first step in a longer chain, so if you want to move on to the others, you have to start here regardless of your present level. Indulge in a bit of tourism and visit your faction’s capital cities to complete this quest.
5 A Light in Dark Places
One of the many quests you can only do during this festival, “A Light in Dark Places” isn’t just a reference to The Lord of the Rings. It’s the flip side of the starting quest, except this time you go to dangerous and obscure places to complete your mission, so only high-level players are eligible. These are some of the highest level dungeons and raids in the game, including Dire Maul, Lower Blackrock Spire, Scholomance, and Stratholme. Gear up and bring friends.
4 Stealing the Flame
Only PvPers or higher level characters will be able to tackle this quest. It requires infiltrating an enemy city, either by stealth or open attack, and stealing a flame from one of their sacred bonfires. That’s even more dangerous than the ones that require visits to max-level dungeons. If you can’t stealth or raid your way in, you have to skip the quests or find another way.
3 A Thief’s Reward
This is the last quest that’s available to players after they complete all of the others, and one of the rewards is the Crown of the Fire Festival, an intrinsic part of the complete seasonal set. All you have to do to turn it in is talk to one of the Talespinners after completing the others, and you’re done. In the retail version of World of Warcraft, this quest also rewards 15 gold and 5000 experience points.
2 Fire Festival Items
The regalia, rewards, and other items that players seek during the Midsummer Fire Festival have gone through a lot of changes in recent years. The modern festival is famous for its transmogrification pieces. A few holdouts from the days of vanilla are the Fire Festival tabard and the Crown of the Fire Festival.
There’s a whole set of clothing that players can get to match their Crown, including a robe and spaulders. Instead of a quest reward, however, they can simply trade a few Burning Blossoms to complete the set.
1 Looking for Lord Ahune
If you’ve played retail, this question will cross your mind. Lord Ahune, the infamous fire festival boss that drops the fearsome Frostscythe of Lord Ahune, is conspicuously absent. Unfoturneatley for Classic WoW players, this NPC only exists in the Slave Pens of Coilfang Reservoir, an area that was added during the Burning Crusade patch. Since 2010 he’s been regulated to a special part of the dungeon reserved only for this event.
NEXT: 5 Reasons WoW Classic Is Better Than Retail, And 5 Reasons Retail Is Better
