Patch 4.3 Preview - The All New Darkmoon Faire
Originally Posted by Blizzard (Blue Tracker / Official Forums)
Hurry! Hurry! Hurry! Step right up and prepare to be amazed!

It’s incredible! It’s unbelievable! You’ll be dazzled. You’ll be amazed! You aren’t prepared for the Darkmoon Faire, ‘cause it’s like nothing you’ve seen before! Don’t be shy now, don’t be bashful, step right up for a tantalizing glimpse of what we’ve got in store for you when patch 4.3 arrives!

That old thing?

No, no, no, Clem. The Darkmoon Faire isn’t what it used to be and it isn’t where it used to be. The management hasn’t changed but the Faire certainly has. It’s a whole new animal. Tickets? You don’t need those old tickets, just rip ‘em right up, ‘cause we’ve got new tickets! Out with the old, in with the new -- new quests, that is! Things have changed ‘round here: we’ve got an island all to ourselves now, and what an island it is. Mist-shrouded Darkmoon Island is a conundrum wrapped in an enigma. It’s a place of mystery and wonder, and you wouldn’t believe the deals we made to get it… or who we made ‘em with. But never mind that, just follow me right through here and I’ll show you what the Darkmoon Faire is all about.


All new! All spectacular!

Catch a show at the marvelous main stage or witness a dazzling fireworks display. But don’t stare too long or you might miss the stunning spectacles that surround you. Gaze in awe of our magical menagerie, get your fortune told by the amazing Sayge, go on a pony ride, experience the healthful effects of carnival food, and more!

Of course, there’s more to the Darkmoon Faire than just fantastic shows and culinary delights. You can still turn in your Darkmoon Cards, but you wouldn’t just come here for measly ol’ cards when there’s so much more to see, experience, and win. Yes, win! You like dancing bears, right? Everybody likes dancing bears. Even bears like dancing bears. How about a dancing bear… you can ride!

That’s not all! We have adorable companion pets includin’ a fez-wearing monkey, a plethora of profession recipes, toys, balloons, souvenirs, delectable carnival snacks and beverages, heirlooms for the little ones, and even replicas of long-lost suits of armor that we’re offering for your Transmogrification needs. You can also make your mark with new achievements and titles. All it takes to earn these fabulous rewards is a few Darkmoon Faire Prize Tickets and a good reputation with the carnies. How do ya get your grubby mitts on some tickets? I’m glad you asked!

Step right up! Try your luck! Everyone’s a winner!

Have we got games? You bet we’ve got games, and they’re so easy to play an orc could do it. Just head on over to the midway, buy some Darkmoon Game Tokens, and get ready to play. Easy to learn, difficult to master, anyone can play and everyone can win. Just lay your tokens down for a chance at winning Darkmoon Prize Tickets playing games like Whack-a-Gnoll, the Tonk Battle Royale, the Cannon, Ring Toss, the Shooting Gallery, and more! Five games are there to test your skills at any one time. The better you play, the easier it is to win a bucket of Darkmoon Faire Prize Tickets! Once a month, you’ve got a shot at tickets, and the fun never stops ‘cause you can play as many times as you like. But that’s not the only way to win big!


The Darkmoon Faire Field Guide

It’s your passport to riches, my friend. Y’see, we need a few things -- just some junk, nothing valuable to a big hero like you. We call ‘em Darkmoon Artifacts, and there’s all different kinds to be found all over Azeroth. The Darkmoon Field Guide helps you discover artifacts while you’re explorin’ dungeons, slayin’ monsters, and fightin’ in Battlegrounds. Without a guide, you’d never notice ‘em, and it’ll help keep you focused on the stuff we want. Whether you just reached level 10, or you’ve crushed the biggest baddies in the land, we need somethin’ from nearly everybody. You won’t have to go too far out of your way to get ‘em and each month you’ll get a new opportunity to seek out an Artifact for us. What do you get out of the deal? Don’t you worry, you’ll get your cut. When you bring a Darkmoon Artifact back to us, you’ll get valuable experience (it builds character, you know!), earn a better reputation, and possibly earn precious Darkmoon Faire Prize Tickets too!

Oh, did I mention that you can use the Field Guide to get to Darkmoon Island whenever the Darkmoon Faire’s monthly extravaganza is up and running?

So, you want to work in show business?

Maybe you’d like a little peek behind the scenes, eh? Want to see what it takes to run the greatest show on Azeroth? Well, it’s not all sunshine and cotton candy, my friend. There are beasts to heal, food to cook, and buildings to fix. If you’re willing help keep the show going and put your skills to work, you’ll not only impress us, but you can get experience, Darkmoon Prize Tickets, and even polish up your skills -- up to five skill points per profession, per Faire week, if you’re good at what you do!


Darkmoon Deathmatch!

Like any good carnival, the Darkmoon Faire has a shady side. You can leave the skilled labor to the suckers and go for a faster score instead. If you’ve got the minerals, the Darkmoon Deathmatch offers an experience unparalleled since the Gurubashi Arena. Pitmaster Pei has a big old treasure chest just brimming with goodies and Darkmoon Faire Prize Tickets that he’ll drag out into the Darkmoon Deathmatch Pit every three hours or so. Everybody wants it, so if you want a piece of the action you’ll just have to jump in and prove that you’re the toughest one in the Pit.

Oh, the Faire is perfectly safe, Clem. Just don’t wander into the woods.

Now, now, don’t panic. Darkmoon Isle might be a bit spooky, but except for the Deathmatch Pit, the Faire itself is completely safe, I guarantee it. It’s a sanctuary even, and we won’t let anybody’s beef ruin the fun. The shadowy woods surroundin’ the fair are another thing entirely, though. I wouldn’t say that people have disappeared into those woods never to return, but, well… people disappear into those woods never to return. So watch your step , and your back, when you leave the Faire. Don’t say I didn’t warn ya!


Mark your calendar

Now that you know how amazing the new Darkmoon Faire is, you won’t want to miss it. Just take a look at your in-game calendar, and the Darkmoon Faire dates will show up there on the first week of every month. Darkmoon Faire barkers and displays will also pop up in every capital city to herald the arrival of the Faire. Silas Darkmoon himself has even started up a mailer to make sure that no one misses out!

Hitch a ride

During the first week of each month, convenient Darkmoon Faire outposts with Darkmoon Portals will appear in Elwynn Forest and Mulgore, offering free rides to Darkmoon Island and the Faire!

Darkmoon Mages in capital cities and on Darkmoon Island will also be around to help you get between the Faire and various capital cities. There’s no such thing as a free lunch, so naturally you’re obliged to compensate them for their services.

The all new Darkmoon Faire is coming to Darkmoon Island in patch 4.3. Don’t miss it!
This article was originally published in forum thread: Patch 4.3 Preview - The All New Darkmoon Faire started by Boubouille View original post
Comments 472 Comments
  1. Demona3's Avatar
    It's really GM island.
  1. Alraml's Avatar
    Quote Originally Posted by feigning View Post
    TBC did have about 52. He exaggerated slightly, but I won't fault him for it. TBC did have more bosses than Cataclysm has had so far. You know, since it's not even completed. And the amount of bosses is really all that matters.
    I just find that some of TBC's bosses wouldn't be considered bosses by today's standards and merely named trash. I'm looking at you Moroes
  1. Bahska's Avatar
    you get idiots in your level 85 group who do 600 dps because hunters use expertise.
    Cause that never happened before Cataclysm right?
  1. ZenX's Avatar
    Quote Originally Posted by keLston View Post
    Because people are looking for actual content, not a daily quest hub with arbitrary gating mechanics to pace how long it takes you to actually get to the end so that it will last until the next expansion since 4.3 is the last content patch until the next expansion.

    If you looked at it expansion by expansion, this is the worst expansion by amount of actual content but each time someone brings it up, some Blizzard apologist quickly comes up with some excuse demanding people to stop being so negative. Why? Did your monthly subscription start costing less? Did Cataclysm expansion cost less than the TBC expansion or WotLK expansion?

    TBC gave us nearly 60 raid bosses, a new "planet", a ton of new dungeons and bosses within, heroics, and love it or hate it gave us arenas and daily BG/honor grinds as a way for PvPers to compete which was also brand new content. WotLK gave us like 45 some raid bosses, a new continent, a handful of new dungeons, and it gave casuals a way to gear up with the Argent Tournament.

    Cataclysm will end up giving us 20? some raid bosses and at least 2 end ones so far have been recycled (Nef and Ragnaros), 7 new dungeons and recycled for us Shadowfang Keep and Deadmines, recycled ZA and ZG and called them "new", gave us like 5 new zones. The content is so lacking, in fact, that Blizzard apologists are so desperate that you're willing to latch on to a side event like the Darkmoon Faire and call it "content"? Oh look it adds a mount ooooh. And some companion pets. Oooooh. So a billion dollar company took a year to add 1 mount and some companion pets? This is what you accept as content now when you are paying the same price? Your bar is so low?

    They're not even bothering trying to put out new content because they decided that after 5 years of saying they didn't want you changing how you looked, they reneged and introduced transmogrification and you said HOORAY. So the "new content" of Cataclysm is you going back to do level 60 raids to get the gear you sold 4 years ago, that way, they don't have to make any new things for you because you're too busy going HEHEHE LETS GET THE OLD STUFF AGAIN THAT I FARMED BEFORE.

    This is why the game is dumbed down. Because Blizzard keeps lowering the bar and instead of getting an outcry, you just nod and lower your expectations below their bar and accept what they gave you. Giving you less and less each year but trying to squeeze out more microtransactions, and you keep paying for extra while accepting less for the same price you've been paying.

    It's absurd. And stupid.

    Content? It's not content. It's laughing at you and you're apologizing for it.
    Only thing I don't agree here is Nefarian and Ragnaros being rehashes, from the moment you had your way with them in vanilla with all the breadcrumb quests around it hinted at possible returns, one being the element of necromancy giving way for Deathwing raising his son back from the grave with his possible return and Ragnaros being an elemental lord as every other of them, is only killable in his domain. Normally, the game and the expansions should have lined up as:

    Vanilla, WotLK, Cataclysm, South Seas/Naz'jatar and then places in Twisting Nether, yet due to the ever crying, non-quest description reading and shiny-loving and overestimating idiots this community has contained Blizzard have screwed up the game, right now I'm not even waiting for the Blizzcon announcements, all I'm waiting for is my guild to find a proper replacement in place of mine, then I'll take my leave, not for another MMO of course, because what we have(and will have, SWTOR or GW2 eg) won't be what WoW was supposed to me as from what I've seen so far, the companies are blinded with their greed to the point now where they are aiming to gain money and forgetting to make the game. What I mean here is that, it should be a strong story driving the game not a fragile gameplay, yet they're just too lazy and extremely greedy(as every company is) to do that...

    The problem in the end is Blizzard not trying to listen to the community, but trying to silence some annoying brats, they know it and do it and most of you ignore it while some are still crying on it.

    This DMF Island being another artificially gated grind, is a state-of-the-art proof to my argument.

    Criers continue to cry, lawyers on with your advocation and ignorers, words are lost on you either way...

    \*Peace*/
  1. Chaoslux's Avatar
    I predict a new "Darkmoon Island" reputation. Because blizzard do not work on old reps anyway. Cenarion Circle? Cenarion Expedition next expansion. Argent Dawn? Argent Crusade next expansion.
  1. Diggypoo's Avatar
    Is it wrong that I read this entire post in the voice of Ivan Ooze? I think not...
  1. Shockey's Avatar
    Quote Originally Posted by keLston View Post
    Because people are looking for actual content, not a daily quest hub with arbitrary gating mechanics to pace how long it takes you to actually get to the end so that it will last until the next expansion since 4.3 is the last content patch until the next expansion.

    If you looked at it expansion by expansion, this is the worst expansion by amount of actual content but each time someone brings it up, some Blizzard apologist quickly comes up with some excuse demanding people to stop being so negative. Why? Did your monthly subscription start costing less? Did Cataclysm expansion cost less than the TBC expansion or WotLK expansion?

    TBC gave us nearly 60 raid bosses, a new "planet", a ton of new dungeons and bosses within, heroics, and love it or hate it gave us arenas and daily BG/honor grinds as a way for PvPers to compete which was also brand new content. WotLK gave us like 45 some raid bosses, a new continent, a handful of new dungeons, and it gave casuals a way to gear up with the Argent Tournament.

    Cataclysm will end up giving us 20? some raid bosses and at least 2 end ones so far have been recycled (Nef and Ragnaros), 7 new dungeons and recycled for us Shadowfang Keep and Deadmines, recycled ZA and ZG and called them "new", gave us like 5 new zones. The content is so lacking, in fact, that Blizzard apologists are so desperate that you're willing to latch on to a side event like the Darkmoon Faire and call it "content"? Oh look it adds a mount ooooh. And some companion pets. Oooooh. So a billion dollar company took a year to add 1 mount and some companion pets? This is what you accept as content now when you are paying the same price? Your bar is so low?

    They're not even bothering trying to put out new content because they decided that after 5 years of saying they didn't want you changing how you looked, they reneged and introduced transmogrification and you said HOORAY. So the "new content" of Cataclysm is you going back to do level 60 raids to get the gear you sold 4 years ago, that way, they don't have to make any new things for you because you're too busy going HEHEHE LETS GET THE OLD STUFF AGAIN THAT I FARMED BEFORE.

    This is why the game is dumbed down. Because Blizzard keeps lowering the bar and instead of getting an outcry, you just nod and lower your expectations below their bar and accept what they gave you. Giving you less and less each year but trying to squeeze out more microtransactions, and you keep paying for extra while accepting less for the same price you've been paying.

    It's absurd. And stupid.

    Content? It's not content. It's laughing at you and you're apologizing for it.
    WotLK

    Ony and Naxx ... Good thing those weren't recycled.

    Also you don't have to use transmog its for people who like the look of the old gear its not like they aren't adding new gear.

    I never say this because its usually BS but seriously if you don't like the game stop playing and stop looking at websites about the game that you supposedly hate.
  1. Nova18's Avatar
    Cant wait for the Darkmoon death match!
  1. Bombkirby's Avatar
    Quote Originally Posted by ZenX View Post
    This DMF Island being another artificially gated grind, is a state-of-the-art proof to my argument.
    Explain to me how this is a grind? =P My alts will be enjoying the free experience and free profession skill points. Oh no! How grindy! An ALTERNATE way to get things done that only happens every 4 weeks! Oh the HORROR!

    Oh and ALL my toons shall be participating in the DEATHMATCH! Wooooo! Free rare items just by beating people up? I am totally there!
  1. ardipithecus11's Avatar
    Quote Originally Posted by Bombkirby View Post
    Explain to me how this is a grind? =P My alts will be enjoying the free experience and free profession skill points. Oh no! How grindy! An ALTERNATE way to get things done that only happens every 4 weeks! Oh the HORROR!
    Well, I'm sure as hell it will be a big ass grind with some gimmicks to keep people hooked, that's what blizzard always does. Then again, not because there are new dailies and whatnot it means you HAVE to do them. For instance, I only got the blacksmith patterns because a friend needed them, I got them to never set a foot on the molten front, and don't even get me started on Tol Barad.
  1. Malygos The Spellweaver's Avatar
    Quote Originally Posted by keLston View Post
    The question is, do you? Have you even done Rag? I'm 6/7H. What are you? You're praising the 1-60 redo lol, so you must be some rando casual. Rag is pmuch the same except he hits harder. He does a knockback, he summons sons, he even submerges. The difference is, you hit him from the front the entire time. Is the fight harder? Sure. But don't kid yourself if the fight is somehow novel or new.

    And really? Oh man, they redid 1-60 that takes 20 minutes to go through and all the zones are empty and you get idiots in your level 85 group who do 600 dps because hunters use expertise. AWESOME LEVEL 1-60 BRO. YOU DID IT. CONGRATS. With a billion dollars, it only took you 5 and a half years to revamp this content that has been sitting here.

    I hope you could update a god damned quest that tells you to collect 10 bear asses with a billion dollars within 5 years.
    Did you join in Cataclysm or what? If you had any idea of the 1-60 content before Cataclysm, it was a complete and total pain in the ass. It was boring, outdated, and everyone longed for the day they got to 58 so they could get to Outland. Blizzard updated this to the point that everyone dreads going to Outland now because the content THERE isn't half as interesting or fun as the 1-60 content.

    Clearly you are "LEET HARDCORE RAIDAR" which means you only appreciate your end game content. Thank god, you are not the only kind of player in WoW. Hard to believe, I know. And, Ragnaros, the same? LOL. 6/7H? That statement alone seems to point to "hasn't got a character past level 40".
  1. mmoc32fbbf5879's Avatar
    Quote Originally Posted by Bombkirby View Post
    Oh and ALL my toons shall be participating in the DEATHMATCH! Wooooo! Free rare items just by beating people up? I am totally there!
    You and the rest of 999 twinks.
  1. palladiamors's Avatar
    Oh look! More recycled content! Cataclysm is now more of a necro-expansion figuratively speaking then Wrath was literally speaking!Look, I know people are going to enjoy this, and that's great. I'm glad people are going to get something out of the second coming of the Darkmoon. But that doesn't change the fact that it's still just the Darkmoon faire, updated. It's not a new idea. I did this the first time it came out, like I did most everything else they've brought back this expansion. Also, people getting angry at the naysayers have to understand that this isn't going to be everyones cup of tea.It just sounds to me like they tossed as many cool ideas as they could into the faire ((Dancing bears! Fez wearing monkies! Old armor sets for our NEW transmogrifying! GURUBASHI 2.0!)) in an attempt to catch peoples attention and to try to slow the hemorraghing subs.
  1. Aberration's Avatar
    New Heirlooms it looks like. Count me in!
  1. Bahska's Avatar
    Well, I'm sure as hell it will be a big ass grind with some gimmicks to keep people hooked, that's what blizzard always does. Then again, not because there are new dailies and whatnot it means you HAVE to do them. For instance, I only got the blacksmith patterns because a friend needed them, to never set a foot on the molten front, and don't even get me started on Tol Barad.
    Two things you didn't have to do, you wanted to do molten front to help your friend and you wanted to do Tol Barad. i didn't do Tol Barad did i miss something? NOPE
    They were both optional just like this is.
  1. RincrowTheOmnipotent's Avatar
    Quote Originally Posted by Platipuss View Post
    ^ This!

    Blizzard: We give you more PETS!
    Players: Wheeeee!
    Blizzard: Also we give you more OLD STUFF!
    Players: Wheeeee!
    Blizzard: And quess what?
    Players: WHAT!!!!!
    ...
    ...
    Blizzard: MORE DAILIES!
    Players: Yeeeehaaaw! Thats most exciting patch ever! We love you Blizz!
    Or alternatively.
    Blizzard: We give you more bosses. And more bosses! And more Bosses.
    Non-raidres: Man this game sucks. Thats not content.
    Raiders: Shut the fuck up and get out of our game.
    Blizzard is doing a great job creating content for all. They even added a pvp deathmatch pit. Still pvp players can use a lot more love. Stop forcing your idea of fun and content on other people. Theres more to this than just pets and old armors sets. Just like theirs more to raiding than gear.
  1. Bombkirby's Avatar
    Quote Originally Posted by ardipithecus11 View Post
    Well, I'm sure as hell it will be a big ass grind with some gimmicks to keep people hooked, that's what blizzard always does. Then again, not because there are new dailies and whatnot it means you HAVE to do them. For instance, I only got the blacksmith patterns because a friend needed them, to never set a foot on the molten front, and don't even get me started on Tol Barad.
    Well this doesn't seem to be built around dailies. It clearly says you can do everything as much as you want. You could get what you're after in a day probably! Seems anti-grindy to me. It mostly just seems like something you by to have fun in and get rewarded with free items.
  1. ardipithecus11's Avatar
    Quote Originally Posted by Bahska View Post
    Two things you didn't have to do, you wanted to do molten front to help your friend and you wanted to do Tol Barad. i didn't do Tol Barad did i miss something? NOPE
    They were both optional just like this is.
    Eh, that's what I meant, that you don't have to do them.
  1. Jeffyjimbob's Avatar
    Well, seems like all those rogues decks I turned in were all for naught, but oh well. This seems like the fun alternative to raise my reputation.
  1. Bombkirby's Avatar
    Quote Originally Posted by RincrowTheOmnipotent View Post
    Or alternatively.
    Blizzard: We give you more bosses. And more bosses! And more Bosses.
    Non-raidres: Man this game sucks. Thats not content.
    Raiders: Shut the fuck up and get out of our game.
    ORRRR more accurately!

    Blizzard: New raiding content!
    Raiders: Uggg it'll suck. They can't match the epicness of VANILLA raids!
    Blizzard: Here you go raiders! We sure spent a lot of effort on this raid!
    Raiders: Worst raid ever! I'm unsubscribing! D:<
    Non Raiders: There's nothing new for us this patch! D:

    There's just no pleasing people. XD

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