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. huldu's Avatar
    Diablo 3 will take another chunk out of the playerbase(won't matter much since it's another Blizz product). LoL, HoN, WoT, TF2, all the "multiplayer" fps etc... and so on, i forgot to mention dota2. Players have choices these days. WoW is going down no matter what. It's old that is reason. We've done and seen it all since vanilla. Nothing is really new, it's just same old stuff with new packaging. This happens to all mmo's eventually.
  1. Tang's Avatar
    Blizzard continues their string of "answers to questions that no one asked" by reskinning the darkmoon faire.Clue level: Low, and dropping rapidly.
  1. Skiball's Avatar
    And now people can get rep with Darkmoon more easily. Yet another kick in the pants to people that got "The Insane" before Cata.
  1. deathtakes's Avatar
    Sounds pretty cool. This last and final patch might actually have me enjoying this expansion! The new free for all arena is going to be a gong show but might actually be fun to watch, looking forward to this.
  1. lilbuddhaman's Avatar
    Quote Originally Posted by mvallas View Post
    While Darkmoon Isle will not bring me back to WoW... I will admit that that, and the new Transmog, are indeed steps in the right direction.
    I equate Blizzard and their sudden release of Transmog and hurried content to American Car Manufacturers finally modernizing their car lines and increasing gas mileage. Too little, too late, still not as good as the competition.
  1. ohnztad's Avatar
    Quote Originally Posted by Runawaynow View Post
    If Darkmoon reputation becomes "easy to obtain" (read: "changes"), "the Insane" should become unavailable to obtain as a result. They did that with Naxx/Ulduar titles when they got too easy, might as well keep up the trend for posterity.
    "the Insane" has been easy for a long time, seing as they removed Shen'Dralar as a requierment.
  1. Mythodiir's Avatar
    What the fuck Blizz! You fucked it up! You want to make the entire fucking game a circus, go ahead! I'm not gonna pay for this shit!

    I'm gonna go fap and re-sub to Rifts. Screw Blizzard!





























































    (Jk of course.) Edit: Can't wait to see the people who didn't read this part to tell me to QQ more.
  1. Rawt's Avatar
    Quote Originally Posted by mvallas View Post
    To what specific "type of thing" are you reffering to that has somehow ruined the current state of the game?

    If anything, this game needs MORE of this kind of stuff!

    While Darkmoon Isle will not bring me back to WoW... I will admit that that, and the new Transmog, are indeed steps in the right direction.
    Spending resources on elements of the game that should come way after actual content. They spend more time placating people with short shelf life features, than they do focusing on core, game enhancing aspects.
  1. Cows For Life's Avatar
    I'm surprised a story about Darkmoon Faire is so busy with so many posts because the DMF had always been deserted on my server.
  1. mmoc6518533833's Avatar
    I hope they add shield heirlooms for tanking
  1. Boathouse's Avatar
    Never cared much for anything like this in game. However, this seems an awesome way to spend time and get a quick alt booster going. People forget games are supposed to be fun. Ignore the naysayers and QQers, they'll cry about everything.
  1. SHT's Avatar
    I think one thing that most people forget is this is an MMORPG.The posts are needlessly long because they are done "In Character" and the features are added because they have a solid focus on the main aspect of the game (its in the genre type and everything).This is seemingly forgotten in between the continual QQ about raiding and PvP.
  1. Zoros's Avatar
    Darkmoon Faire needed a revamp, but in the current state of the game some fresh content will be welcomed. Nefarian, Onyxia, Zul'gurub, Zul'aman, Deadmines, Shadowfang, Ragnaros, Molten Core 2.0, Blackwing Lair 2.0, Warsong 2.0, the whole Azeroth... And I bet that the new raid tier will be the lost tier 3, the same evils in the same scenarios again and again. Cataclysm should be renamed Dejavu.

    Ofc there are some good new content, look at Vashj'ir, is amazing, however the entire end game is focused on old content. Why? Because it's cheaper to adapt the old content to new players, than try to create new content for angry hardcore players. Hardcore players always return anyways. There's nothing out there that lasts more than 2 months.

    We must resing that the current WoW slogan is no longer quality, it's profitability, and Blizzard's quality efforts are invested in the new MMORPG project.
  1. Penguirrel's Avatar
    I've had 43 tickets to the fair for well over 4 years now. Now I see how wasted a bag slot that was.
  1. Notos's Avatar
    Quote Originally Posted by Zoros View Post
    Darkmoon Faire needed a revamp, but in the current state of the game some fresh content will be welcomed. Nefarian, Onyxia, Zul'gurub, Zul'aman, Deadmines, Shadowfang, Ragnaros, Molten Core 2.0, Blackwing Lair 2.0, Warsong 2.0, the whole Azeroth... And I bet that the new raid tier will be the lost tier 3, the same evils in the same scenarios again and again. Cataclysm should be renamed Dejavu.

    Ofc there are some good new content, look at Vashj'ir, is amazing, however the entire end game is focused on old content. Why? Because it's cheaper to adapt the old content to new players, than try to create new content for angry hardcore players. Hardcore players always return anyways. There's nothing out there that lasts more than 2 months.

    We must resing that the current WoW slogan is no longer quality, it's profitability, and Blizzard's quality efforts are invested in the new MMORPG project.
    This complaint is new and interesting... or it would have been several months ago. Btw, tier 7 was the new tier 3.
  1. Lady Vikai's Avatar
    I think we are all looking at this negatively for the wrong reasons.

    Many are looking for "New Content". That is, content "New" to them. Not revamped, not reused, and of course relavant to THEM.

    Earlier, someone summed up best what the Cata expansion was, W.o.W.2.0. This is because as they pointed out, TBC/Wrath was more of the stunning conclusions to Warcraft 3/FT more than it was to Vanilla Wow story. Cata has revamped MANY zones, provided 5 New zones, 40+ new Leveling zones, 1000s of quests, new reputations, a overhauled leveling system and talent system that would eventually get bulky, new bgs as well as the RBG, 5 new levels, 2 new races, started with 3 raids and NEW dungeons as well as 2 heroic old dungeons that people have been begging for since heroics were created. This is a LOT of content, but yes, there is Rag/MC 2.0, Nef/BWL 2.0, REUSED content, now we will see people in older gear.

    Some might view these as time or gold sinks, or even a waste of developers time, but let's face it, Wow is not the shiniest of games. This major revamp was NEEDED. So this expansion is merely laying the ground work, lore wise and content wise, for new and even veteran players that just wanted answers, for new and exciting things to come to date.

    OMG But DMF? Insane? They haven't said anything about insane, but acheives ALWAYS show timestamps, so show that off. As for new DMF? I would imagine a company like Blizzard has a LOT of people working on stuff. 4.3 has a TON of things to offer hardcore and softcore a like, and transmog/vs/DMF was ONLY announced first imo as a marketing ploy to retain the vast majority of players, the casuals that play this game for fun, read : FUN. You hardcore players? I imagine they have something for you, oh wait, 3 dungeons as well as 1 major raid. They just have not announced much on it, because money is still important to them, but they will get to you. "Shiny" just appeals to a more general crowd than "badass raids" would. Be smart.

    I am looking forward to at least trying DMF, I think it might be interesting, the raid is something I DEFINITELY want to be involved with, but my only disappointment is that I still have not received the dance studio that was promised on the box of my Wrath when I purchased it. This is fluff, yes, but, this is more promised fluff than just maybe fluff.

    Remember, Blizz knows there are great games coming up, SW, GW2, Tera, and many others that have good chances to destroy WoW, and Blizz took a big risk with Cata : The Revamp Expansion, but it needed it as it is showing it's age. Blizzard knows this, and I doubt they will not do everything they can to maintain a good gaming experience, well, as long as activision doesn't get any more involved /cry.
  1. webdonkey's Avatar
    Quote Originally Posted by Raptoos View Post
    Great.The less complaining noobs will play wow, the better this game will be

    less noobs?

    tbh... the noobs came with something pathetic that was called Cata...

    stfu with your noob comments, you prolly dont even know how it was before that.

    Biggest fail jpeg event ever they try to show off now... who gives a flying

    feck about the dmf...its time swtor comes out... cause after 6 years... im getting more bored

    by the day... and find myself logging on even less every day...

    ---------- Post added 2011-08-27 at 07:26 AM ----------

    Quote Originally Posted by Skiball View Post
    And now people can get rep with Darkmoon more easily. Yet another kick in the pants to people that got "The Insane" before Cata.

    Like the insane is hard to get... facepalm.jpg...

    start getting achievements for yourself... and not to show off your epeen to others...

    people will still see you got it before the change.... so your still a big boy!

    but tbh.. be real... insane... lmao... all i can say... bot.. bot.. bot...

    and many that have it will know what i mean... be real kiddo!
  1. Chikko's Avatar
    I want my bear form to have pinkish purple on her. that bear is so sweet looking, can i has it, please?
  1. Shâréz's Avatar
    Quote Originally Posted by webdonkey View Post
    less noobs?

    tbh... the noobs came with something pathetic that was called Cata...

    stfu with your noob comments, you prolly dont even know how it was before that.

    Biggest fail jpeg event ever they try to show off now... who gives a flying

    feck about the dmf...its time swtor comes out... cause after 6 years... im getting more bored

    by the day... and find myself logging on even less every day...
    Don't let the door hit you on your way out.

    Quote Originally Posted by webdonkey View Post
    <snip> ... be real kiddo!
    Am I the only one that started laughing when I saw that at the end of that post?
  1. killerrunes's Avatar
    I wants dat dancing bear mount, aslo OLD REPLICAS OF GEAR? ok im excited for this ^^

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