WOW summer festival kicks off

By Ellie Gibson Published 21 June, 2006

Time to get all fired up.

Calling all World of Warcraft fans: today sees the start of the Midsummer Fire Festival, an event that celebrates ancient magic and old tradition and really big bonfires.

Festival camps have been set up across Azeroth, where the bonfires are watched over by the flamekeepers. Rumour has it that the myriad powers of the flames include cleansing and blessing, and presumably heating.

Revellers will gather together to pass on tales of old magic and the elemental spirits, and to dance around ribbon poles like big pointy-eared Morris Men.

Visitors to Azeroth's capital cities can seek out Fire Festival quest givers and take on perilous tasks in exchange for "exciting seasonal rewards." The Festival traditionally ends with a great big fireworks extravaganza, courtesy of those loveable old goblins of Undermine.

The Midsummer Fire Festival will run until 5th July.

Picture of Ellie.

About Ellie Gibson

Since joining Eurogamer in the mid 2000s, Ellie has written about subjects as diverse as the fall of Gizmondo, the rise of Hollyoaks actresses in Red Alert games and the noise a bear makes under NSFW circumstances.

Read more articles from Ellie by visiting the Ellie Gibson archive page.

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Comments (20) Latest comment 6 years ago

Comments for this article are now closed, but please feel free to continue chatting on the forum!

  • Rayn #1 6 years ago

    MMO Geeks for the win. Let's sit inside during summer and celebrate summer.

    PS: I can't wait.

  • DjTrash #2 6 years ago

    This beats going outside in the real summer!

  • Kami #3 6 years ago

    All well and good, but we know what Blizzard are like. Most won't be getting to the game until tonight at the earliest, perhaps tomorrow, because the first day of a patch is always a spectacular show of how to cock things up and piss off your userbase.

    Damn you Blizzard for making the game so addictive.

  • Sko #4 6 years ago

    I tried summer once. It was hot. Didn't like it.

  • loopy #5 6 years ago

    "All well and good, but we know what Blizzard are like. Most won't be getting to the game until tonight at the earliest, perhaps tomorrow, because the first day of a patch is always a spectacular show of how to cock things up and piss off your userbase."

    Quoted for truth. No euro-patch mirrors up yet that I can find, and Blizz's downloader is crawling like an asthmatic snail in a bowl of sawdust.

    Also, I hear that even if you have (amazingly) already got the patch, the euro-realms are all down anyway. Nice. :S

    English euro-patch just gone up:

    http://files.filefront.com/WoW_1102___11...
    Edited by loopy at 21/06/06 @ 14:18

  • Kami #6 6 years ago

    Quote by loopy:
    "Blizz's downloader is crawling like an asthmatic snail in a bowl of sawdust."

    Come on. Blizzard's Downloader program makes that snail look like an olympic athlete in comparison.

  • WrongShui #7 6 years ago

    Got the patch, no realms up.

    At this rate Ill have to go to work or do something productive.

  • Kami #8 6 years ago

    I say again...

    "the first day of a patch is always a spectacular show of how to cock things up and piss off your userbase."

  • Sko #9 6 years ago

    Aye, and it brings the whiney bitches flocking to the WoW forums too, not that they need that much of an exuse. Most of them just don't know to set their system up to get more than a dribble out of the patch downloader.

  • Wobble #10 6 years ago

    in exchange for "exciting seasonal rewards."

    woot.. I want some Epic Thyme, or basil... or oregano.

    /coat

  • EmiliasHorse #11 6 years ago

    Woo Hoo Blizzard have forced EVERY high lvl character to EPL. Its stuffed full with 100's of Horde and Alliance, they have linked the Group chan so you have to deselect it or face endless group requests blocking party or guild chat.

    Oh and low end machines will crawl with the extra content (Which a cursory glance looks shit).

    Well done Blizzard this is a great patch.

  • WrongShui #12 6 years ago

    New flight paths, some rep rewards, an Eternal Quintessence so no more treks to Azshara and finally a keyring!

    Im sorry you play WoW on an EZ Bake Oven Emilia

  • EmiliasHorse #13 6 years ago

    I don't in fact it works fine since I upgraded (To keep WOW in the luxury it expects). But those stated box specs are rapidly becoming obsolete (I care for those who don't buy the latest hardware)..... And a Keyring impresses you?? FFS
    Edited by EmiliasHorse at 21/06/06 @ 22:33

  • WrongShui #14 6 years ago

    Its handy, would you rather be kicked in the balls?

  • Inquisitor #15 6 years ago

    I've never played a proper MMO and I still hate them! The idea of trying to get people hooked into levelling up and trying to stay at the same level as their friends (thus wasting hours of their lives) and having to pay for the priviledge to do so just seems wrong to me.

    Having said that I have always been tempted to play them, its like being drawn to the darkside. If I had many friends that played this sort of thing my resolve would probably not have held up!

  • EmiliasHorse #16 6 years ago

    So is a kick in the balls in 1.12?

    Agreed a keyring is handy but swamping the EPL, and linking the Group chan surely can only be described as a mistake by Blizzard.

    Will it stop me playing? Not in the slightest

  • WrongShui #17 6 years ago

    EPL will thin out in time and the Global LFG channel is a step in the right direction, been after it since feb 05, beats having to sit in IF, can go grind something while you find a group.

    Hopefully they can extend it a bit more so its more practical than a mental spam session.
    Edited by WrongShui at 21/06/06 @ 22:56

  • EmiliasHorse #18 6 years ago

    Or perhapse as a mate said why not have the Group chan lvl related? I like that idea.

    I can see where Blizz are trying to go as the Meeting stones just don't work.

    And EPL will thin out just like the Darkmoon faire.

    Oh well back to the grind....Hi Ho

  • Aga #19 6 years ago

    I was very quick to /leave 4

  • Kami #20 6 years ago

    We now call the channel "LookingForSpam".

    And most people I know left it pretty much the moment it started to get abused.

    On the plus side, being in a raid team... I don't have to worry about the awful P-U-G problems any more.

    But global LFG is a disaster.