Lunar Festival

The Lunar Festival is the in-game holiday knock-off of the Chinese New Years.

To start off the Lunar Festival, citizens of every capital city, as well as regions of Nighthaven and Moonglade, put out festival lanterns that look akin to Chinese lanterns. When the actual New Year hits, there are celebratory events in-game to coincide with that happening. On the last day of festival there is also a big fireworks show in Moonglade over the Lake Elune'ara, including extra lanterns placed around.


The first thing you're going to be doing is getting the lead-in quests to take you to Moonglade so you can really "start getting involved" in this holiday. The only real purpose to do the quests that take you to Moonglade is to gain access to the Omen quest, for an achievement I'll get to later. Launch some rockets, get a letter, port yourself to Moonglade through a pillar of light. Boom, you're here.


The real idea of this holiday is to travel throughout different locations of the game, excluding the Outlands, and talk to and honor the Elders of both the Horde and Alliance. As you honor each Elder, you are given an Ancestry Coin and eight hours later, a red envelope in the mail containing either; a health boosting rocket cluster or a moonstone to create a pillar of light.


The red envelope items have little purpose, though I will say the moonstones were greatly effective during the Naxxramas days of indicating where each plague patch of floor was during the Heigan dance. the rocket cluster of health boosting-ness is only 250 health, so it's really only useful for those just beginning their heroic adventures.


Ancestry Coins are the real draw to this holiday.  Tailors and Engineers are the cream of the crop for this holiday, as the only patterns that can be purchased (they are BoP, so don't waste the coins on an alt) are for those two professions:

• The Engineering schematics are different colors of small rockets, large rockets, rocket clusters, large rocket clusters, and the launchers required to use said items outside of this holiday.
• The Tailoring patterns are red versions of the festival dress and festival suit you will see most characters, both male and female, wearing during this holiday.

Omen is our holiday boss, as almost every holiday has one of these now. He is summoned by launching off cluster rockets at the launchers near the lake's shore. It spawns his minions initially, who are weak, but after some time, Omen himself will spawn and come creeping out of the lake's depths. To finish the quest, and get the achievement involved, you have to not only kill him, but then stand in his corpse under the rays of the moonlight to gain a buff called "Elune's Blessings."


The "rewards" of this holiday are the Elune's Candle, which has an 88 shot count, and you can blast people and mobs with firework explosions. The other is Elune's Lantern, which turns a Solid Stone into an Elune's Stone, which works just as the Elder's Moonstones do; creating a patch of moonlight on a targeted location.


On to the achievements!

• A Coin of Ancestry/5 Coins of Ancestry/10 Coins of Ancestry/25 Coins of Ancestry/50 Coins of Ancestry: This achievement scales over time as you acquire more and more coins. It's the easiest of the achievements to get for this holiday simply because this is what you'll be doing to gather up most of the rest of the achievements anyway. So don't worry about not getting it completed, as long as you're doing the Elder achievements, you'll be fine here.

• Lunar Festival Finery: Take five of those lovely little Ancestry Coins you've been tracking down from the Elders and use them to purchase a Festival Suit or Festival Dress of any color. To note, the red festival dress made by tailors does not count toward this achievement.

• The Rocket's Red Glare: Spend a tiny little bit of your money on purchasing up 10 -red- rocket clusters. Make sure they're red or they won't count. After that, find yourself a cluster launcher and have at it. With 25 seconds on the timer, you really can't mess up unless you purposely screw this one up.

• Frenzied Firecracker: Just like the rockets, purchase firecrackers from the Lunar Festival vendors. You'll, again, need ten of these. Set them to a hotkey and toss 'em out on each cooldown. This one is easier to screw up, missing a single cooldown will make you fail. Grab some extra 'crackers if you don't think you'll get it in the first ten.

• Elune's Blessing: Complete the pre-requisite quests to gain access to the Elune's Blessing quest to go after Omen. Whether you actually participated in besting the beast or if you showed up during the aftermath, you can still complete the quest. As long as the beam of moonlight is there to grant the Elune's Blessing buff, you're good to roll. Turn the quest in to complete this achievement.

• Elders of the Eastern Kingdoms: Simply honor all of the Elders located on the Eastern Kingdoms. There are 24 total Elders on the Eastern Kingdoms that count toward the various Elder achievements. See the complete list after the break.

• Elders of Kalimdor: Simply honor all of the Elders located on Kalimdor. There are 26 total Elders on Kalimdor that count toward the various Elder achievements. See the complete list after the break.

• Elders of Northrend: Go around Northrend and honor the 25 total Elders there. Some count toward the Dungeon Elders count, but they all matter toward completing the Meta. See the complete list after the break.

• Elders of the Dungeons: Seek out the 13 Elders hiding away in instances on any of the three continents. These Elders might require some creativity, ingenuity, or friends. As always with instance achievements, doing this at level cap is significantly easier. See the complete list after the break.

• Elders of the Horde: Saunter, or tip-toe, your way through the Horde capitals and honor their very own Elders. There are 3 total Elders for this achievement. See the complete list after the break.

• Elders of the Alliance: Much like the Elders of the Horde, make your way through the Alliance capital cities and honor the Elders of the Alliance. There are 3 totals Elders for this achievement as well. See the complete list after the break.

EASTERN KINGDOMS
Snowcrown: Eastern Plaguelands, Light Hope's Chapel (75, 54)
Farwhisper: Stratholme, Live Side near The Unforgiven
Windrun: Eastern Plaguelands, Crown Guard Tower (35.6, 68.8)
Meadowrun: Western Plaguelands, Weeping Cave (63.5, 36.1)
Moonstrike: Western Plaguelands, Outside Scholomance (69.2, 73.5)
Graveborn: Tirisfal Glades, Brill (61.9, 53.9)
Darkcore: Undercity, Ruins of Lordaeron Throne Room (67, 38)
Obsidian: Silverpine Forest, The Sepulcher (45, 41.1)
Highpeak: The Hinterlands, Creeping Ruin (49, 47.9)
Silvervein: Loch Modan, Thelsamar (33, 46)
Goldwell: Dun Morogh, Kharanos (53.9, 49.9)
Bronzebeard: Ironforge, Mystic Ward (29, 16)
Ironband: Searing Gorge, Blackchar Cave (21.3, 79.1)
Morndeep: Blackrock Depths, Ring of Law
Stonefort: Lower Blackrock Spire, Inner Bridgework
Dawnstrider: Burning Steppes, Flame Crest (53.6, 24.5)
Rumblerock: Burning Steppes, Dreadmaul Rock (70.1, 45.4)
Starsong: Sunken Temple, Dragonkin Ring
Bellowrage: Blasted Lands, Dark Portal (54.3, 49.5)
Starglade: Northern Stranglethorn, Zul'Gurub (71, 34.3)
Winterhoof: Cape of Stranglethorn, Booty Bay (39.9, 72.5)
Skychaser: Westfall, Sentinel Hill (56.6, 47)
Stormbrow: Elwynn Forest, Goldshire (39.8, 63.7)
Hammershort: Stormwind City, Stormwind Gates (34.2, 72.5)


KALIMDOR
Bladeswift: Darnassus, Cenarion Enclave (38.8, 32.3)
Bladeleaf: Teldrassil, Dolanaar (57, 53)
Starweave: Darkshore, Near Lor'danel (49.5, 19)
Riversong: Ashenvale, Astranaar (35.6, 48.9)
Skygleam: Azshara, Ravencrest Monument (34.7, 79.3)
Brightspear: Winterspring, Lake Kel'Theril (53.2, 56.8)
Stonespire: Winterspring, Everlook (60.1, 49.9)
Nightwind: Felwood, Jaedenar/Bloodvenom Falls (38.3, 52.9)
Windtotem: Northern Barrens, Ratchet (68.4, 70)
Runetotem: Durotar, Razor Hill (53.2, 43.6)
Darkhorn: Orgrimmar, Valley of Wisdom (52.4, 60)
Moonwarden: Northern Barrens, The Crossroads (48.5, 59.3)
High Mountain: Northern Barrens, Vendetta Point (41.5, 47.5)
Bloodhoof: Mulgore, Bloodhoof Village (48.3, 53.4)
Ezra Wheathoof: Thunder Bluff, Elder Rise (73, 23.3)
Skyseer: Thousand Needles, Freewind Post (46.4, 51)
Morningdew: Thousand Needles, Fizzle & Pozzik's Speedbarge (77.1, 75.6)
Dreamseer: Tanaris, Gadgetzan (51.3, 27.8)
Wildmane: Zul'Farrak, Gahz'rilla's Pool
Ragetotem: Tanaris, Ruins of Uldum (37.2, 79.1)
Thunderhorn: Un'Goro Crater, Slithering Scar (50.4, 76.1)
Bladesing: Silithus, Cenarion Hold (53, 35.5)
Primestone: Silithus, Crystal Vale (30.8, 13.3)
Grimtotem: Feralas, Lariss Pavilion (76.7, 37.9)
Mistwalker: Dire Maul, The Maul (43.4, 67.7)
Splitrock: Maraudon, Rotgrip/Tinkerer Gizlock Area


NORTHREND
Sardis: Borean Tundra, Valiance Keep (59.1, 65.6)
Arp: Borean Tundra, D.E.H.T.A. (57.3, 43.7)
Pamuya: Borean Tundra, Warsong Hold (42.9, 49.6)
Northal: Borean Tundra, Transitus Shield (33.8, 34.4)
Igasho: The Nexus, Ormorok the Tree-Shaper Area
Sandrene: Sholozar Basin, River's Heart (49.8, 63)
Wanikaya: Sholozar Basin, Rainspeaker Rapids (63.8, 49)
Bluewolf: Wintergrasp Fortress (49, 13.9)
Morthie: Dragonblight, Star's Rest (29.7, 55.9)
Skywarden: Dragonblight, Agmar's Hammer (35.1, 48.3)
Nurgen: Azjol-Nerub, Post-Hadronox
Thoim: Dragonblight, Moa'ki Harbor (48.8, 78.2)
Jarten: Utgarde Keep, Post-Prince Keleseth
Chogan'gada: Utgarde Pinnacle, Under Skadi the Ruthless
Beldak: Grizzly Hills, Westfall Brigade Encampment (60.6, 27.7)
Lunaro: Grizzly Hills, Ruins of Tethys (80.5, 37.1)
Whurain: Grizzly Hills, Camp Oneqwah (64.2, 47)
Kilias: Drak'Tharon Keep, King Dred's Den
Tauros: Zul'Drak, Zim'Torga (58.9, 56)
Ohanzee: Gun'Drak, Drakkari Colossus Altar
Graymane: The Storm Peaks, K3 (41.2, 84.7)
Fargal: The Storm Peaks, Frosthold (28.9, 73.7)
Stonebeard: The Storm Peaks, Bouldercrag's Refuge (31.3, 37.6)
Muraco: The Storm Peaks, Camp Tunka'lo (64.6, 51.3)
Yurauk: Halls of Stone, Pre-Krystallus

For more information on this holiday, follow this http://www.wowhead.com/guide=lunar-festival to Wowhead for their article and completion list.


And now for the real reason why everyone bothers to read these blogs, MY list of achievements.

Warrior: Elder of '09. Elders of the Alliance done in '08, all other achievements finished in 2009.

Paladin: Elder of '10. Launched rockets, threw down fireworks, bought a dress, and honored the Alliance Elders in '09, all other achievements finished in 2010.

Druid: Elder of '11. Firecrackers, rockets, and blessed by Elune completed in 2009. Searched around the world for Elders, and acquired some finery, in 2010. Honored the Elders of Northrend, and of the Dungeons, in 2011.

Death Knight: Elder of '10. All achievements were started and completed in 2010. Getting the finery and the Dungeon Elders took almost the entire duration of the holiday to acquire, all others were finished within the first two days.

Mage: Elder of '11. Alliance Elders honored in '08. Rockets, firecrackers, finery, and the blessing finished in 2009. All other Elders honored in 2011.

Rogue: Elder of not right now. Rockets and firecrackers finished in 2009, up to 10 coins completed in 2010, and the honoring of the Alliance Elders finished in 2011. With my recent time spent on leveling him, he should be an Elder by the next time this holiday rolls around.

Love Is In The Air is my next blog. I'm going to get the next two blogs out before Noblegarden is live on the servers. The second blog being the Noblegarden blog, so it will be out BEFOREHAND. /wink