Midsummer Fire Festival Event Guide

Midsummer Fire Festival Event Guide
  • Author: Luxrah
  • Date: June 21, 2024
  • Updated: October 18, 2024
  • Expansion: Cataclysm

We’re feeling hot-hot-hot, so let the festivities begin! This in-game holiday is a nod to real world Midsummer celebrations that occur during the summer solstice. In World of Warcraft, festival bonfires are lit around all of Azeroth (and beyond). Players can travel to honor (or desecrate) the flames, earning currency to purchase exclusive toys, cosmetics, and treats, and receive an honorary title.

When: June 21-July 5, 2024
Where: All of Azeroth, including faction capitals and cities in multiple zones

To get started, seek out a Fire Festival Commoner at any of the faction capitals and pick up their optional breadcrumb quest, or just head directly to the Fire Festival Camp in that city.

Currency

Players are rewarded with Burning Blossoms as they complete Midsummer Fire Festival activities, and can exchange them for goods sold by Horde Midsummer Merchants and Alliance Midsummer Suppliers near the bonfires in faction capitals.

Note: This currency will disintegrate once the event is over, so be sure to spend ’em before you lose ’em!

Retail Midsummer Fire Festival Vendors
Midsummer Fire Festival vendors in Stormwind City.

Rewards

Battle Pets

Item
Source
Note
Drop from Ahune
Learned from Ice Chip
Vendor purchase for 350 Midsummer Fire Festival Burning Blossom
Learned from Captured Flame

Transmog

In addition to the holiday cloaks dropped by Frost Lord Ahune, there are festive tabards, weapons, and cosmetic items available:

Item
Type
Source
Head
Head
Vendor purchase for 350 Midsummer Fire Festival Burning Blossom
Shoulder
Vendor purchase for 100 Midsummer Fire Festival Burning Blossom
Feet
Vendor purchase for 200 Midsummer Fire Festival Burning Blossom
Chest
Vendor purchase for 100 Midsummer Fire Festival Burning Blossom
Tabard
Quest from Ahune
Tabard
Quest from Ahune
Weapon
Drop from Ahune
Weapon Illusion
Drop from Ahune

** Needed for achievement Burning Hot Pole Dance

Toys

If those Midsummer Fire Festival Burning Blossom Burning Blossoms are still burning a hole in your cloak pocket, don’t worry – the festival vendors sell these collectible toys to cool you off:

Item
Cost
350 Midsummer Fire Festival Burning Blossom

Additional Festival Items

These items can be purchased from festival vendors and are used to complete various achievements, quests, or just for fun:

Item
Cost
5 Midsummer Fire Festival Burning Blossom
5 Midsummer Fire Festival Burning Blossom
2 Midsummer Fire Festival Burning Blossom
5 Midsummer Fire Festival Burning Blossom
2 Midsummer Fire Festival Burning Blossom
5 Midsummer Fire Festival Burning Blossom
5 Midsummer Fire Festival Burning Blossom
5 Midsummer Fire Festival Burning Blossom

Retail Midsummer Fire Festival Ribbon Dance
Players enjoying a dance around the Fire Festival Ribbon Pole.

Activities

Midsummer Fire Festival is quite a labor-intensive world event, with the primary activity of traveling to many different zones to visit each bonfire. Players can also visit Festival Camps in faction capital cities to pick up both daily and storyline quests, plus browse goods sold by Horde Midsummer Merchants and Alliance Midsummer Suppliers.

Experience and Damage Buffs

This event boasts three different ways for players to boost stats for themselves, the city they’re in, or even the entire zone!

  • Ribbon Dance (XP): Dancing around Ribbon Poles provides a 3-minute buff (Ribbon Dance) that increases experience gained by 10%. The duration of Ribbon Dance increases by 3 minutes for every 3 seconds spent dancing. It stacks up to 20 times, or 60 minutes.
    • Tip: Don your entire Midsummer apparel set and spend 60 seconds dancing to complete the achievement Burning Hot Pole Dance
    • Tip: Use of the Ribbon Poles includes a visual animation of your character spinning rapidly. If you’re prone to motion sickness, consider looking away as you dance, then hit the space bar to cancel the action prior to returning to view your screen.
  • Fire Festival Fury (Damage): Collect those blossoms! Tossing Midsummer Fire Festival Burning Blossom Burning Blossoms into a festival fire causes the buff Fire Festival Fury, which provides surrounding players with a 3% physical/spell critical strike buff for 60 minutes, as well as reflecting fire damage to attackers for the same duration.
  • Bonfire’s Blessing (Damage): Throwing a Midsummer Fire Festival Burning Blossom Burning Blossom into an extinguished bonfire will invoke a zone-wide buff, Bonfire’s Blessing. This grants your faction a 30% chance to inflict 10 Fire damage on any melee, ranged, or spell attack, and increases by 10 Fire damage per character level. The buff is cancelled if the opposite faction desecrates the zone’s bonfire.

retail midsummer03
Horde NPCs around the Orgrimmar bonfire.

Bonfires

Embrace the warmth and revelry of the Midsummer Fire Festival by honoring (or desecrating) festival bonfires! Players must travel across Azeroth, lighting sacred fires and bringing the flames of celebration to remote corners of the world, all while reaping the rewards and basking in the festive spirit of the holiday.

  • Honor or desecrate a festival bonfire by interacting with it and accepting the available quest. For completing each quest, players will receive Burning Blossoms:
    • Honor faction bonfire: 5 Midsummer Fire Festival Burning Blossom
    • Honor neutral bonfire: 15 Midsummer Fire Festival Burning Blossom
    • Desecrate enemy bonfire: 10 Midsummer Fire Festival Burning Blossom
  • In addition to desecrating the opposing faction’s capital bonfires, players can complete the quest, “A Thief’s Reward”, by stealing the flames from each of their enemy’s capital cities.
  • Note: Dousing the enemy’s bonfire will flag you for PvP combat, even if you have War Mode turned off.

To help you plan your adventure (and work toward each continent’s achievements), we’ve organized the bonfires by location and faction:

Capital Cities
City
Location
Coords
Ironforge (Alliance)
Hall of Explorers
64, 25
Silvermoon City (Horde)
Court of the Sun
70, 43
Stormwind City (Alliance)
The Canals
49, 72
Undercity (Horde)
Ruins of Lordaeron
68, 9

Alliance

Zone
Location
Coords
Arathi Highlands
Refuge Pointe
44, 46
Badlands
Dragon’s Mouth
19, 56
Blasted Lands
Nethergarde Keep
58, 17
Burning Steppes
Morgan’s Vigil
68, 60
Dun Morogh
Kharanos
54, 45
Duskwood
Darkshire
73, 55
Elwynn Forest
Goldshire
43, 65
Loch Modan
Thelsamar
32, 40
Northern Stranglethorn
Fort Livingston
61, 63
Redridge Mountains
Lakeshire
24, 53
Swamp of Sorrows
Bogpaddle
76, 14
The Cape of Stranglethorn
East of Booty Bay
50, 70
The Hinterlands
Aerie Peak
14, 50
Twilight Highlands
Thundermar
47, 28
Western Plaguelands
Chillwind Camp
43, 82
Westfall
Moonbrook
45, 62
Wetlands
Menethil Harbor
13, 47

Horde

Zone
Location
Coords
Arathi Highlands
Hammerfall
69, 42
Badlands
New Kargath
24, 37
Blasted Lands
Dreadmaul Hold
46, 14
Burning Steppes
Flame Crest
51, 29
Eversong Woods
North Sanctum
46, 50
Ghostlands
Tranquillien
46, 26
Hillsbrad Foothills
Tarren Mill
55, 50
Northern Stranglethorn
Grom’gol Base Camp
40, 51
Silverpine Forest
The Sepulcher
50, 38
Swamp of Sorrows
Bogpaddle
76, 14
The Cape of Stranglethorn
East of Booty Bay
50, 70
The Hinterlands
Revantusk Village
76, 74
Tirisfal Glades
Brill
57, 52
Twilight Highlands
Bloodgulch
53, 46
Western Plaguelands
The Bulwark
29, 57
Neutral Bonfire
  • Mount Hyjal, Nordrassil (63,23)
Capital Cities
City
Location
Coords
Darnassus (Alliance)
Warrior’s Terrace
63, 47
Orgrimmar (Horde)
Above the Valley of Wisdom
47, 38
The Exodar (Alliance)
Crystal Hall
41, 26
Thunder Bluff (Horde)
Spirit Rise
21, 26
Alliance Bonfires
Zone
Location
Coords
Ashenvale
Forest Song
87, 42
Azuremyst Isle
Azure Watch
44, 53
Bloodmyst Isle
Blood Watch
55, 69
Darkshore
Lor’danel
49, 23
Desolace
Nijel’s Point
65, 17
Dustwallow Marsh
Theramore Isle
62, 40
Feralas
Feathermoon Stronghold
47, 44
Silithus
Cenarion Hold
60, 33
Stonetalon Mountains
Mirkfallon Lake
49, 51
Southern Barrens
Fort Triumph
48, 72
Tanaris
Gadgetzan
52, 29
Un’Goro Crater
Marshal’s Stand
60, 63
Uldum
Vir’naal Oasis
53, 32
Teldrassil
Dolarnaar
54, 53
Winterspring
Everlook
61, 47
Horde Bonfires
Zone
Location
Coords
Ashenvale
Silverwind Refuge
51, 66
Azshara
Bilgewater Harbor
60, 53
Desolace
Shadowprey Village
26, 76
Durotar
Razor Hill
52, 47
Dustwallow Marsh
Brackenwall Village
33, 30
Ferlas
Camp Mojache
72, 47
Mulgore
Bloodhoof Village
51, 59
Northern Barrens
The Crossroads
50, 55
Silithus
Cenarion Hold
51, 41
Southern Barrens
Desolation Hold
41, 68
Stonetalon Mountains
Sun Rock Retreat
53, 62
Tanar
Gadgetzan
49, 27
Uldum
Vir’naal Oasis
53, 34
Un’Goro Crater
Marshal’s Stand
56, 66
Winterspring
Everlook
58, 47
Related Achievements:

Alliance
Zone
Location
Coords
Blade’s Edge Mountains
Sylvanaar
52, 66
Hellfire Peninsula
Honor Hold
62, 58
Nagrand
Telaar
50, 70
Netherstorm
Area 52
31, 63
Shadowmoon Vallery
Wildhammer Stronghold
40, 55
Terokkar Forest
Allerian Stronghold
55, 55
Zangarmarsh
Telredor
69, 52
Horde
Zone
Location
Coords
Blade’s Edge Mountains
Thunderlord Stronghold
50, 59
Hellfire Peninsula
Thrallmar
55, 40
Nagrand
Garadar
51, 34
Netherstorm
Area 52
32, 68
Shadowmoon Vallery
Shadowmoon Village
33, 30
Terokkar Forest
Stonebreaker Hold
52, 43
Zangarmarsh
Zabra’Jin
36, 52
Related Achievements:

Alliance
Zone
Location
Coords
Borean Tundra
Fizzcrank Airstrip
55, 20
Crystalsong Forest
Windrunner’s Overlook
78, 75
Dragonblight
Wintergarde Keep
75, 44
Grizzly Hills
Amberpine Lodge
34, 61
Howling Fjord
Fort Wildervar
58, 16
Sholazar Basin
River’s Heart
47, 66
The Storm Peaks
K3
42, 87
Zul’Drak
The Argent Stand
41, 61
Alliance
Zone
Location
Coords
Borean Tundra
Bor’gorok Outpost
51, 12
Crystalsong Forest
Sunreaver’s Command
80, 53
Dragonblight
Agmar’s Hammer
39, 48
Grizzly Hills
Conquest Hold
19, 61
Howling Fjord
Camp Winterhoof
48, 13
Sholazar Basin
River’s Heart
47, 62
The Storm Peaks
K3
40, 86
Zul’Drak
The Argent Stand
43, 71
Neutral
Zone
Location
Coords
Deepholm
Temple of Earth
49, 51
Vashj’ir
Silver Tide Hollow
49, 42
retail midsummer08
The Frost Lord Ahune

Frost Lord Ahune (Holiday Boss)

Frost Lord Ahune lurks deep inside the Slave Pens under the service of Neptulon, and can only be summoned during the Midsummer Fire Festival. To slay the frost lord, players can speak with Earthen Ring Elders located at Midsummer camps, or queue via the Dungeon Finder. The encounter is available for all characters level 10 or higher, however the event loot will only drop for those meeting the item level requirements.

Characters who defeat Ahune for the first time (ever) will complete the Ice the Frost Lord achievement. Shards of Ahune will be lootable from the chest, which starts a quest that rewards 20Midsummer Fire Festival Burning Blossom plus either a Tabard of Summer Skies or Tabard of Summer Flames.

But wait, there’s more! Throughout the festival, players may continue to queue for the dungeon and complete the daily quest Summon Ahune. The first defeat of Ahune each day will provide players with some gold and a Satchel of Chilled Goods. The loot bag has a chance to contain 5-15 Midsummer Fire Festival Burning Blossom Burning Blossoms and the following rewards:

Item
Type
Back
Back
Back
Back
Back
Enchanting Formula
Staff
Battle Pet

Retail Midsummer Fire Festival - Torch Tossing
Three torch tossing braziers, the left-most brazier targeted with a red arrow.

Quests

Commoners in each faction’s capital will get you started with quests that introduce the camps and NPCs you’ll be interacting with during the festival:

Speak with Master Fire Eater (A) or Master Flame Eater (H) to accept the Torch Tossing and Torch Catching quests, which are required to unlock their related daily quests.

  • Torch Tossing (A)/Torch Tossing (H): Throw Practice Torches at the nearby braziers, being sure to hit the currently targeted brazier.
    • Note: These mechanics work like similar mini-games (such as the Shooting Range at Darkmoon Faire), meaning players with significant lag may find it a bit difficult to hit the correct/marked brazier before it switches.
  • Torch Catching (A)/Torch Catching (H): Light Unlit Torches in the bonfire, then throw them in the air and catch them before they hit the ground.
    • Note: Pay close attention to the torch’s shadows on the ground. You may need to adjust your camera or move to another area if you’re surrounded by too many players, making the torch shadows difficult to see.
    • Once you perfect your craft, go ahead and catch 40 in a row to complete the achievement Torch Juggler!

Speak with an Earthen Ring Elder to start the “Striking Back” chain. Upon completion of the first three quests, you’ll receive a final quest to slay a Twilight Hammer NPC. Which NPC you’ll battle varies based on your character’s current level. Once this chain is complete, you will unlock the Striking Back daily.

Daily Quests

After completing the pre-requisite quest chain, there are six Striking Back dailies located in different zones, and all six can be completed once each day, rewarding 10 Midsummer Fire Festival Burning Blossom each:

midsummer fire festival wotlk achievements
Midsummer Fire Festival achievements

Achievements

There are a ton of achievements related to Midsummer Fire Festival, including the meta The Flame Warden (A)/The Flame Keeper (H), and of course, getting credit toward What a Long, Strange Trip It’s Been, which awards the beautiful Violet Proto-Drake.

The majority of the holiday achievements are completed by honoring or desecrating the faction bonfires. For more information and tips on everything needed for these achievements, check out the Activities section above!

  • King of the Fire Festival: Complete the quest, “A Thief’s Reward”, by stealing the flames from your enemy’s capital cities.
    • Note: Activity for this achievement will flag you for PvP, so prepare accordingly.
  • Ice the Frost Lord: Slay Ahune in the Slave Pens.
    • Note: Players can queue for the Slave Pens in the Dungeon Finder. For more details, check out the section on Frost Lord Ahune above.
  • Torch Juggler: Juggle 40 torches in 15 seconds in Dalaran.
    • Tip: If you’re having trouble moving your character into position to juggle the torches, pay close attention to the shadows on the ground. You may need to adjust your camera or move to another area if you’re surrounded by too many players, making the torch shadows difficult to see.

 

About the Author

Luxrah

I've been playing World of Warcraft on and off since vanilla, usually as a healer or caster and often as a guild leader. I play both retail and classic. I also love RPGs, sandboxes, and sims.
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