Patch 5.4 patch notes
Virtual Realms feature revealed
The Proving Grounds are coming
The latest patch 5.4 newsDesign your own holiday
by Mike Schramm 
May 14th 2009 at 5:00PM
Crygil wants to know: if you could design a new holiday for the game, what would it be? I don't think I've ever heard the question asked before -- holidays are really just optional fun for more players, and Blizzard has always covered the basics (Christmas, New Year's, Thanksgiving, Halloween, etc.), and even added in some of their own by giving real-world holidays some Azerothian flavor (Midsummer Fire Festival, and of course Brewfest). Are there really any holidays they missed?I guess Labor Day and Memorial Day are the two biggest ones -- maybe all of the NPCs could take a day off, there could be giant barbeques set up in the capital cities, or players could take a day to remember those fallen in the past wars. Or you could go another route and just make up your own holiday: Grumpyfool of Azjol-Nerub recommends Gnome Appreciation Week (a whole week?), where Azeroth's shortest denizens can get some love of their own. A more recently based holiday might be fun, too -- maybe once a year we could remember Arthas' (it was Arthas, right?) zombie attack on our homeland.
I doubt this is going to be used to determine actual Blizzard policy. Seems more like just a fun thought experiment. But there are definitely some interesting ideas in there -- if Blizzard ever wants to add yet another holiday to the calendar, there are plenty of ideas.
Filed under: Items, Events, Fan stuff, Odds and ends, Blizzard, News items, Forums
Reader Comments (Page 2 of 5)
Jamesisgreat May 14th 2009 6:25PM
I was thinking St Georges Day - lots of dragon slaying fun. and erm... admittedly not a lot else.
But lots of dragon stuff :)
George May 14th 2009 5:12PM
I like the Horde/Alliance day idea. Maybe, if the mechanics can be worked, on this day only you could complete some minor quests (or some special quest) that are normally only available to the opposite faction. Maybe you can have a chance at getting a mount that is normally only available to the other faction? (OK considering you have to grind to exalted for your own allies' mounts, maybe being able to do this in a single day would be too easy?)
Or maybe you can dress up as the opposite faction! I was doing the quest in Borean Tundra where (for alliance at least) you get to wear an "orc disguise", and I loved the way my female night elf hunter looked doing it!
Amritrao May 14th 2009 5:29PM
Along those lines, I'd be happy with a day when you could just wander around the other factions zones and major cities without fear of a attack. Like a day of full truce except for maybe duels and wargames. I'd love to take my belf priest through the Alli capitals just as a tourist. Don't want to cause any trouble :)
Cleverly disguised as normal May 15th 2009 11:10AM
I think that would be great. Kinda like a Azeroth Peace day or cease fire day, like the real life International Day of Peace (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/International_Day_of_Peace).
You could travel without fear of faction guards or high level gankers. You could finally buy the other faction's specific items direct (possibly at a huge mark up) and do some of the opposite faction's quests or holiday specific quests that are like the aid work the U.N. does on the cease fire day. Helping those who are cut off from aid by war. Like outposts that are hard to get to because there's tones of of the other faction in the way.
Gil May 14th 2009 5:14PM
Gnome appreciation week - LOL. How bout Gnome Punting Week. Woot!
Wolftech May 14th 2009 8:00PM
Don't make my gnome brethren and I set you on fire, disease you, poison you, hit you with dual two handed swords, drain your soul and shatter you into a million pieces...
Gnomes FTW. The only reason other races exist is to heal their true masters...
Khalis May 14th 2009 10:43PM
Every week is Gnome punting week.
jfofla May 14th 2009 5:15PM
How about something celebrating a know figure of WOW? Take for instance that statue of a Goblin in the bay at Booty Bay. Who is he? What is his story?
A Goblin Holiday would be one both sides could take part in.
Perhaps on PVP servers it could be a day of truce. Everybody not flagged like a PVE server.
Aneng May 14th 2009 7:48PM
I always just thought the goblin statue was a reference to Jesus in Rio, considering he is on an island called Janiero's Point.
But yes, a goblin holiday would be awesome.
Starfiyre of Shadow Council May 14th 2009 5:23PM
BURRITO-FEST!
Make it so!
Kadamon May 14th 2009 5:23PM
I'd have to go with Rememberance/Memorial Day as new holiday would be pretty awesome...though at the same time it probably wouldn't work because of how empty servers probably should be.
St. Patrick's Day...we already have Brew Fest.
I'd like a Canada Day celebration too. >_>
But I can't really think of a good holiday to really use...the majority of them are already done.
Maybe Family Day? Have quests to reunite some Forsaken with their still living families and actually having them be loving and happy?
Vegatork May 14th 2009 5:26PM
Brewfest relates to Octoberfest. Hence it's in October. St. Patrick's day is in March.
And if you ask me, there aren't enough holidays in the year that celebrate with drinking heavily.
And what's Canada Celebration day? Build an igloo? Just kidding to all my Polar brethren up north ;)
hsm May 14th 2009 5:30PM
Vacation/family Week
No dailies can be done but you get your daily quest cash average for the past year each day you do one of the special quests.
The special quests need to be done with family (ie in a group with a guildie)
Special quests :
Day at the beach: walk the shore looking for special shells
Day at the lake: Find a camp site and then battle with mosquitoes while you try to cook dinner
Day at the Museum(s): visit 5 historical places
Pack the Mammoth: Find 6 things that you need for your trip from around Darlaran
Lost in Azeroth: Get ported to a random place and you have to get back in 20m with out porting or hearthing. [Could make this a race for more fun]
Called back to Work: [replaces daily 5man with unique awards]
There should we some wild clothing avail: shorts, loud shirts, maybe a pet like an inflatable shark etc.
JM May 14th 2009 8:08PM
Vacation/family Week
Mike May 14th 2009 5:30PM
Nuck Chorris Day
Captain Zig Zag May 14th 2009 7:57PM
^ WIN ^
Every char gets a special ability for one day only: Roundhouse Kick! Note: only useable in the Barrens.
kurnie May 14th 2009 5:32PM
mothers day/fathers day
they are universal days for every1
some fun achieve's would be.
pick up your parent from the nursing home of your faction
find mum's teeth
pull dad's finger and see what happens
get dad another beer from the fridge
get your hands off the remote
mum and dad hide the keys
purifico May 14th 2009 5:46PM
How come we don't celebrate April Fools' day? Ok, not a real holiday, but still would be fun.
Worcester May 14th 2009 5:56PM
Azeroth (Earth) Day?
It could be sponsored by the Druidic peoples to encourage all the races to respect the land.
There could be quests involved in planting crops or trees, repairing broken windmills, saving furry critters, destroying smog producing machines, foiling overzealous hunters (I'm looking at you, Hemet).
There could even be some sort of group project that permanently changes a capitol city. Perhaps it would create a new structure in Org or Stormwind that could give a benefit to players. I don't know what exactly.
CavalierX May 14th 2009 6:04PM
1. St. Patrick's Day could be interesting in WoW. Powerful ale would transform players into green-garbed gnomes who have to fight off the snakes infesting the area around capital cities. OK, maybe it's part Whacking Day from the Simpsons, too.
2. Something in August revolving around vacationing might be good. Players would have to take a trip to a beach site to play various games and compete in contests. Volleyball? Hot dogs? Carnival games? Dunk the Death Knight?
3. I wouldn't mind seeing a Thanksgiving event celebrating the original settlers of the capital cities. Where did the settlers of Stormwind originally come from? When did the Tauren found Thunder Bluff?