Mercifully for those of us occupied with a big day of family events and chocolate this Easter, the Noblegarden holiday doesn't appear to have changed from its vastly improved form in 2009. No changes appeared on any of the PTRs over the past year, and as far as we're aware, there hasn't been any data-mined information on new items or bosses.

Noblegarden will run this year from Sunday, April 4 (this Sunday) through Sunday, April 11. If you've never done Noblegarden before or only done its fairly low-key, pre-2009 version, it helps to know that Noble Gardener (the holiday's meta) is part of the year-long What A Long, Strange Trip It's Been achievement that rewards the 310% speed Violet Proto-Drake.

What I've done here is collected our resources on Noblegarden into one easily navigable guide, updated and clarified where necessary, and also added some frequently asked questions that we received during last year's holiday. If you have any other questions, please drop them in the comments below, and I'll make sure they get answered. As with all WoW holidays, we'll be around as they go live to make sure any updates or changes are covered here!

First things first.

Noblegarden FAQ Your one-stop shop for basic questions on what the holiday is and how it works.

The OverAchiever guide to Noblegarden achievements: Interested in getting yourself the Noble title and another notch toward What A Long, Strange Trip It's Been? You'll want to read our complete guide to the Noble Gardener meta.

WoW community resources on Noblegarden We did a special edition Daily Quest rounding up great bloggers' guides and notes on the holiday.

I also wanted to include some information here with the benefit of hindsight on the 2009 event, although I'd advise reading the Noblegarden FAQ above if you're completely new to the holiday.

All set? Here's a few tips from a gimlet-eyed egg camper.

When does the 2010 holiday start?

Noblegarden 2010 should begin at 3:00 a.m. server time on Sunday, April 4, and will run until 3:00 a.m. server time on Sunday, April 11.

Where do the eggs spawn?

Eggs can be found in the level 5-10 towns located all over Azeroth, and you can start your Noblegarden odyssey in any of them. Poke around any random nook or cranny and odds are good you'll find an egg.

Alliance

• Azure Watch in Azuremyst Isle (draenei starting area)
• Dolanaar in Teldrassil (night elf starting area)
• Goldshire in Elwynn Forest (human starting area)
• Kharanos in Dun Morogh (dwarf/gnome starting area)

Horde

• Bloodhoof Village in Mulgore (tauren starting area)
• Brill in Tirisfal Glades (forsaken starting area)
• Falconwing Square in Eversong Woods (blood elf starting area)
• Razor Hill in Durator (orc/troll starting area)
  

Is one town better than another?

Nope. You'll find roughly the same number of egg spawns, respawning at exactly the same rate, in each town. A lot of experienced players swear by particular spots and routes to extract the maximum number of eggs per minute (and Adam actually wrote a guide on doing just this for Azure Watch), but after spending a few minutes in any town, you'll have a good handle on the egg spawn locations (even if it's only because you'll have the opportunity to observe people camping specific sites).

Are certain towns more crowded than others?

Usually one or two of the towns is less crowded at a given time, making it possible to snag egg spawns with less competition. However, this varies by server and time of day, so I can't really give you ironclad advice on where to go. Ask around the city chat channels, and players can usually tell you how crowded (or not) the towns are.

How long does it take to get all the eggs I'll need?

This depends on how much competition you've got for the eggs and how lucky you get with item drops. To be frank, it's pretty common to get many of the items required for the holiday's achievements (e.g., Blossoming Branch, Spring Robes, etc.) as random drops from eggs, which significantly cuts down on the time required. Even if you're the most hideously unlucky person on the planet and you don't get anything but Noblegarden Chocolate from your eggs, you can still use that to purchase your achievement items. Really, Noblegarden isn't a horribly time-intensive holiday.

To give you a personal example, even with people heavily camping Bloodhoof Village's egg spawns when I did the holiday last year, I got everything I needed for my achievements in less than four hours. If I'd gone at a less busy time, I probably could have done it in one or at most two hours.

I want to avoid having to "camp" for my eggs. When should I go?

The holiday rush calmed down fairly quickly last year, and by midweek there was little to no competition for egg spawns just about anywhere. That said, that also means there will be fewer people around doing achievements like Spring Fling, so just keep in mind that you may have to ask for a friend, guildie or player's help with cooperative achievements if you find the towns deserted.

Basically, if you've done any of the WoW holidays before, you know the drill: big rush for holiday and achievement items early on, with activity dwindling as time goes on.

Is there anything else I need to know?

2009 was the first iteration of the new Noblegarden, and I vastly underestimated the holiday's popularity. I've amended and clarified the 2009 guides to reflect common player experiences, but with lots of players already sitting on a completed Noble Gardener for their mains, odds are decent that Noblegarden 2010 will be a bit more relaxed.

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Filed under: Analysis / Opinion, Events, Achievements, The Overachiever