Welcome back readers! It's time for the Lunar Festival, so everyone break out the fireworks, show a little respect for your Elders, and come celebrate the new year! The Lunar Festival is held every year starting on a date that typically coincides with the Chinese New Year. In 2009, the Lunar Festival will run from January 24 - February 12. The festival is celebrated by the druids of Moonglade with great fireworks and festive attire. Ancestors of Azeroth are praised and honored by both Horde and Alliance, who then reward players with reputation and Coin of Ancestry that can be used to purchase festive garb, patterns and fireworks! Also, higher level players will be able to earn a new player title - Elder! Table of Contents Quests Festival Coin of Ancestry Redemption Honoring the Elders Festival Goodies Achievements Quests The Lunar Festival Start: Lunar Festival Herald or Lunar Festival Emissary End: Lunar Festival Harbinger This quest is simply an introductory quest available from a Lunar Festival Herald or Lunar Festival Emissary, which are located in each of the main faction cities and Shattrath City. The quest will send you to speak with a Lunar Festival Harbinger located at the city's main Lunar Festival camp, who will give you a new quest. Start & End: Lunar Festival Harbinger To complete this quest you must purchase fireworks from a nearby Lunar Festival Vendor and use them nearby. The large fireworks clusters (such as Blue Rocket Cluster) will require use of a firework launcher, which can be found on the ground around the main Lunar Festival camps. Simply purchase and fire off the specified quantity of fireworks and return the quest to pick up the follow-up. You will receive a Lunar Festival Invitation which can be used to teleport to Moonglade by using it while standing in the 'Greater Moonlight' (a huge, white beam of light located in the main Festival camps). Once in Moonglade, you can teleport back to any major faction city by standing in the correct beam (which are distinguished by racial revelers around each beam). This invitation does have a duration but you can get a new one from the Lunar Festival Harbinger at any time during the festival. Start: Lunar Festival Harbinger End: Valadar Starsong Upon arriving in Moonglade, seek out Valadar Starsong who is located at on the northeastern platform overlooking Lake Elune'ara. He will welcome you to Moonglade and the Lunar Festival celebration and starts some new quests. Completion of this quest may be a prereq for his following quests. Start & End: Valadar Starsong This quest is actually flagged as a 'Raid' quest in-game, though it shouldn't take very many level 60 or higher players at all to complete. Simply purchase (or acquire through quests or crafting) some rocket clusters from a Lunar Festival Vendor and head down to the Stormrage Barrow Dens in Moonglade (Southeast of Lake Elune'ara). Fire off the fireworks in the nearby cluster launchers to alert the Minions of Omen to your presence. You can use the Elune's Candle obtained from or purchased for 10 silver from Valadar Starsong to do additional damage to the Minions and Omen himself. Continue firing off rockets and defeating the Minions and eventually the demon Omen will spawn. He is a ?? raid boss so his actual level will most likely be 3 levels higher than the average level of your raid group. Even still, he is not a very difficult boss (detailed information on fighting him can be found here). Upon defeating Omen, you must be near his corpse to obtain the Elune's Blessing buff required to complete the quest. Receive the buff and return to Valadar to complete the quest, which rewards the nifty Elune's Lantern which can turn Solid Stone into Elune Stone - not amazing, but still pretty cool! Festival Coin of Ancestry Redemption In previous years, Coin of Ancestry were turned in via quests for festive rewards. In 2009, however, Valadar Starsong and Fariel Starsong in Moonglade now serve as vendors selling items using the Coin of Ancestry as currency. All of the items they sell are now Bind of Pickup. While you can obtain a maximum of 75 Coin of Ancestry per year, they have no duration so if you have some left over from a previous year's Festival you can use them to obtain more rewards. Available from Valadar Starsong: Available from Fariel Starsong: Honoring the Elders In the 2009 Lunar Festival, there are 75 elders located throughout all of Azeroth and Northrend. Finding and honoring an elder (by completing an available quest) will reward you with 75 main faction reputation (with all Horde or all Alliance factions) and a Coin of Ancestry, which can be used as a currency to purchase festival-related items from questgivers in Moonglade. Honoring every elder will grant you 75 Coin of Ancestry and a total of 5625 reputation with all of your major city factions! You will also receive a Lucky Red Envelope from each elder via in-game mail, containing either a Lucky Rocket Cluster or Elder's Moonstone - so prepare for the mailbox spam! The Lucky Rocket Cluster can then be fired from a cluster launcher to gain the Lunar Fortune buff! There are achievements obtainable by finding and honoring all of the elders in a particular area. This list is sorted via the achievement zones in order to make working on each achievement in an area easier. Please note that unless an elder is part of the Elders of the Dungeons achievement, any elder found located at an instance (such as Zul'Gurub) is not actually inside the instance, but rather outside or around the area. It's also worth mentioning that because of some dungeon level requirements, lower level characters may not be able to visit all Elders. Because of the inclusion of a Wrath of the Lich King Heroic dungeon Elder this year, the minimum level to honor every elder is 80. Elders of Eastern Kingdoms Elder Bellowrage found at in Blasted Lands Elder Dawnstrider found at Burning Steppes Elder Rumblerock found at in Burning Steppes Elder Goldwell found at in Dun Morogh Elder Snowcrown found at in Eastern Plaguelands Elder Windrun found at in Eastern Plaguelands Elder Stormbrow found at in Elwynn Forest Elder Silvervein found at in Loch Modan Elder Moonstrike found upstairs in the main building of Scholomance Elder Ironband found at in Searing Gorge Elder Obsidian found at in Silverpine Forest Elder Starglade found at in Stranglethorn Vale Elder Winterhoof found at in Stranglethorn Vale Elder Highpeak found at in The Hinterlands Elder Graveborn found at in Tirisfal Glades Elder Meadowrun found at in Western Plaguelands Elder Skychaser found at in Westfall Elders of Kalimdor Elder Skygleam found at in Azshara Elder Riversong found at in Astranaar, Ashenvale Elder High Mountain found at in Camp Taurajo, The Barrens Elder Moonwarden found at in The Crossroads, The Barrens Elder Windtotem found at in Ratchet, The Barrens Elder Starweave found at in Auberdine, Darkshore Elder Runetotem found at in Razor Hill, Durotar Elder Nightwind found at in Felwood Elder Grimtotem found at in Feralas Elder Mistwalker found at inside The Maul in Dire Maul, Feralas Elder Bloodhoof found at in Bloodhoof Village, Mulgore Elder Bladesing found at in Cenarion Hold, Silithus Elder Primestone found at in Silithus Elder Dreamseer found at in Gadgetzan, Tanaris Elder Ragetotem found at in Tanaris Elder Bladeleaf found at in Dolanaar, Teldrassil Elder Morningdew found at in Mirage Raceway, Thousand Needles Elder Skyseer found at in Freewind Post, Thousand Needles Elder Thunderhorn found at in Un'Goro Crater Elder Brightspear found at in Winterspring Elder Stonespire found at in Everlook, Winterspring Elders of Northrend Elder Arp found at in D.E.H.T.A, Borean Tundra Elder Northal found at in Transitus Shield, Borean Tundra Elder Pamuya found at in Warsong Hold, Borean Tundra Elder Sardis found at in Valiance Keep, Borean Tundra Elder Morthie found at in Star's Rest, Dragonblight Elder Skywarden found at in Agmar's Hammer, Dragonblight Elder Thoim found at in Moa'ki Harbor, Dragonblight Elder Beldak found at in Westfall Brigade Encampment, Grizzly Hills Elder Lunaro found at in Ruins of Tethys, Grizzly Hills Elder Whurain found at in Camp Oneqwah, Grizzly Hills Elder Sandrene found at in Lakeside Landing, Sholazar Basin Elder Wanikaya found at in Rainspeaker Rapids, Sholazar Basin Elder Fargal found at in Frosthold, The Storm Peaks Elder Graymane found at in K3, The Storm Peaks Elder Stonebeard found at in Bouldercrag's Refuge, The Storm Peaks Elder Muraco found at in Camp Taunka'lo, The Storm Peaks Elder Bluewolf found at in Wintergrasp Elder Tauros found at in Zim'Torga, Zul'Drak Elders of the Dungeons Elder Morndeep found in Blackrock Depths, Blackrock Mountain Elder Stonefort found in Blackrock Spire, Blackrock Mountain Elder Igasho found in The Nexus, Borean Tundra Elder Splitrock found in Maraudon, Desolace Elder Nurgen found in Azjol-Nerub, Dragonblight Elder Farwhisper found in Stratholme, Eastern Plaguelands Elder Kilias found in Drak'Tharon Keep, Grizzly Hills Elder Chogan'gada found in Utgarde Pinnacle, Howling Fjord Elder Jarten found in Utgarde Keep, Howling Fjord Elder Starsong found in the Sunken Temple, Swamp of Sorrows Elder Wildmane found in Zul'Farrak, Tanaris Elder Yurauk found in the Halls of Stone, The Storm Peaks Elder Ohanzee found in Gundrak (Heroic only), Zul'Drak Elders of the Alliance Elder Bladeswift found at in Cenarion Enclave, Darnassus Elder Bronzebeard found at in Ironforge Elder Hammershout found at in Stormwind City Elders of the Horde Elder Darkhorn found at in Valley of Wisdom, Orgrimmar Elder Ezra Wheathoof found at in Elder Rise, Thunder Bluff Elder Darkcore found at in Ruins of Lordaeron, Undercity Festival Goodies The Lunar Festival brings an assortment of exclusive items available for purchase from vendors in Moonglade and major capital cities. The Lunar Festival Vendor found at any major Lunar Festival camp sells an assortment of fireworks, as well an alcoholic beverage with an interesting side-effect! The two Coin of Ancestry Collectors in Moonglade, Valadar Starsong and Fariel Starsong, allow you to exchange Coin of Ancestry for a variety of items. Achievements To Honor One's Elders This achievement can be found in the main World Events achievement category and is awarded upon completion of every one of the Lunar Festival achievements. This achievement awards the player title 'Elder' and is a requirement towards completion of What A Long, Strange Trip It's Been (Alliance version) which rewards the beautiful Violet Proto-Drake. A Coin of Ancestry To complete this achievement, simply acquire a single Coin of Ancestry. This achievement has five different ranks, awarding achievements for 5 Coins, 10 Coins, 25 Coins and finally 50 Coins of Ancestry. Coins are acquired by completing the quests available from Elders found in different zones (see lists above). Elders of Eastern Kingdoms For this achievement, you must honor all 17 Elders found throughout the Eastern Kingdoms. For Elder locations, refer to the list above! Elders of Kalimdor For this achievement, you must honor all 21 Elders found throughout Kalimdor. For Elder locations, refer to the list above! Elders of Northrend For this achievement, you must honor all 18 Elders found throughout Northrend (and, incidentally, you must also have the Wrath of the Lich King expansion). For Elder locations, refer to the list above! Elders of the Dungeons For this achievement, you must honor all 13 Elders found inside various dungeons of Eastern Kingdoms, Kalimdor and Northrend. This achievement will be impossible for lower level players to complete because of instance level requirements. The absolute minimum level necessary to complete this achievement is level 80. For Elder locations, refer to the list above! Elders of the Alliance For this achievement, you must honor all 3 Elders located in major Alliance cities. As the elders are friendly to both factions, this achievement is able to be completed by both Horde and Alliance players. Elders of the Horde For this achievement, you must honor all 3 Elders located in major Horde cities. As the elders are friendly to both factions, this achievement is able to be completed by both Horde and Alliance players. Elune's Blessing To complete this achievement, you must complete the quest available from Valadar Starsong in Moonglade. This achievement does not actually require you to summon or defeat Omen, but just to obtain the Elune's Blessing buff by being near him when he is defeated (by other players or your own group). Frenzied Firecracker To complete this achievement, simply purchase 10 Festival Firecracker from a Lunar Festival Vendor located at a Lunar Festival camp in Ironforge, Darnassus, Thunder Bluff, Orgrimmar, Undercity or Moonglade. Once you have obtained the fireworks, just hotkey them and fire them off as quickly as possible! Easy! Lunar Festival Finery To complete this achievement, you must purchase either a festive pant suit or festive dress with Coin of Ancestry obtained from honoring the Elders. The festival clothing can be purchased in Moonglade for 5 Coin of Ancestry. There are three different dresses and three different pant suits that can be purchased, so you can get all of them to complete your very own Lunar Festival wardrobe (though the achievement does only require one). The clothing is Bind on Pickup, but items can be purchased by characters of any level so this is a great opportunity to deck out your bank alt in style! The Rocket's Red Glare To complete this achievement, simply purchase 10 Red Rocket Cluster from a Lunar Festival Vendor located at a Lunar Festival camp in Ironforge, Darnassus, Thunder Bluff, Orgrimmar, Undercity or Moonglade. Unlike other fireworks, cluster fireworks must be launched from a Cluster Launcher, which you can find on the ground throughout the camps or even have one crafted by an engineer (though that isn't really necessary). Find a launcher and fire away!