Players are encouraged to make love, not Warcraft, during the Love is in The Air event. Inspired by Valentine's Day festivities in real life, this holiday also involves chocolates, perfume, romantic settings, and a few broken hearts. Since this is World of Warcraft, there's also the usual seasonal fun to be had in the realm of special foods, clothing, accessories, and special quests.
A lot has changed with the holiday this year, with the practice of giving cards and flowers away replaced by the gifting of Charm Bracelets and Love Tokens as the main holiday currency. The seasonal quests for this year revolve around the illicit perfume trade, apparently the source of some drama in Azeroth. World of Warcraft players also get to make some romantic crafts to impress their faction leaders and help the Steamweedle Cartel to track down their unsavory competition.
The Introductory Quests
Every holiday event in Azeroth has a short chain of quests that explain some of the lore and help to immerse the player in the event. This one checks off all the boxes with the usual breadcrumbs, seasonal rewards, and travel requirements, and it culminates with players unlocking the seasonal boss. In this case, Apothecary Hummel is the big bad, and he's waiting in Shadowfang Keep to be served.
Uncommon Scents
Players will need to find the Junior Detective located near the seasonal vendors in any major city to start the Uncommon Scents quest. It's different depending on the faction to which the character belongs.
Horde players go to Orgrimmar to speak with Detective Snap Snagglebolt, who happens to be standing next to the bank. For those on the Alliance side, Inspector Snip Snagglebolt is waiting in the Trade District of Stormwind City.
Something Stinks
The first step in the Detective's or the Inspector's investigation is a bit of simple research into the activities of the Crown Chemical Company. Players can use the Snagglebolt's Air Analyzer to test guards that are wearing so much perfume they appear to be surrounded by a cloud of fuzzy pink residue. After the samples have been collected, they'll need to return to the quest giver with the findings. The quest is the same for either faction, only the setting and quest giver are different.
Pilfering Perfume
This time, the investigative process involves the use of a disguise. The player takes on the costume of a goblin courier working for the Crown Chemical Company to intercept one of the shipments. The stockpile is just outside the city gates of either Orgrimmar or Stormwind City. Once there, players should take the Crown Chemical Co. Supplies that the company workers tohrow and bring them back to the Inspector or the Detective.
Snivel's Sweetheart/Fireworks At The Gilded Rose
Both Horde and Alliance players will be on the trail of Snivel Rustrocket, the goblin who made the rockets that were found in the Crown Chemical Co. Supplies. Luckily, Snivel has a girlfriend in Stormwind and Orgrimmar so there's a place to look for him regardless of the player's faction. Horde players will talk to Roka in The Drag, working her retail job in Gitri's Travelling Goods. Marion Sutton at the Gilded Rose is the NPC for Alliance players.
Hot On The Trail
Roka or Marion recommends searching a few of the goblin's usual haunts. The player searches three different locations for Snivel: the Auction House, the Barber, and the Bank. Much to the chagrin of Snivel's lady friends, never mind the inconvenience to the player and their ongoing investigation, Snivel felt the heat and made his escape.
A Friendly Chat...
The challenge now is to catch Snivel before he manages to escape. Alliance players can find Snivel skulking in the Stormwind Harbor and Horde players have to run to the Zepplin tower to find him. Snivel is so scared when the player catches up to him that all it takes is "a friendly chat" to get him to hand over Snivel's Ledger. When this item is returned to the Detective or the Inspector, it opens up the Daily Quest to kill the seasonal boss.
The Apothecary Hummel Quests
It's not just Hummel that needs killing, it's his friends Baxter and Fry as well. Although the dungeon, Shadowfang Keep, is a lower-level dungeon, this is a level 82 boss and his friends are just as nasty as he is.
Man On The Inside
The quest chain that started with the Inspector or Detective culminates here, with the second-last quest giver located in Shadowfang Keep. Investigator Fezzen Brasstacks is located just inside the door that leads out into the courtyard. Players should speak to him to get the materials needed to face Hummel and his friends.
You've Been Served
The Inspector gives the player a Standard Apothecary Serving Kit, which contains a Court Subpoena and one sample each of Perfume Neutralizer or Cologne Neutralizer. These aren't exactly essential for fighting the boss, but it's a lot more difficult to beat down all three characters without them.
The green stuff is anti-cologne and the pink misty goo is anti-perfume. Players can use them interchangeably during the fight to protect themselves from the Nature damage that both perfume and cologne deal during the fight.
Something is in the Air (and it Ain't Love)
After Apothecary Hummel is defeated, he drops a Faded Lovely Greeting Card that details the plans to use the perfume trade as a venue to spread the plague and take over the world. This surprises and excites nobody, least of all the Inspector or Detective. The real prize here is the drops from the loot table, which includes one of the rarest mounts in WoW, the X-45 Heartbreaker.
The Daily Quests
After the introductory quests, the daily quests from the seasonal NPCs and vendors become available. All of the following quests are given by the Crown Chemical Public Relations Agent in any city, but only one is available per day and each rewards five Love Tokens.
The Crown Company
- A Cloudlet of Classy Cologne. Use the Crown Perfume Sprayer to give ten other players a sample of this fine Crown Chemical Company product.
- A Perfect Puff of Perfume. Give ten other players a sample from the Crown Cologne Sprayer.
- Bonbon Blitz. Toss candies from the Crown Chocolate Sampler to ten different players.
Faction Leaders
As the name suggests, players can gift faction leaders with Lovely Charm Bracelets for Love Tokens and cards. They'll be able to get these quests from Kwee Q. Peddlefeet, that creepy goblin flitting about like a grinning cherub from Raphael's worst nightmares.
|
Faction |
Quest Name |
Leader And Location |
|
Horde |
A Gift for the Banshee Queen |
Lady Sylvanas Windrunner, Undercity |
|
A Gift for the High Chieftain |
Cairne Bloodhoof, Thunder Bluff |
|
|
A Gift for the Warchief's Advisor |
Thrall, Orgrimmar |
|
|
A Gift for the Regent Lord of Quel'Thalas |
Lor'themar Theron, Silvermoon City |
|
|
Alliance |
A Gift for the Prophet |
Prophet Velen, Exodar |
|
A Gift for the King of Stormwind |
Varian Wrynn, Stormwind City |
|
|
A Gift for the Lord of Ironforge |
Magni Brozebeard, Ironforge |
|
|
A Gift for the High Priestess of Elune |
Tyrande Whisperwinfd, Darnassus |
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