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20th Anniversary event in World of Warcraft with tent and mountains in a desert location.
Screenshot by Dot Esports

How to complete every event in WoW’s 20th Anniversary

World of Warcraft's 20th Anniversary is a celebration of the game's vast history. Here's how to take part in each of the Anniversary events.

World of Warcraft has been around since 2004—doesn’t time fly? The 20th Anniversary event for one of the most influential MMORPGs in history runs from Oct. 23 to Jan. 6, 2025, and it’s worth checking out, no matter your character’s level and gear.

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Here’s a breakdown of the main trio of events that are part of the 20th Anniversary celebrations in WoW, looking at how you can take part and some handy tips and tricks for winning.

World of Warcraft 20th Anniversary schedule

Balloon ride in World of Warcraft's 20th Anniversary event.
Light, Dark, and Gold Balloons provide an easy way to get a glimpse of all the festivities. Screenshot by Dot Esports

The 20th Anniversary celebrations in World of Warcraft are on a rolling, hourly schedule, meaning you can participate in each main event without waiting too long.

The hourly event schedule is as follows:

  • Story Time: On the hour
  • Fashion Frenzy: 15 minutes past
  • Story Time: 30 minutes past
  • Mount Mania: 45 minutes past

Story Time has multiple iterations, so you likely won’t see the same story twice within the same hour, and you can pick up the achievements for this event easily by sticking around for both times.

If you’re trying to get all the achievements for World of Warcraft’s 20th Anniversary celebrations, make sure to open up the map and check out where the party-crasher bosses have spawned. You can find Doomwalker, the Sha of Anger, Lord Kazzak, and other iconic bosses throughout Tanaris during this event.

Doomwalker boss being fought near the 20th anniversary event in World of Warcraft.
A number of powerful gate-crashers are attempting to join in with the 20th Anniversary celebrations. Screenshot by Dot Esports

They’re scaled up to max level, meaning you won’t be able to solo them and will need to team up with other players.

They’re worth tackling, as they can drop exciting rewards—we got the Reins of the Grand Black War Mammoth from our first Doomwalker kill, despite accidentally respawning on top of the boss and being kicked like a football—and link to several achievements, too.

Alongside the world bosses and the variety of quests, puzzles, and Dailies in the Anniversary celebration area, there are three main events to take part in, as shown in the schedule above.

Fashion Frenzy

Transmog stage in Tanaris desert in World of Warcraft.
Don’t try to get on the stage for Fashion Frenzy—you will teleport off as soon as you get up the stairs. Screenshot by Dot Esports

Transmog fans, this one’s for you. Fashion Frenzy is a fast-paced, fun fashion contest that tasks you with creating a new look based on a designated theme. To take part in it, you will need to wait by the stage until it’s 15 minutes past the hour and the organizer yells for participants in the chat.

The organizer, Althaea, will briefly explain the event before putting up a prompt for the transmog theme above the stage. The first one we tried was “Alliance vs Horde” and the most common one that popped up during our attempts was “Cataclysmic Costume.”

Several Transmogrifier NPCs are dotted around the stage, including behind the main stage itself. There’s also a Barber in this back room if you want to alter your character’s appearance directly, such as with a new hairstyle or eye color.

You are under a time limit for this, so make sure to plan accordingly and use any premade outfits you’ve already got if you’re stuck for ideas.

Alliance vs Horde transmog competition in World of Warcraft's 20th anniversary event.
Make sure to pay attention to the theme and consider each way people might interpret it. Screenshot by Dot Esports

Once the timer ticks down to zero, players must return to the main stage and pick up voting ribbons, which you can find on tables to the side of the stage.

You must then use four ribbons to vote for your favorite players in the event zone—click on them and use the ribbon item to vote. It’ll pop up as a buff on their character, stacking to indicate how many times people have voted for them.

Tip:DON’T RUSH THE STAGE

While it may seem like you need to get on stage for people to see your outfit, this will result in an automatic teleport. Simply stand in the area in front of the stage, and consider using any mounts or toys to complement your look and draw more attention to yourself if it’s busy.

This section is also timed. Once the timer ticks down to zero, the four winning players with the most stacks of the ribbon buff will be announced by name, and a copy of their character will be shown on stage next to Althaea.

While there isn’t a guaranteed way to win this event as it comes down to a voting system, it’s worth considering the popular interpretation of a theme and seeing whether you can put a creative spin on it.

For example, if you get “Alliance vs Horde” and you’re an Alliance player, why not make a Horde transmog? There are some pieces that Alliance members can access that have a Horde vibe to them, and it’s a great way to stand out from the almost certain sea of blue and gold that you’ll be competing against.

Mount Mania

Mount competition in World of Warcraft with lots of tree mounts.
A forest of Wandering Ancients listening to the Mount Mania event host calling out names. Screenshot by Dot Esports

If you have an impressive mount collection, you’ll have a field day with this event. Mount Mania is a collector’s competition that rewards players with the widest selection of mounts, pitting them against each other in a fast-paced contest.

To take part, wait until 45 minutes past the hour, then head to the event area near the main Anniversary celebrations tent. You’re looking for the NPC named Abigail Cyrildotr, who will shout in the main chat once the event begins.

Abigail will call out 15 mounts during this event, and your aim is to summon the same mounts as her to gather points. As the event begins, a progress bar will pop up on the right-hand side of your screen, indicating how many mounts remain.

Warbound Charger mount with competition background in World of Warcraft's 20th anniversary celebration.
This event highlighted how we really don’t have that many interesting mounts in our collection. Screenshot by Dot Esports

The mount name will pop up directly above Abigail’s head, so you can easily see what you need to search for in your Mount Journal tab.

Your points will be shown as a stacking buff near the progress bar on the right-hand side of the screen. Missing a mount doesn’t mean you can’t take part—for example, if you have mount one but not mount two, make sure you still summon mount three if possible—so don’t get discouraged.

At the end of the 15-mount list, the winner will be announced on the stage. The mounts in the event are random, meaning they can be PvP mounts, random drops, unattainable old-world mounts, store mounts, or simple crafted mounts.

Story Time

The final event is Story Time, led by the iconic Lorewalker Cho from Mists of Pandaria. This is essentially like watching a play based on real WoW lore snippets; there isn’t too much you need to do to participate.

The event takes place twice in the hour, once right on the hour mark and again at the half-past mark. Head to the stage and grab a seat before Lorewalker Cho starts talking.

Story Time event in World of Warcraft's 20th anniversary event with benches and a stage.
Lore enthusiasts will fall in love with the Story Time event in WoW‘s 20th Anniversary event. Screenshot by Dot Esports

All you need to do to take part is listen to Lorewalker Cho and click the interaction buttons when they pop up—you may get prompted to laugh, cry, or even cheer the narrator as the story unfolds. The scene will play out on stage for you to watch alongside other players.

There are several achievements to pick up here, including one for watching every possible story, so it’s worth grabbing a seat if you’re keen on event achievement hunting.

Dracthyr and human mage watching the stage in World of Warcraft.
Remember to participate in the Story Time event to get all the Anniversary achievements. Screenshot by Dot Esports

The 20th Anniversary event in WoW is full of fun content and exciting rewards, and this trio of events only makes up part of it. Make sure to explore the event before Jan. 6 to pick up as many rewards and collectibles as possible.


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Author
Image of Em Stonham
Em Stonham
Em is a Freelance Gaming Writer at Dot Esports who specializes in Pokemon and World of Warcraft. With a love for RPGs and TCGs, Em has spent the last few years covering gaming news and reviews for sites like IGN, Nintendo Life, and Dexerto.