Stranglethorn Vale has a reputation for being one of the biggest PvP hotspots in the history of World of Warcraft. And in the second phase of the Season of Discovery, the jungle is the epicenter of the game’s next open-world PvP event.
Every three hours, a Blood Moon descends upon Stranglethorn Vale, enabling a zone-wide PvP event that turns every player in the zone hostile against one another. During the Blood Moon event, which lasts for 30 minutes, a kill-or-be-killed policy takes effect over the whole zone, making it borderline impossible to ignore the looming threat of a gank, regardless of whether you’re trying to farm stacks of Blood for the Blood Loa or are simply trying to get quests done in the zone.
Thankfully for WoW players, you can disable the harmful free-for-all effects of the Blood Moon event and can choose to opt out of it entirely if you’d like by speaking to an NPC that will bestow you with a blessing. Here’s where to find that NPC.
Where to find a Zandalarian Emissary during WoW SoD’s Blood Moon event
The NPC you’ll want to speak with to opt out of the Stranglethorn Vale Blood Moon event is the Zandalarian Emissary. This NPC is a large troll wearing a voodoo mask and has a massive icon representing a glowing drop of blood over his head. You truly can’t miss him. Speak with this NPC to get the buff “Zandalari Ward,” which will “protect you from the madness of the Blood Moon.”
The most convenient spot where you can find a Zandalarian Emissary will be in Booty Bay, just outside the Salty Sailor Tavern at coordinates [27, 77]. Additional Zandalarian Emissaries can be found in the open world at Grom’gol Base Camp for the Horde and near the Rebel Camp for the Alliance.
If a Blood Moon event is active and you need to get to Stranglethorn from Kalimdor, there’s also a Zandalarian Emissary who can grant you protection from the event in Ratchet, just before you take the boat over to Booty Bay.
It’s best to keep in mind that the Zandalari Ward has a lessened effect on you if you play on a PvP server. You can get the buff from the Zandalari Emissary, but as long as you’re flagged for PvP, you’ll be susceptible to getting killed in Stranglethorn Vale by players of the other faction, regardless of whether the Blood Moon event is active. Enabling this buff, however, will at least keep you safe from the members of your own faction who would otherwise become hostile. But honestly, if you’re playing on a PvP server, you’re likely someone who loves the idea of the Blood Moon event and wouldn’t want to opt out anyway.