Blizzard Entertainment and NetEase took the hype for World of Warcraft: Forever to a whole new level in China last weekend by building a walk-in version of Dalaran inside a Shanghai convention center. The event, called World of Warcraft Infinite Party: Dalaran on the Ground, was billed by the official Chinese World of Warcraft team as the first global WoW carnival.
The three-day celebration ran from Friday through Sunday at the National Exhibition and Convention Center in Shanghai, filling Hall 1.2 with a recreated version of the floating city of mages. Fans entered through a portal and stepped into a full themed map of the city.
What Was Inside The Real Life Dalaran
According to the official event guide posted by the World of Warcraft operations team in China, the venue was split into areas based on real Dalaran locations. Attendees could visit an Antonidas Memorial rest area, dedicated Horde and Alliance zones, a merchandise shop, a magic commerce district, a mount stable, a magic tavern, a bank, a post office, a barber, and a demo zone called the Dalaran Sewers.
The mount stable was one of the biggest attractions. The official guide lists six rideable mounts recreated at 1:1 scale, ranging from the Kodo to the Spectral Tiger, which is still one of the most sought-after mounts in the game's history. Chinese gaming outlet BB Ji, which covered the event on site, reported that the Kodo was on display only and could not be ridden for safety reasons, and that the venue covered around 15,000 square meters.
If you want a video that shows it off well, here is one from Youtuber jakenbakeLIVE:
The event also included a 1:1 replica of the famous orc wolf rider statue that stands outside Blizzard's headquarters in Irvine, giving Chinese fans a chance to snap a photo with one of the company's most recognizable landmarks without flying to California.
Quests, Crafting, And A Magic Wristband
Blizzard and NetEase leaned hard into making the event feel like an actual WoW session. Every attendee received an interactive "magic" wristband linked to Alipay, which tracked progress through eight main quests along with side quests and hidden quests scattered across the venue.
Crafting professions were turned into minigames that rewarded gold coins. Those coins could then be traded in for merchandise or used to open prize boxes, which the official guide promised had a 100 percent win rate. Prizes shown in the guide included Horde and Alliance coins, an Illidan statue, plushies, and a murloc hat.
Fans could also go fishing, try out a real-life version of transmog, and chat with NPCs as if they were Dalaran residents. The magic tavern featured random events throughout the day, while the Antonidas Memorial doubled as a stage for community artists.
A WoW Forever Demo In The Sewers
The Dalaran Sewers area was where fans could get hands-on with World of Warcraft: Forever. In China, the game is known as World of Warcraft: Infinite, which explains the name of the event. The game has been in beta in China since the start of the month, and it launches globally on November 5th Beijing time, which lines up with the November 4th launch in the Americas.
The official guide also promised an all-star lineup of cosplayers, a mystery guest, and a bionic robot named Elf Xuan. Every attendee received a welcome gift on arrival, and tickets were sold through the Damai platform with prices ranging from 159 to 499 yuan. Ticket buyers needed to be at least 14 years old.
BB Ji also reported that the event featured a surprise speech from game director Ion Hazzikostas, appearances from popular Chinese streamers PDD and Wu Wu Kai, and a murloc parade organized by players. Blizzard China's official guide did not list these ahead of time, so they appear to have been part of the surprises on the day.
A Big Statement For WoW In China
It's no surprise Blizzard and NetEase went this big. World of Warcraft was offline in mainland China for well over a year after the two companies' previous agreement ended in early 2023, and the game only returned after they reached a new deal. Building a physical Dalaran for the launch of WoW Forever is a clear sign of how important the Chinese audience is to the new version of the game.
It's also a smart choice of city. Dalaran has been a hub for players across multiple expansions, from Wrath of the Lich King to Legion, so it is a location that almost every generation of WoW player has spent time in. Back in the global beta, Blizzard added Dalaran during the fourth week of testing.
Blizzard has not announced any plans to bring a similar event to North America or Europe. With World of Warcraft: Forever launching in under two weeks, though, the timing for something like this could not be much better.
If you could visit this real-life Dalaran, would you head straight for the mount stable or the magic tavern?
Let us know your thoughts in the comments below.