Dataminers Uncover World of Warcraft’s Inaugural LGBTQ Pride Event

Two decades after its debut, Blizzard is set to introduce an official LGBTQ+ holiday in the MMORPG World of Warcraft, transforming a community-driven Pride celebration and charity initiative into a recognized in-game event.

Recent findings by dataminers have uncovered references and assets related to an event dubbed the “Darkspear Dash.” This new holiday is expected to debut in patch 12.0.5 and draws inspiration from the long-standing “Running of the Trolls” community event. For over ten years, this fan-organized LGBTQ+ gathering has taken place on the Feathermoon-US server, aiming to raise awareness for LGBTQ+ players in WoW while also supporting The Trevor Project, a nonprofit focused on suicide prevention and crisis intervention for young LGBTQ+ individuals.

The Darkspear Dash is scheduled to run on the Feathermoon-US server from June 27 to June 29, coinciding with this year’s Running of the Trolls and Pride Month, and will be accessible to all players. According to dataminers, the festivities will kick off with a beach party at Echo Isles and culminate in a grand pool party at the fountain in Silvermoon City.

“Join the Darkspear trolls as they celebrate individuality and identity,” reads a datamined description of the event. “Race up Kalimdor and across the Eastern Kingdoms, from Echo Isles to Silvermoon!”

Participants can look forward to a new rainbow-themed cosmetic item, along with limited-time items that allow players to leave a rainbow trail as they dash through the game.

While Blizzard has yet to officially confirm the specifics of the event, past datamines of this nature have proven reliable. If accurate, this will mark the first Pride event officially created and managed by Blizzard in the history of the MMORPG.