World of Warcraft fans took a weekend off for the Stranglethorn Bonfire Bash

polygon.com:

World of Warcraft’s mainline story has been dealing with some pretty heavy topics over the last few years. But despite this, there are always fans who are finding things to love about the game and its world, often using their own ingenuity to bring their ideas to life themselves. For instance, while Blizzard works on developing the next expansion, Dragonflight, hundreds of players took to the beaches of Stranglethorn to chase pigs, play volleyball, soak up some rays, and exchange fan art.

The Stranglethorn Bonfire Bash is a massive, annual community celebration for role-players. Adventurers spend most of the year rescuing innocents, slaying monsters, and navigating politics, and the summer Bash is an immediately appealing departure. This year’s Bash, which was held on July 22 and 23, brought over three hundred players to the beach’s sandy shores to unwind and celebrate.

“It’s a laid back beach party to roleplay in,” says Buttart, one of the event’s organizers, in a conversation with Polygon over Discord. “It encompasses mini-games and contests as well, usually done through creative toy usage or roll-based competitions, but at its heart is all about relaxing at the beach (in Stranglethorn Vale) and giving your characters a break from the heavier subject matter of WoW.”

The event has been running since 2016, but this is the first year that fans are using Epsilon, a private server that allows players to use World of Warcraft assets to create their own little scenes. This is ideal for the Bash, as fans can frolic along the shores of Stranglethorn Vale while enjoying all the customized and created assets like tents for vendors, fairgrounds, and a stage for performers. During the most recent event, fans did lighthearted