Darkmoon Faire
How the Darkmoon Faire Capsule Machines Work at BlizzCon
Tokens, exclusive patches, prize tickets, and the chance at something huge.
The Big Thing to Know
The exclusive patches are the standard prize. The real excitement is the chance that your capsule contains a paper prize redemption ticket for a much bigger digital or physical Blizzard prize.
You buy a stack of Darkmoon Faire tokens.
Wait your turn at the capsule machines.
Put in a token.
Turn the machine.
A capsule drops out.
Most of the time, you're getting one of that year's exclusive Blizzard vinyl Velcro patches.
But every capsule comes with another possibility.
You crack it open and find a small paper ticket inside.
You hit a prize redemption ticket.
That ticket could represent anything from a digital Blizzard collectible to a physical piece of merchandise—and historically, some of those prizes have been extremely desirable.
That possibility is what makes the Darkmoon Faire capsule machines one of the most exciting collector activities at BlizzCon.
What Are the Darkmoon Faire Capsule Machines?
The capsule machines are an official Darkmoon Faire activity that uses Darkmoon Faire Tokens.
For the past several BlizzCons, the standard collectible inside the capsules has been an exclusive set of Blizzard vinyl Velcro patches, including at BlizzCon 2023.
These capsule patches form their own event-specific collection, and trying to complete the set is part of the fun.
But collecting the patches is only part of the experience.
The real chase is what else might be inside the capsule.
First You Need Tokens
In previous years, using the capsule machines has involved two separate queues.
Line #1: Buy Your Tokens
First, you queue at staffed Darkmoon Faire registers to purchase the tokens you'll use in the machines.
Line #2: Capsule Machines
Once you have your tokens, you then get into another queue to reach the actual capsule machines.
Both lines can get very long.
During peak periods, waits of an hour or more for each line can happen.
That means a trip to the capsule machines can potentially consume a significant portion of your BlizzCon day if you hit the Darkmoon Faire at a particularly busy time.
BlizzardItems Tip: Buy Your Tokens at Once
Because the token-purchase line itself can become so long, plan ahead before getting into it.
Decide approximately how many capsule pulls you're comfortable doing.
Buy all the tokens you expect to use during your first trip through the token line.
Then, when you finally reach the capsule machines:
Use them.
If you buy five tokens, run five capsules. If you buy twenty, run twenty.
You can sort through the patches and trade your duplicates afterward.
What you probably don't want to do is wait an hour to buy tokens, wait another hour for the machines, decide you want five more pulls, and then start the entire process again.
The Standard Prize: Exclusive Velcro Patches
Most capsules will contain one of that BlizzCon's exclusive vinyl Velcro patches.
These are collectible in their own right, and collectors will immediately begin trying to complete the year's capsule set.
You'll see duplicates. You'll see people comparing pulls. And you'll hear plenty of:
"Do you need this one?"
The randomized patches naturally create trading inventory, which is one reason the capsule machines fit so well inside the Darkmoon Faire.
But the patches aren't the reason a crowd gets excited.
That happens when someone finds a ticket.
The Real Attraction: Prize Redemption Tickets
Randomly inserted into some capsules are paper prize redemption tickets.
Find one of those, and you've pulled something beyond the standard capsule prize.
The exact prize pool varies, but historically these tickets have represented both digital and physical Blizzard prizes.
This Is the Chase
Most capsules contain the standard collectible. A prize ticket can turn an ordinary capsule pull into something completely different.
Digital Blizzard Prizes
Some redemption tickets have historically been tied to digital Blizzard items.
That has included older in-game collectibles associated with Blizzard's trading-card-game era.
The range can go from lower-value digital rewards and pets all the way to extremely desirable mounts.
Pets
Lower-value digital collectibles such as older TCG-era pets.
Magic Rooster
A highly sought-after mount from Blizzard's TCG loot era.
Spectral Tiger
One of the most recognizable and desirable historical Warcraft TCG rewards.
The difference between a standard capsule collectible and a high-end digital redemption prize can therefore be enormous.
That possibility is sitting in the back of your mind every time another capsule drops.
Physical Prize Tickets
The larger prizes aren't limited to digital items.
Prize redemption tickets can also represent physical Blizzard merchandise.
Funko POPs
Blizzard and franchise-themed collectible figures.
Plush
Physical Blizzard character and franchise collectibles.
Figures & Collectibles
Action figures and other physical Blizzard merchandise.
High-End Statues
Larger premium Blizzard character statues can represent some of the most exciting physical pulls.
The range can go from something fun and relatively modest to something you absolutely did not expect to walk out of the Darkmoon Faire carrying.
What Happens If You Pull a Prize Ticket?
Don't lose it.
Seriously.
Keep the ticket secure and follow the redemption process Blizzard provides for that convention.
Depending on the prize and that year's setup, you may need to take the ticket to a staffed redemption location.
Treat the ticket like the prize
Until you've successfully redeemed it, keep the original ticket safe. For a high-value pull, that little piece of paper may suddenly be one of the most valuable things you're carrying around BlizzCon.
Don't Throw Away Your Capsule
When you're doing a lot of pulls, it's easy to develop a rhythm.
Open → Patch → Next → Open → Patch → Next
Slow down enough to check everything.
Before discarding anything, look for:
- The standard collectible
- Any inserts
- A paper prize redemption ticket
- Any redemption instructions
The last thing you want is to realize later that a prize ticket may have gone into the trash with your capsule.
What Are the Odds of Pulling a Prize Ticket?
This is the question everyone wants answered.
Unless Blizzard publishes official odds or a prize breakdown for a particular BlizzCon, be careful about numbers you hear from other collectors.
You'll inevitably hear things like:
"Someone said there are only five of those."
Maybe.
But collector rumors aren't official pull rates.
Unless Blizzard publishes the odds, treat specific rarity numbers as speculation.
What we can say is that prize redemption tickets are much less common than the standard capsule pulls.
That's why finding one gets everyone's attention.
What Do I Do With All the Duplicate Patches?
Trade them.
If you run a stack of capsules, there's a good chance you'll end up with duplicates.
Those duplicates aren't wasted.
They immediately become current-year traders.
Head toward the collector trading area. Other attendees are trying to complete exactly the same set.
You may have three copies of the patch they've been missing. They may have the one you haven't pulled.
The capsule machines essentially create their own trading economy in real time.
Open Your Capsules Near Other Collectors
If practical, open your capsules somewhere near the collector trading area.
There's a simple reason:
Everyone can see what everyone else is pulling.
Pull a duplicate? Somebody nearby may need it.
See somebody pull a patch you're missing? You may already have one they need.
The capsule itself is random.
The trading afterward doesn't have to be.
Don't Try to Complete the Set Through Pulls Alone
Suppose you're missing only one patch from the year's capsule set.
Buying another capsule doesn't mean the machine suddenly knows which one you need.
It is perfectly capable of giving you another copy of the patch you already have four of.
This is where trading becomes much more efficient.
Use your duplicates to fill the remaining holes in your collection instead of assuming every missing design requires another pull.
Why Collectors Keep Going Back
The capsule machines work because every pull has several layers.
The Patch
Which design did you get? Do you need it? Is it a duplicate?
The Set
Are you getting closer to completing the exclusive capsule collection?
The Trade
Can the duplicate you just pulled become one of the patches you're missing?
The Prize Ticket
And then there's the thought sitting in the back of your head every time the capsule drops: What if this is the one?
That's the hook.
Managing the Lines
This is one of the most important things for a first-time BlizzCon attendee to understand.
At peak Darkmoon Faire times, you may encounter an hour or more to buy tokens followed by another hour or more for the capsule machines.
That's potentially a substantial part of your BlizzCon day.
Go During Off-Peak Periods
If the Faire is completely packed when you arrive, consider checking back later.
Buy Enough Tokens
Avoid unnecessarily repeating the token-purchase queue.
Have Your Tokens Ready
When you reach the machines, know how many pulls you're planning to make.
Use Your Time in Line
Talk to collectors, compare pulls, trade, and ask what prizes people have seen pulled that day.
You're surrounded by Blizzard collectors anyway.
The line can become part of the collecting experience.
A First-Timer's Capsule Machine Game Plan
1. Find the token registers and capsule machines.
Learn where both queues start before committing your time.
2. Check the waits.
If both lines are enormous, decide whether coming back during a quieter period makes more sense.
3. Decide your capsule budget before getting in line.
Know approximately how many pulls you're comfortable doing.
4. Buy all the tokens you expect to use.
Avoid making another trip through the token-purchase line if you can.
5. Take your tokens to the capsule-machine line.
Now it's time for queue number two.
6. Use your tokens.
Run the capsules you planned for rather than repeatedly moving between the two queues.
7. Check every capsule carefully.
Look for the standard patch and, most importantly, any paper prize redemption ticket.
8. Separate your duplicates.
Those patches are now excellent current-year traders.
9. Head to the trading area.
Try completing the patch set through trades before assuming you need more random pulls.
10. Secure any prize ticket immediately.
Follow Blizzard's redemption instructions and keep the original ticket safe until your prize has been redeemed.
One Last Piece of Advice
The standard patch is what comes out of most capsules.
But that isn't really what makes the machines so memorable.
It's the possibility.
You wait in line.
Buy your tokens.
Wait in another line.
Put the first token in.
Turn the machine.
Hear the capsule drop.
Open it.
Most of the time: Cool patch.
Sometimes: Great, another duplicate.
And every once in a while:
You unfold a little piece of paper.
Someone next to you realizes what it says.
And suddenly everyone around the machine wants to see.
That's the Darkmoon Faire capsule-machine experience.
The patch is the collectible.
The prize ticket is the dream.
Good luck.
— BlizzardItems