TL;DR: Blood Moon is VvW's highest-value monthly event — 48 hours of boosted XP, Gold, exclusive boss spawns, and a limited event shop. Most players leave 30–40% of their potential rewards on the table through poor planning and timing. This guide gives you an exact hour-by-hour schedule to extract maximum value from every Blood Moon.
"Under the crimson moon, the boundary between living and cursed dissolves. So does your restraint."
Event Overview
Blood Moon occurs every month on days 13–14 of the in-game calendar, running for exactly 48 hours. The v2 update extended it from 24h to its current 48h window, making preparation and scheduling far more important.
Preparation: What to Do Before Day 13
Blood Moon preparation starts 5–7 days before the event. Players who log in on day 13 with nothing saved miss enormous efficiency gains. Here is the full pre-event checklist:
Hour-by-Hour Optimal Schedule
This schedule is designed for an active player who can commit meaningful time across the 48-hour window. Adjust based on your real-life availability, but maintain the priority order of activities.
The Blood Moon bosses have an extended spawn window in the first 6 hours. Priority one is killing all three bosses (Vael the Crimson, the Howling Warden, and the Eclipse Shade) as early as possible. Each boss resets after 8 hours, so you can kill them up to 6 times across the 48h window. Boss kills are the primary source of event currency (Lunar Shards) — front-load them. Activate your XP elixir immediately at event start.
After the initial boss rush, shift to open-world mob farming in your highest-efficiency zone. With +25% XP, +20% Gold, and an active XP elixir, this 6-hour window provides the best XP/Gold rate you will see all month. For players approaching level 80, this window can push you across the threshold. For post-prestige re-levelers, this phase can cut 3–4 days off your re-level timeline.
Blood Moon has a PvP event point system where kills in PvP zones award Crimson Points. High Crimson Point totals award bonus Lunar Shards at event end. Hours 12–24 are when PvP zone populations peak as players who couldn't join at launch come online. This is the best window for PvP event point farming. Note: Corruption levels are elevated during Blood Moon (see below) — enter PvP zones only if your gear allows you to fight effectively.
By hour 24, your farming efficiency is diminishing — you've used your initial elixir, potentially spent event currency, and main content is on cooldown. This window is best used for completing all available daily quests (still earning +20% Gold bonus), refreshing boss kills (the 8-hour reset has now fired 3 times), and doing weekly challenges if the Blood Moon week overlaps with a weekly reset. Use this time to eat, sleep, and recover for the final push.
The event shop closes the instant the 48-hour timer expires. In the final 12 hours, audit your Lunar Shard total, calculate exactly what you can buy, and spend before the timer ends. Unspent Lunar Shards convert at a terrible rate after event close (approximately 2 Lunar Shards = 1 regular gold). Additionally, do your final boss kills of the event window — the 36h reset fires at hour 40, giving you one more kill on each boss. Use any remaining elixirs now.
Blood Moon Bosses: Locations, Spawn Times, Loot
| Boss | Location | Spawn Window | Reset | Key Drops |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Vael the Crimson | Ashveil Ruins, northern sector | Every 8h from event start | 8h cooldown | Lunar Shards (15–25), Bloodcrystal Fragment, chance: Legendary Ring |
| The Howling Warden | Thornwood Hollow, central clearing | Every 8h from event start | 8h cooldown | Lunar Shards (15–25), Moonpelt Shard, chance: Epic Helmet (Werewolf-tuned) |
| The Eclipse Shade | Grimhaven Ruins, shadow spire | Every 10h from event start | 10h cooldown | Lunar Shards (20–35), Shadow Essence x3, chance: Legendary Amulet |
At maximum efficiency across 48h: Vael = up to 6 kills, Howling Warden = up to 6 kills, Eclipse Shade = up to 4 kills. Expected total Lunar Shards from bosses alone (group kill, accounting for party split): 80–120 Lunar Shards across the event.
Event Currency (Lunar Shards) Spending Priority
-
1Legendary Crafting Material (Blood Moon Essence) — 60 Lunar Shards Blood Moon Essence is the only source for Crimson Legendary set crafting. It is not available outside of Blood Moon. One full Legendary set requires 3 Essences (180 Lunar Shards across multiple Blood Moons). This is unambiguously the highest long-term value purchase for progression-focused players. Prioritize this even if it means skipping cosmetics entirely.
-
2Cosmetic Wings (Crimson Pyre Wings) — 80 Lunar Shards The Blood Moon exclusive cosmetic wings are the most sought-after cosmetic in VvW and cannot be obtained outside Blood Moon. They have no gameplay value but significant social and trade value. For players who have already purchased Blood Moon Essence in prior events and are not yet ready for the next Essence purchase, Crimson Wings are the best secondary spend.
-
3Rune Scrolls (Major) — 25 Lunar Shards each Major Rune Scrolls are generally available in the main game but cost 800–1,200 gold each on the AH. At 25 Lunar Shards, buying 2–3 Rune Scrolls is a reasonable third-priority spend for players who need immediate rune power before they can farm Essences. These also have AH resale value, making them liquid purchases.
Corruption During Blood Moon
The Corruption mechanic — which governs PvP flagging and zone danger levels — changes significantly during Blood Moon:
- Corruption threshold lowered by 30%: Actions that normally don't flag you for PvP (such as attacking contested mobs) become PvP-flagging during Blood Moon. Be aware in shared farming zones.
- Corruption decay rate halved: Corruption earned during Blood Moon takes twice as long to clear after the event ends. Avoid accumulating Corruption you don't intend to fight through.
- High Corruption bonus: Characters with active Corruption receive +10% damage and +10% XP during Blood Moon — a intentional design decision rewarding "outlaw" playstyles. If you plan to PvP heavily, a controlled moderate Corruption level provides a genuine advantage.
- Boss interaction: Blood Moon bosses spawn in PvP-enabled zones regardless of your Corruption status. Be prepared to be attacked while fighting bosses. Group farming is highly recommended both for boss kill speed and protection from PvP opportunists.
Common Blood Moon Mistakes
- Saving event currency too long: Players accumulate Lunar Shards intending to spend strategically, then spend the final hours panicking. Know your purchase plan before day 13. Unspent shards are wasted at terrible conversion rates.
- Missing the 8-hour boss respawn: The most common efficiency loss. Set a real-world timer or alarm. Missing one boss reset wastes 15–35 Lunar Shards and a potential Legendary drop.
- Forgetting to activate elixirs during the bonus window: Activating an XP elixir outside Blood Moon wastes the event stacking. Never pre-activate elixirs — wait until after the event starts and the +25% XP bonus is confirmed active.
- Spending Lunar Shards on gold conversion: The event shop offers a gold conversion at poor rates as a "convenience" option. Never use it. The gold equivalent of Lunar Shards via intelligent item spending is 3–5× higher than the direct conversion rate.
- Entering PvP zones without a party: Corrupted players hunting during Blood Moon are often the strongest and most organized. Solo farming in PvP zones loses more time to deaths than it gains from Crimson Points. Go with a group or stick to PvE zones.
- Not logging in at event start: The first 6-hour boss window is the richest. Missing the first boss cycle means missing 25% of your total boss kill potential. Set an alarm for event start.
The Blood Moon Rises — Are You Ready?
Join the hunt in Aeternum. Blood Moon rewards prepare, not the unprepared.
Play Free Eclipse War Guide