Guides/Endgame
Dragon Bash: holograms, moa betting, and a piñata in Hoelbrak
The norn festival of hitting things. Hologram Stampede, Dragon Arena, Moa Racing and the piñatas, what Zhaitaffy buys, and when it runs.
Dragon Bash is the norn answer to a dragon: throw a party about hitting things shaped like one. It runs for about three weeks in June, and the 2025 edition went from 17 June to 8 July.
It lives in Hoelbrak, having moved there in 2019 from its original home in Lion’s Arch. That relocation was contentious at the time and looks obviously correct now, because a norn city is exactly where a festival about celebratory violence belongs.
What is in it
Hologram Stampede is the backbone. Holographic dragon minions spawn in the zones around Hoelbrak and everybody kills them, and the event restarts every 15 minutes, so there is no timer to plan around.
Dragon Arena is an instance near Hero’s Compass Waypoint where you fight waves of holograms with a champion at the end of each round. There is a public version and a private Dragon Arena Survival for people who want it harder.
Moa Racing near Legends Waypoint is the odd one, and the reason is that you do not race. You bet on a moa. A new round starts five minutes after the last one finishes, and the whole thing is a small gambling parlour ArenaNet built into a festival about dragons.
Dragon Piñatas are exactly what they sound like and are hit by roughly everyone in the city at once.
There are also time trials and the Dragon Bash Rally for people who arrived on a mount.
Zhaitaffy, and what it is for
The currency is Piece of Zhaitaffy, and it drops from essentially everything you do during the festival. Dragon Coffers are the main reward container, adventure medals come in gold, silver and bronze, and the vendors take taffy for the festival’s cosmetics.
The loop is the standard festival shape: play whatever you enjoy, taffy accumulates, spend at the end. Nothing here requires a route or a schedule.
The festival with the lowest barrier of all
Halloween has a clock tower that beats people. Wintersday has a jumping puzzle in melting ice. Super Adventure Box has a mode built to hurt you.
Dragon Bash has holograms that stand still and a bird you can bet on.
That sounds like faint praise and it is the opposite. This is the festival to recommend to somebody who has been playing for four days, or to a friend you dragged into the game who has not worked out dodging yet. Everything in it is approachable, nothing in it is timed against you, and the rewards arrive whether you are good at the game or not.
Every festival calendar needs one entry that asks nothing. In June, this is it.
Questions people ask
When does Dragon Bash run?
In June, for about three weeks. The 2025 edition ran 17 June to 8 July.
Where is Dragon Bash held?
Hoelbrak, the norn capital. It moved there in 2019 from its original home in Lion's Arch.
What is the Dragon Bash currency?
Piece of Zhaitaffy, earned from almost every festival activity and spent at festival vendors.
What is Moa Racing?
A betting activity near Legends Waypoint. You place a wager on a racing moa rather than racing yourself, and a new round starts five minutes after the last one ends.