Wintersday 2010

Schedule


Finale
The Wintersday grand finale runs every 3 hours starting at 12:01 am PST on Saturday, January 1st, 2011, and ending 12:01 am PST on Sunday, January 2nd, 2011, in Lion's Arch. Finales will also be taking place in Kamadan, but will have a 15 minute delay like they did during Wintersday 2006, 2007, 2008, and 2009.

The Wintersday finale is similar to Nine Rings at the Shing Jea Boardwalk but with Candy Cane Shards instead of Festival Tickets. Playing this game counts towards your Lucky and Unlucky title tracks.

Each game will cost you 1 Candy Cane Shard. If you are standing on a ring adjacent to the winning ring, you will receive 2 Candy Cane Shards and 2 Lucky points. If you were standing on the winning ring, you win a Wintersday Gift. You also receive the same number of Candy Cane Shards and Lucky points, depending on what ring was chosen, which are 3 of each for the middle, 4 of each for the side, and 5 of each for the corner.

At the end of the finale, approximately a dozen Wintersday Gifts will be added to your inventory one at a time, taking roughly 15 minutes; so be sure to stay in the district that you're in for that duration (until the winning deity says farewell and leaves). Note that it is not necessary to remain on any of the rings during the post-game Wintersday Gift giving phase; it is sufficient just to be in the district.

Festival hats
During each finale, the rival gods Grenth and Dwayna will call upon the people of the town for their support. The God with the most followers will reward the people of the town with a festival hat. Followers of Grenth stand upon the red rings, and the followers of Dwayna upon the green or blue rings. Traditionally, Dwayna is supported in even numbered districts and Grenth in odd ones &mdash; abiding by this convention helps to guarantee that players can acquire the hat of their choosing.
 * Acquisition during finale

If you are attempting to get a specific hat, make sure the district you're in is likely to support the relevant god.
 * Change districts until you find one that has obviously more supporters on the appropriate sets of rings.
 * Be sure to arrive early enough to choose: players are unlikely to receive any hats if they join districts that are created after the local finale has begun.

The Wintersday Hat Giver offers each hat for 125 Candy Cane Shards each. He appears after the last finale concludes and remains for 7-10 days after.
 * Acquisition via collector

Decorated towns

 * Ascalon City
 * Droknar's Forge
 * Eye of the North
 * Kamadan, Jewel of Istan
 * Lion's Arch



New features

 * Brand-new holiday content! Team up with your friends and join the forces of Balthazar or Melandru for a cold war, high in the Shiverpeaks! You’ll have to deactivate the statues of the opposing gods to claim victory in this all-new Wintersday challenge!

Returning features

 * Holiday quests in Lion's Arch, Kamadan, and the Eye of the North! We’re bringing back popular quest chains that capture the spirit of the season. Deliver presents to needy little urchins, defeat the scheming Grentches, spread Wintersday cheer, and more!
 * 8v8 ATS-style Snowball Tournaments!
 * Two repeatable quests set in the Secret Lair of the Snowmen. It's your choice: help save the Snowmen and all of Wintersday, or lead a group of Grentches for a final "Bah, humbug!" of the season.
 * Venture into the Underworld for a series of repeatable snowball fights against the forces of Grenth or the followers of Dwayna. Seize control of piles of presents to claim victory for your side in this frosty fray!
 * Holiday headgear! Continuing an annual tradition, you can earn one of two special Wintersday masks for participating in the annual Grenth vs. Dwayna holiday event!
 * PvP snowball fights! Random forces unite within an arena to fight for either Grenth or Dwayna. The first team to gather five presents for its patron deity wins the day. Will Grenth have his way and plunge the world into eternal winter, or will Dwayna be able to melt enough hearts to bring about an early thaw?
 * Complete Snowball Dominance to unlock the Jingle Bear & White Jingle Moa in Gwen's garden.

Quests

 * Lion's Arch
 * Old Nickoles
 * The Greatest Snowman Ever Made
 * A Very Grentchie Wintersday


 * Kamadan
 * Grandfather Kringle
 * Save the Reindeer
 * Find the Stolen Presents
 * Spreading the Wintersday Spirit
 * Elder Skruuj
 * White Mist
 * How the Grentches Stole Wintersday
 * The Gift of Giving


 * Lion's Arch and Kamadan, Jewel of Istan
 * Priest of Balthazar
 * Operation: Crush Spirits
 * Priestess of Melandru
 * Fighting in a Winter Wonderland
 * Rift Warden
 * In Grenth's Defense
 * You're a Mean One, Mr. Grenth
 * Straight to the Heart (Eye of the North required)
 * The Strength of Snow (Eye of the North required)


 * Eye of the North
 * Casey Carpenter
 * The Three Wise Norn
 * Charr-broiled Plans
 * Snowball Dominance

Guild versus Guild
NPCs in GvG have their models altered as follows:

The opposing Guild Lord drops 10 Wintersday Gifts for each player of the winning team when he dies. To prevent exploitation, no rewards are offered if (a) the match ends after 28 minutes without either side killing a Guild Lord or (b) the battle ends in under 15 seconds (e.g. due to one team resigning or zoning).

Items
In addition to the seasonally appropriate festival hats that you can receive from Grenth or Dwayna at the end of a finale, you can also obtain these Wintersday items:

Costumes
Two new costumes were made available from the Guild Wars In-Game Store during this Wintersday event. They are available for purchase separately or as a limited-time combination pack together: