Wintersday 2009

Schedule


Finale
The Wintersday grand finale runs every 3 hours starting at 12:01 am PST on Friday, January 1st, 2010, and ending 12:01 am PST on Saturday, January 2nd, 2010, 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 and 2008.

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 title track.

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.

Due to a bug that resulted in some users failing to receive festival hats, Wintersday was repeated for a brief period.

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, by informal agreement, Dwayna is supported in even numbered districts and Grenth in odd ones – abiding by this convention helps to guarantee that players can acquire the hat of their choosing.

Decorated towns

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

New features

 * You can unlock the new White Jingle Moa in Gwen's garden if you complete the 3 Wintersday quests given by Lieutenant Thackeray.

Returning features

 * Two well-known Wintersday quests are back to let you side with Grenth and his grentches or Dwayna and her snowmen before their final showdown. Unsure which deity to support? Try both quests to pick your favorite!
 * Quest chains from past years that involve certain beloved (and rare) holiday-themed animals.
 * Two repeatable quests set in the (previously) Secret Lair of the Snowmen. It's your choice: help save the snowmen, and all of Wintersday, or lead a group of grentches on 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 forces of Dwayna. Take control of piles of presents to win victory for your side in this frosty fray.
 * More snowball mayhem in the form of 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.
 * Embrace the old adage "it is better to give than to receive" at the city event game in Lion's Arch, Droknar's Forge, Kamadan, and Ascalon City. Deliver presents to the children before the grentches destroy Wintersday. You never know, the little urchins might reward you with something special for your generosity.
 * You can unlock the Jingle Bear in Gwen's garden if you complete the 3 Wintersday quests given by Lieutenant Thackeray.

Quests

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


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

Rift Warden (found in both Lion's Arch and Kamadan)
 * 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
 * Lieutenant Thackeray
 * The Three Wise Norn
 * Charr-broiled Plans
 * Wintersday Cheer
 * Casey Carpenter
 * Snowball Dominance

Holiday rewards
In addition to the seasonally appropriate headwear that you can receive from Grenth or Dwayna at the end of the grand finale, you can also obtain these Wintersday Items during the 2009 festivities: