Charr-broiled Plans

The Charr have come to interrupt Wintersday festivites at the Eye. Stop them just outside the gates.

Requirements

 * This quest can only be completed during Wintersday.

Objectives

 * Speak with Brartak the Glutton in Ice Cliff Chasms outside the Eye of the North.
 * Clear out all the Charr advancing on the Eye of the North. Number of groups remaining: [9...0]
 * See Casey Carpenter for your reward.

Rewards

 * 2,000 Experience
 * 200 Gold
 * 200 Vanguard reputation points
 * Mischievous Summoning Stone
 * 10 Wintersday Gifts

Walkthrough
This quest is similar to Service: In Defense of the Eye: in both quests, you defend against major waves of enemies advancing upon the steps to the Eye of the North. In this quest, however, your party will resurrect after a wipe, allowing you to complete the quest. None of the Norn NPCs need to survive to get credit for completing the quest.

The first three groups of Charr are waiting for you on the ice lake. They will not attack until about 30 seconds after you speak with Brartak the Glutton. Once the Charr become hostile, they will make their way slowly to the steps up to the outpost. This first wave should present little trouble to a well-balanced party.

The second wave is tougher, since it includes dreaded Trihorns &mdash; thick-armored beasts that are much more difficult to kill than their handlers. Decide beforehand whether to target these tanks or to take out the infantry &mdash; the strategy that works best depends on the skills brought by your party; both will work.

The final wave includes a single Devourer Catapult, which deals 100-150 damage a shot. Take out this large-capacity damage generator first during this wave, and the remaining Charr will be easy to mop up afterwards.


 * The Shockwave of the Trihorns in wave 2 can devastate an unprepared party.
 * Minion masters are very effective here; there are plenty of corpses.
 * Area of effect damage works well; the Charr remain bunched up throughout the quest.
 * Alternatively, head for a Norn bounty immediately after speaking with Brartak the Glutton; you have about a minute before the fighting begins. When you return, you can pull the Charr away in more manageable numbers.

Wave composition

 * Wave 1
 * North: Blademaster &times; 4,  Dominator
 * East: Blademaster &times; 4,  Hexreaper
 * South: Axemaster &times; 4,  Bladestorm


 * Wave 2
 * Northwest : Blade Storm &times; 9,  Trihorn
 * Northeast : Demolisher &times; 5 (with Devourers),  Ash Thief &times; 2
 * Southwest: Axe Fiend &times; 9,  Trihorn


 * Wave 3
 * Southeast, first group: Demolisher &times; 4 (with Devourers),  Flameshielder &times; 3
 * Southeast, second group: Dominator &times; 4, Devourer Catapult
 * Southwest: Bladestorm &times; 3,  Wardkeeper &times; 2,  Avenger

Allies
Human Norn
 * 20 (20) Lieutenant Thackeray
 * 20 (20) Galbraum the Intoxicated
 * 20 (20) Brartak the Glutton
 * 20 (20) Helga the Cub

Foes
Charr Dinosaur Devourer
 * 8 {23) Charr Axe Fiend
 * 20 (26) Charr Axemaster
 * 20 (26) Charr Blademaster
 * 20 (26) Charr Bladestorm
 * 15 (25) Charr Demolisher
 * 18 (25) Charr Ash Thief
 * 20 (26) Charr Hexreaper
 * 20 (26) Charr Dominator
 * 20 (26) Charr Flameshielder
 * 20 (26) Charr Wardkeeper
 * 20 (26) Charr Avenger
 * 28 (30) Trihorn
 * 15 Devourer
 * 20 Devourer Catapult

Initial dialogue
"Either I've been standing out here too long or Micah accidentally cast Winter's Embrace on me again. I appreciate that he's so gung-ho, but Mesmers should really leave the water magic to the pros. Either way, I probably need another cup of moa noodle soup to fend off the sneezes.
 * Casey Carpenter

''Speaking of fending things off, the scouts are saying there's evidence of Charr activity outside the Eye. If it's true, I don't think the furrry gate-crashers have come to sing Wintersday carols. Would you speak to our Norn Visitors and see if they're willing to investigate? I'm sure they'd be up to kicking the tail of any Charr you may come across."''

Intermediate dialogue
"Human scouting abilities never fail to amuse me. As you can see, the Charr are indeed here, and their mood is not quite as festive as the one inside. Now, we will show you how Norn celebrate: with battle!"
 * Brartak the Glutton


 * At the start of the first wave
 * Charr Bladestorm: "Watch out for the abnormally large Norn's blade!"
 * Galbraum the Intoxicated: "Ha, Brartak! Even the cats think you eat too much!"
 * Brartak the Glutton: "So long as they fear me in battle, Galbraum, who cares?"


 * One of the following will appear after each wave
 * Galbraum the Intoxicated: "You'll owe me another flagon of your "eggnog" for this, human!"
 * Brartak the Glutton: "Every furball that falls beneath my blade brings me closer to a mound of roasted chestnuts!"
 * Helga the Cub: "It's a shame you Charr will never see the purrfection of my craft."


 * At the start of the third wave
 * Charr Avenger: "We've come to help you celebrate the season of death...yours!"

Reward dialogue
"Oorah! You and the Norn have certainly earned your share of nog this time. For bringing them to our aid accept this token of thanks."
 * Casey Carpenter

Trivia

 * This quest was introduced in Wintersday 2008.
 * Prior to Wintersday 2010, this quest was offered by Lieutenant Thackeray and awarded 10 Candy Cane Shards instead of Wintersday Gifts.