Wintersday 2008

Wintersday 2008 is different from the other Wintersday events. It will feature new things, and for the first time in Guild Wars, it will also be celebrated in the Eye of the North!

Wintersday 2008 Opens Up the Eye of the North

On behalf of the Ebon Vanguard, I am pleased to extend our invitation to this year's Wintersday celebration. Most of the Vanguard is off-duty to take part in the festivities, so please join us in the Eye of the North as we relax and make merry. It has fallen to me to make sure everyone has a proper good time, a duty that I gladly accept. I just hope no one minds if I have a little fun for myself along the way. --Lt. Thackeray

Schedule

PST	UTC	Description
Friday, December 19th, 2008, Noon	Friday, December 19th, 2008, 8 PM	Start of the event.
Thursday, January 1st 2009, 12:01 AM to Friday, January 2nd 2009, 12:01 AM	Thursday, January 1st 2009, 8:01 AM to Friday, January 2nd 2009, 8:01 AM	Finales every 3 hours.
Monday, January 5th, 2009, Noon	Monday, January 5th, 2009, 8 PM	End of the event.

Wintersday Finale

PST	UTC / GMT (24 hr format)
12:01 am	08:01
03:01 am	11:01
06:01 am	14:01
09:01 am	17:01
12:01 pm	20:01
3:01 pm	23:01
6:01 pm	02:01 (January 2nd)
9:01 pm	05:01 (January 2nd)
12:01 am (January 2nd)	08:01 (January 2nd)

The Wintersday grand finale runs every 3 hours starting at 12:01 am Thursday, January 1, 2009 and ending 12:01 am Friday, January 2, 2009. Finales in Kamadan have a 15 minute delay like they did during Wintersday 2006 and 2007.

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. The center circle gives the most lucky points, whilst the outer circles contribute most to your unlucky title.

At the end of the finale, presents will be put in your inventory, taking up approximately 15 minutes, so be sure to stay logged on that character if you want to receive the presents.

Festival hats

On the final days, the rival gods Grenth and Dwayna called upon the people of the town for their support. The God with the most followers, rewarded the people of the town with a festival hat. Followers of Grenth stood upon the red rings, and the followers of Dwayna upon the green or blue rings. Unlike in previous events, characters will not receive duplicates of hats they already have.

• The victory of Dwayna will give every player a Rudi Mask.
• The victory of Grenth will give every player a Grentch Cap.

Rudi Mask	Grentch Cap

Decorated Towns

Wintersday in Lion's Arch

Wintersday in Droknar's Forge

Wintersday in Ascalon City

Wintersday in Kamadan

Wintersday in Eye of the North

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

New features

• Speak to Lieutenant Thackeray in the Eye of the North to find out how you can help the Ebon Vanguard enjoy Wintersday through a new chain of quests!
• Brand new 8v8 ATS-style Snowball Tournaments!
• You can tame the new Jingle Bear in Gwen's garden if you complete all four of the Eye of the North Wintersday quests.

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.

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

Quests from the Rift Warden

(Accessed at both Lions 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

Collectors

Name	Location	Collects	Campaign
Priest Erwin	Ascalon City	2 Ornate Grawl Necklaces	Prophecies
Priestess Clara	Ascalon City	3 Charr Carvings	Prophecies
Necromancer Malaise	Ascalon City	2 Singed Gargoyle Skulls	Prophecies
Necromancer Ichibaun	Ascalon City	2 Stormy Eyes	Prophecies
Priestess Siara	Lion's Arch	1 Shadowy Remnants	Prophecies
Necromancer Kalvori	Lion's Arch	2 Hardened Humps	Prophecies
Dark Priest Calmein	Lion's Arch	2 Feathered Caromi Scalps	Prophecies
Priest Meran	Lion's Arch	3 Decayed Orr Emblems	Prophecies
Terum the Tonic Maker	Lion's Arch	1 Glob of Frozen Ectoplasm	Prophecies
Dark Priest Shadowvein	Droknar's Forge	2 Frigid Hearts	Prophecies
Dark Priestess Velna	Droknar's Forge	1 Dredge Manifesto	Prophecies
Abbot Silverbeard	Droknar's Forge	3 Stone Summit Badges	Prophecies
Acolyte Rockhammer	Droknar's Forge	1 Frozen Remnant	Prophecies
Monk Sutoni	Kamadan	3 Sentient Roots	Nightfall
Priestess Mahni	Kamadan	3 Copper Shillings	Nightfall
Necromancer Dunbari	Kamadan	3 Juvenile Termite Legs	Nightfall
Dark Priest Bandeh	Kamadan	2 Silver Bullion Coins	Nightfall
Tina the Tonic Maker	Kamadan	1 Glob of Frozen Ectoplasm	Nightfall
Erich	Eye of the North	2 Superb Charr Carvings	Eye of the North
Rodj	Eye of the North	1 Destroyer Core	Eye of the North
Betsa	Eye of the North	1 Jotun Pelt	Eye of the North

Wintersday NPCs

• Kimberly - Lion's Arch
• Candysmith Coldstone - Kamadan
• Candysmith Kris - Lion's Arch
• Candysmith Noel - Ascalon City
• Wintersday Gift Giver
• Winter Dwarf
• Will Brockman - Eye of the North

Holiday rewards

In addition to the seasonally appropriate headwear that you can receive from Dwayna or Grenth at the end of the grand finale, you can also obtain these Wintersday Items during the 2008 festivities:

Pic	Item
	*New* Frosty Summoning Stone: Nobody should be alone on Wintersday, so use this item to summon a Snowman ally!
	*New* Mischievous Summoning Stone: Summon a Grentch ally to help you spread some holiday cheer, Grenth-style.
	Frosty Tonic: Don't just build a snowman, be a snowman!
	*New* Mischievous Tonic: Get in touch with your inner grentch by taking on the outer appearance of one.
	Wintersday Gift: What surprise will you find inside? Unwrap it to find out.
	Winter Gift: What surprise will you find inside? Unwrap it to find out.
	Snowman Summoner: Need an instant snowman? This gift is for you.
	Eggnog: The holiday season's staple drink.
	Spiked Eggnog: A more potent glass of 'nog for the hale and hearty. Please imbibe responsibly—don't drink and quest.
	Wintergreen Candy Cane: The return of the adventurer's favorite candy treat.
	Peppermint Candy Cane: The max return of the adventurer's favorite candy treat.
	Rainbow Candy Cane: A different flavor of candy cane that should also make long days of questing more enjoyable.
	Yuletide Tonic: Drink this tonic if you want to be one of Dwayna's little helpers during the festivities.
	Globs of Frozen Ectoplasm: You'll need some of this collectible item when you get low on Yuletide Tonic.
	Fruitcake: Another holiday staple that is sure to put a spring in your step.
	Candy Cane Shards: Collect these colorful fragments by questing and competing. The outcome of Wintersday could hang in the balance. Besides, you never know what somebody might trade for them, (but you might want to hold onto your shards until the finale, and use them for good…or mischievous…intent).
	Miniature Polar Bear: Help the Snowmen or Grentches in their two quests and maybe you'll get a little treat at the end!
	Rudi Mask: Support Dwayna and win this hat in the Wintersday Finale!
	Grentch Cap: Support Grenth and win this hat in the Wintersday Finale!

Notes

• During the finale, like previous years, many players are trying to make Grenth win in odd districts (1, 3, 5 etc.), and Dwayna win in even districts (2, 4, 6 etc.) This is a practised method players have created to ensure that everyone gets the festival hat they want.
• Unlike previous years, when Wintersday Gifts were dropped on the ground, this year they are automatically added to your inventory. This prevents the lag everyone suffered during last year's festivities and the chance of presents dropping to unreachable places.
• Attending in Lion's Arch during the finale first, and then zoning to Kamadan would get you both hats if your district timings are correct. A good rule of thumb is hang out after the festival in LA for about 4 minutes, then move to the opposite district in Kamadan in order to max out on presents in addition to collecting both hats.
• Your district will miss the event if it was created after the start of the event for that town so make sure you arrive before the due time.
• When the event was over and the NPCs were gone, the Winter Dwarf was still there, without cage.

See also

• Wintersday Art Contest (2008)
• Archived GuildWars.com event page

---