Wintersday 2011
“It's time for Wintersday, that joyous time of year when towns glimmer with festive decor, vendors offer seasonal treats, and the hearts of Tyrians everywhere are filled with goodwill.
This year we're offering two brand new Wintersday costumes that represent the Tyrian gods Lyssa and Kormir. As always, the towns of Lion's Arch, Droknar's Forge, Ascalon City, Kamadan, and the Eye of the North will be decked out in Wintersday decorations. Visitors to Lion's Arch, Kamadan, and the Eye of the North will be invited to participate in holiday quests, missions, and games, all with their own rewards.
Schedule[edit]
| PST | UTC | Description |
|---|---|---|
| Thursday, December 15th, 2011, noon | Thursday, December 15th, 2011, 20:00 | Start of the event. |
| Sunday, January 1st, 2012, 12:01 am until Monday, January 2nd, 2012, 12:01 am |
Sunday, January 1st, 2012, 08:01 until Monday, January 2nd, 2012, 08:01 |
Finales every 3 hours. (See accompanying chart.) |
| Monday, January 2nd, 2012, noon | Monday, January 2nd, 2012, 20:00 | End of the event. |
| PST (UTC-8) |
UTC / GMT (24 hr format) |
|---|---|
| 12:01 am | 08:01 |
| 3:01 am | 11:01 |
| 6:01 am | 14:01 |
| 9:01 am | 17:01 |
| 12:01 pm | 20:01 |
| 3:01 pm | 23:01 |
| 6:01 pm | 02:01 January 2 |
| 9:01 pm | 05:01 January 2 |
| 12:01 am January 2 |
08:01 January 2 |
Finale[edit]
The Wintersday grand finale runs every 3 hours starting at 12:01 am PST on Sunday, January 1st, 2012, and ending 12:01 am PST on Monday, January 2nd, 2012, in Lion's Arch. Finales also take place in Kamadan, starting 15 minutes later.
The finale involves a mini-game similar to Nine Rings at the Shing Jea Boardwalk, but the price is Candy Cane Shards instead of Festival Tickets. Playing this game counts towards your Lucky and Unlucky title tracks.
Each round costs 1 Candy Cane Shard. Players standing in the winning ring receive a Wintersday Gift and three, four, or five shards (depending on whether one stands on the center, edge, or corner rings respectively) plus an equal number of Lucky points. Those standing on an adjacent ring receive two shards and two Lucky points; everyone else receives 1 Unlucky point.
At the end of the finale, approximately a dozen Wintersday Gifts will be added to everyone's inventory, regardless of whether they played the mini-game or not. The gifts appear about once a minute for 15 minutes, so remain in the district until the winning deity says farewell and leaves.
Festival hats[edit]
- Acquisition during finale
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.
To ensure that you get a particular 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.
- Arrive early: players are unlikely to receive any hats if they join districts that are created after the local finale has begun.
- You do not need to play the mini-game to win; everyone in the district (at the appropriate moment) will receive a hat, including those who supported the opposing god.
- Acquisition via collector
The Wintersday Hat Giver offers both hats for 125 Candy Cane Shards each. He appears after the last finale concludes and remains for 7-10 days after.
| Festive Winter Hood 1 (Dwayna victory) |
Stylish Scarves2 (Grenth victory) |
|---|---|
 |
  
|
- 1 The hood is dyeable.
- 2 The scarves cannot be dyed. However, you receive all three at once.
Decorated outposts[edit]
New PvP mini-game[edit]
There is a new PvP mini-game this year called The Great Snowball Fight of the Gods, accessible by talking to the Priest of Balthazar in the Great Temple of Balthazar, Kamadan or Lion's Arch.
Returning features[edit]
- 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.
- 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 and White Jingle Moa in Gwen's garden.
Quests[edit]
- Lion's Arch and Kamadan, Jewel of Istan
- Priestess of Melandru
- 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)
- In Grenth's Defense
NPCs[edit]
- See also: Wintersday#NPCs
Collectors[edit]
The collectors for Candy Cane Shard and Globs of Frozen Ectoplasm remain for several days after Wintersday is over.
Guild versus Guild[edit]
NPCs in GvG have their models altered as follows:
| NPC | Red Team | Blue Team |
|---|---|---|
| Archer | 
|
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| Bodyguard | 
|
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| Footman and Knight | 
|
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| Guild Lord | 
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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 5 minutes (e.g. due to one team resigning or zoning).
Items[edit]
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:
| Pic | Item |
|---|---|
 |
Frosty Summoning Stone: Nobody should be alone on Wintersday! Use this item to summon a Snowman ally! |
 |
Mischievous Summoning Stone: Summon a Grentch ally to help you celebrate Wintersday, Grenth-style. |
 |
Frosty Tonic: Don't just build a snowman—BE a snowman! |
 |
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? Don't ask us—unwrap it and find out! |
 |
Snowman Summoner: Your very own snowman—without all the tedious snowball rolling! |
 |
Eggnog: The official beverage of Wintersday! |
 |
Spiked Eggnog: A more potent nog for the hale and hearty. Fear not; there are no actual spikes in the drink! |
 |
Wintergreen Candy Cane: The candy of choice for adventurers everywhere! |
 |
Rainbow Candy Cane: A fancy, flavorful candy cane that makes long days of questing more enjoyable. |
 |
Peppermint Candy Cane: Another different flavor of candycane, making adventures much more bearable. |
 |
Yuletide Tonic: Drink this tonic and become one of Dwayna's little helpers! |
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Globs of Frozen Ectoplasm: Trade these globs for Yuletide Tonic from a holiday vendor! |
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Fruitcake: Everyone loves fruitcake...or they should! This holiday staple will put a spring in your step. |
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Candy Cane Shards: Collect these colorful fragments during quests [sic] and competitions. Hoard them for the grand finale, have a candysmith forge the shards into a weapon, or trade them and see what you can get in exchange! |
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Miniature Polar Bear: Help the Snowmen or Grentches in their two quests and maybe you'll get a little treat at the end! |
Costumes[edit]
“Every year we offer festive Wintersday costumes, and 2011 is no different! Pick up these two all-new costumes—the Augur of Kormir costume and the Vision of Lyssa costume—at the Guild Wars In-Game Store and the NCsoft Store today! Get yours now!
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:
 Augur of Kormir |
 Vision of Lyssa |
|---|
Trivia[edit]
- Unlike previous Wintersday events, there was no corresponding Wintersday Art Contest.
- This was the first Wintersday event to not have the grentch activity in Ascalon City, Droknar's Forge, Lion's Arch, and Kamadan.
External links[edit]
| Special events | |
|---|---|
| Canthan New Year | 2007 • 2008 • 2009 • 2010 • 2011 • 2012 • 2013 • 2014 onward |
| April Fools' Day | 2007 • 2008 • 2009 • 2010 • 2011 • 2012 • 2013 • 2014 onward |
| Anniversary Celebration | 2nd • 3rd • 4th • 5th • 6th • 7th • 8th • 9th • 10th-14th • 15th onward |
| Dragon Festival | 2006 • 2007 (Redux) • 2008 • 2009 • 2010 • 2011 • 2012 • 2013 • 2014 onward |
| Wintersday in July | 2008 • 2009 • 2010 • 2011 • 2012 • 2013 • 2014 onward |
| Halloween | 2005 • 2006 • 2007 • 2008 (Redux) • 2009 • 2010 • 2011 • 2012 • 2013 • 2014 onward |
| Wintersday | 2005 • 2006 • 2007 • 2008 • 2009 (Redux) • 2010 • 2011 • 2012 • 2013 onward |
| Other annual events | Breast Cancer Awareness Month • Lucky Treats Week • Pirate Week Special Treats Week • Sweet Treats Week • Wayfarer's Reverie |
| One-time only events | Day of the Tengu • Farewell to Gaile |
