The snow is beginning to fall, and the turkey feast has ended. Thanksgiving is past with Christmas right around the corner. If you play ArenaNet’s Guild wars 2 however, you’ll know the holiday better as Wintersday! It’s time to build snowmen, jump on giant snowflakes, and spread happiness to all our loved ones! And if you’ve been good this year Tixx the toy maker will have a gift for you.
Wintersday was the second holiday event last year after the game's launch. We were introduced to a new character, Tixx the Asuran Toymaker, who travels to the major cities of Tyria to spread holiday cheer. However, like any other Asuran experiment, things got a little crazy. Thankfully the heroes of Tyria came to help, entering a mini dungeon instance to set things right.
A lot of eyes are on the Wintersday event this year. The Halloween event was very underwhelming, featuring very little new content. Players, and myself, are hoping that Wintersday will offer a true holiday party. What would it take to make our Wintersday wishes come true? Let’s make a list and send it to Tixx.
I think the most important addition for the Wintersday event would be a new storyline. I wouldn’t mind hopping back up on the flying Golem toy shop, but I don’t want to just fight a bunch of crazy toys. We already did that last year. Something else needs to go wrong. It’s been a year, so it’s expected that an Asuran scientist that can make a giant flying golem could fix his tiny toy programming problem within that time frame. We just want something new.
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Even though the golem is really just a huge balloon, it’ still awesome!
Holiday hats are a tradition going all the way back to the original Guild Wars, with each year offering us a new hat to show our love for the holiday. This year the tradition will carry on with what looks like a brand new hat with huge antlers. The design looks like it has a lot of Norn influence. The next item on my list is for this hat to become a permanent skin for a helm. I have a Norn character that this hat would be perfect for!
While we are on the subject of skins, we can’t forget to mention weapon skins. Last year new weapon skins became available in the Black Lion chests. The weapons had lots a detail, and fit the theme of Wintersday, but they weren’t very fierce looking. I rarely see these skins used by other players. The next item on my wish list is for new weapon skins that fit the theme of winter, but still look like weapons of great power. Being a concept artist myself, I know this is a serious challenge. Perhaps some Winsterday magic is needed to make this wish come true.
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I will rename my Norn: Battle Santa. It will strike fear into the hearts of my enemies in WvW!
Based on the teaser video shown last week, it sounds like the jumping puzzle and the Snowball Mayhem game will make a triumphant return. I don’t see any major changes happening to either of these activities, mainly because they’re both fine they way they are. I can’t wait to chuck a few snowballs at other players! So what could the final wish on my list be? Please oh please don’t involve Scarlet!
A few weeks back I went over the character Scarlet Briar, and how the players have had split reactions to her becoming the main focus of the Living Story. I do enjoy the character, and I’m looking forward to seeing how the rest of the story unfolds. But I need a break. The Living Story may have been the reason the Halloween event featured so little new content. I’m really hoping that Wintersday gets plenty of attention, offering a true update to the event for those of us that experienced it last year. I don’t want to play through recycled content again.
I think I’ve been a good boy this year. I helped the refugees of both the Charr and the Norn. I helped put a stop to evil robots trying to take over Divinity’s Reach. I didn’t get angry when Evon lost the election. I’ve even given my hard earned gold to my guildies in need! I don’t think I’m asking for too much, so please ArenaNet, please make my Wintersday wishes come true.
David North / David North is a freelance writer for MMORPG.com. David loves to play and makes games, but now he writes about them! If you want to creep on him and make fun of his ability to draw, follow him over on twitter @David_the_North.
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