The MMO scene is big on running events matching the recent holiday and with Christmas and Yule just past we’re still in the winter holidays. We can expect that the Yule in-game festivities will continue for a little longer, but if you’re interested in what’s going on in the MMOsphere with winter events here’s a run down.
Many of these events extend slightly past New Years Day 2013 slightly into January, so they’re still going on today. Go on in if you get the chance!
World of Warcraft
Now with one of the longest running winter events, players of pay-to-play World of Warcraft can participate in the Feast of Winter’s Veil. In this goblins have set up shop in Stormwind in Orgrimmar to celebrate the coming of Greatfather Winter a titan who brings the seasons to Azeroth—as well as toys and gifts for good boys and girls. The holiday has been overtaken by goblins who use it to sell chincy outfits and cheap (and terrible) foods.
Alternatively, players can visit the tauren or the dwarves in order to determine why the celebration occurs—and it has nothing to do with the goblins.
During this season players can make coats and boots that look a great deal like Christmas wear (that Santa might) and get hats from certain bosses. A number of achievements are also involved with running dungeons, collecting presents, and doing bits of the events—such as fighting the Abominable Greench!
Guild Wars 2
At the end of the year children look forward to toys and enjoyment during the winter celebrations in Tyria in ArenaNet’s buy-to-play Guild Wars 2—and this year the famous toymaker and asura inventor Tixx is on the job. He and his golem-shaped zeppelin have been visiting all the cities across the land from Divinity’s Reach to the Grove until he finally stopped over in Lion’s Arch on his last stop.
Players who followed him from city-to-city were able to run specific instances where they helped Tixx bring rampaging toys in his workshop under control and could earn bits to help them make their own mini-pet toys: a toy venatari, a princess doll, a toy soldier, a plush griffon, and a toy golem.
Lion’s Arch has been transformed to look like a winter wonderland itself by Tixx’s magic snow dispensers. Wrapped presents, candy-canes, wreaths, and red bows are seen everywhere. As well as snowballs. In fact, the magic snow dispensers have also been seen around the countryside enabling players to create magic snowmen (for an achievement.)
Aside from the Tixx workshop dungeon, players can also play a game similar to Guitar Hero and play musical bells. A snowball fight PvP game has been added that has players take roles similar to those seen in Team Fortress 2. As well as there’s also the addition of a winter-themed jumping puzzle with snowflakes that melt under your feet… Good luck!
Star Trek Online
Those who visit Perfect World Entertainment’s free-to-play Star Trek Online will find that the ever enigmatic and mischievous Q has prepared them a Winter Wonderland in an alternate dimension. In this place, players will find themselves surrounded by snow and ice as well as several games to play—from ice races to fighting animated snowmen.
The ice race can be fun, but a little frustrating, as it involves running on ice (and slipping and sliding) to beat a computer-generated opponent. Winners receive 8×10” glossy autographed photographs of Q that they can turn in for a free Breen battleship. The breen are connected to this because it’s well known that their planet is a frozen snowball-hell—fitting for any winter wonderland. There is also a PvP ice race where players receive tags to grow their own cute, fuzzy winter-related Romulan pets called (eopoff.)
In the Winter Wonderland every half-hour animated snowmen attack the players. These snowmen can only be cut down with snowballs—fortunately, enterprising ferengi in the instance have been selling weapons that shoot snowballs. After earning enough ornaments from fighting them—and their giant overlord—it’s possible to earn a weapon. After killing 150 animated snowmen with snowballs, a giant snowman arises and must be cut down by large groups.
Feel free to team up. He’s not your ordinary Frosty the Snowman.
RaiderZ
Christmas has come to Perfect World Entertainment’s free-to-play RaiderZ with a ripping-roaring splash and invaded the Kingdom of Rendel that will continue until January 2nd. This involves Yule trees, a smattering of Santa outfits for all players to wear, snowmen, and a giant battle against the Ice Queen.
Players will be given the chance to collect Christmas cards in order to turn in for interesting winter-gear (of course in true fantasy MMORPG fashion many of the coats don’t cover quite enough.)
Amidst the Yule trees in the port city of Ingen players may also find themselves combatting a surprise snowman invasion and might need to cut them down before they mess up the celebration.
Rift
The first game to introduce the idea of dynamic events in a meaningful way, Trion World’s pay-to-play Rift is currently in the throes of it’s Fae Yule winter event. The event includes a lot of interesting winter-related elements such as sledding, snowball fights, and lighting candles for Fae Yule.
Many people might have missed this event last year and will once again get a chance to purchase wintery decorations as well as costumes using the currency and reputation they earn this year running the multiphase event as well as living in the strange land that is Rift.
Lord of the Rings Online
Brought to you by Turbine’s free-to-play Tolkein extravganza Lord of the Rings Online has yet-another-festival out of the gate in the form of the Yule Festival. Players can partake in multiple new events this year including challenging friends to snowball fights and watching a movie in the festival theater.
Like many of the other events, the Yule Festival will have players running all over Middle Earth for their achievements. Festivities involve speaking with hobbits, shaking down winterberry bushes, cutting down wood trolls (for their grumpy but excellent firewood), retrieving a new keg for the dwarves, overeating, cleaning up, and a myriad of other things that would fit nicely into a Tolkein novel. Many of these quests are daily so you can keep doing them every day until the event ends!
This one lasts only until January 1st so get in there soon!
