Wintersday 2006

Wintersday comes to Kamadan

Wintersday 2006 is the 2006 version of the Wintersday festival, i.e. the annual competition of Dwayna (fighting for a mild winter and early spring) vs. Grenth (fighting for a long and cold winter).

Most of the events are restricted to the Prophecies and Nightfall campaigns, however players with only Guild Wars Factions can access the Dwayna Vs Grenth snowball arena, and the Candysmiths from the Great Temple of Balthazar on the Battle Isles.

Schedule

The event lasts for 13 days, over the holiday season of 2006-2007:

Wednesday, December 20, 2006 (4:25 pm PST): Start of the event

Saturday, December 23rd, 2006: You're a Mean One, Mr. Grenth and In Grenth's Defense were added.

Monday, January 1st, 2007: Finale

In Lion's Arch the finale started every 3 hours starting around 12:01 AM PST, 08:00 AM GMT, later in higher districts

In Kamadan the finale started every 3 hours starting around 12:15 AM PST, 08:15 AM GMT, later in higher districts

Tuesday, January 2nd, 2007: After the last finale Wintersday Gift Givers appeared in Ascalon City, Lion's Arch, Droknar's Forge, Kamadan and Great Temple of Balthazar. The Snowball fight and Present Hunt are still on. All quests still appear to be available, and all NPCs including collectors are still there.

Unknown: End of the event. Based on the date and time of the patch and the stated event duration, the event's estimated end time was Wednesday, January 3, 2007 (4:25 pm PST). Since the event has already lasted longer than its stated 13 day duration, it could end at any time without warning.

Locations

The following towns (except for the Great Temple of Balthazar) will be re-decorated in a winter theme, serving as the stage for most of the Winterfest activities:

Battle Isles (Core)	Tyria	Cantha	Elona
Great Temple of Balthazar Dwayna Vs Grenth (Location) Dwayna Vs Grenth (Arena)	Ascalon City Lion's Arch Droknar's Forge	None	Kamadan

Activities

Quests

During the festivities, special quests will be offered:

• Two quests from Wintersday 2005:
  • The Greatest Snowman Ever Made (support Dwayna)
  • A Very Grentchie Wintersday (support Grenth)
• Two "all new quest chains revolving around the two competing holiday gods". Featuring "polar bears, reindeer, and devious presents":
  • The quest Save the Reindeer can be acquired from Grandfather Kringle in Kamadan. The quests following this quest are Find the Stolen Presents and Spreading the Wintersday Spirit.
  • The quest White Mist can be acquired from Elder Skruuj in Kamadan. The quests following this quest are How The Grentches Stole Wintersday and The Gift of Giving.

See also: Category:Wintersday 2006 quests

Note: these quests are grouped in the Festival Event Quests section of the Quest Log.

Snowball Fights

This year's event will feature the PvP version of the snowball fights known from last year's event, as well as an all new PvE version:

• PvP: "Random forces will unite within an arena to fight for either Grenth or Dwayna. The first team to gather five presents for its patron deity will win the day."
  For details, see: Dwayna Vs Grenth (Arena) and snow fighting skills. This started December 20.
• PvE: "Venture into the Underworld for a series of repeatable snowball fights against either the forces of Grenth or the forces of Dwayna. Take control of piles of presents to ensure your side’s victory in this frosty fray."
  For details, see: You're a Mean One, Mr. Grenth and In Grenth's Defense. This started December 23. These are solo missions.

Present Hunt

This is the repeat of last year's present hunt. Periodically a present spawns, players must spot the present, pick it up quickly and deliver it to one of the Young Children in town before any of the Grentches reach the present and destroy it. Grentches can also destroy presents held by players if they come within adjacent range.

In return, the child will hand the player a Candy Cane Shard or a Winter Gift which will unwrap into a random Wintersday item. Grentches move faster than players, however Sugar Rush can be used to outrun them. When a present spawns the Grentches will run all the way to the spawn point before chasing someone who has picked it up. It appears that a new present spawns whenever a present is turned in or destroyed. In Lion's Arch, Grentches may be trapped on the left side of the lighthouse door if someone with a speed boost carries a present there and waits for the Grentches to arrive and destroy the present.

Festival finale

On January 1st, 2007 in Lion's Arch and Kamadan, the Avatars of Grenth and Dwayna appear for their annual challenge. To vote for your god, find the rings that look like the setup from Nine Rings in town. Stand in blue (Kamadan) or green (Lion's Arch) rings for Dwayna or red rings for Grenth with a Candy Cane Shard as the wager. There are 3 rounds with 5 matches each. Once the match begins, every few seconds, a ring will randomly be chosen from each side. Players standing in the the chosen ring have their count added towards the god and are rewarded with a Wintersday Gift and 1-5 candy cane shards depending on which ring they stood in. These wagers do count towards the Lucky and Unlucky Titles. After the match ends, the god with the highest total is considered the winner, and all players in the district are given a festival hat.

See Nine Rings (Wintersday 2006) for further information.

Hat distribution

Winning Avatar	Kamadan	Lion's Arch
Dwayna	Freezie Crown	Stylish Yule Cap
Grenth	Jester's Cap	Great Horns of Grenth

After the event, fireworks start (with different styles depending on who wins) and Wintersday Gifts drop. Each gift is assigned to only one player, but the standard item assignment timer does apply, so it is eventually possible to take presents assigned to players who are AFK or who leave the district. The gifts spawn near the player which they are assigned to. All players receive the same amount of gifts. If Grenth wins, Grentches will start killing players and lethal ice bombardment will start, concentrated around the two sets of rings, the Avatar of Dwayna will resurrect any fallen players. These deaths do not count against the Survivor title.

Throughout the event, people are encouraged by other players to go to an even district for Dwayna to win, or an odd district for Grenth to win. This way everyone could get the hat of their choice.

Bug! The scoreboard will only display the first 3 digits of the score when your Interface size is set to Small.

Bug! Kamadan districts created less than 15 minutes before the beginning of the event will not trigger the event.

Bug! In Kamadan, some Wintersday Gifts will spawn in inaccessible areas. To avoid this, once the ring game has ended and the presents start appearing, move away from ledges (particularly the ledge with the Avatar on it). (Note: Some players have been seen up on these cliffs; reportedly these are members of the Dev team, see talk page for link.) Although rare, this may also happen in Lion's Arch, namely behind Armen the Guide. It is possible to get up on these cliffs, however, it only works when Grenth wins. You must stand as close to the cliff as possible, and then get killed by a Grentch (thus making it only possible during Grenth's win). After you resurrect, you will be on top of the cliff.

Wintergreen Challenge

This event is hosted by the Xunlai guild. It revolves around the Wintergreen Tournament. Contestants win Wintergreen weapons for correctly predicting the outcome of tournament games and may claim their reward from a Xunlai Tournament Agent. Note: At the moment this NPC is unavailable (Gaile has indicated the Wintergreen Weapons should be available by mid-January).

See also: Category:Wintergreen weapons

NPCs

Snowball Throwers

These NPCs throw non-damaging snowballs at players and NPCs in towns. Kimberly is in Lion's Arch, the Guardsman Ash & Brooke are in Ascalon City, and Mac Snowhammer is in Droknar's Forge.

Collectors

A number of collectors have shown up in the above listed event towns, handing out special reward items in return for special collectible items. The selection differs, depending on whether the collector supports Dwayna or Grenth.

For a listing, see: Wintersday 2006 collectors.

Candysmiths

A number of candysmiths have shown up in the above listed event towns, they offer candy and gingerbread weapons in exchange for Candy Cane Shards,

For a listing, see: Category:Candysmiths.

Wintersday Gift Givers

Wintersday Gift Givers were added to Ascalon City, Lion's Arch, Droknar's Forge, Kamadan, and The Great Temple of Balthazar on January 2nd after the last finale. They trade 1 Wintersday Gift for 5 Candy Cane Shards.

Festival Hat Maker

New festival hat makers were introduced to Kamadan and Lion's Arch. They are able to "copy" festival hats among the characters of an account for 10 gold. This service is meant to reduce the amount of storage and inventory space occupied by festival hats.

Carolers

In both Lion's Arch and Kamadan, there are sets of carolers for Dwayna and Grenth. They rotate through dialog that sings alternate versions of commonly known Christmas carols.

Winter Dwarf

In Kamadan, there is a level 10 Dwarf, held by a Dwarf Guard. Talking to the Winter Dwarf will present three dialog options. The Winter Dwarf, pleading to the player (and Grenth) for merciful death, dies when a player selects the third response. His death is short-lived, as the guard quickly notices and revives him, wondering how he died in the first place.

Enchanted Snowman

In various cities there are Enchanted Snowman henchmen that can be added to your party. These snowmen are Elementalists specializing in Water Magic.

The Frog

The Frog is located in Lion's Arch and Kamadan. He can be seen wearing a Yule Cap.

Items

The following are the available items for Wintersday 2006, with a brief description from the official Guild wars website:

• 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 Eggnog 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. (Remove 15% Death Penalty in PvE only)
• Rainbow Candy Cane - A different flavor of candy cane that should also make those long days of questing much more enjoyable. Give party 5% morale boost but the morale boost does not cause skills to recharge (PvE only)
• Yuletide Tonic - Drink this tonic if you want to be one of Dwayna's little helpers during the festivities.
• Glob of Frozen Ectoplasm - You'll need this collectible item when you get low on Yuletide Tonic.
• Candy Cane Shard - Collect these colorful fragments by questing and competing. The outcome of Wintersday hangs in the balance, and your contribution of Candy Cane Shards may make all the difference. Besides, you never know what somebody might trade for these once the festivities come to a close. Tip: Hold onto those shards until the Wintersday finale and use them for good (or mischievous) intent!
• Fruitcake - A tasty holiday staple that is sure to put a little spring in your step. (causes Sugar Rush)
• Special Rewards: In the tradition of the season, you'll receive special headgear during the Wintersday finale. And even better, you'll get a new means of storing it, as well.
  • Dwayna's Festival Hats are the Stylish Yule Cap (Lion's Arch) and the Freezie Crown (Kamadan).
  • Grenth's Festival Hats are the Great Horns of Grenth (Lion's Arch) and the Jester's Cap (Kamadan).
• Candy weapons - not mentioned on the official website, all 6 of the 2005 Candy Cane weapons have returned, as have the Gingerbread Shield and Focus and the Peppermint Shield, furthermore, 3 new peppermint weapons have been added (daggers, spear, scythe).
• Peppermint Candy Canes - During Wintersday 2006 they can be obtained from Winter Gifts and Wintersday Gifts
• Wintersday Gifts - Obtained during the finale

See also: Category:Wintersday 2006 items

Wintersday Gaile

Wintersday Gaile and Breaded Man (Guild Wars Employees) showed up on January 1st for the 8:00 AM PST event in Kamadan. They participated in the event and scrambled for presents with the rest of the players. Both Wintersday Gaile and Breaded Man were not immortal as they both were found dead after the killing touch of Grentch and falling snow men (Avalanche) killing them. During this event, Wintersday Gaile also gave answers to some of the player's questions. She also confirmed the development of Campaign 4.

After present gathering Wintersday Gaile organized her famous "Conga Line" and ran everyone through Kamadan. Wintersday Gaile and Bearded Man also organized many screen shots in different variations from mass rank emotes coupled with cheering to dancing circled around the centre decorated tree.

At one point players witnessed Breaded Man gathering the un-reachable presents in Dwayna's grandstand area. Gaile made a post that they are giving those presents to accounts that lived in an area that had an earth quake and were unable to get on.

Wintersday Gaile and Bearded Man indicated they were gathering footage and images of the event for an up-coming video that will be posted to the Guild Wars web site.

• 

  Wintersday Finale Conga Line

• 

  Elves standing around Christmas Tree

• 

  Mass Snowman Summoning

• 

  Mass of crazed elves

External Links

• [1] - Wintersday 2006 Event: Annual Battle between Grenth and Dwayna
• [2] - The Scribe tells about "Wintergreen Challenge"
• [3] - Winterfest 2006 Ladder Season
• [4] - Wintersday 2006 screenshots, including screenshots of Wintergreen items
• [5] - Official Wintersday art contest.
• [6] - "Wintersday 2006 will take place in-game December 20, 2006 through January 1, 2007."

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