Wintersday to Last One More Week!

Official ending time per guildwars.com...

Wintersday Event Extended! 5 January 2007
We are happy to announce that the Wintersday Event will be extended until 11:59 p.m. PST on Thursday, January 11th (7:59 a.m. GMT Friday, January 12th). You can use these days to enjoy more PvP battles in the Snowball Arena, to join the holiday quests and missions, and to redeem your collected Candy Cane Shards for Wintersday Gifts. Find out more here.


http://www.guildwars.com/community/t...ibe-070104.php

January 4, 2007

Wintersday Concludes, And the Winner is...

The Wintersday challenge has concluded. And yet, as many have noticed, warm weather has not returned. Though the lands in Tyria and Elona haven't yet thawed, those loyal to Dwayna assure me that soon only the mighty Shiverpeak Mountains will be covered in Grenth's white blanket.

The Avatar of Grenth has expressed his satisfaction with the performance of Grenth's supporters during the divine challenge, assuring those loyal to Grenth that they have successfully forestalled the thaw for as long as can be expected. He did, however, grumble that his deity is slightly annoyed at the inevitable return of the warm weather; it seems no amount of support can prevent spring's thaw completely.

Dwayna's loyalists dismiss the avatar's claims of victory as premature rubbish, and have proclaimed their beloved goddess the victor of the annual competition. With spring on the horizon and the snowline undoubtedly receding to its summer refuge high in the mountains, Dwayna's followers steadfastly claim that victory is theirs.

Well, I have been given the honor of announcing this year's victor and putting all the arguments to rest. It does appear that the Avatar of Grenth was correct in his assessment, and his patron deity did indeed emerge the champion, thus delaying the inevitable return of spring. Yes, winter, and the Wintersday Festival activities and decorations shall remain for at least another week in light of Grenth's victory over Dwayna. Citizens will continue to trade their Candy Cane Shards for Candy Cane Weapons or other prizes until the cold climes finally leave the valleys and return to their mountain homes.

Grenth's followers will no doubt rub this victory in the faces of Dwayna's loyalists—just as many of them have rubbed snow in their opponents' mugs in the past. In turn, I suspect Dwayna will return next year with payback on her mind.

In the truest sense, though, no matter the outcome of the god vs. goddess battle, the people who attended this fine celebration were the real winners. Those who now don their Wintersday hat with pride, or wield the red and white splendor of a Candy Cane Weapon, emerged from the event victorious. Whether you sang and danced to celebrate the return of spring with the supporters of Dwayna, or sat like miserable Grenth in the corner with your arms crossed, condemning the inevitable invasion of sunshine and warmth, I trust you enjoyed the festivities, and hope to see you next year!

I can collect CCS still! Cool, can't wait to get more Wintersday items!

Thanks for letting us know.
Does anyone know if it will be possible to obtain hats during this extended week?

Thanks.

No, you can't. Gaile already said that the only way to get a hat was to be at the finale.

Neat! More Nog! More CCS! *hic*

I wouldn't actually class the hat giving day as the finale now.

I suppose its a great thing for people who are farming the items, meh, i'm not really into that kinda stuff anymore.

Merry extended Wintersday, folks!

Eh, return my Kamadan back to its former glory..

I'm looking to sell my Wintersday gifts and items after CCshards can't be collected and after the Gifts Collector is removed.. c'mon.

Dwayna was supposed to win. /cry

No complaints here. Although I'll be a bit surprised if we don't get a sexy update when it ends (i.e. SKILL BALANCE!)

one more week of snow... good i guess. too bad we lost. WE WILL WIN NEXT YEAR!!!!!!!!!! DOWN WITH GRENTH!

Wintersday to last another week.

Translation: Oops, too many people in the dev team have holiday carried over and the skill balance won't be ready for another week.

Am I the only one who gets snow blindness in Kamadan? That much bloom on that much white = sunglasses time!!

*whack* hammer, meet nail

Wintersday is fun and all, but balances are so much more exciting!

I like it, too bad the critters stopped dropping CC shards. At least I haven't had one drop for me since January 2nd.

Ah darn it. I miss the sun. 2 to 3 weeks of festival is getting boring. I acually find myself staying away from the main cities, just so i don't have to listen to all the cries of "where can i get sanata hat?????????" and "when does hat start????" I think all the actual fun in wintersday has passed. It's outstaying its welcome imo.

Ugh. Well, that'll crash the value of Wintersday items through the floor, so I'm glad I already sold them. I'm sick to death, honestly, of the event stuff. Sure I can ignore it for the most part, but it still kind of kills the magic of the whole thing to drag it out like this.

And yet, to extend it a bit means that every day, a few more players who were unable to attend will be able to join the event, even if after Wintersday itself.

I'm not thinking of profit for items and I'm not worried about the game economy taking a hit; I'm told the effect of the Wintersday items on the economy is very small and an extension will have no negative effects. What I like about this extension is the fact that more can participate and enjoy, and that, to me, is a very good thing!

yay this means i can run my sis to LA to show her it still XD... and more free eggnogs for the title i've got like 42 so far

i hope this wont delay the skill balance -_-°

Not at all! These are completely unconnected and in no way impact on one another! Thanks for asking; I'm sure others wondered, too.

The inspiration for the extension mostly comes from the Taiwan earthquake and the fact that some are only now able to access the Internet. We thought it was in the spirit of the season to try to offer a small extension, and we're also planning the gift-sharing with Taiwanese players as well.

Thats nice of Anet. ok, i guess ill go for another stack of Presents

Anet: "Here, have more of a good thing!"

Community: *throws toys out of cot* "I don't WANT more of a good thing!"

Crikey, that reminded me of my 4 year old niece at her birthday party the other day.

Here, have some more nog

Thanks Gaile! That's very sweet of the team to keep it going for those who missed out.

^^The only people upset about it are the people who are looking to profit over it, as was shown in this thread a few posts up by the guy who wants to sell his presents.

I'm glad any time something ruins plans of people who think they are being clever and stocking up to make a big profit after something starts or ends. Quite glad. They are a pox on the community.

Agree with Gaile Gray. Thou Im not living in Taiwan but the earth quake also affect my game play.I got a crazy lag playing GW rightnow.
I hope they fix the calble soon.So I can play missons and complete my Protector Title.

Does that mean only Taiwan accounts get the "gift-sharing"? What about accounts in other territories but originating from areas south, southeast, east, and southwest of Taiwan?

Huh? I doubt having to wait a week or two would ruin their plans. Slightly less profit maybe, but ruin? Highly doubt it. Funny why you think these business-minded ppl are a pox... They supply because there's demand.

Also, to some, the hats are likely more important than the alcohol and the presents.

Ok, ruin was too strong a word.

However, I'm not refering to people who supply something that is in demand.

I'm refering to people who are profteering.

These people do not stock up on Candy Canes because they want to use them later with guildmates or friends. They only see dollar signs and the potential to sell them for huge profits later.

I'm not saying everyone should be puritans or not think to profit. I'm just pointing out that there is a minority of people who are selfish and their ONLY concern is their own wealth grab, above and beyond any concern for the game, the community, or anyone but themselves.

It happens in the real world too.. rich fat cats who try to maniuplate commodities or stock markets.. Who take advantage of natural disasters to make a huge profit on certain products, etc. I don't want to be misunderstood here. There is a fine line between watching markets and seeking a way to make a profit from them, and out right profiteering. There are many, many people who are selfish and unethical.

This Wintersday extension is a fine example of what I mean. It's great for everyone. It gives people who were not around for most of it a chance to enjoy it too, and get some of the fine items for themselves. But some people are angry because (and only because) it's going to cost them money on their investment. The longer it's extended, the more normal people can get these things for themsleves. The more of these things that exist in game, the less price these people can later demand for them. It was an investment made only for the purpose of reaping huge profit. They don't care that others may have missed the event and can now enjoy it. Quite the contrary, if they could, they would take that ability away from everyone else, soley because they selfishly want to profit from it.

My disdain is only for those people who would take away anyone elses rights to enjoy something or get something for themselves, because they saw this as an opportunity to profit, and now that it's being extended for everyone benefit, are mad, soley because they are worried about the "investment" they have made. They aren't concerned about fun, the community, or anyone who didn't get to enjoy this event for themselves. They only want to manipulate thing to their own benefit, any chance they can get.

EDIT: I don't want to get into a long, huge argument with people over this, so I'm going to leave this as is. But I do have a closing thought that I think helps to sum up what I'm trying to say.

The Candy Canes and Wintersday Gifts were not added to the game as "tools" for making profit. They were put into the game for normal, everyday players to use in normal, everyday play. People that saw/see them only as money making tools are people that I have disdain for, and don't like to play with. I wouldn't take that ability away from you however. More power to you. Really, I'm not saying that this should somehow change. I'm just saying that, when things happen that cut into those profits even a little bit, I take pleasure in that, because I think your intentions were less than pure to begin with.

Does anyone else smell that?


Smells like my booze breath to me.

(Chugs down 200 more nogs)

In other words, Anet is a week behind on their update.

Great flavor for a cover up though, kudos.

yah dude.. there's already plenty of threads about this..

oh, great :\
now my new tonics will be sold at 250g max, and not 1.5K like the haloween ones.

Im happy its one week longer, not because i want to farm CCS or anything ( heck, this whole winter thing is lagging me like crazy i cant wait for it to be gone) its just that when i was playing the G vs D Ring games, I felt kinda disapointed knowing that it doesnt really matter if grenth wins , Dwayna will still be declared winner just so spring can start.

Hey, it's Anet's game, I just play it. I already sold the Wintersday stuff I'm not keeping for personal use on the 1st so the impact on the market doesn't really matter to me (and certainly shouldn't have any impact on Anets decisions on these things regardless). Like I said, I can certainly just ignore the Wintersday stuff, which is what I'll do, but it does make it all seem a bit less "special" for me. Nevertheless I understand and respect your reasoning re: Taiwan.

Anyway, take this in the spirit in which it's offered, which is as my own feelings on the matter and nothing more. You guys did great with the event this year and while I was enjoying it I really enjoyed it. I appreciate that you do these things at all, let alone so well, and certainly don't begrudge you running them however you think is best.

Edit: Nevermind. Somebody delete this if you would. Thanks.

For some reason I have not received a single ccs drop in the last 2 days, did anet remove the ccs drops?

I like that the wintersday will be longer, but am a little sad because my internets were down on the 1st. I hate my ISP - the trouble had nothing to do with the quake, just their general incompetence. Thankfully they were fired that day... The Dragon Festival orb trade is the way to go with the goodies, IMO.

Exactly. The more candy canes out there, the better. It's better to have more emphasis on fun for everyone who pays for the game, rather than a system of haves and have-nots.

lol Auw. I was actually thinking Grenth was pulling for us. lol JK. well thats nice to see Gaile. I know a few of those guys I talked to recently in International districts were really surprised it was still up. And were really happy they are getting an exclusive shot at gifts in their servers. The CCS collectors are so popular now cause we all want to dump our shards. lol I gave several stacks to my friend to share with his buddies over there.

but to about 99% the event is about getting the hats not some items that are only collected by a few to try to get rich from.

as nice as the events are i myself would prefer a shorter event time (the lead up time numbed me to the whole thing by the time the finale arrived) and a proper finale when the last day ends rather than just hats all day.

this post isnt meant to be a complaint rather just my opinion on events but maybe the only moan i will have is the whole 3 hours wait between hats, having family around means every 3 hours having to disappear to the pc to switch districts(the whole odd-even thing)/continents (different types of hats) to afk and get all hats, a great idea was the hat trader though, made is so much easier to get hats for all chars especially with more being added to the list with each chapter

also the people who hate how LA and Kamadan look covered in snow that doesn't belong there......i do agree that the players affected by the earthquake deserve a chance at playing during the winters day festivities but i have been complaining to myself since day one every time i went into my 2 favorite towns to see them all covered in bright snow that hurts my eyes XD.....PS I H8 Grammar/Spelling

personally im still loving the wintersday! I've found a good area to lvl up my heroes and characters whilst murdering Stone Summit so my stock of Nogs and Canes is rappidly growing


Just a thought, next year, could the winning god's avatar appear for a few days after the event in the areas? Maybe trade a Hat for remaining candy shards? It would clear up those who couldn't get on during the final event or those that staunchly support a god and didn't win?


Oh and this means that even less time after Wintersday finishes, Wintereenmas begins! Hurrah Hurrah!

Same here. I know you still get the CC Shards as a reward in the Snowball Arena, but does anyone know if you still get them as drops in the Underworld Snowball contests?

I think it's nice. I haven't been able to log in since the event started, due to personal reasons.Now I get a second chance =)