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Massively's 2009 Winter Holiday Event Guide, part 2

rubi bayer
Updated ·7 min read
Massively's 2009 Winter Holiday Event Guide, part 2

Fallen Earth -- First Night -- December 14th-January 1st
First Night began December 14th in Fallen Earth. The celebration is named for the rediscovery of the correct date for January 1st thanks to the Archivist Coalition, and you'll enjoy a Fallen Earth twist to many familiar celebrations. Boxing Day? Hand-to-hand combat, what else? Santa, or the Seasonal Arctic Network of Toy-based Altruism is keeping track of who's naughty and nice. The nice get gifts and the naughty get hunted down. Hope you were nice! There will be plenty more celebrating where that came from, as well as holiday missions and goodies. Enjoy party crackers, fruitcake, and festive top hats from gift boxes, or trade the unopened boxes in for a chance to win the ultra-rare white top hat.

Guild Wars -- Wintersday -- December 18th-January 4th
Tyrians are celebrating Wintersday in Guild Wars again. The usual cities are decorated: Ascalon City, Lion's Arch, Droknar's Forge, Kamadan and Eye of the North, and collectors are waiting to give you candy canes, fruitcake, and other goodies in exchange for those monster bits and Orr Emblems that you've been saving all year. The usual quests will be active, the snowball arena will be open, and monsters are dropping candy cane shards. Candysmiths are waiting to craft candy cane and peppermint items for you, and don't forget to stop by Gwen's Garden and tame a Jingle Bear, and look out for Kimberly in LA and her snowballs. (An amusing little quirk is that she'll throw them at your minipets too: "Tag! Collector's Edition Kuunavang Doll is it!") The party starts on the 18th and lasts until the finale January 4th, so cast your vote for Grenth or Dwayna, make sure you get your hats, and farm that Mini Polar Bear. That's right, the infamous minipet has a chance of dropping from the Wintersday chest again this year. Good luck!

Lineage II -- Raising Rudolph -- December 15th-January 5th
Raising Rudolf is this year's holiday event in Lineage II. Santa's got his presents all wrapped and ready to go, only to find that his reindeer have unionized and gone on strike. Since they already get 364 days off a year, he's justifiably irritated and decided to get a new batch of reindeer. Your job is to help raise the baby reindeer. You'll be well rewarded for your efforts with buffs and gifts. Whether you are raising a Rudolf or not, Santa will also run through Aden fairly often, handing out presents to random players, so keep an eye out for the system message alerting you!

Lord of the Rings Online -- Yule Festival -- "Throughout the holiday season"
The Yule Festival in Lord of the Rings Online brings us the Glorious Beer-Fight! The Inn at Thorin's Hall has what is said to be the finest brew in all of Middle- earth, but there's not enough to go around. The obvious solution is to handle it like mature, sensible adults, and have a huge brawl as everyone scrambles to pick up their share. Good luck! Horse racing is back as well, revamped to accommodate thet new mounts and deal with some serious issues that previous races had. Finally, you'll be revisiting well-known Yule Festival quests and treats, with a little makeover to make them more fun. How does live music for new dances sound, and quest items that require a lot less running around? The Yule Festival looks to be bigger and better than ever this year, so enjoy!

Runes of Magic -- Snowflake Festival -- "Throughout the holiday season"
Taborea is celebrating the Snowflake Festival with lots of sales in the item shop, as well as plenty of things to do in game. There are daily quests released, and you'll get Snowflake Festival gifts for participating. Decorate your houses with Christmas tree seeds and Festive Furniture, and don't miss the Advent calendar on the Runes of Magic site for a new glimpse behind the scenes of Runes of Magic every day!

Warhammer Online -- Keg End -- December 16th - January 4th
WAR players will be enjoying Keg End, which is exactly what it sounds like: beer and lots of it. They'll be clearing out all the leftover brew to make way for the new, and searching for the legendary Golden Stein. Take on giants as they venture onto the battlefield and earn some special rewards and set off fireworks on your way into RvR. Fight, boast, and drink, for "Keg End is here, with the mud and the blood and the beer!"


These aren't all, though. Many more games are celebrating the holidays in their own ways, so here's a quick look at what some of the others are doing this season:

Star Wars Galaxies fans will be enjoying Wookiee Life Day -- hanging decorations or stomping presents, depending on who you are aligned with, and earning rewards for your efforts.

Santa is missing in the land of Aran, and your help is needed to find him! Many familiar community and GM events are coming back as well, so head into MapleStory to spread holiday cheer through Aran, enjoy the celebration, and help track down Santa.

Final Fantasy XI brings a sweet holiday tale and a fun celebration to this year's Starlight Celebration. Enjoy the story, then head out to participate in Smile Boot camp, lend the Moogles a hand with their holiday tasks, and visit the holiday vendors to pick up some special Starlight Celebration treats.

Lineage players around the world will be taking on the role of Santa Claus this holiday during the Global Lineage Christmas Event -- pick up your special Rudolph hat and ride around Aden delivering holiday cheer. Don't forget to check your inventory every 15 minutes during your deliveries; there will be a little something new in there.

Metaplace is handing out presents galore for participants in their Winter Wonderland contest. Join the fun when you theme your world for the holidays and send in a screenshot. Everyone who participates will receive a gift of 50,000 coins in January to start the new year out right. A few lucky winners will have their artwork featured in the brand new Metaplace art gallery, coming in January. So get to decorating, and enjoy!

Dragonica Online's Winter Solstice celebration is going on now through January 5th, and they're going all out! The cash shop has special costumes and pets, there will be daily gifts for everyone logging in through December 24th, XP buffs whenever it snows, and holiday themed monsters. They'll be dropping lots of special goodies too, so make sure you log in and do some exploring to get in on the party!

Cities XL players will find their cities decorated for the holidays. Log in and take a look around, where you'll find electric decorations in the streets, Christmas trees in city halls' gardens and other buildings, a Christmas market with an animated merry-go-round, and Santa Claus and his sledge.

Dark Age of Camelot's Midwinter Festival features decorated taverns, four special guests who will come to the Realms to spread holiday cheer (and gifts!), and an opportunity to participate in the Trinkets for Tots quest to spread a little of their own holiday cheer.

Ultima Online's Festival of the White Hart features an appearance by the White Hart himself to hand out Christmas goodies, and all current players with characters at least 30 days old will have the chance to choose gifts for their homes, including a nutcracker, statues, or icicles.

Legends of Norrath is offering players a special Holiday Bundle pack full of great items, including one of the mounts from the retired Oathbound expansion. On-demand tournaments are available as well between December 24th and January 4th.

Free Realms fans are enjoying Snow Days. Snowhill has turned into a winter wonderland of food, fun, and presents as well as a series of exciting holiday quests. This all in addition to the monster patch released yesterday.

In Pirates of the Burning Sea, Junkanoo is the holiday of choice and there is much revelry to be had! Players can carol door to door and exchange gifts, as well as take on a new holiday mission to receive a rat shoulder pet.

Vanguard is celebrating Festival of Gloriann this year. Enjoy a new costume, new decorations, and take a ride on Randolph, the flying reindeer mount!

Finally, For World of Warcraft holiday events, our sister site WoW.com has you covered in their extensive Guide to Winter Veil. Happy Holidays!

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