trick-or-treat
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Reminder: It came from the Blog's Candy Run is tonight
Candy Run, more like Candy Fun, AMIRITE? The It came from the Blog gang and friends always have a great time Trick or Treating. It's tonight, so if you don't already have a level 10+ character on Zangarmarsh, you need to get moving. When: Tonight, Tuesday, Oct 30 at 10:30 p.m. EDT (7:30 p.m. PDT, 8:30 p.m. server time) Where: Meet at Brill on Zangarmarsh (US-PvE-H) Who: Any Horde character level 10 and above, but you'll have more fun if you have a character with all the old world flightpaths. What: Candy, fun, running How: Just ask Tizzi or any member of It came from the Blog for an invite. We'll be keeping it slow for the lowbies for the first half of the event, but then anyone without the old world flightpaths will be abandoned mercilessly while the rest of us collect more candy. So if you are new to our events and have time, create a death knight before we begin the event. Come trick or treat with us ... unless you don't like candy and fun. Please join us on Zangarmarsh (US-PvE-H) in It came from the Blog. All ranks can invite, so /whisper Tizzi or any online member. You are all welcome as long as you play by our simple rules -- basically, don't be a funsucker! Visit the guild FAQ for more details.
It came from the Blog: Join us for Candy Run 2012
Boo! Yeah, It came from the Blog is Trick or Treating again and yeah, we're going to have fun as usual. No, Deathwing won't be joining us this year, since he's dead. But we don't need to die in a dragon-induced inferno in order to have a good time or even get the meta. Here are the details: When: Tuesday, Oct 30 at 10:30 p.m. EDT (7:30 p.m. PDT, 8:30 p.m. server time) Where: Meet at Brill on Zangarmarsh (US-PvE-H) Who: Any Horde character level 10 and above, but you'll have more fun if you have a character with all the old world flightpaths. What: Candy How: Just ask Tizzi or any member of It came from the Blog for an invite. Even if you normally play Alliance, we hope you will make an exception and join the dark side in order to Trick or Treat with us. We have cookies.* We hope to see you there! *Cookies are not included in this event. Please join us on Zangarmarsh (US-PvE-H) in It came from the Blog. Al ranks can invite, so /whisper Tizzi or any online member. You are all welcome as long as you play by our simple rules -- basically, don't be a funsucker! Visit the guild FAQ for more details.
Guild Wars 2: Shadow of the Mad King begins today [Updated]
The Mad King Thorn is back and he's more loony than ever! Guild Wars 2 unleashes the Mad King today in its first big update for the game. ArenaNet said that this update includes a mind-blowing 80 new pieces of content that revolve around a four-act story running from October 22nd through the 31st. In addition to the new story, the Shadow of the Mad King update includes trick or treating, special crafting recipes, decorations across the world, mini-dungeons, achievements, and themed events. The Mad King was a crowd favorite in the original Guild Wars, so there's certainly high expectations to see what he'll be doing this time around. [Update: The team will be hosting a livestream devoted to the update today at 4:30 p.m. EDT.]
Battlefield Heroes gets new map, weapons with special Halloween content
EA's free-to-play Battlefield Heroes shooter is going trick-or-treating with a new set of Halloween content, as seen in the trailer above and the gallery below. The holiday update will bring a brand new map called the Perilous Port, as well as new Machete weapons, and a few different spooky items and outfits to wear. There are also some new rewards to earn: Winning 10 games on the new map on ranked servers will earn you a faction-specific Halloween t-shirt, and there are also Trick or Treat-themed supply drops, with random chances to win other great stuff. Additionally, all of the other Halloween content from the game's previous years is back online as well, so jump on in and have yourself a frighteningly fun time.%Gallery-168794%
The OverAchiever: Guide to Hallow's End 2012
Every week, The Overachiever shows you how to work toward those sweet achievement points. Today, our yearly sugar rush. Hallow's End 2012 begins on Thursday, Oct. 18 and runs through Wednesday, Oct. 31 this year. As with most of the game's holidays, Hallow's End is required for the yearlong meta What A Long, Strange Trip It's Been that grants the Violet Proto-Drake. Completing the required Hallow's End achievements will also award the title the Hallowed. Last year, Blizzard added some major updates and improvements to the holiday, one of which completely eliminated the hassle behind one of WoW's most hideous RNG nightmares, and one of which left us with two very badass non-combat pets. In essence, Tricky Treats -- once a vomit-inducing item that dropped in spades from the holiday boss, the Headless Horseman -- are now a form of currency that players can use to buy pets, masks, wands, and other holiday items. 2011 also introduced a new set of quests associated with Hallow's End, one of which sends you into an enemy city without the fear of ugly death. Bottom line: If you weren't around for last year's holiday, a lot of stuff may interest you this year. If you were around for last year, you'll still be interested, as the Headless Horseman's set of dropped epics are a lot more compelling at the beginning of an expansion. Hardcore achievement hunters will also be pleased to note an additional 10 points in the form of Tricks and Treats of Pandaria. As with most of our holiday guides, I've arranged the achievements in the rough order they should be completed, noting which achievements are required for the meta and which aren't.
Leaderboard: MMO trick vs. MMO treat
Ah, Halloween. It's the time of the year that every single MMO in existence reveals its deep-rooted bigotry against pumpkins and our already decorated virtual funhouses are given yet another layer of pretend nonsense. Not that I'm complaining, mind you -- I adore Halloween in MMOs. It's my favorite holiday, virtual or real, and I'm always anxious to see what the crazed minds of maddened developers have come up with in their spare time between logging TPS reports. Today's Leaderboard is simple: Do you want a cool new trick in your MMO or a tasty treat? A "trick" being new quests, special content, or a fun spookhouse to explore, and a "treat" being nifty Halloween rewards that you can consume, wear, or otherwise show off to the 2,540 other folks who got the same exact thing. It's trick-or-treat today on Massively, so which side do you support, and how far are you willing to go? If they pull a knife, you pull out a bag of candy corn -- that's the Halloweentown way!
Star Supremacy hands out treats to beta testers
As Star Supremacy continues its star trek through beta and toward release, Barbily Games has a few treats (but not tricks) in store for testers. After gathering feedback and bug reports from players in the beta, the dev team has whipped up a few hefty updates that should improve the game end-to-end. These updates include an improved UI, a chat system, alliances, item trading, and a tutorial. And even though the team is mired in beta craziness, there's always time for a little Halloween fun. The Star Supremacy devs have issued a challenge to players to find hidden GM bases. Those that do will be rewarded with special in-game items, such as pumpkin helmets and longevity tokens. Finally, Barbily is giving away gaming headsets to a few lucky fans that have "liked" the game's Facebook page. The drawing will happen when the page reaches 30,000 likes. Star Supremacy will be heading into open beta on November 15th. [Source: Barbily Games press release]
A haunted Halloween MMO tour [Update]
While many real world holidays receive digital treatments in MMOs, it always seems like Halloween is the most popular. Perhaps it's because MMOs are already into the spirit of the season, with characters dressing up, "trick or treating" mobs for their candy, and tackling spooky, scary areas where doom is sure to lurk. Or perhaps developers just really like pumpkins and haunted houses. Who doesn't? With most MMOs sporting Halloween content, it's a safe bet that there's something for you in your favorite game. So hop on the hayride and get ready for a tour through the most terrifying, cute, and boo-tastic Halloween events in town! [Update: Added more festivals... for justice!]
Trick or Treat with TUAW: Thought Out Stabile iPad stand
TUAW is giving away a gaggle of ghoulishly good gadgets over the next few days. Be sure to come back every day between now and October 30th for a chance to win. The good part of the giveaways? You don't need to wear a costume to win 'em. According to the Dictionary app on my Mac, stabile is defined as "a freestanding abstract sculpture or structure, typically of wire or sheet metal, in the style of a mobile but rigid and stationary." Stabile is also the name of a rugged and sturdy iPad stand from Thought Out. Using what looks similar to the base from an iMac attached to a set of padded metal "fingers," the Stabile is perfect for iPad owners who want a way to hold up their devices without wearing out their arms. I can see where the Stabile would be perfect for kiosk applications running on an iPad. The Stabile comes in two finishes -- black solid steel (US$59.99) and silver solid steel (US$69.99). These things are incredibly well built, weighing in at almost 4 pounds. The base has a set of non-slip rubber pads on it, so it's hard to accidentally move the Stabile when an iPad installed. The center of gravity is low enough that tipping is out of the question as well. As part of our Trick or Treat with TUAW promotion, we're giving away a pair of Stabiles to some lucky readers. To enter, just let us know what you'd use your Stabile for -- watching movies on your iPad, running a point-of-sale app on the iPad, whatever... Here are the rules: Open to legal US residents of the 50 United States, the District of Columbia, and Canada (excluding Quebec) who are 18 and older. To enter, leave a comment telling us how you'll use the Thought Out Stabile stand with your iPad. The comment must be left before midnight on Sunday, October 31st, 2010, 11:59PM Eastern Daylight Time. You may enter only once. Two winners will be selected. One will receive a black solid steel Stabile valued at $59.99, while the other winner will get a silver solid steel Stabile value at $69.99. Click here for complete official rules. Good luck!
Trick or Treat with TUAW: iMainGo 2 mobile speakers
TUAW is going to be giving away a gaggle of ghoulishly good gadgets over the next few days. Be sure to come back every day between now and October 30th for a chance to win. The good part of the giveaways? You don't need to wear a costume to win 'em. As part of this week's Trick or Treat with TUAW series, our first giveaway will be handy for blasting the Halloween visitors to your home with all sorts of spooky music. The iMainGo 2 mobile speakers (US$39.99) are lightweight, powerful music speakers that also serve as protection for your iPod or iPhone. The speakers don't include a power plug or rechargeable batteries, but you will get upwards of 30 hours of musical enjoyment from four AAA batteries. To use the iMainGo 2 speakers, you just unzip the case, plug in your device using the standard 3.5 mm connector, zip it back up and keep your device protected from sun, sand, splashes, and spills while the tunes are blasting out. You can even connect the speakers to your iPad or MacBook for added musical fun. iMainGo 2 features titanium high-output speakers, so it pumps out a surprising amount of sound. Be sure to take a look at some of the reviews on Amazon.com, which reiterate just how good the iMainGo 2 mobile speakers really are. Now, for the giveaway. To enter, leave a comment telling us what you'll use the iMainGo 2 speakers for. It can be anything -- listening to tunes, blasting out the soundtrack for a movie you're watching, even using them with a headset and your Mac as a PA system. Here are the rules: Open to legal US residents of the 50 United States, the District of Columbia, and Canada (excluding Quebec) who are 18 and older. To enter, leave a comment telling us how you'll use the iMainGo 2 speakers. The comment must be left before midnight on Sunday, October 31st, 2010, 11:59PM Eastern Daylight Time. You may enter only once. One winner will be selected and receive an iMainGo 2 mobile speaker setup valued at $39.99. Click here for complete official rules. Good luck!
Lost Pages of Taborea: Guide to Pumpkin Festival
Runes of Magic has been around long enough now that holiday events are making a second round. In the wake of the Juice Festival's first appearance, the Pumpkin Festival is one of the events getting a second go. Legend tells us that before humans rediscovered the continent of Candara, the land of Kolydia was ruled by tyranny. On a cold winter's night, unknown assassins wearing masks succeeded in eliminating the unsavory rulers and the hoi polloi rejoiced. The people started celebrating that day by wearing masks which became rumored to bring good luck. Unknown years and another continent later, humans made do the best they could on the underdeveloped land. The tale is said that a farmer carved out a pumpkin and put a candle in it. After seeing this, the Eye of Wisdom thought it would be a great idea to mark the day for rest and celebration before Winter. The mask wearing was added to this, kids added costumes and trick-or-treating, thus the Pumpkin Festival was born. I don't have a photographic memory nor did I painstakingly write down all event-minutea from last year, but this year's festivities look to offer more activities. On top of that, there are plenty of costumes, holiday furniture and even holiday mounts to obtain or buy. The only problem is the absence of any source to help you traverse the ins and outs of what you can do and what you can win. Until now. Click past the break for help making your way through this year's Pumpkin Festival.
Flameseeker Chronicles: Your guide to Halloween 2010
I've been focusing quite a bit on new Guild Wars players these days and this week is no exception. I'm excited to see how many players are picking Guild Wars up for the first time, or are returning after checking things out briefly way back in 2005. This week is a fun one thanks to the Halloween festival, and those of you who haven't played during one before are probably a bit overwhelmed. Even those of you who have been away for a few years may be surprised by how much the festival has expanded since you were away. This week's Flameseeker Chronicles is for you guys -- follow along after the jump and we'll take a tour of this spooky version of the world of Tyria.
Hallow's End was exactly random enough
Now that Hallow's End is over for another year, it's time to settle up. We already asked whether you got what you wanted, but according to the informal polls (and the feedback I've been hearing), quite a few people didn't actually get everything they were trying for. As we mentioned on the podcast the other week, many people who said they did everything they could probably didn't (did you really go trick-or-treating every hour of every day during the holiday?), but it's not too far a stretch to suggest that maybe the drop rates for some of the hardest items to get (the Horseman's helm and the Sinister Squashling pet seem to be the toughest, though I heard a lot of stories about hard-to-find toothpicks, too) are a little bit lower than they should be for fairness. Not so, says Bornakk -- he said while the holiday was ongoing that the drop rates were fine, and now that it's over, he says they're still fine. That doesn't mean Blizzard won't change it for next year, but it does mean that they don't have any current plans to change the holiday at all. "The randomness," as he says, "can win sometimes." Our condolences if you were trying for an item and didn't get it -- even on a 50/50 coin flip, there's still a chance to see one side 1000 times in a row. We sincerely mean this one: better luck next year.
Reminder: ICftB Trick or Treat event today
Don't forget to join It came from the Blog for some Hallow's End fun today! When: 4:30pm EDT (2:30pm Server Time, 1:30pm PDT) Today Where: Meet at Falconwing Square on Zangarmarsh (U.S.) Who: Any Horde character, any level. There will also be a second part of the event for epic mounted, flightpathed characters. What: Various Hallow's End activities in the Eastern Kingdoms. How: Ask Robinella or any It came from the Blog Lurker for an invite to the guild. We will be doing some all level activities for the greater portion of the event and will finish up Trick or Treats in the Eastern Kingdoms with the epic mounted/flightpathed (yes, they will mostly be death knights) players. Have any questions that are not answered here? Please see our FAQ. We hope you'll join us!
It came from the Blog: Let's go Trick or Treating!
The Inns of the Eastern Kingdoms are filled with candy, free for the taking. So, obviously, it is time for It came from the Blog to go Trick or Treating. Here are the particulars: When: 4:30pm EDT (2:30pm Server Time, 1:30pm PDT) Saturday, October 24th Where: Meet at Falconwing Square on Zangarmarsh (U.S.) Who: Any Horde character, any level. There will also be a second part of the event for epic mounted, flightpathed characters. What: Various Hallow's End activities in the Eastern Kingdoms. How: Ask Robinella or any It came from the Blog Lurker for an invite to the guild. The first (and major) part of this event is open to all levels. The second part will consist of finishing up the Eastern Kingdoms Achievement that the Lowbies have a hard time getting to.All are invited (and encouraged) to attend. If you have any questions like "Why are you Horde biased?" and "When are you coming to my server?", the short answer to both is "We aren't" and the long answers can be found in our FAQ. We hope you'll join us!
The OverAchiever: Guide to Hallow's End achievements
It always starts the same. You stand in the graveyard of the Scarlet Monastery. You take a candle and carefully place it upon the Hallow's End altar."Horseman rise," you say, "your time is nigh. You felt death once. Now, know demise!"He rises from the distance -- a little to your right, actually, as you face the tomb. The cackling voice and flaming horse make it clear the Horseman has risen again. "It is over, your search is done!" he warns. "Let fate choose now, the righteous one!"While this well-known and titular fight against the Headless Horseman is probably the most recognizable portion of Hallow's End activities, it's far from the only one. Let's take a look behind the cut at what you need to do to become "The Hallowed."
My daughter the murloc
What happens when Halloween rolls around and you haven't gotten around to buying your almost one year old daughter a costume for the holiday because you've been spending too much time playing and writing about the World of Warcraft? Well, you make her a murloc costume, of course!From the moment my daughter was born, I just knew I had to dress her up as a character from my favorite game. I initially wanted to make a Moonkin costume but thought that it'd be best if she wore that when she was already walking proficiently. A miniature Moonkin waddling around would be priceless.This year, however, found me short of time and ideas so I decided to steal the idea of a baby in a murloc suit from last year's crop of Halloween costumes over at the Blizzard site. Since I don't have mad sewing skills, I made a quick jaunt to a shoe supplies store and picked up a bunch of slice foam and some cyanoacrylate.
Breakfast Topic: The elusive achievements of Hallow's End
I have to admit. Achievements were a pretty bright idea. Holiday achievements, even more so. Now I have something to keep me focused through the holiday seasons, keep my eyes on the prize so to speak. For example, with Hallow's End fully underway, I've been racking up the achievements on my Hunter, looking to get that title. It's a nice goal to strive for. It's a good thing that the A Mask for All Occasions requirement will be off Hallowed Be Thy Name in 3.0.3, or I'd be in trouble. Collecting one of each different mask? Please. Actually, I haven't even managed to collect one single mask, leaving The Mask Task woefully undone. I'm not sure what it is, but even doing 3-5 Trick or Treats a day, I have not managed to get one of those flimsy things on my Hunter. In past Hallow's Ends, I seemed to be destroying masks constantly, saying not nice things under my breath. This year, I pray for one, and instead have to deal with Penny Pouches and Candy Corn and costumes and no sign of a Mask. The random number generator just hasn't been kind to me. As it is, I was afraid that the toothpicks would do me in. I didn't even get a set of Tooth Picks on my Hunter until yesterday. The other item I need to finish out my Hallowed Title is the Hallowed Helm, which comes both from the Headless Horseman and Trick or Treating. I've seen it drop from the Horseman a few times, but I've always lost the rolls. But it's a rare drop, a low drop rate and a bit of luck should be expected to be needed for this stuff. But here's the funny thing: I have actually found Hallowed Helms while Trick or Treating. The problem is, I got them on 2 of my alts, my Paladin and my Warlock. Not exactly useful for my Hunter. But I keep trick or treating, praying my Hallowed Helm luck will strike one more time, and in the meantime admire how badass my Warlock looks with a pumpkin head. How goes your achievement hunt? Do you have one or two Hallow's End Achievements that just keep eluding you? For that matter, how's your luck on the Headless Horseman? I know that despite having done a run a day on him, I have yet to see a sword, a horse, or a flying broom, so I'm interested to find if anyone is seeing those in abundance.
Squashling, Hallowed Helm trick-or-treatable
Like many of you, I've been heading into the Scarlet Monastery to fight the Headless Horseman every day since Hallow's End started. It's a fun fight, I like the Magic Broom, and I've gotten some decent rings for my off-specs, but the main attraction, at least for me, is a chance at some rare drops: the pet, the hat, and the mount. The first two of these, in addition to being pretty cool on their own, are required for the Sinister Calling achievement, which is in turn required for the Hallowed Be Thy Name meta-achievement. I've taken him down a couple dozen times at this point. I've seen the hat twice (didn't get it either time), I've never seen the pet drop, and I don't think anyone on my server has gotten the mount. Some people in the forums are a bit upset about the drop rates on the pet and the hat, given that they're required for the achievement - they don't like the fact that the meta-achievement requires a chance-based event. I have some good news for those people, via Wow_Ladies: it seems that the Sinister Squashling and the Hallowed Helm both have a chance to come out of the Treat Bags that you can get from trick-or-treating once an hour. This doesn't make it less chance-based, but it does raise your chances, although I imagine the chance to get either of those items from trick-or-treating is very low. Still, if you're interested in getting these items, stay on top of those one-hour cooldowns. [thanks, Flairy]
Star Wars Galaxies: It's Halloween in the galaxy far, far away
The much-anticipated Galactic Moon Festival (aka Halloween) begins in Star Wars Galaxies today, and will continue through November 7th. There's a guide to the festival at the game's website, full of neat-o images and info on where to go and what to do.Basically, you can take a shuttle to Moenia or Mos Eisley and chat up one of the festival organizer NPCs to get your trick-or-treating gear (including a costume). After that, you have thirty minutes to go forth and say "trick or treat!" to the inhabitants of the city. If they don't give you a treat (festival coins), then you can use a device given to you by the organizer to cause them terrible, terrible pain -- to quote a wise man from another Sci-Fi universe: "Pain is scary."Festival coins collected while trick-or-treating can be exchanged for prizes at the organizers, including creepy house decorations.
