Happy Wintersday, Tyria! Our yearly holiday festival is now live and available until January 3, 2023. You can check out all the details in the full release notes on our official forums. Read on for a quick rundown of the activities you can take part in during this festival and the rewards you can earn!
This festival is accessible to players of any level. Even if you're brand new to the game, you can easily take part in our Wintersday activities and earn new cosmetic unlocks, utility items, and more!
Rewards
Wintersday activities award Wintersday Gifts containing an assortment of holiday treats and surprises. Festival currency includes snowflakes, Snow Diamonds, and karma, which you can exchange for new minis, guild hall decorations, recipes, tonics, and more.
Speak to one of the Charity Corps Seraph at the Crown Pavilion in Divinity's Reach to exchange your snowflakes for Snow Diamonds, and your Snow Diamonds for unique Wintersday rewards. Many unique rewards—such as the new Wintersday Snow Boots and the Snowdrift weapon set—are obtained by completing achievements. You'll find more information on the Wintersday achievements and their rewards in your Hero panel under the Daily and Festivals categories.
Where to Go
Divinity's Reach is the hub for Wintersday festivities. Check your mail for a letter from Tixx containing an Invitation to Wintersday, which you can use to travel instantly to Divinity's Reach. Portals leading to Divinity's Reach will also be available in Lion's Arch, the Black Citadel, Hoelbrak, Rata Sum, and the Grove.
Visit locations marked by peppermint candies on your map to participate in Wintersday activities. Don't forget to visit Wintersday trees and Toymaker Tixx himself each day to collect gifts.
You'll also receive a letter from Orphan Laine, who needs your help with a scavenger hunt. The hunt will require you to travel to some areas intended for level 80 players, but once you've unlocked it you can complete it at any time, even after Wintersday ends.
For the duration of the festival, massive Mysterious Presents will appear in the open world in Central Tyria maps. They explode when unwrapped, so take care! Fight off hostile skritt and collect the Wintersday Gifts that fall out.
Activities
Bell Choir Ensemble
Speak to the Bell Maestro near the Royal Terrace in Divinity's reach to enter the Enchanted Snow Globe and take part in the bell choir ensemble! In this rhythm game, work together with your fellow Tyrians to reproduce songs from Guild Wars 2 and earn karma, Wintersday Gifts, and more!
Donation Drive
Speak with the Charity Corps Seraph in the Crown Pavilion to purchase Rolls of Wrapping Paper. These rolls can be combined with various items earned from Wintersday activities to create Wrapped Gifts. Give these gifts to orphans throughout Divinity's Reach and get some well-earned karma for your good deeds.
Mount Racing
Race around Divinity's Reach! You don't need to have any mounts unlocked to take place in this race—a nearby rental service is available to rent a raptor for just 10 silver.
Snowball Mayhem
Use a unique set of snow-themed skills to defeat other players in this capture-the-flag-style game mode! Speak with the Festive Lionguard near the Royal Terrace in Divinity's Reach to enter, then choose from three professions: supporter, heavy gunner, or scout. The first team to bring 500 points worth of Wintersday Gifts back to their base wins!
This content has no level requirement and can be enjoyed by players of all skill levels.
Strike Mission: Secret Lair of the Snowmen
Enter the portal southwest of the Crown Pavilion to take on the legendary Freezie! Form a squad of up to 10 players and mend Freezie's frozen heart. This content is exclusively available to players who have reached level 80.
Tixx's Infinirarium
Enter Toymaker Tixx's airship from the candy cane portal just west of the Crown Pavilion to assist the asuran craftsman in producing enough Wintersday presents for every resident of Tyria. Take on the haywire machinery and malfunctioning toys throughout the workshop with a party of up to 5 players. This Wintersday-exclusive dungeon is accessible to players of any level and will dynamically adjust your attributes to those of a level 80 player if you are below that level.
Toypocalypse
Defend the gift dolyaks from Tixx's malfunctioning toys! Speak to the Toy Captain just south of the Crown Pavilion in Divinity's Reach to enter this tower-defense-style game mode with a party of up to 5 players. This Wintersday-exclusive activity is accessible to players of any level and will dynamically adjust your attributes to those of a level 80 player if you are below that level.
Winter Wonderland
Jumping puzzle lovers rejoice! Dodge exploding Wintersday gifts and jump across giant melting snowflakes in this holiday-themed jumping puzzle. Speak to the Festive Youth at the Crown Pavilion to enter the Winter Wonderland and take on one of three available paths through the snow, each offering its own difficulty. This content is available to players of any level.
Dominate the pillow-fighting fields with a set of cannons that can outgun any hostile toys you encounter. Just try not to fall asleep in that plush driver's seat.
This item will change the appearance of your siege turtle mount. This item will also permanently unlock this appearance in your account wardrobe.
Wintersday Gifting Rewards Campaign
For the next week, the Knife Tail Gang Hunting Bond will once again be available in the Gem Store, and we're offering a reward for spreading the holiday cheer!
Gift at least five Knife Tail Gang Hunting Bonds to other players and you'll receive four Black Lion Chest Keys in return! Help your friends unlock exclusive Black Lion Trading Company items and earn some keys for your generosity.
Black Lion Chest keys will be rewarded via in-game mail in January of 2023.
Free and Discounted Items
Free Transmutation Charges and Wintersday Mini Gift
Log in to Guild Wars 2 within the next three weeks and claim ten free Transmutation Charges and a Wintersday Mini Gift from the Gem Store!
Black Lion Weapons Voucher and Black Lion Chair Voucher
Unlock Black Lion exclusive weapon and chair skins with these discounted items. Available now at a 19% discount!
Bag Slot Expansions
For this week only, get 40% off Bag Slot Expansions (limit of two per account). We've also raised the maximum per-character bag slot limit from ten to twelve.
Black Lion Chest Update
Black Lion Exclusive: Festive Iceberg Skiff Skin
Fancy some ice fishing? Spread the holiday cheer across the oceans with an iceberg propelled by Wintersday hopes and dreams!
This skin is available exclusively as an uncommon find when opening Black Lion Chests. It will permanently unlock a new appearance for your skiff in your account wardrobe.
Black Lion Guarantee: The Evon Gnashblade Wintersday Gift
In every Black Lion Chest you open for the next four weeks, you'll find the Evon Gnashblade Wintersday Gift. Open this gift box for a chance at up to seven random items from a massive list of goods that includes rare crafting materials, infusions, and more!
Returning This Week
Cuddly Cat Jade Bot Skin
Take advantage of the new Mini Jade Bot and carry this cuddly cat with you everywhere! For a limited time, the Cuddly Cat Jade Bot Skin is back!
This item will change the appearance of your jade bot. This item will also permanently unlock this appearance in your account wardrobe. Equipping a jade bot mini while a jade bot skin is equipped will change the appearance of the jade bot mini to match your current skin. You can acquire a Mini Jade Bot of your own by trading Research Notes to a Xunlai Jade Sales Associate in Guild Wars 2: End of Dragons explorable zones. When summoned, this mini will inherit the appearance of your currently equipped jade bot skin.
Knife Tail Gang Hunting Bond
The Knife Tail Gang have broken into the Black Lion Trading Company vaults!
Use this bond to hunt Knife Tail Gang members. While bonded, any kill worth experience points has a chance to reveal one of the Knife Tail Gang! Each bond will allow you to loot a piece of Recovered Black Lion Goods, which are yours to keep. Recovered goods will always unlock a cosmetic option from the Black Lion Trading Company in your wardrobe—weapon skins, exclusive dye colors, and even mount skins!
Seasonal Swap
Starting this Friday, look for the following items to be added to the Gem Store at a 20% discount:
Ancestral Outfit
Arcane Outfit
Braham's Wolfblood Outfit
Crystal Arbiter Outfit
Crystal Nomad Outfit
Dwayna's Regalia Outfit
Dynamics Exo-Suit Outfit
Eve's Prophecies Outfit
Frostfire Outfit
Imperial Guard Outfit
Imperial Outfit
Jungle Explorer Outfit
Kasmeer's Regal Outfit
Magical Outfit
Mursaat Robes
Noble Count Outfit
Pharaoh's Regalia Outfit
Primeval Dervish Outfit
Rox's Pathfinder Outfit
Shadow Assassin Outfit
Shrine Guardian Outfit
White Mantle Outfit
Prepare your raid teams and join the Ready Check Cup
We are excited to support the Ready Check Cup, a raid tournament organized by Hardstuck and members of our Partner Program to raise funds for the Cure Rare Disease charity.
Save the date! The tournament will begin on Saturday, December 17 at 9:00 a.m. Pacific Time (5:00 p.m. UTC) and sign-ups will close 24 hours prior to the event. During the tournament, teams will compete in four rounds of fast-paced, 30-minute matches in Spirit Vale, Salvation Pass, Stronghold of the Faithful, and Bastion of the Penitent. The victorious teams will be rewarded with the Community Hero Title, Community Chests, gems, and gold!
Our partners Snebzor and MightyTeapot will be streaming the spectacle on Twitch at 9:00 a.m. Pacific Time (5:00 p.m. UTC) on December 17, so be sure to tune in!
If you are eager to join the competition with your friends and guildmates, be sure to check the requirements and learn how to enter on the Ready Check Cup page.
The Guild Wars 2 Art Show: End of December
The festive season is upon us. Curl up with new Guild Wars 2 Art Shows during this magical time of year!
Our ArenaNet Creative Partners will show their latest Guild Wars 2-inspired work, discuss art techniques, and hang out in chat. Let's celebrate art together!
Upcoming Guild Wars 2 Art Shows
🔹 Wednesday, December 14 at noon Pacific Time (UTC-8) with Reixart 🔹 Wednesday, December 21 at noon Pacific Time (UTC-8) with Yuikami 🔹 Wednesday, December 28 at noon Pacific Time (UTC-8) with Gears2Gnomes
Gem Store Update: Battlelord's Cape and Hood & Toy Duck Fishing Rod Skin
Battlelord's Cape Hood Combo
Everyone knows about the dashing rogue sitting mysteriously in the corner of the tavern: hood pulled up to obscure their (probably handsome) face, traveling cloak coated with dust from a long and unknown journey. Now it's time to be that dashing rogue.
These items will change the appearance of your helm and back item. They will also permanently unlock these skins in your wardrobe. The package also includes a Lambent Battlelord's Hood Helm Skin variant with glowing eyes. These items are only available as a package and cannot be purchased individually.
Toy Duck Fishing Rod Skin
Tired of losing your bobbers all the time? Sounds like you need an upgrade. A squeaky, bright-yellow upgrade. Go ahead—the world is your duck pond.
This item will change the appearance of your fishing rod. This item will also permanently unlock this skin in your wardrobe.
Wintersday Choose Your Own Appearance Package
Make your own Wintersday getup with this full-featured package! The Wintersday Choose Your Own Appearance Package contains the following items:
Wintersday Outfit Voucher
Wintersday Accessories Voucher
Wintersday Weapon Voucher
Wintersday Dye Voucher
Total Makeover Kit
Each of the vouchers contained within this package can be exchanged for a variety of Wintersday-themed items! Put together your own unique look and try out the brand-new Snow Garden weapon skin collection. (Limit one package purchase per account.)
Discounts
For the next week, we're offering a 20% discount on Character Slot Expansions! This item will add one additional character slot to your account, allowing you to try out new playable races and professions.
Returning This Week
We're bringing back some Wintersday-themed goods this week, including:
Arctic Explorer Outfit
Cryomancer Glider Skin
Fancy Winter Outfit
Glacial Glider
Ice Encasement Outfit
Winter Monarch Outfit
Winter Solstice Outfit
Seasonal Swap
Starting this Friday, look for the following items to be added to the Gem Store at a 20% discount:
Aurene's Crystalline Claws
Aurene's Crystalline Diadem Skin
Conjured Starlight Hat Skin
Dragon Mask Skin
Etherbound Greaves
Etherbound Gauntlets
Etherbound Pauldrons
Fuzzy Leopard Hat
Fuzzy Panda Hat
Ghost of the Deep Spaulders Skin
Glint's Gaze Mask
Lion's Mask Skin
Magical Unicorn Horn Set
Raven Gloves Skin
Raven Helm
Raven Mantle
Sailor's Beanie
Salvaged Forged Gloves
Salvaged Forged Helm
Shadow of the Dragon Gloves Skin
Shadow of the Dragon Helmet Skin
Shadow of the Dragon Shoulder Skin
Shrine Guardian Ears Package
Stylish Shoes Skin
Swaggering Boots Skin
Swaggering Hat
Top Hat
Vermilion Vambrace s
Wizard's Hat
Xera's Mask
Available Now in the Gem Store!
Log into Guild Wars 2 and press 'O' to access the Black Lion Trading Company for these great offers and more!
Wintersday 2022 Begins Next Week!
Our annual Wintersday festival arrives next Tuesday, December 13!
Wintersday only comes once a year–don't miss out on our limited-time holiday content! For three weeks, you can access the Secret Lair of the Snowmen strike mission, the Winter Wonderland jumping puzzle, multiple merry game modes, and a massive list of seasonal rewards exclusive to this festival.
Complete Wintersday activities and open Wintersday Gifts to collect a large assortment of holiday treats and surprises. Many Wintersday activities and events will award progress toward seasonal achievements that unlock unique rewards. You can find more information on these achievements and their rewards in your Hero panel under the Daily and Festivals categories.
We'll have more information about our Wintersday events–including a rundown of the activities and new rewards–next week.
Have a very merry Wintersday!
The Guild Wars 2 Art Show: December 7
Don't miss the next episode of the Guild Wars 2 Art Show livestream, where our ArenaNet Creative Partners show their latest Guild Wars 2-inspired work, discuss art techniques, and hang out in chat. Let's celebrate art together!
Guild Wars 2 has been updated! Take on a souped-up Watchknight Triumverate in Old Lion's Court Challenge Mode or earn the new Primordus legendary skin variant.
The Challenge Mode for Strike Mission: Old Lion's Court is now available for those looking to face Scarlet's most devious watchknight threat! Players who defeat this challenging encounter can purchase new rewards.
Fixed an issue that caused defiance bars to unlock sooner than intended during phase transitions in Strike Mission: Old Lion's Court.
Fixed an issue that sometimes allowed Boiling Aether to be created during phase transitions in Strike Mission: Old Lion's Court.
General
The Primordus legendary variant skin collection is now available. Speak with Leivas after unlocking an Aurene-based legendary weapon to begin this collection!
Equipped items that you have not selected an attribute combination for will display an alert icon to make them easier to identify.
Profession icons in player portraits now display a tooltip to identify the player's profession or elite specialization.
You can now export your custom input bindings to store locally and share them across devices you play on, allowing you to quickly switch bindings by importing them. Exported bindings will be saved in a new folder alongside your screenshots folder. Only currently active bindings are saved to your account.
An option to randomize your character's appearance and armor colors is now available during character creation.
An icon has been added to the world map which will display a tooltip with information about how to use your personal waypoint, leave pings, and draw on your map.
Story Journal Improvements:
A new "View Next in Journal" button has been added to the pop-up notification after completing an episode or story chapter. Pressing it will open the Story Journal to the next available episode or story chapter. The button will display as "Unlock Next" if you have not unlocked that content yet.
After you complete the final step of any story chapter, episode, or Living World season, your active story will automatically be set to the beginning of the next chapter, episode, or season instead of your next personal story objective.
World Polish
The existing exotic Primordus weapon set has been renamed to the Destroyer weapon set. Associated achievements and collections have been updated to reflect the new name.
During the Living World Season 1 episode "Sky Pirates," the Hard Boiled and Case Closed missions can now be played out of order when replaying the storyline.
Fixed an issue that allowed players to receive rewards for Group Effort IV and V more than once per completion of the Battle for Lion's Arch meta-event.
Fixed an issue that prevented the Tower Purifier 2 achievement from progressing.
Gem Store Update: Plush Cuckoo Springer Skin and Fluttering Fairy Jade Bot Skin
Plush Cuckoo Springer Skin
Y'know, with how many plushies we've got lately, I'm gonna need a bigger bed to keep them all on. I've been sleeping on my Comfy Cat Chair instead…
Fluttering Fairy Jade Bot Skin
We know that some of you like to make yourselves as bright and sparkly as possible, and we're happy to enable your moth-attracting habits. To that end, we've stuffed as many sparkles as we can afford into this bad boy.
Discounts
For the next week, we're offering a 20% discount on the Recharging Teleport to Friend and the Cozy Wintersday Mounts Pack! Dress your mounts up for winter with a festive set of scarves and hats.
Black Lion Chest Update
Black Lion Exclusive: Infernal Flail Mace Skin
You might think that having a spout of flame constantly emitting from the end of an object intended to be flung around as hard as possible is potentially hazardous to the user. We think that not looking as cool as possible at all times is even more hazardous, don't you agree?
Black Lion Guarantee: Gnashblade's Exotic Weapon Grab Bag
In every Black Lion Chest you open for the next two weeks, you'll find a Gnashblade's Exotic Weapon Grab Bag. Each of these bags has a small chance of containing an exotic precursor weapon—perfect for giving you a head start on crafting your own legendary weapons!
Returning This Week
Wintersday is coming soon, and we're bringing all of your Wintersday favorites back to the Gem Store! Deck yourself out in festive attire or pick up a gobbler for all the snowflakes you'll be earning during our Wintersday festivities.
Here's everything that'll be coming back, available until January 2:
Candy Cane Chair
Festive Hat
Freezie Crown
Glacial Gathering Tools
Permanent Gift Finisher
Permanent Snowman Finisher
Plush Griffon Skin
Plushy Raptor Skin
Shiverpeaks Mount Pack
Snowflake Gobbler
Winter Antlers Set
Wintersday Earmuffs
Seasonal Swap
Starting this Friday, look for the following items to be added to the Gem Store in the Seasonal Swap section at a 20% discount:
Armistice Bastion Pass
Noble's Folly Pass
Permanent Choya Finisher
Permanent Llama Finisher
Permanent Sandshark Finisher
Guild Wars 2 Black Friday Sales and Bonus XP Event Start Today!
We're starting our Black Friday sales early this year! For the next week, we'll be offering major discounts on Guild Wars 2 expansions. You'll have until next Tuesday, November 29 to take advantage of these sales.
We'll also be offering daily sales on popular in-game items and account upgrades starting on Black Friday itself, November 25. Make sure to check the Gem Store daily for information on these discounts, including a free Heroic Booster that you can claim anytime between November 25 and November 29.
Experience the entire dragon cycle saga from beginning to end with Guild Wars 2—The Complete Collection. This bundle contains every piece of story content we've released since the game's launch in 2012 to date, including all three expansions and all purchasable Living World episodes.
You'll also get two Level-80 Boosts, allowing you instantly level up two characters and jump straight into our latest content, with two Shared Inventory Slots to easily share items with every character on your account.
Expansion 3: Guild Wars 2: End of Dragons
The future of Cantha is now. The dragon cycle that has sustained and blighted Tyria for ages is collapsing. Mortal hearts and choices will define this moment in history—and echo in the future forever. Unlock new elite specializations, Masteries, and more, including access to fishing and skiffs.
Expansions 1 and 2: Guild Wars 2: Heart of Thorns & Guild Wars 2: Path of Fire
Unlock mounts, gliding, and more with the first two expansions for Guild Wars 2. This package grants you access to a new profession, the revenant, as well as eighteen elite specializations to change the way you play. Experience the joy of movement with the best mounts in MMOs.
Black Friday Bonus Bash
From November 22 to November 29, log in to Guild Wars 2 for the following bonuses:
+50% Experience (All Sources)
+30% Magic Find
+30% to PvP Reward Track Progress
+30% to WvW Reward Track Progress
Log in to Guild Wars 2 now and get to level 80 faster than ever! This bonus applies to all game modes, so play however you want and bring yourself straight to the endgame.
