Winter Event 2014

[+Nyx]

It's that time of year again!

The Grinch has teamed up with Jack Frost, Oogie Boogie, and a den of thieves to wreak havoc upon Excelsior! They have created an army of evil minions to protect them in their lair and do their evil bidding; have stolen all of Santa's gifts, destroyed his magic suit and are endangering the reindeer population. Without these, there can be no Christmas!

There are 4 quest lines varying in difficulty from relatively easy to rather hard.

These quests will be available until January 4th, 2015.

For full quest information, event rules, and troubleshooting help please see the new wiki page:

http://www.uoex.net/wiki/Winter_Events

This wiki is locked for editing except by administrators, so you may trust that the information on it comes directly from the staff.

Please be aware that by participating in any of the Winter Event quests/areas, you are held to the event rules & restrictions outlined on the wiki page.

Do yourself a favor, take ten minutes and read them.

Due to the late approval of the quests and my own RL schedule being so nasty until January, I was not able to take the time to fully test the events beforehand. We did a quick run-through with a test toon, but weren't able to be as thorough as we usually like to be. It came down to a choice between taking time to update the rewards, opening the events even later/not at all, or opening them without testing them perfectly. I opted to update the rewards + open. I'll be available to troubleshoot a fair amount over today & tomorrow; that should be enough time to iron out any weird kinks that have sprung up since last year. Thus, if you find any problems, particularly with the rewards systems, please send me a page - explain the issue as best you can, and if you must log off before I can assist you, please escalate your page by returning to the 'help' button and selecting the option to no longer be notified, but remain in the queue. This will ensure your page remains even if you log off.

2014 updates:
- All quests have had their code streamlined in ways that should allow for much easier triggering of the NPC. They will still become bogged down if there's more than 1 person bunched up near it trying to trigger it at once, but key words and book/item turn-ins should be a bit more smooth this year.
- All quest items needing to be collected must be collected while in your pack. You can no longer collect from the ground/corpses.
- All quest items needing items to be collected must first be stolen. This requires only 1.0 stealing.

Artist Elf Quest
- 3 additional Elegant Poinsettias added to the rewards pool
- Rewards updated to reflect the current year
- +Nyx's sweater updated for this year

Santa's Suit Quest
- Rewards system updated. Santa will now give you a reward token to give to his wife. You will then choose one of the three displayed rewards. Remember not to say the key words near Mrs. Claus unless you really want that item!
- New Reward: Band of Hoarfrost
- New Reward: Santa's Lucky Candle

Save Christmas Quest
- Streamlined the quest system on the NPCs
- Added additional internal methods for tracking potential exploiters

Reindeer Quest
- Overall number of mobs in the area reduced by 25% from last year
- Mobs can no longer spawn inside the same areas as the items needed for collection
- Rewards updated to reflect the current year
-Added 13 new possibilities to the reward pool. New rewards are as follows:
- 4x New snow pile
- 2x Opulent Poinsettia
- 4x Holiday books
- Frost-Kissed Rose (customized with player's name)
- Carafe of Egg Nog
- Frozen Fountain



Happy Questing!
<3

[Pariah]

Great fun! I will admit I was a little confused as I've been MIA during this time of year in the past. I think you've had to add so much text to the rules because of exploitation/people not following the rules and QQing that the hard quest directions have become a little difficult for someone of low intellect like myself to comprehend. For the benefit of others, here are my steps to the hard quest...NOTE: PARIAH IS IN NO WAY RESPONSIBLE FOR ANYONE'S IDIOCY OR FAILURE TO FOLLOW THE RULES. I AM SIMPLY OUTLINING THE STEPS I TOOK TO COMPLETE THE QUEST.

1a. READ +NYX'S POST ABOVE AS WELL AS THE LINK TO THE WIKI. FOLLOW ALL RULES.
1b. Say "Save Christmas" to Kalare.
2. Enter dungeon and kill spawn to loot quest items.
3. Steal other quest items for your book on tables located inside (various locations).
4. When book is filled, exit dungeon.
5. DO NOT TAKE 1 STEP TO THE RIGHT (SOUTH) UNLESS YOU ARE READY TO FIGHT THE BOSS!
6. If you're ready to fight boss, go right (south) toward Kalare. If not, exit area.
7. Get summoning item for boss from Kalare (lasts 30 mins).
8. Go to boss stone and say "ready"
9. Kill boss and loot quest item (30 minute timeout).
10. Return to Kalare for next book.
11. Repeat 1-10 until all bosses defeated (Jack Frost, Oogie Boogie, Grinch)
12. Collect Globe from Kalare.
13. Deliver to green elf slightly north and say either "necklace," "ring," or "hat" depending on your choice.

[Ishamael]

I have never done the winter events before. thought I would go and check it out today. First off, why so many restrictions? you have filled the corridors with huge amount of mobs, all the way back to the tables where you have to steal them. The sheer amount of critters in the hallway is daunting enough, but I can't use pets or even cleric spells? Apparently the save christmas quest is only for those players who have spent so much to relayer all their gear. I guess that's cool, seeing as they have spent all that time and money on their stuff. but as someone who has no relayers, has yet to level level my sword to 100 (Had the sword for years) this dungeon seems too much for me. Don't get me wrong, I don't mind dying here and there a bit, in pursuit of fun, but dying twice in 5 minutes, just doesn't strike me as a good time.

[+Nyx]

The "Save Christmas" quest is a challenging quest designed for players in the mid-range and above.

There are restrictions to prevent the quest being too easy. If you aren't able or willing to complete the quest, then don't. The reward is an option between two very nice pieces of gear and a costume piece (added for the sake of bored vets who'd want to run the quest each year but don't need the gear). Very nice reward that can be used in place of a relayer for quite some time = a lot of work & not easy to obtain.

It sounds like the artistic elf would be more your speed. You might also try the Santa quest, which is far less challenging than the Grinch quest.

[Ishamael]

I am really not trying to whinge here +Nyx, I do appreciate the time and effort spent in making new content for an old game. I am just having an off day, and am easily annoyed right now. I have been playing on this shard for 5 years, and considered myself (until today) as a mid level player. after 5 years you would think I was mid or higher. I just can't personally afford to donate hundreds of dollars for the eds for relayers. Personally, I don't want relayers. I want to be able to find good legitimate gear that isn't custom hacked, god level. the rewards for the Grinch quest do look cool and have good stats, but to get it you have to have uber gear. I will try the other quest lines later, when I am in a better mood. It just seems to me you are lavishing the good rewards to the people who already have god tier gear.

[Alex]

Another useful tip since I have seen many of you dying in all quest areas with diminished healing:

remember to modify your healers since you will a) burn through all your bandies and b) not heal a single point resulting in death.

[Yoda]

I just wish I had more time, or the reindeer quest book had a longer decay, its finding the window to take care of it.. love the strategy involved, had a better chance to deal with the collection after the initial player burst, definitely you can control the flow of the mobs well, lichen they spawn very close still but in numbers where it was manageable.. Id just like to be able to do that within the bites of time I have around the holidays better. cursed responsibilities and merriment

[+Nyx]

the rewards for the Grinch quest do look cool and have good stats, but to get it you have to have uber gear.

No, one doesn't. The first year that this quest opened (and last year as well), many players ran it with 0 relayers and succeeded.

Yep - Zero. Relayers.

It wasn't easy for them, of course, but it is doable. You need good resists - which the wiki page explains - with some decent hits and dex. Those are all obtainable for a midrange player without any relayers required. Mix that with clever hunting tactics and hunting at times when there are other players in the dungeon (so you aren't having to fight every spawned mob by yourself), it's not something that is at all impossible for someone still working on their gear.

I just wish I had more time, or the reindeer quest book had a longer decay,

I'll consider making the books have a longer decay this year, but it likely wouldn't be several days' decay time if so.

[Yoda]

nope wasn't asking for that.. but you know how christmas is you get a little time here and a little time there.. perhaps not in the same 8 hour block.. or you get a little time in the morning thinking you will get time in the afternoon before you know it there is something involving cocktails a last minute shopping trip, entertaining a kid so someone can get giftwrapping done this that and such.. its very hard to plan around.

It's a very good example of how you can make content still that challenges even the vettiest of vet.. seeing corpses of the big names was well.. nice in a weird way.

If I had any critique and please this is not a dig, meant 100% constructively ..

1. The 20 collection items from each mob adds length not difficulty and alot of it.
2. Having the step 2 and 3 book compounds that.

if it was 10 of each item and 1 book with all 4 collection items, it would still be just as challenging. but would probably reduce the completion time to a more concise block.

having said that if there is a long decay time great. I can do it in smaller bites like meals.. and great job

[Annachie]

Is it ok to run more than one of them at a time. Ie: Artistic Elf and Santa's suit for example?

[Reskal]

There are restrictions to prevent the quest being too easy. If you aren't able or willing to complete the quest, then don't.

Well thanks for the clear statement. Playing a few years also and never was the gearbear to get the uber items, so before i punish myself through all the rules and restrictions and preparations, i take your advice to heart.

Merry Christmas all !

[Pariah]

I am really not trying to whinge here +Nyx, I do appreciate the time and effort spent in making new content for an old game. I am just having an off day, and am easily annoyed right now. I have been playing on this shard for 5 years, and considered myself (until today) as a mid level player. after 5 years you would think I was mid or higher. I just can't personally afford to donate hundreds of dollars for the eds for relayers. Personally, I don't want relayers. I want to be able to find good legitimate gear that isn't custom hacked, god level. the rewards for the Grinch quest do look cool and have good stats, but to get it you have to have uber gear. I will try the other quest lines later, when I am in a better mood. It just seems to me you are lavishing the good rewards to the people who already have god tier gear.

1. I've been here less time than you. I've donated one time for an item recovery and it was less than $15. I have many relayers. The idea that you need to donate hundreds of dollars for them is not only incorrect, it's tired. Just because you personally can't or won't do it, doesn't mean that everyone is spending hundreds of dollars or somehow circumventing the system. I'm sure some are and that's fine. Without them, we might not have a place to play.
2. There are plenty of great items without relayers that would enable you to finish this quest (as +Nyx has pointed out).
3. The rewards for the other mid level quest, which you would probably have a far easier time with, are excellent (both the bracelet and the earrings). In fact, I still wear the earrings and it will likely be one of the last slots I relayer (again without spending money).
4. The quest was "hard" as stated many times over. If you know there are players far better geared than you, should they miss out on any new and challenging content because it's above your level? When in fact, great pains were taken to ensure worthwhile content for players at ALL levels?

It really bothers me that you would consider your passive aggressive post constructive in any way and how you failed to contribute discussion overall. We all have bad days. You choose what side to look at. You have great gear available and deco rewards at the lower quest levels, but you only focused on how you were unable to complete the top tier quest (on Day 1 might I add). Go back, try some strategy, get some tips. You might be able to do it, you might not. Two years ago, I tried that quest and got my behind handed to me. I knew going in that it was designed to be challenging ("Kalare's quest is difficult"), but I thought I'd give it a shot. It didn't work out. However, this year it was the perfect speed for me and required some newer skills. I appreciate that after several years and much character growth, there was still something available that was new and challenging and worthy of my time (I needed a new ring). You might feel the same way in the future.

[Pariah]

There are restrictions to prevent the quest being too easy. If you aren't able or willing to complete the quest, then don't.

Well thanks for the clear statement. Playing a few years also and never was the gearbear to get the uber items, so before i punish myself through all the rules and restrictions and preparations, i take your advice to heart.

Merry Christmas all !

I would say try the magic suit. If you breeze through that, then maybe try the Save Christmas. You'll get a solid piece of jewelry too that might put you over the top.

[+Nyx]

Passive aggressiveness is never very endearing, folks. My statement that if you can't or don't want to do the quest, then don't was a simple statement of common sense. It's not appropriate to come to the forums to complain because you aren't able to run some of the quests, since it's your choice whether to attempt them or not. As for the implication that there's too many rules, there really aren't. The rules for this event are quite simple. I just listed them in multiple places so nobody would have any reasonable excuse to say they had no idea what they were.

Beyond that, I can't give any better reply than Pariah already did, so I'm not going to try.


Updates for Monday AM:
Reindeer Quest
- Books now last for 1 day from the time obtained. They will poof at the time they expire. Also updated wiki to reflect this change.
- All books have had their requirements roughly halved. Items collected from monsters reduced to 10, items collected from the ground reduced to 6.

[Yoda]

Reindeer Quest
- Books now last for 1 day from the time obtained. They will poof at the time they expire. Also updated wiki to reflect this change.
- All books have had their requirements roughly halved. Items collected from monsters reduced to 10, items collected from the ground reduced to 6.

I really appreciate you listening to my feedback, and from what you described I think you have a very wickedly challenging quest setup now, tuned perfectly for time balance, also appreciate the decay time on the book..

what is truly wonderful about the reindeer quest is what it means for group play, there is several places in that quest where group play could make it 10x more fun, which in an mmo should always be encouraged. its a great quest, and I thank you for hearing me out

So for those younger players doing artistic elf and getting thrashed about and people wanting to do the reindeer quest who are intimidated, or perhaps for those that would enjoy the teamwork method. I present to you the tip of the day in the style of a barney stinson playbook entry

the "El Matador"
to perform the el matador you need the following
2 or more players, and the ability to communicate roles... what you do is take turns being the matador while the other is the burglar, the burglar steals the items and the matador draws the attention of the monsters, keeping them away from the burglar. *Optional but highly reccomended* El Matador should say Toro Toro overhead when luring.

when the items are collected trade roles, and you both move onto the next phase of the quest, thus through teamwork managing the disarm nature of stealing.