It’s almost Christmas, and with the holidays coming up there’s a whole heap of limited time in-game holiday events to get stuck into if you’ve got some time to kill over the next few weeks.
We’ve rounded up a list of live service games holding Christmas and holiday themed events this month so you can get into the festive spirit, whether you’re keen to deck the halls in a multiplayer shooter or celebrate the most wonderful time of the year in your favourite MMOs.
Diablo IV – Midwinter Blight
13 December – 3 January AEDT
Midwinter Blight is Diablo IV’s first limited-time event that sees players teaming up with the bard Gileon as he tries to reignite the holiday spirit in the Kyovashad townspeople. There’s a new Midwinter Square in the town which players can upgrade by defeating pale blue Blightfiends in Fractured Peaks for their Blighted Fragments and collecting Lost Heirlooms. There’s also a boss in the form of the Red-Cloaked Horror to take on should you merk enough Blightfiends. You’ll also have chance to collect festive (and spooky-looking) rewards including a mount trophy, back trophies, weapon cosmetics, and more.
The Dawning – Destiny 2
13 December – 3 January
Destiny 2’s holiday event, Dawning, is already live and tasks players with gathering around the Holiday oven and spreading cheer by defeating foes and collecting ingredients to bake into cookies to gift for rewards. All players will have access to the Event Card, which will offer challenges that grant Dawning Spirit (which can also be earned by gifting cookies to allies), which can be used to earn plenty of different rewards. One such reward is the new Legendary Arc Glaive Albedo Wing, available to players who partake in the holiday event, as well as Dawning armour ornaments, and purchasable items for Guardians who complete the Amateur Baker Event Challenge before 3 January, 4:59AM AEDT.
Overwatch 2 – Winter Wonderland
19 December
Overwatch 2 will kick off their annual Winter Wonderland holiday-themed event on 19 December, with event-specific Arcade modes like Mei’s Snowball Offensive and Yeti Hunt making their grand return. There’ll also be festive Holiday skins available during the event, with the Formalwear skins for Cassidy and Baptiste, and the Winter Jammies Illari skin up for grabs by beating challenges.
Final Fantasy XIV – Starlight Celebration
15 December – 31 December PST
Final Fantasy XIV is back with another year of the holiday-themed Starlight Celebration kicking off for the citizens of Eorzea. There’s a holiday event quest, festive items to unlock, and a Bearded Lady to help – what more could you ask for? Players need to be level fifteen and above to access the Starlight Celebration event quests, so if you’re just starting out, you’ll have a wee bit of grinding today before you can get Christmassy in FFXIV.
Feast of Winter Veil – World of Warcraft
16 December – 2 January
World of Warcraft’s Feast of Winter Veil is a holiday-themed mainstay, with special open-world quests, sleigh rides, battles against the Abominable Greench – a green yeti in the Alterac Mountains – and limited-time rewards including the ‘Merrymaker’ title. The Feast of Winter Veil will be live across all servers including Classic, Season of Discovery, and Dragonflight, with differing content available depending which version of WoW you jump into. There’ll also be Christmas-themed decorations throughout the cities of Azeroth, and the chance to visit Greatfather Winter in Ironforge or Orgrimmar on or after Christmas Day to receive a special gift (generally a collectable toy).
Winterblessed – League of Legends
7 December – 6:59pm 9 January AEDT
Winterblessed is also making a return, with League of Legends’ holiday event offering new winter-themed skins and cosmetics, with Arena also coming back for a limited time. If you purchase one of the Winterblessed passes or bundles, you’ll also receive special rewards depending which pass you cop, including a Winterblessed Camille skin, emote, border icon and border.
New Life Festival – Elder Scrolls Online
ESO’s New Life Festival hasn’t yet been officially announced for the year, but it’s likely we’ll see more news about the MMO’s annual Christmas event over the next week based on forum discussions. Generally, this holiday event runs for about two weeks over the Christmas and New Year period with special festive rewards available during the event. We’ll update once more details for this year’s festival drop.
Fortnite – Winterfest
14 December – 2 January
Fortnite keeps going from strength to strength with all new game modes, but they’re adding yet another new addition with the return of Winterfest, featuring free gifts and new Outfits for players, as well as a limited-time experience called Ship It! Express. There’s also Winterfest quests to complete each day, with the Snowglobe Smasher Pickaxe up for grabs for players who complete nineteen quests.
Palia – Winterlights
5 December
Cozy MMO Palia has introduced the festive Winterlights holiday event, complete with holiday-themed decor, scavenger hunts, and special in-game celebrations. You can also partake in snowball fights in Kilima Village and get into the Christmas spirit, wholesome style. New decor pieces and holiday additions are being added as the event continues – there’s no current confirmed end date, but there’s plenty to get amongst in Palia right now so it’s not one to miss.
We’ll update this piece as more wintery Christmas events crop up over the next week and a bit in the leadup to the big day – there’s a whole heap to check out if you’re wanting to get festive in-game and celebrate the silly season virtually, or just enjoy collecting new free shiny things.
Lead Image Credit: Square Enix / Blizzard / Epic Games / Kotaku Australia
Leave a Reply