By simply logging in between December 15th, 2008 and January 4th, 2009*, players receive the following:
The Fuzzy Earmuffs costume piece.
Players will once again be able to take on a very special mission from Father Time. Snaptooth has kidnapped Baby New Year in order to keep Father Time from passing on the chronological mantle. If he keeps Baby New Year locked away forever, guarded by the Red Caps and allies among the Tuatha, winter will never give way to spring and the universe as we know it may come to an end. Heroes and Villains can again band together to tackle this task!
Father time can be found through the doorway in Pocket D that leads to the ski chalet built on a piece of the Shadow Shard. If you help him out, he will give you a choice of one of several great holiday presents.
Take a few runs down the snowy ski course outside of the ski chalet. Back from last year are the bunny and expert slopes to ski on, and new for 2008 is the enhanced ski run. Keep practicing as your ski times could earn you a Bronze, Silver, or Gold Medalist Badges!
This year there are two new Auras that players can purchase with Candy Cane salvage they accumulate.
Naughty Aura: When this aura is selected, the player will have a circling halo of flame around their head. The color of the flame is tintable.
Nice Aura: When this aura is selected, the player will have a circling halo of light around their head. The color of the light is also tintible.
Gamester is up to his usual pranks. He has loaded the streets and rooftops with gifts for you to find. These presents may hold an Inspiration or Temporary Power, or other items, such as a Lump of Coal, a Snowbeast, or maybe even the Winter Lord waiting for you.
Candy Canes will again be abundant this year. This salvage is found with every present that Heroes and Villains "successfully" open and can be redeemed with the Candy Keeper located in the Pocket D ski chalet for a variety of holiday rewards.
This holiday themed enhancement set is a Universal Travel Power enhancement set that will work in all travel powers and is only available during the winter event.
Click here to see the complete Winter Event 2008 Screenshot gallery.
Day Jobs (Offline Character Progression) Scholar? Caregiver? City Official? Now when players log out of City of Heroes / Villains they’re just getting started! A character’s day job is determined by the actual in-game location from which he or she logs out. If players log out from a University their day job is considered to be a Scholar. If they log out from City Hall they’re a City Official. The benefits are thematically appropriate to the location. For example, a City Official earns extra Influence, a Scholar is granted Salvage, a Caregiver is granted Health Regeneration Buffs, etc.
Once characters have accumulated the required amount of time for each Day Job, they are rewarded with the appropriate Day Job Badge and Title, increasing their “earnings” for that job. Multiple Badges can be combined to unlock Accolades and the ability to accumulate additional new rewards. Almost every location within Paragon City™ and the Rogue Isles™ has an associated Day Job, resulting in a wide selection of jobs and rewards!
Multiple Builds Another character customisation option and City of Heroes innovation, Issue 13 delivers the ability to have two different build-outs for each character, including which powers are selected and which Enhancements are slotted. With this feature it will now be possible for all characters to diversify their game experience by visiting any Trainer and switching the entire build of their character to an alternate one. You can use this separate build for whatever you like: if you wish to use different power selections for soloing and groups, you can do that. This even makes it possible to have different sets slotted for PVP and PVE. This new system gives characters the added depth and flexibility to tackle any challenge!
New Powersets
Levelling Pact A new innovation to MMOs, this system allows you and a friend to create new characters and have your XP permanently in sync, whether both characters are online or not. You will always be the same level, even if your friend plays ten times more often than you do! It’s sort of like “Extreme Sidekicking.”
The Merit Rewards System A new game system that allows players to earn tokens by completing Trials, Task Forces, Strike Forces, Raids, etc. The most challenging and time consuming tasks grant the most reward tokens, which can be redeemed throughout Hero and Villain zones for recipes, enhancements, salvage, costume pieces, badges, inspirations and other game items.
Villain Patron Power Respec Villains level 40 and above can respec (re-select) their Patron Powers, offering the same flexibility that heroes are afforded with Ancillary Powers.
Supergroup Base Repricing Base Salvage is being replaced with Invention Salvage and all Base room and item prices are being adjusted to more accessible levels. Remaining base salvage can be traded in for invention salvage, or can continue to be stored in base and personal storage.
PvE and PvP Powers Rebalancing More details to come shortly, directly from Powers Designer Floyd “Castle” Grubb.
New Cimerora Missions New Hero and Villain story arcs expand upon the history and lore, and delve into the players and politics of Cimerora.
Other features include new Invention Origin Sets, new Costume Sets, Zone Refinements, and more!
First the City of Heroes Character Creator set a new standard for player creation and customization. Now, Issue 13 takes another giant step, allowing players to design their own missions and story arcs to share with the entire City of Heroes community. Using an intuitive interface similar to the game’s detailed Character Creator, players can create missions from the ground up. Players will determine details ranging from environments, mission objectives, and enemies, to written fiction and character dialogue; giving their stories nearly infinite depth and personalization.
Among other rewards, authors and architects who create the most extraordinary content will garner acclaim and reputation. Community feedback will be paramount and some missions will elevate in status unlocking new rewards and benefits for their creators.
Scholar? Caregiver? City Official? Now when players log out of City of Heroes / Villains they’re just getting started! A character’s day job is determined by the actual in-game location from which he or she logs out. If players log out from a University their day job is considered to be a Scholar. If they log out from City Hall they're a City Official. The benefits are thematically appropriate to the location. For example, a City Official earns extra Influence, a Scholar is granted Salvage, a Caregiver is granted Health Regeneration Buffs, etc.
Once characters have accumulated the required amount of time for each Day Job, they are rewarded with the appropriate Day Job Badge and Title, increasing their “earnings” for that job. Multiple Badges can be combined to unlock Accolades and the ability to accumulate additional new rewards. Almost every location within Paragon City and the Rogue Isles has an associated Day Job, resulting in a wide selection of jobs and rewards!
New Hero and Villain story arcs expand upon the history and lore, and delve into the players and politics of Cimerora.
A new game system that allows players to earn tokens by completing Trials, Task Forces, Strike Forces, Raids, etc. The most challenging and time consuming tasks grant the most reward tokens, which can be redeemed throughout Hero and Villain zones for recipes, enhancements, salvage, costume pieces, badges, inspirations and other game items.
New Invention Origin Sets, new Costume Sets, a Patron Power Respec, Zone Refinements, and more!