Feast of Winter Veil

I figured I'd get this thrown out before the next holiday hits and I'm again behind. I'm okay with getting behind, but I know that there are some people that actually read these blogs and I don't want to leave them hanging simply because I'm slacking off at my job. Though no one actually "follows" the blog, people from my Facebook read it and enjoy the randomosity I throw into these little blogs I write up. Anyways..

Feast of Winter Veil!
When this holiday's achievements were first introduced, much QQing took place. It was the first achievement of many where players had to participate in both PvP and PvE content of the game to complete the Meta achievement for the entire holiday. Time to go through what needs to be done for this holiday for completion.

• He Knows If You've Been Naughty: From the 25th of December on for about a week or two, I'm not entirely sure, I usually get this one done on the 25th.. Grab a present from underneath the tree in Ironforge/Orgrimmar. That easy. Presents are available per level brackets, so the amount of presents available is different per player.

• On Metzen!: Pick up the quest from Ironforge/Orgrimmar to go save Metzen the Reindeer. The notes given to you during the quest say Tanaris or Searing Gorge. I think he's at both locations, but I've always just gone to Searing Gorge due to it being closer to Ironforge, as an Alliance. Sprinkle the dust on Metzen, he vanishes, return to Ironforge/Orgrimmar. That simple. Those of lower levels, there are adds all around his cage, so you might have to fight a bit to get to him. Usually higher levels will have destroyed everything around the area, so you -should- be safe.

• With a Little Helper from My Friends: PvP achievement! And one of the most annoying ones ever created. There are machines located in certain capital city, although I'm not positive if they are located in every capital city. These machines transform you into a gnome in a red or green costume. After that? Go into battlegrounds or world PvP or anything else to collect Honor Kills, and get 50. Without losing the form. Which breaks on death or shapeshifting. Quite fun.

• Scrooge: Here's a snowball! Chuck it at Muradin Bronzebeard in Ironforge as Alliance or Baine Bloodhoof in Thunderbluff as Horde. Snowballs can be collected from the AH, Alterac Mountains, Winterspring, I'm pretty sure any location where there is snow, you can collect snowballs from piles on the ground. People actually expected the faction leaders to be backwards, so more of a PvP-related achievement, due to the one before.

• Fa-la-la-la-Ogri'la: Head to Shattrath and pick up the questline from the ogre in the Lower City to head to Blade's Edge Mountains. Kill some gronns. Kill some more gronns. Kill an ogre, steal his book. Use the book to kill another gronn. Go to Ogri'la. Collect some shards, mix up some drinks, bomb some stuff up. Finished? Kay. Grab the bombing quest again as a Daily quest, bomb down the cannonball stacks again, make sure you use your Preserved Holly before you turn it in or before you accept the quest. Since the dismount has been removed by knockback during flight, this daily has become extremely easy and uncomplicated. Also, make sure to track the achievement under Outlands called Blade's Edge Bomber, get two achievements at once. =D /win

• 'Tis the Season: Collect the red/green clothing and winter boots from a tailor and a leatherworker with the patterns. Then, go defeat specific bosses with 100% chance to drop if they're wearing the hats, instead of farming random humanoid mobs hoping for the drop. Wear the hat with the cloths and boots, eat fruit cake. Anywhere, anytime. Achievement: Done.

• Simply Abominable: Just like with the On Metzen! achievement. Pick up the quest in Ironforge/Orgrimmar about the missing courier. Head up to Alterac Mountains, near the Growless Cave, you'll find a couple of trees with a snowman between them. That's your guy. Talk to him, he sends you after the Abominable Greench. He does a subzone wide yell emote when he spawns, he's just a large green yeti. Hard to miss, easy to watch die. Take him down, loot the stolen goods, return to where you started. Turning in the quest nets you the achievement.

• Let It Snow: You need to collect Handfuls of Snowflakes from /kiss'ing commoners underneath the mistoletoe in inns. (This is also a way to collect Holly if you don't have any preserved.) You have to use the Handfuls of Snowflakes on specific race/class combinations of both factions. Orc Death Knight, Human Warrior, Tauren Shaman, Night Elf Druid, Undead Rogue, Troll Hunter, Gnome Mage, Dwarf Paladin, Blood Elf Warlock, Draenei Priest.

• Bros. Before Ho-Ho-Ho's: Alliance technically has this one easier than the Horde. Alliance has to hit up five "Brother"s in Stormwind, one in Goldshire, one in Theramore, and one in Northern Stranglethorn Vale with Mistletoe. Horde has less Brothers, but they have to hit one on the ship flying over Icecrown, so they have a level restriction, or need a warlock.

• The Winter Veil Gourmet: Get your cooking skill high enough to cook a Gingerbread Cookie, Egg Nog, and Hot Apple Cider. Think you need 325 for the Cider, everything else is much lower.

• A Frosty Shake: I believe after completing the Greench questline, you'll recieve a mail 24 hours later holding a Winterveil Disguise Kit which turns you into a snowman. Go to Dalaran, have a snowball and this kit, use it and dance with someone else also using it.

• Crashin' & Thrashin': The present of '08 was a Chrashin' Thrashin' Racer. Up until they added a blue cart to the toy vendor in Dalaran, this achievement was unfinishable. Now it can be completed by anyway that never got the original cart. Destroy 25 other carts with your own. This is NOT part of the Meta!

• BB King: The present of '09 was a Red Rider Air Rifle with 100 charges. It has a cast time and aggro'd whatever you shot if it was an enemy. BB King's requirement? Shoot Baine Bloodhoof, Sylvanas Windrunner, Garrosh Hellscream, and Lor'themar Theron. Combine with For the Alliance for added awesome. Switch leaders and Alliance with Horde and you'll get the Horde achievement. This gun is now available to be purchased from the toy vendor in Dalaran. This is NOT part of the Meta!

And now the part that everyone cares about.. My own collection of achievement gatherers!

Warrior: Merrymaker of '08. I race-changed last year after the holiday and they removed my Red Rider Air Rifle from my bags. So until they recently added the gun to the toy vendor in Dalaran, I had no way to complete BB King. But I'm good now.

Paladin: Merrymaker of '09. BB King of '10. Completed 5 of the achievements in '08, finished off the rest in '09.

Druid: Merrymaker of '10. The 50 HKs was the hardest part, since my druid is balance and lack of moonkin form is a tough survival choice. Completed five achievements in '08, three achievements in '09, and knocked out the rest in '10. No BB King.

Death Knight: Merrymaker of '10. Completed four achievements in '08, six achievements in '09, and the 50 HKs and the Fa-la-la-la-Ogri'la during the '10 event. No BB King, but I only need Garrosh, and no Chrashin' & Thrashin'.

Mage: Not a Merrymaker. Completed five achievements in '08, one in '09. Did not participate this year. With Cataclysm hitting a week before, I was too focused on leveling my warrior and paladin to 85 and working on gear then worrying about this holiday meta on some of my other alts. I'll get it next year though, for sure.

Rogue: Not a Merrymaker. Not surprised. Completed three achievements in '08, one achievement in '09, and one achievement in '10. If I actually put the time into this guy to level him to, at least, 70, he'll be a Merrymaker next year when it rolls around. Unless Blizz changes it to some 85 stuff, then he's in the can again.

The Feast of Winter Veil is a great holiday. It represents the happiness of Christmas/Hanukkah/Kwanzaa and other religious holidays around the Winter time of year. About giving and receiving, helping those that can't help themselves, delicious Winter goodies, and spending time with those you love most. While the achievements are rather debatable on certain aspects of what this holiday really stands for, they fit for a game made up of a wide variety of people and keep the monotony to a minimum.

Lunar Festival starts within a week or so, but I still need to get out a blog on Cataclysm itself. If my podcast was up and running, I'd just make a blog post sending people over there to listen to it, but we're not ready yet. Which makes for a sad Paragon.

P.S. I kinda like the listing format for the achievements and talking about them. Instead of random comments on the achievements themselves with little to no information about them. I think I'll stick to this format from here on out. You learn things as you go along!