Halloween is a spooky time in Guild Wars as it’s when Mad King Thorn makes his triumphant return to Lion’s Arch. Like all festivals in Guild Wars there is a lot of neat events happening and tons of special rewards only obtainable during the event. This year, currently, no quests are active but the costume brawl and as always, Mad King Thorns return on October 31st, are still a go.

Things to Do

Currently there are no quests active for the holiday, but there is still a lot to do. The biggest event currently is the Costume Brawl (see below for details) that lets you dress up as heroes and use their skills and abilities to defeat your enemies. There are several items now available from collectors or events such as the Witch’s Brew, Ghost-in-the-Box, Squash Serum, and Vial of Absinthe. On October 31st you can visit Lion’s Arch or Kamaden to play a game with Mad King Thorn and get this year’s special headpiece.

Items

The following items are available:

  • Candy Apple: 100 maximum health and 10 maximum energy for 10 minutes (non-PvP).
  • Candy Corn: All attributes increased by 1 (non-PvP).
  • Ghost-in-the-Box: Summons a ghost that attempts to scare you.
  • Phantasmal Tonic: Turns you into a Rift Warden.
  • Pumpkin Cookie: Gives you a 10% morale boost (non-PvP).
  • Squash Serum: Places a pumpkin head on your head.
  • Transmogrifier Tonic: Turns you into a candy corn monster.
  • Trick-or-Treat Bag: Open for a chance at any of the Halloween Items.
  • Vial of Absinthe: An alcoholic beverage.
  • Witch’s Brew: An alcoholic beverage.

Costume Brawl

Speak with Bobby in Lion’s Arch, Kamadan, or the Great Temple of Balthazar to be taken to the Costume Brawl Lobby. There you will be transformed based on your class and gender into a hero or henchman and have to do battle with that hero or henchman’s skills. Each year the skills and henchman can change, so take some time to look over your build once you get into the lobby.


Do battle in costume and claim victory in the name of Cynn!

The rules for the battle are simple. Everyone has a fixed 600 health and are given a weapon corresponding to their henchman should they not have one themselves. The skills and attributes are also predefined and locked. The battle is a simple four vs. four to see who can reach 20 points first. There are no morale bonuses and points are determined by kills and how much morale you have gained from morale shrines.

The battle lasts for 10 minutes and the first to reach 20 points is the victor. If no one reaches 20 points by the end of 10 minutes then it defaults victory to the team with the highest score. If there is a tie then the first team to score a kill wins.

Morale shrines litter the map. Taking a morale shrine adds one pip to the morale bar. Every time the morale bar fills to full you will gain one point. Since points are also awarded for kills, often times the battles revolve around the morale shrines.

There are also health shrines (120 health to all members), energy shrines (20% lower energy costs) and Battle Cry shrines (25% movement speed, 15% attack speed, and 15% faster recharge) that can be taken and held for additional bonuses.

There is no sure fire way to win the Costume Brawl each time as it depends on the professions of your allies and your teams skill. Playing as a Monk can often increase your chances of victory based on the fact that having a healer can greatly help your team’s ability to hold shrines and not die (thus giving the other team points). Other than that it’s all about strategy (if you should farm kills or hold morale shrines) and teamwork.

Mad King Thorn’s Return

On October 31st, the Mad King Thorn will arrive every three hours to the mushroom circle in Lion’s Arch and Kamadan where he’ll hold a game lasting for 30 minutes. It has three different phases. The first is where he’ll issue a command (the command will be in all capital letters). Those failing to do it will be killed and those who succeed will be rewarded with a treat bag. The second is a Rock/Paper/Scissors duel where he will challenge one player and if they win, they are rewarded; if they lose then they are killed. Finally he will play a game of Simon Says towards the end where you have to do everything that the Mad King says to do and nothing he doesn’t specifically say.

At the end all players in the circle will be rewarded with this year’s festival hat. Any deaths do not count toward the death count and the Mad King will resurrect players right after each event.

Well that’s Halloween Guild Wars style! Come to the Ten Ton Hammer forums and share your thoughts on Halloween this year or maybe just tell us what you’ll be dressing up as!


To read the latest guides, news, and features you can visit our Guild Wars Game Page.

Last Updated: Mar 13, 2016

About The Author

Get in the bush with David "Xerin" Piner as he leverages his spectacular insanity to ask the serious questions such as is Master Yi and Illidan the same person? What's for dinner? What are ways to elevate your gaming experience? David's column, Respawn, is updated near daily with some of the coolest things you'll read online, while David tackles ways to improve the game experience across the board with various hype guides to cool games.

Comments