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Guild Wars 2 will begin its Wintersday celebration later this week and ArenaNet has finally decided to share a few details of what they have in store for the holiday event. In a new post to the Guild Wars 2 forums, Gameplay Programmer Habib Loew shared a few details with what the Wintersday update will bring for WvW.

On a happy note, players will no longer be able to cheaply escape defeat in WvW by crashing the client with ALT+F4. Anyone that does will be instantly killed, death penalties applied and loot handed out. Hey, if you can’t take the beating, stay out of the battleground.

ArenaNet is also making some other big changes. For one, an advanced notifications via message broadcast for updates will be given so you don’t drop down a trebuchet just to get a sudden disconnect and lose it and all of your resources. Another change comes in the form of keep walls. These will no longer be able to be rebuilt the moment they collapse. Instead, players will have to repair the wall to 10% before it returns, giving invaders ample time to trample your merry group of defenders.

The last one is a rather big one. WvW is getting a new feature called “Breakout Events”, which will trigger if one or more factions are pushed out of a given WvW map. These events are aimed at aiding the defeated players in reestablishing a foothold. Here’s what Designer Matt Witter wrote about the new feature, so be ready for a hefty fight if you see the dreaded commander charging your area on the battlefield.

Break Out Events are special WvW events that will happen when a team has lost control of all defensive structures, not counting supply camps. An NPC commander will appear in the team’s start area and an event will start that prompts players to gather around. Once enough players are in the commander’s presence he will summon his trusty dolyak to give all allies in the area full supply. He will then lead the charge to the nearby objective and give players protection and assist with building siege to assault the objective with. Those benefits, along with a defensive boon that he applies to all nearby allies, makes the attacking players a force to be reckoned with. Defenders will have their work cut out for them, as once the gate or wall piece is destroyed the commander will move to the tower lord inside and attack anyone in his path.

Wintersday is scheduled to begin on Friday, December 14th.

Source: Guild Wars 2 Forums

Update: ArenaNet just sent out an email with their new trailer for Wintersday.