Winter Forest

[Techwright]

First off, this is a shameless plug for visiting the Winter Forest zone.  I've recently come to realize several players are unaware of it. It's a work of art: a changing borealis, ice slide, skating pond, comet, Christmas gazebo, hot tub, etc.  There's a base portal, trainer, P2W vendor, the TUNNEL system of course, a Pocket D portal, general vendors, crafting tables (in the vendor hut), a tailor, candy cane rewards vendor, and an Auction House guy, even Null the Gull is hanging out at the vendor hut.  But as I mentioned down in the art forum, its real treasure is the collective of the characters of players who've passed on.  It can be access via the TUNNEL system found near many transportation hubs, like the train stations in Atlas and Talos Island.  Look for the swirling gold disk with NPCs guarding it.  There's also a portal to it from within the ski chalet in Pocket D. Just go down from the two dining areas, and look for the mine door entrance across from the restroom (loo? WC?) doors.

 

Second, a question for those in the know:  Can the Winter Forest be used as a launching point for trials like Incarnate Trials?  It might be a nice change of pace to do them in the WF during the holiday season, if that is possible. 

 

Edited December 20, 2021 by Techwright

[Glacier Peak]

I just mentioned in the other thread, but you can access the Winter Event year round via the entrance under the Ski Chalet. 

[SuperPlyx]

edit: I goofed 

Edited December 21, 2021 by SuperPlyx

[Albion]

2 hours ago, Techwright said:

First off, this is a shameless plug for visiting the Winter Forest zone.  I've recently come to realize several players are unaware of it. It's a work of art: a changing borealis, ice slide, skating pond, comet, Christmas gazebo, hot tub, etc.  There's a base portal, trainer, P2W vendor, the TUNNEL system of course, a Pocket D portal, general vendors, crafting tables (in the vendor hut), a tailor, candy cane rewards vendor, and an Auction House guy, even Null the Gull is hanging out at the vendor hut.  But as I mentioned down in the art forum, its real treasure is the collective of the characters of players who've passed on.  It can be access via the TUNNEL system found near many transportation hubs, like the train stations in Atlas and Talos Island.  Look for the swirling gold disk with NPCs guarding it.  There's also a portal to it from within the ski chalet in Pocket D. Just go down from the two dining areas, and look for the mine door entrance across from the restroom (loo? WC?) doors.

 

Second, a question for those in the know:  Can the Winter Forest be used as a launching point for trials like Incarnate Trials?  It might be a nice change of pace to do them in the WF during the holiday season, if that is possible. 

 

STFU, now my favorite retreat is gonna be filled to the brim of nosy tourist...

[A Cat]

I flew up to just watch the sky for a bit yesterday. Truly beautiful. I find it peaceful if a bit somber. I'm glad the memorial characters are there to enjoy the view too. Their inclusion kinda makes me think of Valhalla or something. 

[Clave Dark 5]

8 hours ago, A Cat said:

I flew up to just watch the sky for a bit yesterday. Truly beautiful. I find it peaceful if a bit somber. I'm glad the memorial characters are there to enjoy the view too. Their inclusion kinda makes me think of Valhalla or something. 

I didn't even know those were legacy characters, I figured they were minor lore characters I just hadn't heard of (as I'm not much into the lore side of things).  It's good to know we can get in there any time of year.

[Chrono-Bot]

1 minute ago, Clave Dark 5 said:

I didn't even know those were legacy characters, I figured they were minor lore characters I just hadn't heard of (as I'm not much into the lore side of things).  It's good to know we can get in there any time of year.

if you mean to see them, they're actually located all over the game when it's not winter event time. Pyrolicious can be seen in the ski slopes having a drink, Todogut can be seen at Point Du Hoc waiting for a raid, Ascendant hangs out by Positron on the phone like he'd do on live, etc, etc. Some of them have bios too, if you click on them and write /info.

[Clave Dark 5]

Yeah, I knew about the phone guy and one or two others too.  I'll have to remember to check for bios next time, thanks.

[Techwright]

9 hours ago, Chrono-Bot said:

Ascendant hangs out by Positron on the phone like he'd do on live, ...

 You know, I've no idea of the degree of coding involved, but I'd love to see the full script of Ascendant play out in the local chat with the character near Posi in Steel Canyon maybe once every 13 or 15 hours.  Not too often lest it annoy people, and on an odd hour so it gradually works around the full clock so that it doesn't matter what part of the world you live it, you'll eventually have a chance to experience it.

[momentarygrace]

Thank you for posting and bringing this area to my attention! It's gorgeous.

 

How long has the Winter Forest zone existed? I'm guessing only since HC, but does anyone know when it appeared?

[aethereal]

1 hour ago, momentarygrace said:

Thank you for posting and bringing this area to my attention! It's gorgeous.

 

How long has the Winter Forest zone existed? I'm guessing only since HC, but does anyone know when it appeared?

It was created for last year's winter event, as I recall.

[AboveTheChemist]

1 hour ago, momentarygrace said:

How long has the Winter Forest zone existed? I'm guessing only since HC, but does anyone know when it appeared?

 

It predates HC, as it is mentioned in the i25 consolidated patch notes. I remember goofing around in there a bit during the HC early days (had a tough time finding my way out) but I think it has been retooled a bit by HC staff in the interim.