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Great Winter Hunt: Extreme Toboggan Challenge

15 December 2015

An extreme tobogganing challenge awaits hunters during this year's Great Winter Hunt!

Great Winter Hunt Begins

With each year comes a new icy ball of snow hurtling from outer space towards Gnawnia. Cheerfully referred to as the Festive Comet, this yearly tradition has smashed into the Kingdom and created an absolutely perfect tobogganing site!

Hunters and mice alike have taken to the slopes, however, a few of the mice have outfitted their toboggans with extreme upgrades! These pesky rodents have been flaunting their superior tobogganing skills and putting the pride of hunters to shame. The quickest mouse of them all, the Rainbow Racer Mouse, has challenged all of Gnawnia to an extreme tobogganing challenge! Not to be outdone by a mouse, the King has accepted the challenge and tasked hunters with constructing their own extreme toboggans and defeating the mouse champions on the slopes.

Completing a Toboggan Course

There are a variety of different tobogganing courses divided into different lengths and levels of difficulty. You'll start on smaller hills with few hazards and obstacles, however, as you become more experienced you'll be able to take on more challenging courses to earn the biggest rewards!

To get to the bottom of the hill you'll need to hunt your way past all sorts of festive mice that are there to sabotage your progress. Each hunt you take on the hill will move you forward by your current speed. Successfully capturing a mouse will increase your speed, meaning you'll move further on your next hunt. Failing to attract or capture a mouse will reduce your speed. Finally, on each hill there are various hazards and obstacles that can also reduce your speed by various amounts or give you sweet speed bonuses and loot! The harder the course, the more hazards there are and the more challenging the hazards become!

Controlling your Toboggan

• Each hunt moves you forward by the current speed of your toboggan
• Capturing a mouse increases your speed, moving you further on your next hunt
• Failing to attract or capture a mouse will decrease your speed
• Various hazards and obstacles can also reduce your speed

Defeating Your Rival

Each course you start will pit you against a mouse rival in a head-to-head race. It's up to you to defend the honour of the Kingdom and beat the pesky rodent to the bottom of the hill and win the race! Completing a course will earn you a variety of rewards whether you win the race or not, however, winning the race will grant the best rewards! To beat your rival, you'll want to make sure you're well prepared. Luckily, Larry has some quick tips on how to maximize your speed and chance for success.

• Use Arctic Asiago

The icy surface of Arctic Asiago greatly reduces friction. While armed, this cheese will give your toboggan a +1 speed bonus! The best way to collect Arctic Asiago is by using any regular bait while not on a course. SUPER|brie+ as well as various "festive" themed bait will attract a couple special mice that drop multiple pieces at once!

• Avoid the Free Skiing Mouse

The most sinister and least festive mouse on the slopes is the Free Skiing Mouse. This terror of a snow mouse is resistant to all known traps, making it incredibly difficult to capture. To keep your speed as high as possible, avoiding this powerful mouse is key! Fortunately, the Free Skiing Mouse's hatred for all things festive means it will stay clear of your trap if you have any type of festive bait armed.

To avoid the Free Skier, arm Arctic Asiago, Festive Feta, Snowball Bocconcini, Gingerbread, Seasoned Gouda, or Nutmeg Cheese.

• Use Nitro for a +4 Speed Boost

Toboggan Nitro will give your sled an instant +4 speed bonus, super-charging your toboggan, bringing it beyond its maximum speed! Nitro can be activated from the heads-up display while on a toboggan course. Each hunt you take with nitro active will use one nitro canister. You'll find nitro inside special crates on some courses, as a reward from the Snowball Showdown, and inside some supply kits and gift baskets!

• Upgrade Your Toboggan

Each time you finish a course you'll earn a variety of parts that you can use to upgrade your toboggan, increasing its speed, power, and loot-gathering abilities! You'll earn these parts whether you beat your rival or not, so make sure to use the parts and ensure victory in your next race!

• 15 Arctic Asiago -- Provides a speed bonus!

• 15 Toboggan Nitro -- Gives a massive speed boost!

• Tobogganer's Big Box -- 300 Asiago and 300 Nitro

Includes bonus ultimate charms!

Upgrading Your Toboggan

Upon finishing a toboggan course you'll always earn various toboggan parts that are used to add upgrades to your toboggan. Upgrades can increase your toboggan's speed, your trap's power, as well as provide other special bonuses. Upgrades also add a chance of not being slowed down by hazards while on a course!

Click the upgrade button on the heads-up display to view various toboggan upgrades

Remember: You'll always earn toboggan upgrade parts, even if you don't win the race. Upgrade often!

Wintery Rewards

There are lots of goodies to earn by racing rival mice to sweet victory!

• Winter Aura

There's a new festive adventure available in the Adventure Book with a rather unique reward: The Winter Aura! Once claimed, this Trap Aura will imbue your trap with a variety of bonuses including +5 Luck, as well as bonus loot drops from mice. The aura will continue to glow even after the Great Winter Hunt has come to an end and will be active throughout the entire Kingdom, lasting until January 31, 2016!

• Course Rewards

Should you defeat the rival mouse on a course, you'll earn extra items! These items vary wildly, however, they'll be themed to the course you completed. For example: Oxygen Canisters from the Sunken City course, Runes from Bristle Woods, Lantern Oil from Hollow Heights, and more! Speed down the hill and defeat the rival mouse to earn these special bonus items!

• Advent Chocolates

Make sure to open your Advent Calendar and keep your eye open for extra Advent Chocolates because you can cash them in at the Trapsmith for a variety of festive-themed trap skins and a few other goodies.

• Winter Hunt Gift Boxes

The Elf Mouse is on the loose on toboggan courses and is carrying special Winter Hunt Gift Boxes. The type of gift box you find depends on your Hunter's Title. Each hunter will find some rank-appropriate supplies to help in their day-to-day hunting and, if lucky, they may also find a King's Credit.

• Daily Gifts and Collectibles

Spread holiday cheer with a wide range of holiday items and collectibles that can be sent as gifts to friends. Satisfy their sweet tooth with chocolate treats, give someone a romantic hunt with mistletoe, or let someone know they've been a bit too friendly with a Festive Restraining Order!

• Daily Loyalty Chests

During the Great Winter Hunt you'll find Arctic Asiago, Throwable Snowballs, and Winter Charms in your Daily Loyalty Chests! The Winter Charms will occasionally attract the Snowflake Mouse, who drops Toboggan Nitro when captured!

Snowball Showdown

The Snowball Showdown is back! You'll find Throwable Snowballs in your Daily Loyalty Chests that can be tossed in the Snowball Showdown to reveal festive shapes and win prizes! You can open the Snowball Showdown by clicking the button in the heads-up display, viewing Throwable Snowballs in the "Special" section of your inventory, or clicking the banner when viewing your Daily Loyalty Chest rewards.

• Throwable Snowball Booster Pack -- 15 SUPER|brie+ and 5 Throwable Snowballs!

Naughty and Nice Lists

Available from the event Cartographer, the Sealed Nice List and Sealed Naughty List will start a treasure hunt for festive mice! The Nice List contains easier mice that are found on Green Circle and Blue Square courses. The Naughty List contains some of the tougher mice from Black Diamond and Double Black Diamond courses. If you're an avid treasure hunter, make sure to pick the map that suits your skill level and toboggan equipment.

• Rare Map Dust

Doubles map Gold, Points

Doubles map Ancient Charms

Provides more treasure map loot items!

Winter Supplies, Kits, and Baskets

To get hunters ready for the high-speed festive challenges ahead, the King has assembled a variety of supplies, kits, and baskets to equip hunters on their toboggans.

• 100 Arctic Asiago -- Speed down the hill!

• 100 Toboggan Nitro -- Full speed ahead!

• 300 Nitro -- Gotta go fast!

• Asiago Gift Basket

30 Asiago and Winter Charms

20 Throwable Snowballs

• Tobogganer's Big Box

300 Arctic Asiago

300 Nitro

10 Festive Ultimate Luck and Power Charms

• Ultimate Festive Kit

700 Asiago and Nitro

700 Winter Charms

25 Festive Ultimate Luck and Power Charms

Extreme Toboggan Challenge!

• Collect Arctic Asiago
• Choose a Toboggan Course
• Race the rival mouse to the bottom of the hill
• Earn rewards for each course completed
• Upgrade your toboggan and challenge the Rainbow Racer Mouse!
• Claim your exclusive Winter Aura and enjoy bonus luck and loot throughout the Kingdom!