Feast of Winter Veil 2025–2026 Guide

Lok’tar, friend! Winter Veil is here again. The Feast of Winter Veil 2025–2026 runs from December 15 to January 2 in modern Azeroth. (In old times, it starts one day later, December 16, in Classic worlds.) Orgrimmar and Ironforge are dressed in lights and snow. Greatfather Winter (a jolly orc in red for Horde, a dwarf for Alliance) sits by the big tree waiting for treats. Even in far villages, there are feasts, decorations, and cheer all around.

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This winter brings fresh surprises. We find a new toy gift – a Jubilant Snowman Costume to unwrap on December 25. Opening this gift earns a new achievement called “Snowball Fight!”. Also, the Greench’s mischief got worse – but more on that soon. A helpful goblin Father Winter’s Helper now waits in Orgrimmar and Ironforge to whisk heroes on a festive sleigh ride straight to the Greench’s lair. The Greench himself grew in power (level 80 in our current era) and now tosses presents during battle – you can grab these and use them as makeshift weapons against him! Hunters even get a treat: a rare Reindeer beast appears only during Winter Veil. Tame it if you can – one version even has a shiny red nose. There also a Winter Veil Cracker toy to snap for fun (new goblin toy this year). Even a dread foe like Dimensius wears a santa hat in Manaforge Omegbig void lord look silly now. These new bits make the holiday extra special.

Feast of Winter Veil Guide | Festive Quests and Activities

Winter Veil offers many activities for heroes. We fight a monster, share treats, and even turn into little gnomes. Here what to do:

Start in city. Smokywood Pastures goblins (Kaymard in Orgrimmar, Wulmort in Ironforge) send you on errands. They say “Great-father Winter is Here!” and ask you to bring him a treat. Cook up some Gingerbread Cookies and get Ice Cold Milk for Greatfather Winter (you can buy the cookie recipe and holiday spices from the goblin vendor). Bring these to the big red-suited orc (or dwarf) by the tree – that’s Greatfather Winter himself! He hungry, give cookie and milk and you finish “Treats for Greatfather Winter” quest. The goblins also have “The Reason for the Season” quest – they want you to learn why we celebrate. An elder (Historian Karnik in Ironforge for Alliance, or Sagorne in Orgrimmar for Horde) will tell lore of Winter Veil. Listen well, get a book of Winter Veil lore, and then a follow-up quest sends you to deliver this book to your leader (Muradin in Ironforge, Baine in Thunder Bluff). This tells the true meaning of the season (an old Tauren legend of the Winter Veil). Complete it and you feel wiser – and you’ll even get a little feast lore book item for your collection.

Feast of Winter Veil Guide | The Abominable Greench (Daily Group Quest)

Every day, heroes can take on the Greench, a big mean yeti terrorizing the Hillsbrad/Alterac area! The quest “You’re a Mean One…” (given by the same goblins in Orgrimmar/IF) sends you to Growless Cave in the Alterac Mountains. No need to run on foot – hop on the sleigh in Orgrimmar or Ironforge to quickly reach the Greench’s location. Many champions gather there, so form a group (the Greench is tough; level 80 now in retail!). The fight is wild: the Greench smashes and leaps, knocking us around, and throws gift boxes on the ground mid-fight. Grab those presents – they turn into toys that explode or distract the Greench, helping bring him down. After you clobber the Greench, find Metzen the Reindeer shivering in the cave and talk to him to free him. Also, recover the Stolen Treats – sacks of stolen Smokywood goods lying at the cave front. Once Metzen is safe and loot gathered, return to the goblin who sent you (Kaymard or Wulmort). They thank you and reward a Stolen Present for saving the day.

Many goodies! You have a chance to find pets, toys, and gear from holidays past. Notably, “Grunch”, a tiny green gift-thief pet, sometimes hides in the present. There’s also a Lump of Coal (which gives “Lumpy” the coal elemental pet). You might get a Clockwork Rocket Bot or the blue variant (wind-up toy pets). A Rotten Helper Box can drop – that’s an undead gnome holiday pet (rotting little helper!). Miniature Winter Veil Tree, a small dagger that looks like a Christmas tree, can appear too – a fun weapon for transmog. Many classic toys are stuffed in the present: the Scroll of Storytelling (makes everything look old-timey), the Red Rider Air Rifle (you’ll shoot your eye out… also sold by toy vendors), a Tiny Toy Train Set and the Wind-Up Train Wrecker to stop it, Football and Pigskin toys (to toss with friends), and various “Crashin’ Thrashin’” toy controllers (race cars, flyers, etc.). Even comfy Lounge Cushions of different styles (green, pineapple, safari, zhevra patterns) might be inside. If you missed any winter toy from previous years, this present might surprise you with one. It’s like a grab bag of Winter Veil history.

After you defeat the Greench the first time, you also get a follow-up quest “A Smokywood Pastures’ Thank You!”. Go give Greatfather Winter himself the recovered treats. In return, he hands you a Smokywood Pastures Special Gift. Inside are some old crafting recipes as a special thank you from Smokywood Pastures. For example, you might find the Enchant Weapon: Winter’s Might formula, or patterns for Gloves of the Greatfather (leather gloves) and a Green Holiday Shirt, or plans for an icy weapon Edge of Winter, or a recipe to brew Elixir of Frost Power. Engineers could get the Schematic: Snowmaster 9000 (a device to manufacture snowballs!). These recipes are limited-time treasures. Also, a day after saving Metzen, check your mailbox – you’ll receive a Winter Veil Disguise Kit. This lets you turn into a snowman at will! You’ll need this for a fun achievement later.

Visit any inn and you’ll see Winter Revelers (festive NPCs) standing under mistletoe. Feel the holiday love and /kiss a Winter Reveler. You can do this once each hour. They will giggle and give you a random treat: either some Fresh Mistletoe, a Handful of Snowflakes, or some Fresh Holly. These items are used for various holiday achievements and fun:

• Mistletoe: You can /use it on certain faction leaders or NPCs (like “brothers” in the clergy) to grant them a “Blessing of Winter Veil” buff – and earn the “Holiday Bromance” achievement if you target all the right folks (8 specific NPCs) during the holiday. (Orc tip: Save mistletoe and seek out guys like Brother Malach in Undercity or Brother Kristoff in Stormwind, etc. Gotta spread the holiday cheer to all “Brothers” for the achieve!)
• Handful of Snowflakes: Throw these snowflakes on other players. Specifically, find 10 different race/class combinations (like Orc Death Knight, Human Warrior, etc.) and sprinkle snow on them to tick off the “Let It Snow” achievement. (It’s easiest in Dalaran or capital city crowds – look for the list in your achievement tab and target those types.)
• Fresh Holly: Use this to transform your mount into a reindeer for a bit. Ride with style! If you use Preserved Holly (a version that doesn’t disappear) on your flying mount and then do the bombing run daily in Blade’s Edge Mountains, you complete “Fa-la-la-la-Ogri’la” achievement (in honor of those hapless ogres). Just make sure you unlocked the Ogri’la bombing quest first. Flying reindeer bombing demons – Greatfather Winter would be proud.

In Ironforge, Orgrimmar, and Dalaran, find the giant snow globes. Jump inside the globe’s snow and your character turns into a snowscape gnome! Dance (/dance) inside the globe and you’ll spread a snowflake visual to those outside – a bit of silly fun for all. Also, starting December 25, you’ll have a Gaudy Winter Veil Sweater (if you don’t have one, the toy vendor sells it cheap). Put on this ugly sweater, sneak into enemy cities, and use its Caroling ability in each major city. The goal is to sing your enemies a holiday song (even if they might try to kill you for it!). Do this in all four of the opposite faction’s capitals to complete “A-Caroling We Will Go” achievement. It’s dangerous – bring friends or be stealthy. Nothing warms an orc’s heart like belting a carol in the middle of Stormwind while guards are chasing you!

Pepe’s Holiday Hat: In Orgrimmar and Ironforge, visit the Smokywood Pastures cart. There sits Greatfeather Pepe – our tiny bird friend. Click him and you get “A Tiny Winter Hat” for Pepe. Now whenever you summon Pepe on your shoulder, he may dress in a cute Winter Veil outfit (with a beard!) to join your adventures. Even a fierce orc can appreciate a cute bird in holiday garb.

Opening Presents (December 25): On Winter Veil morning (Dec 25th), Greatfather Winter says you can finally open the presents under the tree! All the wrapped gifts by the Ironforge and Orgrimmar trees become clickable. Every character can open them (not just one – so alts are welcome to grab loot). There are usually six presents (some labeled “Gently Shaken Gift,” “Festive Gift,” etc.). Each gift starts a one-time quest when you click it, which immediately completes to give you the contents. This year’s special gift is the Jubilant Snowman Costume – use it to don a snowman outfit, then /dance to turn into a rolling snowball!. Other presents under the tree often contain fun toys or foods:

• Often there’s a toy weapon or gadget in one gift, or a pet in another, and some holiday food or socks in the smaller ones. For example in past years, gifts have included things like the “Merry Munchkin” costume, Wand of Holiday Cheer, or some warm Winter Socks. We orcs aren’t much for socks, but hey, free is free.
• One present (“Ticking Present”) usually holds some Preserved Holly and maybe a Mechanical Greench device or some crafting patterns (the same ones from Smokywood gift).
• There’s often a “Gaily Wrapped Present” that gives one of the old holiday pets: Green Helper, Red Helper, Tiny Snowman, or Jingling Bell (which summons a little reindeer). Those little pets have been coming since the earliest Winter Veils.
   Open all your presents! You even get an achievement “He Knows If You’ve Been Naughty” for simply opening them all. And if you’re curious “what could it be?” inside that big gift, there’s an achievement “What Could It Be?” when you loot last year’s special gift (like the Box of Puntables from last year). If you missed a previous year’s gift, fear not – as mentioned, the Stolen Present daily can drop older gifts, and the toy and souvenir vendors in capital cities often sell older gift toys for a few gold. No Winter Veil gift is truly gone forever.

Many heroes aim to become “Merrymaker” – a title given to those who complete most Winter Veil achievements. As an orc, I normally smash skulls, not build snowmen, but for this title I’ll make an exception. Here some of the key achievements and how to get them:

• ‘Tis the Season: Wear 3 pieces of Winter Clothing and eat Graccu’s Mince Meat Fruitcake. The winter clothes are the Winter Veil hat, chest piece, and boots. You can get a Red or Green Winter Hat from certain dungeon/raid bosses who wear them (during Winter Veil, some bosses across Azeroth drop those hats). The chest (Winter Veil clothes) and boots are crafted by tailors and leatherworkers, or bought on the auction. Once you’re dressed in full festive fashion, munch on the Fruitcake (usually mailed to you the first time you complete the Greench quest, or found under the tree). Then you earn ‘Tis the Season – truly in style.
• Let it Snow: As mentioned, throw a Handful of Snowflakes on each of the 10 race/class combos listed (e.g. Orc Death Knight, Troll Hunter, etc.). This one’s easier in a bustling city or during the Alterac Valley battleground (lots of races there). Politely ask targets to hold still, then poof snowflake! We all look good with a bit of snow on our heads.
• Holiday Bromance (AKA Bros. Before Ho Ho Ho’s): Use Mistletoe on 8 specific NPC “Brothers” (like Brother Nimetz, Brother Wilhelm, etc. for Alliance; Horde has their equivalents). You get Mistletoe from kissing revelers. Hunt these brothers down (some are in Scarlet Monastery, others in cities like Stormwind Cathedral, and one on the Horde gunship in Icecrown). Best done by a high-level character who can travel easily. Spread the mistletoe and holiday joy (they’ll sneeze “Be merry!”). After mistletoe-bombing all, you’ll earn this achievement.
• On Metzen!: This one’s simple – just complete the Metzen rescue quest (the Greench daily) and you’ll earn “On Metzen!” achievement for saving the reindeer. We never leave a reindeer behind!
• Simply Abominable: Also awarded for completing the Greench quest and returning the Stolen Treats. So doing “You’re a Mean One…” daily for the first time gets you a couple achievements in one go (On Metzen! and Simply Abominable).
• A Frosty Shake: Use your Winter Veil Disguise Kit to turn into a snowman, then /dance with another player who is also a snowman. Easiest way: go to a city on Christmas day, plenty of people will be playing with their new snowman costume or the older Disguise Kit. Find two snowmen (including you) and have a dance party. Two shuffling snowmen = achievement earned.
• With a Little Helper from My Friends: This one can be intense. Find a PX-238 Winter Wondervolt machine (near most flight masters in capital cities) and turn into a tiny gnome helper. You get a buff that lasts until you die. Now, get 50 honorable kills in PvP while you look like a little green or red gnome! You don’t have to do all 50 in one life – your kill count persists through death. But if you die, you’ll need to visit the machine again to refresh the disguise. Orc recommendation: Do this in a large battleground like Alterac Valley or Isle of Conquest. Stick with the raid group to avoid getting killed early. Each kill your group gets counts for you if you did damage. Before you know it, you’ll have 50. Just avoid getting hit by stray AoE that could end your fun-sized transformation prematurely.
• BB King: This requires a bit of stealth and courage. Buy a Red Rider Air Rifle toy gun (sold by toy vendors like Blax Bottlerocket in Orgrimmar or Craggle Wobbletop in Stormwind). Then you must shoot each of the enemy faction leaders in their capital cities with a soft foam pellet. Yes, that means sneaking into places like the Stormwind Keep or the Undercity throne room, rifle in hand! Typically, players form raiding parties to invade enemy capitals for this during Winter Veil. Join one of these “BB King” groups in chat if you can – safety in numbers. Tag each leader with your toy gun (you’ll see “BB King credit” if done right). You might even help your group slay a leader, earning a For The Horde! or For The Alliance! achievement along the way. Pro tip: Many do this after Dec 25, so they can also sing carols (A-Caroling We Will Go) during the same city invasions. Bring snowballs too – you can also get “Scrooge” by throwing a snowball at King Muradin (Alliance) or Baine (Horde) while you’re there. Show those leaders some “love” from the Horde!
• Crashin’ & Thrashin’: For this, you need a Blue Crashin’ Thrashin’ Racer Controller (a toy car). If you didn’t get one in a past gift, the toy vendor sells it. Go to a busy area where others are using their racers (usually near the tree in Orgrimmar or Ironforge). Summon your little racer car and ram into other players’ racers 25 times. (If no one is around, find a friend who has a racer and take turns crashing). After 25 crashes, achievement pops. Vroom vroom, smash!
• The Winter Veil Gourmet: Cook up the three special holiday foods: Gingerbread Cookie, Winter Veil Egg Nog, and Hot Apple Cider. You need cooking skill for the cider (325 cooking, which is quite high), but the other two are easy with low skill. The recipes are sold by holiday goblins in cities. Many heroes skip the cider if they can’t cook that high, but true gourmands go all the way. Cook ‘em, eat ‘em, and enjoy the achievement (and tasty treats).
• Iron Armada: This one is for toy collectors with a taste for destruction. You must gather five different “Crashin’ Thrashin’” vehicle toys that were introduced in 2015. They include the Crashin’ Thrashin’ Flamer, Shredder, Battleship (roller), Mortar, and Killdozer. Each came from various sources: one was a 2015 gift (the Flamer, now drops from Stolen Presents), one (the Shredder) was a 2014 gift, one (the Roller) drops from a holiday-themed rare in Tanaan Jungle, another (the Mortar) from another Tanaan rare, and the Killdozer you can buy in your garrison for 5 Merry Supplies. This is a long-term goal – it might take farming or trading. But if you get all five, you complete Iron Armada (a Feat of Strength for collectors).

Completing a bunch of these will reward you the Merrymaker meta-achievement, and you can proudly display the title “Merrymaker ”! It’s a lot of diverse tasks – truly showing you experienced all the fun of Winter Veil.

Even during a festival, an orc thinks of battle and profit. Here some PvE tips to get the most out of Winter Veil:

• Fast Greench Kills: The Abominable Greench respawns quickly but can be heavily camped. Try hunting him during off-peak hours if your realm is crowded. Use the sleigh ride to get there fast. Form a party and coordinate to tag the Greench as soon as he appears (many will be waiting – remember, only one group’s tag counts!). During the fight, pick up the presents he throws – they aren’t just trash, they literally turn into explosives you can use on him, which speeds up the kill. If you’re a healer or ranged, watch out for his jump attack – it hurts and can throw you. Stay spread out. Once he’s down, everyone nearby can free Metzen and loot the sacks, so be courteous and let all participants click the stuff. If you’re weaker level, stay back a bit to avoid getting one-shot, but still tag the boss to get credit. In modern WoW, any level 10+ can get quest credit as long as the boss dies. In Classic (if level 60 era), you might need a group to survive his hits. After turning in, don’t forget to do it again tomorrow! It’s daily, and that Stolen Present can be farmed on multiple alts each day for more chances at pets and toys. More presents, more loot!
• Dungeon/Raid Farming: During Winter Veil, some dungeon bosses wear festive hats (red or green). Not only do they look funny, they drop those Winter Veil Hats as equippable cosmetic gear. If you want a transmog Santa hat in a specific color, check which bosses have them this year and farm those. (In earlier Dragonflight, bosses like Hackclaw or Khajin had them; this year perhaps new bosses do – even a raid boss in the latest tier might be wearing one!). These hats are usually low drop rate but it’s a guaranteed appearance unlock if it drops. Bring friends or run on different difficulties to increase chances. It’s only during the holiday, so farm while you can.
• Garrison Winter Veil (for those with Draenor garrisons): If you still maintain your old garrison, use it to your advantage. The Holiday Garrison daily quests (“Where Are the Children?”, “Menacing Grumplings”, etc.) are available during Winter Veil in your level 3 garrison. Complete them (they’re simple tasks like finding kiddos or killing grumplings) to earn Merry Supplies (5 per day for all quests). Then trade these Merry Supplies with Izzy Hollyfizzle (the goblin near your garrison tree) for unique items:
  • Decorations: Lights, tree, presents for your garrison (purely cosmetic but festive). 
• Crasher Controller: The Crashin’ Thrashin’ Killdozer is sold for 5 supplies. Buy it if you need it for the Iron Armada achievement. 
• Savage Gift: After you buy all decoration toys, you can spend 5 supplies for a Savage Gift. This little gift box can contain gold or goodies – and it has a chance to drop the Minion of Grumpus mount (a big ugly yeti mount!). That mount is sellable too – so it’s a nice gold opportunity (more on that later). Do your garrison dailies on multiple characters for more chances at Grumpus or just to sell the gifts. Even years later, plenty of players still desire the Grumpus mount for their collection.
• Hidden Fun: Don’t forget some small fun interactions: /dance with someone while wearing the snowman costume (for giggles and A Frosty Shake achieve). If you get Snowflakes, you can also target any npc like city guards and throw snow on them – they won’t give achievement credit but they will get a snow flurry on them! Also, eat Winter Veil food like Egg Nog or Hot Apple Cider – they often give you special buffs (Egg Nog might make you “tipsy”, apple cider restores health/mana). Drinking and feasting by the fire is part of the event’s charm. Just wait 30 minutes after too many egg nogs before flying – goblin safety warning! 

Winter Veil isn’t a PvP-specific event, but there are a few reasons PvP lovers get involved – mainly for achievements. Here’s how to get those without too much stress (and maybe have some fun taunting the enemy):

• Little Helper Kill Squads: For With a Little Helper from My Friends, the key is to maximize kills per gnome-life. Battlegrounds like Alterac Valley are perfect – lots of people = lots of potential kills, and as a bonus it’s thematic (snowy battlefield during Winter Veil, how fitting). As soon as the battleground starts, find a Wondervolt machine (usually at the start cave in AV or the ships in IoC) – or have a friend with the toy that creates one – and gnomify yourself. Then stick to a group. Don’t charge alone; let the zerg swarm and rack up honorable kills for you. If you die, don’t rage – just resurrect, leave the battleground, hit the machine in town to re-gnome, and rejoin the fight (you can queue again or join another ongoing one). You keep progress; you just need 50 total HKs as a tiny helper. It’s actually pretty fun mowing down enemies as a frenetic little green-haired gnome! Also note, killing blows not required, just honorable kills. So healers can get it by healing allies in big fights too.
• City Raids for BB King & Caroling: The tough part of Winter Veil PvP achievements is infiltrating enemy capitals. As mentioned in achievements, it’s best to do “BB King” and “A-Caroling We Will Go” together after December 25 (once you have the sweater). Organize a raid or look for groups in Group Finder or trade chat. Often on some servers, there’s a tradition of forming holiday raid groups. Bring your toy rifle, your gaudy sweater, and a pocket full of snowballs. If you’re Horde, storm Stormwind (for example) – fight to the throne room, use the sweater’s carol ability and then pew-pew the King with your Red Rider rifle. You might die a few times; release and run back as a ghost, you can still get credit after resurrecting as long as that leader wasn’t killed in the meantime. Stick with the raid as they go city to city. Alliance has to hit Orgrimmar, Thunder Bluff, Undercity (Lordaeron), and Silvermoon; Horde must hit Stormwind, Ironforge, Darnassus (or tree stump where it was… for simplicity they usually count Darnassus if you go to where the leader would be, or now Exodar if Darnassus burned), and The Exodar. Use snowballs on Muradin/Baine for Scrooge when you’re in IF/TB. It’s chaotic but memorable – an orc rogue sneaking through Ironforge with a gag gun, poke, achievement get!
• World PvP Truce?: There’s no formal truce in Warcraft during holidays (unlike some games). But sometimes you’ll find opposite faction near the Greench or in toy-town areas. Often there’s an unspoken peace while doing the holiday stuff – most players focus on the event and won’t attack. Of course, always watch your back on a PvP server, but you might find even hardened enemies /wave or /snowflake you rather than gank you while you’re dressed as Greatfather Winter. Use the time to have fun – maybe /dance with an enemy under the mistletoe instead of /duel.
• Earn Honor & Conquest: If you need a break from festivities but still want to progress your character, note that battleground queues can be shorter during holidays as more casual players jump in for the Little Helper achieve. It can be a good time to farm honor. Also, Winter Veil often coincides with the Korrak’s Revenge event (Alterac Valley anniversary battleground) in some years – check if it’s up, as it grants tons of experience and honor. That’s separate from Winter Veil, but worth mentioning since many players mix the two for efficient leveling. Nothing like leveling an alt from 10 to 60 entirely as a Winter Veil gnome nuking Alliance in AV!

Ah, the true meaning of Winter Veil for goblins and entrepreneurs: profit! Many holiday items can be sold or traded. Here are some tips for fattening your gold pouch during the feast:

• Farm Small Eggs: These drop from low-level birds (like turkeys, owls, dragonhawks). They’re needed to cook Gingerbread Cookies and Egg Nog for the quests and achievements. Every Winter Veil, thousands of players suddenly need Small Eggs, driving the price up on the auction house. If you’re low level or just looking for easy gold, go to places like Westfall (hunt the Greater Fleshripper birds) or Eversong Woods (Dragonhawk hatchlings) – they drop a ton of eggs and respawn fast. Horde also can farm in Mulgore (swoops) or Alliance in Azuremyst (timberstriders). Collect stacks of Small Eggs and sell them in the first week of Winter Veil – bakers will pay good coin. An orc can easily get hundreds of eggs in an hour and make surprising profit from what’s basically omelette ingredients.
• Craft Winter Clothes: If you have Tailoring or Leatherworking, craft the Winter Garb (Red Winter Clothes or Green Winter Clothes, and Winter Boots). Many players who can’t craft will buy these outfits to wear for achievements or just style. Especially on Classic realms or fresh servers, these patterns might be limited. Check the Smokywood Pastures vendors for patterns: Alliance can buy the green clothes pattern in Ironforge, Horde get the red in Orgrimmar, etc. Craft those with common mats (wool, runecloth, leather) and list them on the auction. Fashion has no faction – even Alliance will buy Horde’s stylish red set via neutral AH, and vice versa.
• Sell Holiday Pets and Toys: Most of the Stolen Present drops are bind-on-pickup (you can’t trade the ones like pets that come in wrapped form, unfortunately). However, some items are cageable or sellable: The Lump of Coal pet item is not cageable (soulbound), but the pet learned from it (“Lumpy”) can not be caged either (sadly). Grumpling pets (from previous years, found in snow mounds in Frostfire Ridge) are cageable – if you farmed extra, you could sell those. Check if new pets Grunch or Portentous Present are tradeable – if they are, they’ll fetch high prices from collectors who are unlucky. Additionally, if you get multiple Winter Veil mount cosmetics (like the Reindeer Collar for hunters or the drake armor from last year), those might be sellable if they have charges – but likely they bind. One sure sell: Minion of Grumpus mount from Savage Gift – that is cageable/tradeable. In 2025 it still goes for a hefty sum of gold since not everyone wants to grind garrisons. I’ve seen it on the auction house and if the supply is low, you can list yours at a premium. It’s a big ugly yeti, who doesn’t want that?
• Flipping Winter Commodities: Early in the event, buy up cheap holiday materials that others underprice: Holiday Spices, Milk, even Snowballs. Later in the event (or next year), they sometimes become more valuable if supply runs out. Snowballs, for example, can only be bought during holiday from vendors (or looted from snow piles). Some folks like them year-round for toys or just throwing. You can stockpile a few stacks of Snowballs (they are cheap from vendors) and if you’re lucky, in a few months someone might pay a premium for them off-season. Same with Gingerbread Cookies or Egg Nog – sometimes needed for achievements later by people who missed, but not a big market. The real profit is in the raw mats (eggs) and crafted wear.
• Check the Auction House on December 25: Many players open gifts and might sell the toy or pet they got if it’s tradeable. Prices can crash that day for certain items due to supply rush. If you want something (like a spare toy) cheap, Dec 25–26 is a good time to snipe. Conversely, if you’re selling, you might get better prices a week before Christmas (for things like winter clothes or Small Eggs) when demand peaks. After everyone has what they need, prices drop. Plan accordingly like a savvy goblin.
• Brewfest Leftovers? Wrong holiday, peon! (Just kidding, but ensure you’re not mixing Winter Veil goods with other events. Each holiday has its own currency – Winter Veil doesn’t use tokens like Brewfest does, aside from Merry Supplies in garrison). Spend any Merry Supplies you get – buy the Savage Gifts. Unopened Savage Gifts can also be sold to other players who want a shot at the mount without farming.
• Holiday Transmog and Consumables: A sneaky way to earn gold – farm the Draeneicommoners in dungeons that drop the Red Winter Hat, etc., and sell those BOE hats on the auction (if they are BOE – some holiday hats used to be bind-on-equip). People will buy a Santa hat for transmog if they don’t want to farm. Also, Preserved Holly (turns mount into reindeer with 5 charges) is bind-on-pickup usually, but Fresh Holly is soulbound too. However, items like Winter Veil Egg Nog or Hot Apple Cider you cook – you can sell those drinks to players who want them for fun. Not huge profit, but every copper counts.

In short, think like a goblin: what do players need for Winter Veil achievements or fun, and what are they too lazy to get themselves? Then provide that, for a price. This season can be surprisingly lucrative for enterprising heroes.

Winter Veil has changed over the years like an orc growing older (and maybe fatter on cookies). Here are the major differences if you’re celebrating in modern World of Warcraft (Retail) vs WoW Classic:

Feast of Winter Veil Guide | Modern Retail

The Winter Veil event is full-featured. You have tons of achievements (Merrymaker meta), daily Greench quest, many toys and pets to collect, and even extra content like garrison decorations and a special mount (Grumpus) from holiday activities. In retail 2025, we see new additions like the sleigh ride, updated Greench fight, new Snowman toy gift, new pets, and Pepe’s tiny hat. Bosses in the latest dungeons/raids wear holiday hats, and overall there’s a wide variety of content. The event lasts Dec 15–Jan 2 in retail. If you love collecting and doing achievements, retail Winter Veil offers a huge feast.

Feast of Winter Veil Guide | WoW Classic

The Winter Veil in Classic is much simpler. In Classic Era (level 60 vanilla), there are no achievements at all – it’s more about just the quests and enjoying the atmosphere. You’ll still find Greatfather Winter in Orgrimmar/Ironforge with quests to bake cookies and find Metzen.

The Greench event exists, but originally in 2006 it was a one-time quest, not a daily (in Wrath Classic it might be daily, matching when achievements were introduced). Classic players won’t see newer features: no Pepe with a hat, no pet battle updates, no garrison, and most “new” toys or mounts don’t exist. The gifts under the tree in Classic follow the old schedule – you’ll get only the old rewards that existed up to that expansion.

For example, in WoW Classic Season of Mastery (if at vanilla), the best gift you might get is the Snowman Kit or a Clockwork Rocket Bot from 2007. In Wrath of the Lich King Classic (2025), achievements do exist (since Wrath introduced Merrymaker originally) – so you can earn the title Merrymaker there too by doing similar tasks. But anything added in later expansions (like the Snowball Costume or Grumpus mount) is not available in Classic. The Classic event runs Dec 16–Jan 2 and is more about that nostalgic winter vibe.

One nice thing: Classic Greench is a lower level world boss (around level 40), so even mid-level characters can join the fight. But competition can be fierce to tag him (just like the old days).

In short, Retail has all the bells and whistles (literally, jingle bells pet included) – it’s the full holiday experience with new goodies each year. Classic is simpler and closer to the 2005-era event, focusing on core quests and a few collectibles. No matter where you celebrate, the spirit of Winter Veil – eat, drink, be merry (and maybe clobber a Greench) – remains the same.

Enjoy the Feast! Winter Veil comes once a year – even the fiercest Horde warrior or stoic Alliance paladin can afford to relax a bit. Don’t forget to log in on Dec 25 to open your presents (they’re only openable through Jan 2, after which they vanish unopened). If you’re aiming for all the achievements, plan ahead: some require interacting with others (and enemy players), so gather friends or guildmates to cooperate. Nothing says bonding like storming Alliance cities in santa hats together!

Remember to share the holiday cheer: toss snowballs at your raid leader, /kiss guildmates under mistletoe (consentually, of course!), and exchange gifts if you like. There are often winter veil mini-games players create – like snowball fights in front of Ironforge (those packed snowballs can actually daze players – it’s hilarious) or snowman parades where everyone lines up as snowmen and waddles through town.

Lastly, keep an eye out for any secret that might pop up. Blizzard sometimes sneaks in a surprise. (This year rumors flew of holiday trees for player housing – not live yet, but who knows, maybe next year