Pull on those parkas because winter has arrived in Astera! Rounding out their highly successful year with some holiday cheer, the Winter Star festival is now live. This event boasts new gear, cuisine, decorations and missions for players to enjoy. So bundle up in some blankets and get ready to deck the hunter halls with winter spirit!

To join the festivities, simply head up to the gathering hub to see its icy makeover for the winter event. A beautiful crystal snow piece dominates the scene, presiding over the food counter where you can try the Winter Star festival exclusive dish. The hub lasses are all in winter gear and the palicos have become walking snowmen! Fireworks explode through the night like glittering snowballs descending upon Astera. Once you have admired this winter wonderland, it’s time to get down to the good stuff, new weapons and armor.

The Winter Star Festival gives hunters a chance to craft the newest armor set, the Orion alpha set. All you need are some spare monster parts and Winter Star tickets to craft it. For your palico, the Snowcat set is available so you can transform your buddy into an adorable walking snowman. Hunters must take on the new quest “Timberland Troublemakers” to acquire the newest event weapon, a fluffy hammer called the Bristly Pincushion. This quest tasks players with hunting two low level anjanaths to obtain bristly crake tickets. Fluffy, pokey, and a strange mix of cute and terrifying, this hammer is definitely an interesting weapon to own.

Hunters should not forget to snag all of the layered armor sets available during the festival as well. Extra Winter Star tickets can be turned into the research commission for a layered armor set of the Orion armor. The new quest “Kings Know No Fear” tasks players with hunting both a Rathalos and Azure Rathalos in the Elder’s Recess. Successful completion nabs you Faux Ticket IIs which can be turned in for Sealed Eyepatch or Wiggler Head layered armor. These sets allow you to look the part while maintaining your ideal armor and its stats underneath.

The Winter Star Festival offers a variety of new tasks for players to perform and items to obtain. Hunters who wish to enjoy these items should jump in now though, because the Winter Star Festival ends on December 17.