Overwatch – Halloween Terror
Halloween is back and better than ever, this time providing for gamers perhaps the most in-game events that the industry has ever seen outside of the holiday season. From popular shooters like Overwatch and Call of Duty: Infinite Warfare to MMOs like Final Fantasy XIV: A Realm Reborn and Black Desert Online, this Halloween seems to have more treats than tricks in store for players. The following is a list of those games guaranteed to give players the best virtual delight the industry has to offer.
Overwatch is celebrating Halloween for the second time since its debut last year through its annual Halloween Terror event, running now until November 1. Junkenstein’s Revenge returns as a special Brawl mode, where players are able to fight in a horde-style mode where they take on waves of enemies across the haunted areas of Eichenwalde and Hollywood.
The real draw of any Overwatch seasonal event is its skins, of course, and Halloween Terror definitely delivers in that regard. In addition to the skins and cosmetic items players could earn in last year’s Halloween event, skins like Dragon Symmetra, Cultist Zenyatta, Van Helsing McCree, and more are also collectible. There are over 50 items to gather altogether, in fact, meaning players with have to spend a lot of time in-game should they want to collect them all.
Pokemon Go – Halloween Update
Spooky Pokemon like Gastly, Drowzee, Cubone, and more return this year for Pokemon Go’s Halloween update, this time teasing the arrival of generation 3 monsters including Sableye, Banette, and a few other ghost-type Pokemon originally discovered in Ruby and Sapphire. This means that if you want a head start on catching them all before all your friends, you’d best do it now.
What’s more is that an adorable version of Pikachu wearing a witch hat will be found in the wild and players can earn extra candy – about two times as much – while out trick-or-treating with their buddy Pokemon. Bonus candy can be earned for catching, transferring, and hatching Pokemon and special boxes from the in-game shop will feature items like raid passes and super incubators, too, making Halloween an event that no trainer can miss out on.
Call of Duty: Infinite Warfare – Willard Wyler’s Halloween Scream
Willard Wyler’s Halloween Scream unleashes a lot of goodies for fans of Call of Duty: Infinite Warfare. For starters, players are able to pick up a free Halloween Supply Drop just by logging in each week and a Halloween-themed cosmetic item is out each Friday. Holiday-inspired gear and loot like zombie-themed rig skins are available, too.
The Carnage map from the game’s Retribution DLC will be free to play for all users until November 1 and offers double XP, and a Boss Battle mode allows players to take on a different zombie episode’s final fight each week. The best treat goes to the return of Gesture Warfare mode, however, where players are able take out opponents by doing things like pinching their fingers. Activision certainly didn’t hold back for Halloween this year, so gamers out there should definitely take advantage of all the goodies lest the publisher is brought back to its senses.
Hearthstone – Fireside Gathering
Similarly to Call of Duty: Infinite Warfare, Hearthstone players are rewarded just for logging in this Halloween season. A Whispers of the Old Gods card pack and an Arena ticket are rewarded just for logging in the week of October 24 and a Knights of the Frozen Throne card pack and another Arena ticket is given out for logging in the week of October 31.
A special dual-class Arena mode will also be available for a limited time during this time period too, featuring each of the nine classic Hearthstone Heroes attending their respective Arena games in costume. Last but not least, players are able to take on the Headless Horseman in a special Tavern Brawl, wearing a costume that grants a passive power that will help them defeat him. Hearthstone is definitely in the spooky yet generous spirit this year, so fans of the popular card game should check out what it has to offer.
Heroes of the Storm – Hallow’s End
Heroes of the Storm’s annual Hallow’s End event gives players specially themed loot chests every time they level up, each of which is guaranteed to grant players at least one of the season’s limited-time items, including portraits, sprays, skins, and mounts. Weekly Brawl rewards take the form of a Hallow’s End chest and players can head to the Loot tab in-game to purchase Rare Hallow’s End Chests directly using gems should they not want to deal with chests at all.
Perhaps the biggest treat of all is that Heroes of the Storm players will be able to earn new rewards just by playing any mode outside of Custom Games, Training matches, and Brawls, granting them various goodies depending on the amount of games they play. All of this roughly translates to the suggestion that if there was ever a time to jump back into the game, now would be it.
Final Fantasy XIV – All Saints’ Wake
Final Fantasy XIV: A Realm Reborn’s All Saints’ Wake is simply adorable. Fans of the massive MMO should be happy to know that Square Enix is once again celebrating Halloween in style, giving players access to a new quest by speaking with the special Adventurers’ Guild investigator in Old Gridania. The completion of another quest titled “It’s Probably Pirates” and a level 15 rank is required to play, however.
Upon successfully getting through “An Orthardian Wolfman in Gridania,” players will be rewarded with – you guessed it – special werewolf costumes in celebration of Halloween! Decorative items like a pumpkin pie set tabletop and jack-o’-lanterns will be gifted too, allowing virtual adventurers to ditch the holiday altogether in the real world in favor of the much more engaging one in Eorzea.
Black Desert Online – Halloween in Wonderland
The beautiful world of Black Desert Online will be given the Alice in Wonderland treatment this Halloween, perhaps making it one of the most distinguishable entries on this list. During this event, the skies of the game will be illuminated with an eerie blood red moon and jack-o’-lanterns will light the misty town streets. Central hubs like Velia, Heidel, Valencia, and Calpheon are all receiving the makeover, in fact, and props like the Mad Hatter’s famed tea party furniture will help stay true to the event’s theme.
Of course, Black Desert Online’s Halloween in Wonderland doesn’t just include the scenery. Adventurers encounter the White Witch, who asks them to defeat the Black Witch. Throughout the quest players will be able to obtain special items like Angelic Queen and Demonic Queen outfits, a Skeletal Horse Set for their mounts, and the popular Halloween pets Neurotic Cabby and Witch Hat Charlotte, which are making a return from last year. So far the event has only been announced for Asian servers, though it’s likely it will find its way westward if the past serves as any indication.
Gears of War 4 – October Update
Though details for Gears of War 4’s Halloween event haven’t been specified at the time of writing, The Coalition has already introduced numerous updates throughout the month of October that’s sure to entice anyone to get into the holiday spirit. Friday the 13th marked the return of Skorge, for instance, a Locust general who makes an appearance as a skin. Players are currently able to jump into a special multiplayer playlist that adorns everyone with a pumpkin head and gives them the ability to take part in a special mode called Phantom Dodgeball, too.
For fans of the game proper, two new maps titled Fuel Depot and Lift Apex are available for season pass holders, granting them the chance to play in the Developer Playlist with double XP and 20% more credits. If players out there have yet to return to Gears of War 4, now would be a great time to do so.
Minecraft – Halloween Spooktacular
Remember Minecraft? The creative world-building sensation is still going strong, with the game’s Halloween Spooktacular serving as great evidence of that. Players on Bedrock Engine platforms (which is to say, most players of the game) will be receiving specially-themed content and activities in celebration of the holiday, including a haunted house parkour course, the Haunted Mansion SkyWare map in PvP, and quests from The Pumpkin King in a Halloween-themed Mineplex.
What’s more is that players will be able to adorn a pretty scary looking pumpkin mask as well as be granted the ability to hurl flaming pumpkins – that’s right, flaming pumpkins – at enemies. Combine that with the fact the players can tame their very own cave spider zombie jockey and Minecraft makes a very good case to be played by anyone this Halloween.
Smite – Departure to the Afterlife
Smite offers one of the most novel incentives to be played this October, as its main draw is a trick instead of treats. That’s not to say that the game doesn’t provide rewards in spades, as Arena mode is getting a Halloween makeover and a Halloween chest is up for sale that includes things like a Trick or Treat Cupid and Grim Reaper Thanatos skin, among other things.
The most interesting aspect of Smite’s Departure to the Afterlife comes in the form of its Scary Potion, though. The item messes with player’s senses, randomly playing a Loki sound effect that makes players think that they’re about to be backstabbed when they’re really not. Though it may sound annoying, it’s there for good fun and very much in the jovial nature of the glorious Halloween. If you’re up from a break from the usual goodies this October, Smite definitely delivers on that front.
What are some games that you’ll be enjoying on this year’s spooky holiday? Let us know in the comments below, and be sure to schedule an appointment with the dentist after eating all that candy.
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