Anthem has taken a lot of guff since it launched, what with people thinking it was half finished and missing loads of endgame content. I really enjoyed the game, and still load it up every now and then, but apart from the recent Cataclysm event I’ve not had much reason to pay attention to it. Until now. Icetide is the Christmas event for Anthem, the first ever Christmas event in the game, and it really is going all the way. Unfortunately we don’t have a trailer for the way the world has changed or the other bits of new content, but let’s dive in and check out what’s there if you’re willing to explore.
The Big Freeze
The story of Icetide is that the Shaper Relics strewn about the world of Bastion have started generating localised ice storms. Ice and snow seems to be rare in Bastion, which is why everyone celebrates with the Icetide festival whenever the Shaper Relics mess up in this particular way. Both the world that players fly around and Fort Tarsis itself, the game’s hub, have been transformed with the snow and ice, as they were with Season of Skulls, bringing a fresh look to an otherwise old and familiar area.
Christmas Gameplay
Over the course of Icetide there will be a series of seasonal Strongholds, each one including leaderboards. There’s no explanation of how these Strongholds have been changed for Icetide, but I’m sure there will be a new type of enemy or encounters within them at the very least. The fact that new Strongholds unlock over time suggests a similar system to that of the encounters in the Cataclysm. These activities will of course award Crystal currency, which can be used in the Seasonal Store for exclusive cosmetics and weapons. right off the bat, Grandmaster 3 has been enhanced to offer loot that drops at +5 Gear Score.
In Freeplay a completely new game mode has been added, Time Trials. These are accessed by starting on the ramps and proceeding to fly through the rings. There are a set of developer times to beat, so players need to be as fast as they possibly can.
A new Legendary World Event has also been added to Bastion with Icetide. Arcanists need Freelancers to help them harvest precious coolant resources, defending them against the Outlaw groups who are trying to steal it from them. Alongside this World Event are new Challenges which are completed through various activities out in the world, and a bunch of Festive Wreaths hidden throughout Bastion that can be collected for a prize.
There are even new Codex entries for Icetide, something that hardcore Anthem fans will be pleased with because they enhance the world on a deeper level. The final new Christmas content is a change to how the Tombs of the Leigionnaires Offerings work. through daily and weekly challenges players will earn Tokens which can be offered at each Tomb for a specific reward, legendary weapons from the Tomb of Artina, legendary gear from the Tomb of Cariff, legendary melee weapons and Javelin-specific components from the Tomb of Yvenia, and legendary support gear and universal components from the Tomb of Gawnes.
As far as Christmas gaming content goes, this is really it. There’s so much that’s new here that it’s impossible not to want to get in there and enjoy it, especially because you can buy Anthem for as little as £5 right now. If you only buy one game for Christmas, make it this, because Icetide will rock your world.
At PowerupGaming we’re checking out all kinds of Christmas games, in-game events, and DLC for the whole of December. If you’re looking for more festive content from your games, why not check out our other articles on the festive season, including a new DLC for Generation Zero, Winter Wonderland in Overwatch, Feastivus, some new pyjamas in Two Point Hospital, a game about being Jesus, some holiday brushes in Concrete Genie, medieval warfare in Dying Light, and some holiday enemies in Fallout 76.