Hallow-Xmas 4: Another Reckoning

Hallow-Xmas, Eyewire, citizen science, Halloween, Xmas, holiday

‘Tis the fourth Hallow-Xmas, and all through our game
Come voices that whisper this challenge’s name;
You’ve waited for months, even close to a year,
And it seems like a miracle! Yowza! It’s here!

The cycle repeats: as the year nears its end,
You once again choose whether autumn’s your friend,
Or if you’re a winter type, eager for snow.
Your loyalty bids where your points all must go!

For weeks both the teams will then fight for the prize:
A great pile of bonuses stacked to the skies,
But will Halloween win? Or will Xmas, instead?
It’s all in your hands; it’s a fate left unsaid.

The one thing we promise when everything’s done,
When everyone’s had all their holiday fun:
Our overlord Grim says he’ll personally score it,
And if you get lucky, you’ll see him before it!

So choose your team soon, and sing out with delight:
“Hallow-Xmas is here — may we have a great fight!”

This fourth edition of Hallow-Xmas will run for nine weeks, starting October 16th, with awards granted December 15th!

As with last year, we’re holding Hallow-Xmas as a simple VS competition, not a tournament — but as always, since things last so long your bonuses at the end will be enormous!

Please note the following situations on Eyewire while Hallow-Xmas 4 takes place:

  • Once we enter the competition time period, we’re suspending events like routine Happy Hours, 48-hour VS matchups, Accuracy Happy Hours, and Marathons. Regular HH scheduling will resume on closing ceremony day, and we will update you about 2024’s competitions when we roll into January.
  • Open promotions will still take place on their own schedule in October, November, and December.
  • Unlike in other competitions, Scythe Complete bonuses will factor into team and individual scoring so that we can take completed cells down over the next couple months. If you’re a Scythe or Mystic, it’s up to you whether you want to pursue Hallow-Xmas bonuses via completing or normal gameplay.

With that, let’s check out your team options, plus the available bonuses, badges, and swag!

Team Halloween

  • Spooky squad assemble! If you love finding bats in your belltower, join your gloomy, gothic kindred.
  • Pumpkin spice squad: also assemble! Even if you’re not so much for haunted graveyards, anyone who enjoys autumn for the food and the weather should cozy up here.
  • As we pointed out last year, this holiday season has a lot of candy. Just saying.

Team Xmas

  • Join this team if you feel most at home with a lit up tree inside it, surrounded by presents, the sounds of old music, and the sight of falling snow outside.
  • Despite the name, the team might also suit you if you celebrate other holidays in this season, or if you just love the cold and the winter stars.
  • Again… quite a lot of candy here too!

Bonuses, Badges, and Swag

  • Starting Lineup – top 10 players on each team, who earn 75% of their score in bonus points
  • All Other Players – earn 50% of their score in bonus points
  • Winning Team – 500,000 additional points (you’re reading correctly!)
  • Each Team’s MVP – 100,000 additional points (you’re still reading correctly!)

The winning team is determined by average points per player, with 2x weight given to Starting Lineup players. To qualify for any of the above bonuses or affect the team score, players must earn a minimum baseline of 50,000 points. You can earn that many points in our nine week window by earning just 5555 points per week!

One other way to earn points is by the number of cells completed during this event. Think of it like a giant marathon!

  • If you trace at least 1,000 cubes in these nine weeks, you’ll earn 5,000 points for every cell that finishes in that time.
  • If you trace at least 5,000 cubes in these nine weeks, you’ll earn 10,000 points for every cell that finishes in that time.
  • Scythe Completed cubes count toward your traced cubes like they do for a marathon: 3 SCs = 1 regular cube.

Besides the winning team earning the Winning Team badge, everyone who qualifies for a bonus will also earn the unique participation badge for the Hallow-Xmas Remix, and the MVPs for each team will get to rename a cell of their choice from any cells completed during the competition weeks! (To avoid the unlikely chance that both MVPs wish to name the same cell, the winning team’s MVP gets first pick.)

As for swag, the Starting Lineup on the winning team will receive surprise special prizes for their accomplishment! In recognition of a battle well-fought, the MVP for the opposing team will also receive one of those prizes.

Hallow-Xmas Closing Ceremony

Begins at 4:00 PM EST on Friday 12/15

Come celebrate the end of this competition, where admins will recognize everyone’s achievements. And as hinted, you should expect our overlord Grim to personally conduct the ceremony!

Artwork by Amy Sterling