Winter Event 2026: Mechanics

The lanterns are back in the windows, the streets are crunching underfoot, and the scent of hot cocoa is drifting through every district of your city. The Winter Event has returned to Forge of Empires, bringing its snow-covered village, its houses full of surprises, and a whole season's worth of rewards waiting to be unwrapped.

So pull on your warmest mittens, gather your bells, and start knocking on doors!

The Shuffle Board

Earn Wooden Bells by completing Event quests and finding Incidents in your city, then spend 10 of them each time visiting a house on the Shuffle Board, that holds 16 houses. A lit house is waiting for your visit, and once you've collected its reward, the light goes out so you can see at a glance how far you've come.

Behind each door you'll find resources, fragments, boosters and Grand Prize progress, or one of the special tiles that change the course of the board:

• Show Two reveals what's hiding in two more houses.
• Double Payout doubles the reward of your next house visited.
• Shuffle sends you to a brand-new board.

Some houses also hold a Photo Icon - this marks a Winter Memory, its a Piggy Bank filled with bonus prizes you can unlock using Diamonds (more on that below). A small timer on the board shows when it will reset on its own, so you're never caught by surprise.

The Super Board

Keep an eye out for Snowman Parts while you visit houses. Collect all three on a regular Shuffle board, and the next board you start automatically turns into a Super Board: a snow-covered version of the village with gentle snowfall and much better odds.

Tip: Once you have all three Snowman Parts, finish your current board to bring up the Super Board right away. Watch the reset timer though - the daily reset clears the Super Board too!

• No Shuffles: every one of the 16 houses can be opened without the risk of a reset.
• Guaranteed specials: two Show Two and two Double Payout tiles on every Super Board.
• More Grand Prize progress: each house grants 2–4 Grand Prize progress points.

Tip: The Super Board is the best place to spend your boosters. With no Shuffle in the way and plenty of high-value houses, a Sleigh Combo or a Double Payout goes much further here.

Winter Boosters

Boosters give you extra ways to shape the board and target the prizes you want most.

Snowball Blast	Clears ordinary filler rewards and Shuffles off the board. Special rewards like Show Two, Double Payout, Lantern Coins, Starlight Coins and Snowman Parts - stay untouched, giving you a clearer view of where the best prizes are hiding.  Tip: Reach for it when your board fills up with low-value prizes or too many Shuffle tiles.
Toy Radar	Shows where every special tile on your board is hiding, including Shuffle, Show Two and Double Payout. Tip: Use it to plan your route, avoid early resets, and target the rewards you want most.
Sleigh Combo	Visits one house for free, doubles its reward, and reveals two more prizes along the way. Tip: Combine it with a Double Payout whenever you can. The bonuses stack into one of the best payouts of the whole Event!

The Piggy Bank - Winter Memories

A Photo Icon on a house means it holds a Winter Memory. Each Memory offers you a choice of two bonus rewards, and you decide what to do with them:

• Take one for free.
• Spend Diamonds to keep both.
• Re-roll for Diamonds if neither option appeals to you.

Every Winter Memory you collect also adds to your Piggy Bank. Once it's full, break it open for a bundle of extra festive rewards, including Master Key Parts and the Snowbank Savings building.

Tip: Let your Piggy Bank fill up all the way before you open it. The fuller it is, the better your Diamond deal on claiming both bonus rewards.

Winter Calendar & Leagues

The Winter Calendar has a new present for you every day of the Event. All you need to open a door is a Calendar Key, which you can find while visiting houses on the board or inside your Winter Memories.

• Open one door a day to collect that day's reward.
• Missed a day? Combine Master Key Parts into extra keys and go back for the doors you skipped.
• With a bit of luck, a single drop can contain both a Daily Key and a Master Key Part!

Open every door and the Calendar Chest is yours, packed with some of the strongest rewards of the season.

Tip: Pop in every day to open your door, even if you don't have time for much else. That's what keeps you on track for the Calendar Chest.

Your Event progress also counts in the League, where the most dedicated players earn exclusive prizes - and some well-deserved bragging rights among their fellow Forgers!

Rival Challenges

Over the course of the Event, Baron Alaric will challenge you to prove yourself. Beat the challenges to earn powerful rewards, including the seasonal Event booster. Watch for the invitations!

Item Stores & Currencies

Lantern Coins – found on regular and Super Boards, and inside Winter Memories.
Starlight Coins – found on the Super Boards and inside Winter Memories.

You can spend these in two Item Stores:

To open the Item Stores, click the Store icon in the top-right corner of the Event window.

Tip: Check the Lantern Stall after each daily refresh before you spend your coins - some discounts only show up then!

Quick Tips

• Go for the Snowmen. A Super Board gives you more Grand Prize progress for every bell you spend than any regular board, so collecting Snowman Parts is always worth the effort.
• Use Toy Radar on a fresh board. Knowing where the Shuffle sits pays off most when most of the houses are still lit.
• Let the Piggy Bank fill up. A full bank gets you the best Diamond deal, so don't break it open early.
• Open your Calendar door every day. Master Key Parts can cover a missed day, but staying on schedule is the surest way to reach the Calendar Chest.
• Spend your Lantern Coins before you hit 20. You can only hold 20 at a time, and your daily free refresh at the Lantern Stall might turn up a discount on exactly what you need.

Rewards

• Tidings Press Tower - the Grand Prize. It grows through Radiant, Gilded and Majestic versions, and at the top you choose between the Tidings Broadcasting Tower and the Tidings Globe Tower.
• Peppermint Confectionery and Mistletoe Mansion - from the Event Pass, both with Ascended upgrades in the Starlight Lounge.
• Frostbell Firehouse - for reaching the Gold League.
• Homeward Bus Stop Diner - inside the Calendar Chest.
• Snowbank Savings - from the Piggy Bank, the Gold League and the Winter Calendar.
• Two new Historical Allies, Ernest Shackleton and Margaret I of Denmark, plus nine new avatars.

So shake the snow off your boots, light up the lanterns, and get your city ready for the coziest season of the year - the Winter Event starts on BETA on October 26th!

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