Virtual Halloween — scarier than the real thing

Halloween is coming up, and many MMOs are creating special holiday-themed in-game events. If you like ghosts and goblins with your grinding and ganking, check out these games:

Anarchy Online: “Old Uncle Pumpkinhead and his cohorts will be plaguing the lands of Rubi-Ka again this year, and might even have brought a new friend this year! As always there will be a selection of great new tricks and treats alike for you all to sample.”

Asheron’s Call: The Masked Memories event includes the Majestic Pumpkin, along with a new Arena of the Pumpkin King. Halloween related monsters and gear include new costume masks, candy creatures and equipment like the Pumpkin Shield.

City of Heroes/Villains: This year’s Trick or Treat! event features “Classical Costumes” — heroes and villains can dress up as all sorts of civilians, enemies and villain groups. Dress up as a Coralax Minion, a Paragon Protector or even a Vahzilok Eidolon. You’ll also get special new badges if you collect the most Costumes. Like There will also be numerous Halloween-related evil monsters and bosses lurking about.

Dark Age of Camelot: A Ghostly Harvest Quest is available for all players level 45+. Vendors have set up treat stalls to sell candy and confections in many major cities, and consignment merchants will change into Halloween costumes if placed on a house porch. Costume potions are also available for players. Stable and merchant horses have joined the “spirit realm,” and when the Pumpkin Moon rises, ghosts will haunt the capital cities.

Final Fantasy XI: The Harvest Festival runs until November 1, with Bomb decorations and festival vendors. Avatars may trade sweets to NPCs for items and costumes.

Guild Wars: Mad King Thorn returns with “his entourage of ghoulish escorts.” Find the Mad King for jokes, mini-games, and exclusive in-game items. This event goes from Friday through Wednesday.

Lineage II: The “Trick or Transmutation” event begins this Friday. Players must locate keys to open Alchemist’s Chests, which contain cool, valuable, rare, and brand new items.

The Lord of the Rings Online: Shadows of Angmar: The first annual Harvest Festival runs until the 20th of Blotmath (get out your Tolkien calendar and figure it out). There will be horse racing, gambling, dancing; and you can harvest the crops you planted during the Summer Solstice Festival!

Maple Story: For Halloween, monsters will drop candy that can be traded to the witch Malady for a Pumpkin Basket weapon. There’s also a meatspace costume contest — win Maple Points! Spend your microtransaction cash on Halloween costumes and the new Jr. Reaper pet. Finally, two new Halloween maps: The Phantom Forest and the Prendergast Estate (the latter for characters in costume only).

Myth War Online: Halloween is celebrated with a special quest, the “World Ghosts Cleanup.” Go to Desert City (265.344), buy an Enchanted Whisker from the Broom Lord, then locate evil invading space insects and dispose of them. Collect Furby Worms for extra prizes.

Star Wars Galaxies: Why would the Star Wars universe have Halloween? Don’t different planets have different Fall Equinoxes? “Get those skeletons out of the closet – the Haunted Showcase is back for another year of spooky fun! In honor of Halloween, the last Showcase of October will feature multiple entries that will be shown off on the most frightening day of the year, October 31st. Drag those decorations out and give your structure or storyteller event a spooktacular spruce-up if you’d like to participate. More details.

Sword of the New World: Granado Espada: Hunt down the Cursed Merchant, Captain Sharffenberger, and get exclusive Halloween drops.

Tabula Rasa: During the “Head Start” beta, players can win nine collectible Halloween masks by completing special missions. This event begins October 31. To get into the Head Start beta, you must purchase a pre-order.

World of Warcraft: “Observed by both the Horde and the Alliance, Hallow’s End is the celebration of the break between the Forsaken and the Scourge. Adventurers can speak to innkeepers to get silly masks to wear during their adventures, and much more. This is just one way to celebrate Hallow’s End. Read the site for more things to do during spooky season on Azeroth!” Such as summoning and killing the Headless Horseman to get exclusive themed loot.