Anthem, BioWare's beleaguered shared-world squad shooter for PC, PS4, and Xbox One, will celebrate the holiday season with a new winter-themed event. During Icetide, the world of Anthem will be blanketed in snow and ice, as everything freezes over for winter. There will be celebrations and festivities, but also unique challenges for players to deal with over this period.

A preview of the upcoming event ran over the Public Test Server for PC players over the past weekend, ending on November 11. During the preview period, the Tyrant Mine Stronghold was available to players, giving them a taste of the new missions offered up by the limited-time seasonal change. In freeplay, players also encountered more outlaws to fight, Snow Globe Storms to deal with, and an all-new time trial event. Fort Tarsis and the Launch Bay were also kitted out in decorations for the festive season, which will return when Icetide is made available for all players. It's unclear when Icetide will be available in Anthem, but it's fair to assume that we'll see it before Christmas.

BioWare's game recently added Mass Effect armor to celebrate N7 Day, and made major changes to how content will be released for the game in the future. It's also faced setbacks as major figureheads leave the project: lead producer Ben Irving left the studio in August, followed by head of live service Chad Robertson earlier this month. Hopefully Icetide will reward fans who have stuck with the game during its difficult first year.