Pre-Festival Karma Guide — Wintersday Prep
With Wintersday approaching, it’s time to start ho-ho-hoarding karma — it’s used at the Wintersday charity vendor for wrapped gifts and for buying event items.
Here we will go over some quick ways to gain karma and items that can be used to boost karma gathering.
Wintersday charity gifts — quick facts
Vendor: Charity Corps Seraph (seasonal Wintersday vendor).
Format: Tiered 10-pack purchases — price rises after each pack.
First tier: 700 karma per gift (7,000 karma for the 10-pack).
Total if you buy every karma-only tier: ≈227,500 karma (one-time).
Tip: Prices may vary year-to-year — double-check the vendor in-game.
Karmic Retribution
What it does: Permanent account buff that causes applicable enemies to drop karma consumables (and/or add karma to final chests) on specific Living World maps.
Some of the Living World Season 3 maps allow unlocking of 3 different levels of Karmic Retribution, which makes some foes in the respective maps to drop various karma consumables:
| Map | Waypoint | NPC | Cost | Buff (All 3 Buffs apply to Each Map) | Notes |
| Ember Bay | Promontory Waypoint [&BF8JAAA=] | Scholar Surra | 1,000 Unbound Magic + 5 Gold 5,000 Unbound Magic + 10 Gold 10,000 Unbound Magic + 15 Gold | Drop of Liquid Karma (600 ) | Limit 1 per account. |
| Bitterfrost Frontier | Sorrow’s Eclipse Waypoint [&BH0JAAA=] | Slooshoo | Same cost as Ember Bay | Thimble of Liquid Karma (1,000 ) | Causes killed foes to sometimes drop karma consumables. |
| Siren’s Landing | Camp Reclamation Waypoint [&BO8JAAA=] | Provisioner Anlana | Same cost as Ember Bay | Sip of Liquid Karma (1,500) | The consumables will only drop from enemies that drop loot. |
Living World Season 4
Some of the Living World Season 4 maps allow unlocking of 3 different levels of Karmic Retribution, which makes most foes in the respective maps to drop various karma consumables:
| Map | Waypoint | NPC | Cost | Buff (All 3 Buffs apply to Each Map) | Notes |
| Domain of Istan | Chalon Docks Waypoint [&BAkLAAA=] | Alaleh | 1,000 Volatile Magic + 5 Gold 5,000 Volatile Magic + 10 Gold 10,000 Volatile Magic + 15 Gold | Basic (50 Karma) | |
| Sandswept Isles | Atholma Waypoint [&BEMLAAA=] | Ethall | Same cost as Domain of Istan | Fine (100 Karma) | Limit 1 per account. |
| Domain of Kourna | Allied Encampment Waypoint [&BFcLAAA=] | Nalar | Same cost as Domain of Istan | Masterwork (200 Karma) | Takes effect immediately upon receipt. |
| Jahai Bluffs | Yatendi Village Waypoint [&BH4LAAA=] | Trader Hyacinth | Same cost as the first Two levels of Domain of Istan | Two can be purchased, a third level of Karmic Retribution can be earned through the achievement: Good, Better, Nest. | |
| Thunderhead Peaks | Observation Deck Waypoint [&BLkLAAA=] | Kynon | Same cost as Domain of Istan | Causes killed foes to sometimes drop karma consumables. | |
| Dragonfall | Pact Command Waypoint [&BN4LAAA=] | Mist Warden Quartermaster | Same cost as Domain of Istan | The consumables will only drop from enemies that drop loot. |
Guild / Banner Buffs
| Source | Effect (typical) | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| Guild Karma & Experience Banner (Touch) | +15% Karma & +15% Experience from kills (30 minutes) | No longer in the game to purchase, but you may still see them around from long-time players. Replaced with Guild Experience Banner, or the guild anniversary banner |
| Spirit Banner (Touch) | +10% Karma, +10% magic find, and +10% gold | Guild banners do not stack with other guild banner effects — choose the one that fits your run |
| Guild Tavern Potion (Consume) | Permanent/long-duration guild bonus that grants 3-10% to members (Guild Enhancement; activate from guild hall tavern). Check your guild’s enhancement level for exact % and duration | Guild-wide 24-hour enhancements are especially strong for marathon farming. You can only equip one boost potion at a time |
Gobblers, Bonfire, Jade Bot, Enrichments, Enhancements, and Glyphs.
Festival Gobblers convert seasonal currency into either gifts or short-duration boost buffs. These are excellent when you want temporary multiplier bursts for farming.
| Item | Possible/ Boost(s) | Duration / Notes |
|---|---|---|
| Snowflake Gobbler | Chance to give a Wintersday Gift or Festival Gobbler Boost. | Consumes a few Snowflakes per use; Festival boost lasts ~15 minutes per activation and can last many hours by repeated uses. |
| Candy Corn Gobbler | Can grant a random buff — commonly reported: +50% Karma gain (and other boosts such as EXP or movement speed depending on the proc). | Random outcome per use; useful to convert event currency into powerful temporary karma/XP boosts. |
| Celebratory Birthday Enrichment | +15% Karma | Apply to Ascended Amulet |
| Communal Boost Bonfire | +50% Karma | Double-click to construct a bonfire. Fully stoked bonfires grant 1 hour of boosts in karma, Bonfires last for 15 minutes. |
| Glyph of Virtue | Adds 3-5 Karma to your harvesting results. Adds 1-3 Karma to your logging results. Adds 1-3 Karma to your mining results. | This glyph is not affected by karma boosters. |
| Jade Bot Karma Recyler | Recycler: Karma is applied when the character’s Jade Bot is equipped with a Recycler: Karma sensory array (and a sufficiently high tier Jade Bot Core). | Looted junk items will automatically be turned into karma. |
| Decade Enhancement Station | +3% to All Attributes +10% Magic Find +10% Gold from Monsters +10% Karma +10% Experience from Kills | Utility Station: Allows players in the area to sharpen their weapons. Station stays active for 10 minutes. Enhancement (2 hours) |
| Tin of Fruitcake | Gain Power Equal to 3% of Your Precision Gain Power Equal to 6% of Your Ferocity +10% Experience from Kills +10% Karma Bonus | Enhancement (30 minutes) |
Festival Gobbler Boost (example): +25% Experience from kills, +25% Gold from kills, and +25% Reward Track Gain (PvP/WvW) for ~15 minutes per activation
Stacking & practical tips
- Many karma bonuses stack additively (Banners, Consumables, Guild Boost, Gobbler Boosts, Karmic Retribution, etc.) — but some same-source effects (two different guild banners) won’t stack.
- Buy Karmic Retribution stacks one-at-a-time to avoid multi-buy bugs seen historically with some vendors.
- Use Candy Corn / Snowflake Gobblers, Guild Banners, and Extra Life stacks together during high-density routes for the largest per-hour karma returns.
- Always verify vendor prices and buff durations in-game — event patching and seasonal changes sometimes adjust costs/durations.
There are a lot of nourishments that give karma buffs, however listed below are some of the more commonly used ones, as well as one that offer at least a 10% buff. Purchasable on trade post and ones that must be crafted by a Grandmaster Chef.
| Name | Description | Boosts | Notes |
| Candy Cane | Minty Breath (1 min) | +10% Karma | Stacks |
| Super Mixed Parfait | Nourishment (30 min) | +15% Karma +15% Gold from Monsters +15% Experience from Kills | |
| Turrón Slice | Nourishment (30 min) | +10% Magic Find +10% Karma +15% Experience from Kills | |
| Cup of Light Roasted Coffee | Nourishment (30 min) | +70 Precision +10% Karma +1% All Experience Gained | Gain 5 seconds of Quickness on dismount (Cooldown: 20 seconds) |
| Scoop of Mintberry Swirl Ice Cream | Nourishment (30 min) | +70 Precision +10% Experience from Kills +10% Karma | 66% Chance to Steal Life on Critical Hit |
| Tropical Peppermint Cake | Nourishment (30 min) | +70 Vitality +10% Experience from Kills +10% Karma | Gain Health Every Second |
| Peppermint OmNomberry Bar | Nourishment (30 min) | +30% Magic Find +40% Gold from Monsters +10% Experience from Kills +10% Karma | |
| Plate of Island Pudding | Nourishment (30 min) | +30% Magic Find +10% Karma +15% Experience from Kills | |
| Feast of Delectable Birthday Cake | Nourishment (30 min) | +40 to All Attributes +10% Karma +15% Magic Find +15% Experience from Kills | Requires the achievement Birthday—Year 9 This item can only be used by level 80 characters. The item has infinite uses. |
| Tray of Decade Desserts | Nourishment (2 hours) | +3% to All Attributes +10% Magic Find +10% Gold from Monsters +10% Karma +10% Experience from Kills |
Ascended Feasts that give a Karma Buff
Note: Crafting of all ascended nourishments require the Grandmaster Chef Achievement (character based not account based), Last an hour for duration, once placed will be there for 5 minutes. Feasts are extremely common in group content because placing a feast buffs everyone nearby (shared bonuses are huge for Metas/Raids/Long farms). Feasts are best for open world/meta farming since they buff multiple people, and any level of character can use them.
| Name | Description | Boosts | Notes |
| Bowl of Echovald Hotpot | Nourishment (1 hour) | +100 Condition Damage +70 Expertise +10% Karma +5% All Experience Gained +20% Magic Find +20% Gold Find +10% WXP Gained | +150 Fishing Power |
| Bowl of Jade Sea Bounty | Nourishment (1 hour) | +100 Power +70 Ferocity +10% Karma +5% All Experience Gained +20% Magic Find +20% Gold Find +10% WXP Gained | +150 Fishing Power |
| Flight of Sushi | Nourishment (1 hour) | +45 to All Attributes +10% Karma +5% All Experience Gained +20% Magic Find +20% Gold Find +10% WXP Gained | +150 Fishing Power |
| Plate of Crispy Fish Pancakes | Nourishment (1 hour) | +100 Vitality +70 Toughness +10% Karma +5% All Experience Gained +20% Magic Find +20% Gold Find +10% WXP Gained | +150 Fishing Power |
| Plate of Imperial Palace Special | Nourishment (1 hour) | +100 Healing Power +70 Concentration +10% Karma +5% All Experience Gained +20% Magic Find +20% Gold Find +10% WXP Gained | +150 Fishing Power |
| Plate of Peppercorn-Spiced Beef Carpaccio | Nourishment (1 hour) | +100 Concentration +70 Power +10% Karma +5% All Experience Gained +20% Magic Find +20% Gold Find +10% WXP Gained | -10% Incoming Damage, common when players want power + survivability. |
| Bowl of Fruit Salad with Mint Garnish | Nourishment (1 hour) | +100 Healing Power +70 Concentration +10% Karma +5% All Experience Gained +20% Magic Find +20% Gold Find +10% WXP Gained | +10% Outgoing Healing, often used by healers because of healing-power / support stats. |
| Cilantro Lime Sous-Vide Steak | Nourishment (1 hour) | +100 Power +70 Ferocity +10% Karma +5% All Experience Gained +20% Magic Find +20% Gold Find +10% WXP Gained | 66% Chance to Steal Life on Critical Hit, Go to for power DPS. |
| Salsa-Topped Veggie Flatbread | Nourishment (1 hour) | +100 Expertise +70 Condition Damage +10% Karma +5% All Experience Gained +20% Magic Find +20% Gold Find +10% WXP Gained | 66% Chance to Steal Life on Critical Hit, the usual pick for condition builds. |
| Spherified Peppercorn-Spiced Oyster Soup | Nourishment (1 hour) | +45 to All Attributes +10% Karma +5% All Experience Gained +20% Magic Find +20% Gold Find +10% WXP Gained | -10% Incoming Damage |
| Spherified Oyster Soup with Mint Garnish | Nourishment (1 hour) | +45 to All Attributes +10% Karma +5% All Experience Gained +20% Magic Find +20% Gold Find +10% WXP Gained | +10% Outgoing Healing |
| Spherified Clove-Spiced Oyster Soup | Nourishment (1 hour) | +45 to All Attributes +10% Karma +5% All Experience Gained +20% Magic Find +20% Gold Find +10% WXP Gained | -20% Incoming Condition Duration |
| Spherified Cilantro Oyster Soup | Nourishment (1 hour) | +45 to All Attributes +10% Karma +5% All Experience Gained +20% Magic Find +20% Gold Find +10% WXP Gained | 66% Chance to Steal Life on Critical Hit, used when players want a broad, flexible stat bump. |
Although this is not all the nourishments that give Karma, it is a good portion of them, and yes, I know this is all on the GW2 Wiki, but this is a way to view it in one place. Now then, it is time to go start Ho Ho Hoarding Karma.