Hallows End 2008, or "Searching for Squashlings"

Starts October 18
Ends Oct 31 at Midnight

The Grind
Trick or Treating

• Go to all of your faction's inns -- everywhere -- and complete the Trick or Treat quest with the candy bucket. If you're not 70, this gives you a TON of free experience, so it is worth running around an entire continent. Put on inspirational running music and get those buckets. (The achievement panel has a list of places you need to hit.)
  
• Every 60 minutes, talk to an innkeeper and choose the option "Trick or Treat." If you have several characters, keep this on rotation (do all of them at once, in a row, then run around trick or treating on one until the cooldown is up, log, repeat). This is how you get the masks and wands.

The Daily
Orphan Matron

The Masked Orphan Matron wants you to put out fires on the orphanage (horde/alliance). Nab a bucket of water from the tub beside her, hotkey it, run to the house, and throw it on a patch of flames (you do not have to stop moving to throw it, and druids can stay in run form). Repeat until the headless horseman yells that he's been defeated (sometimes you can't find any fire, but there's still a patch somewhere -- just wait, and the house will start burning visibly again). You get pumpkins to put on your or another person's head (consumable, but no time duration; I have some banked from last year) and one of her turn-ins gives you a present (just like the hourly trick or treat bag from innkeepers).

She also gives you the one-time quest to kill--

The Boss
Headless Horseman

The coveted items of the year seem to be Sinister Squashlings and the Horseman's Horse. Let's pray for a better drop rate on the squashlings than last year -- I know several people who farmed all week in 2007 and only saw one (and lost the roll).

You do not need to have the Matron quest to summon him. Her quest gives you an extra summon, just once.

He's basic tank and spank. You'll need AOE to take down some adds later, but if your team has good gear and their new glyphs and talents in order, like mine did, he'll die too fast to require the AOE.

The Rewards

Aside from cute masks, fun wands, and creepy boss drops, the Achievement for this holiday is the title "the Hallowed."

Plenty of people are after the things you yearn for just for that title, so be prepared for some rude loot behavior if you're pugging the boss. Remember: It's not the end of the world if you don't get your coveted item (or title) this year. It just gives you something to work for next year.

Title Requirements
I cut out anything that you'll get just by doing the harder ones. No need to be redundant.

• Hourly Innkeeper Treat Bag -- You want 1 mask and 1 toothpick. You cannot use the wands on yourself, but you can buy a wand cast in Trade or get a friend to trade wand usages with you.
• Orphan Matron -- Put out the fire in Brill, Razor Hill, Falconwing Square, Goldshire, Kharanos, or Azure Watch.
• Get the Treat Bucket (Quest) in every single inn. You can track this through your achievement panel, and the buckets drop GNERDS.
• GNERDS -- Buff yourself with these and get 50 honor kills. (You don't have to get the killing blow.)
• Jack-o-Lanterns -- Once you have 10 from the Orphan Matron and Headless Horseman, head to a battleground or Shattrath. Toss these on all 10 of the races, but only if they don't already have the buff (or it doesn't count).
  
• Rotten Hallow -- Stinkbomb quests from this alliance guy and this horde guy.
• Head & Pet -- Get the Sinister Squashling and the Hallowed Helm off of the Headless Horseman or from your hourly Treat Bag at any innkeeper.
• Tricky Treats -- After killing the HH, you'll catch a whole bunch of these. Eat until you throw up.