Howrse is 10 years old - Birthday Candles contest April 2017

Happy Birthday Howrse! Today the game turns 10 years old. To celebrate they are holding a short one-day contest where you have to find the candles hidden around the game. If you follow the clues and find all the candles you'll win an Ow's Helios' Ray.

To get started, head to the event page. Here you'll find clue number one. Go to the webpage that the clue leads you to and find the picture of the candle hidden somewhere on that page. Once you find it, click on it and it'll give you the next clue. There are 10 candles to find in total.



Where to find the candles:

• Candle one: Hidden on the event page itself
• Candle two: Hidden on the birthdays page
• Candle three: Click on any player who has a birthday today - you'll find the candle at the top of their profile page
• Candle four: Hidden on your own profile page
• Candle five: Hidden on your account page next to the date of your birthday
• Candle six: Go to your trophies page and scroll down to the birthday trophy at the bottom
• Candle seven: Go to the sales page and click 'more criteria' in the search options
• Candle eight: Hidden on the page of a horse born on 23 April. The best way to find one is to go to the team rankings, choose an active team and go to the last tab of their horses. This horse will work
• Candle nine: You need to visit the page of a horse in your own breeding farm that is more than 10 years old.
• Candle ten: Hidden on the page where you invite friends to play Howrse

Remember you must visit them in order or you won't find the candles!

You might also come across a star rain - which is like a super UFO with gifts that can include Black Market items such as HoPs or Nyx Packs. Click on one of the stars to get your gift.

Enjoy the celebrations.

Lucy

Ow's Memories Easter 2017

A brand new promo has come to Howrse - Ow's Memories!

It's an easy game to recognise - if you've ever played the memory game Pairs. The idea is you keep turning over pairs of tiles until you find a pair with matching pictures. To complete a level you must match up all the tiles it contains. You'll win prizes for each level you complete. As you progress through the levels they get harder - and there are more pairs to find in each. If you get all the way to level 20 you will win the new Divine Fern.



How to play

Turn over your tiles two by two.

Each pair you turn over costs you one key.

If the two tiles you turn over show the same picture, then you've found a pair and it gets removed from the level. If they don't match, they will turn back over and you have to try again.

Top tip: Draw a diagram of your tiles and make a note of what they are as you turn them over (or take screenshots). This way you won't waste any keys guessing. This will be particularly useful on the later levels when there will be a lot of tiles and you won't necessarily be able to finish the level in one go.

How to get keys:

• when you first log in (6 per day)
• by completing objectives
• by buying them with passes

The game also includes jokers which you can use to help you identify where a tile's matching pair might be. There are three different types and you can get them by completing objectives or by buying them with passes.

Jokers:

• The 4 Make a Pair joker highlights 4 tiles, one of which is the twin of the tile you turned over.
• The Favorable Alignment joker highlights the row or column where the twin of the tile you turned over is hidden.
• The Family Ties joker highlights tiles in the same series as the tile you turned over.

Each level gives you a certain number of objectives that allow you to gain more keys and jokers. Make sure you complete all your objectives before you finish the level in order to not miss out.

I'm quite excited about this contest as it's something new to try. Really pleased Howrse have come up with something a bit different instead of rolling out versions of contests we've seen before.

Get those memories sharpened up and happy matching!

Lucy

P.S. Coming soon - the Wandering Horses are back. Keep your eyes peeled!

Maze Event April 2017

For their latest event, Howrse have brought back the mazes.

As you travel through each of the mazes you can pick up prizes along the way. There are four mazes to find your way through until 10 April 2017. If you make it through all of them you win the new Divine Taranis.








How to play

To get started you need to choose a horse to accompany you. Remember that you can't look after or sell your horse while they are in the maze with you so choose carefully.

Each step you take through the maze costs 10 paces. Your paces will regenerate at between 3 and 5 paces an hour. 

Top tip: Choose the highest skilled horse you can - their paces will regenerate faster.

As well as prizes ranging from tack and food to Black Market items, you will also find spyglasses and treats in the maze.

• One treat allows you to move one step in the maze (even if your horse has no paces left). You will find treats in groups of three.
• A spyglass uncovers squares on the maze map so you can see more clearly where you're going and how to get to the prizes.

Top tip: Work out if it's worth going to get the treats or not. If they're 1 step down a dead-end then it only costs you 2 steps to fetch them and get back to where you were - but you're gained 3 steps in return.

You can gain extra treats by using a Titan's Challenge during the promotional periods (usually at weekends).

Prizes

• Maze One: A winged draft horse - the first time they've been available on the game.
• Maze Two: Helios' Ray and a Golden Horseshoe
• Maze Three: Titan's Challenge and a Golden Horseshoe
• Maze Four: New Divine Taranis and a Golden Horseshoe

I find that you end up having to spend quite a bit on the maze event to make it through to the end, so it's not one of my personal favourites. Calculations suggest you'll be able to get all the way to the end of maze three for free, as long as you don't miss any steps and you don't go off course to collect prizes. However, if you're not aiming for the Divine then I'd suggest going to fetch the prizes hidden on the way as it's a good way to stock up on useful items without having to try too hard!

Happy mazing.

Lucy

Plants Event March 2017

So the latest event to get involved with on Howrse is the Plants!

The aim is to plant seeds and grow plants to win prizes until 20 March 2017. Each seed takes a different amount of time and water to grow, and offers you a different prize. Each plant you harvest also counts towards the Divine Plant - and if you manage to fully grow your Divine Plant you win the new Divine Carnivorus.





How to play

To get started you need some seeds. You can earn these:

• when you log in for the first time each day (2 per day)
• via the daily objectives
• by buying them with your passes

You then need to sow your seeds. Note you can only grow 5 plants at any one time.

Your plants grow every day when you log in for the first time each day. You can also help them to grow more by giving them water. You can earn water:

• when you log in for the first time each day (20 per day)
• via the daily objectives
• in gifts from your friends (maximum 4 times per day)
• by buying them with your passes

Once your plant reaches 100%, harvest it and retrieve your prize.

Yellow seeds are the quickest to grow and give you basic prizes like tack and food items.

• + 5% upon first daily login
• + 5% per water added

Green seeds take a bit longer and give you basic BM items such as Helios's Rays and Achilles' Heels.

• + 4% upon first daily login
• + 4% per water added

Red seeds offer even better BM items including Bonus Packs and Aphrodite's Tears.

• + 3% upon first daily login
• + 3% per water added

Orange seeds take the longest to grow but offer the best prizes - such as Philosopher's Stones and Hestia's Gifts

• + 2% upon first daily login
• + 2% per water added

Each plant you harvest adds 1% to your Divine Plant's growth. You can also buy boosters for your Divine Plant in the shape of Flies. These are available in packs which cost passes (starting at 1 pass for 2 Flies). Each Fly adds 0.25% growth to your Divine Plant.

Good luck and happy planting.

Lucy

The Piñatas January 2017

The Piñatas are back - this time with a bird theme!

One of my favourite promotions, it's quite easy to get some good prizes as long as you regularly log into the game. Until the 6th February 2017 you can try to open your Piñatas and win gifts. There are 20 Piñatas to crack in total and if you manage to open them all you win the new Plant Kingdom Divine - Liana. You can also win a Gypsum Divine with Piñata #17.

Your Piñata will open once you have reached the required number of points. You can earn points in the following ways:

• by clicking on your Piñata (at first you can do this 5 times per day but it becomes more often as you complete objectives)
• by purchasing Mace Blows on the Black Market
• by asking your friends to click on your Piñata (at first just 1 friend can help you per day, again this increases as you complete objectives)
• by completing objectives

Each Piñata offers between 1 and 3 additional objectives. If you complete these objectives they allow you to collect extra clicks.

For example, on Piñata number 1 the objectives are to click on your Piñata (for this you earn 5 Mace Blows) and to stroke a horse (for this your friend clicks will earn 2 points instead of 1).

Each Piñata offers gifts once opened ranging from aging points and tack to Black Market items.

One of the good things about this version of the event is that you can click on the arrow next to your current progress box to see the all the upcoming Piñatas, exactly how many points they require and what objectives you'll need to complete - so you can plan ahead!

Good luck and happy clicking.

Lucy

Horse Adventure - Tale of Etria

So, not strictly a post about Howrse however... The makers of the game have just launched a new mobile app game called Horse Adventure - Tale of Etria.

It's available to download for free on both IOS and Android, and like Howrse you can play the whole thing for free or you can speed up your progress through the game with in-app purchases.

You and your horse will go on an adventure through the magical world of Etria. The Millennial Horses have disappeared and the Ancients need your help to bring them back and restore magic to their lands.

The game involves you riding your horse and moving through various landscapes to discover items and help solve the mystery. You will meet several characters along the way and complete tasks and challenges in order to progress. There are 4 maps to explore with different landscapes to ride through in each.

You can train and care for your horses as you go - just like Howrse, however it's more interactive as both your avatar and horses are moving. I think fans of RPGs will really like this game as it's a more immersive experience than Howrse.

I was lucky enough to be invited to test the game when they were developing it last year - and would highly recommend downloading it to any Howrse fans. If you want to share your progress or ask questions about the game then feel free to comment below.

You can find out more about the game on the website horse-adventure.com

Have fun on your adventures in Etria!

Update April 2017: Howrse have just released two new Divine horses, Etrian and Wikaila, which can only be earned by playing Horse Adventure and completing certain quests. Etrian can be earned after completing quest 21 and Wikaila after quest 52. You can do these for free but you will have to invest a bit of time playing the game before you reach these quests.

Once you have successfully finished each quest, you'll get a code in Horse Adventure that you will have to enter on the "Pass Page" in the "Promotional Codes" box to receive the divine horse on your Howrse account.

Note the codes only last for 8 days and are only valid for a single use by one player.

Lucy

Annual Survey 2016

Keep an eye on your inbox today - Howrse have sent round the link to their annual survey for 2016.

The survey takes about 10 minutes to complete and asks for your opinions on the game over the past year. It has questions about contests, particularly around what you liked and didn't like, as well as your thoughts on new features and how the game works across different platforms such as your smartphone. They're also after what you think the game should look like in the future. So if you're keen to share your thoughts - this is the perfect opportunity to get your feedback to the Howrse team.

It also includes a series of questions on pass purchases and the paid subscription accounts - Pegasus and VIP. I know that a lot of you have some very strong opinions about these features, so make sure your voice is heard.

Very interestingly they also asked about players who blog / have social media accounts regarding the game, (including asking for links). So hello game team if you're reading this!

Lucy