Hey Howdy Hey Tappers!
The snow in Springfield is falling and friends are calling…oh wait. Anyway, the snow is Springfield is falling and the store is full of premium items from Christmas past! It’s like 2 of Ebeneezer’s 3 ghosts are visiting us, as we’ve got premium items of Christmas past & Christmas present in our stores.
As with Christmases past (and other events) EA has decided to make old items new again, and give players who might have missed out on something a second chance to get it. Of course that second chance doesn’t come with out a price, as many of the returning items are premium.
Last Friday EA brought back Several items from Christmas past…although most are from recent past (like Phase 1)….Yes Guy, Holiday Tree, Present Depot, Christmas Totem & Elf Home…AND for the final installment they’ve released 3 new items (small Islands)!
I know many of you have been asking if these items are worth your Sprinkles. Well before you hit that confirm button…let’s break down the pros and cons and take a look and see if these items are worth YOUR donuts!
This will run a little different than our typical Should I Buy posts. Basically I’ll give you a quick overview, some pros and cons & my opinion on it now…but I’ll also link you to the previous Should I Buy for more insight…
REMEMBER: ALL of these items will leave the store on 1/13/15 (Which is also when the event is slated to end). So make your purchases before then…or you’ll miss out.
Let’s get started with…the Characters coming back for this week.
Character: Yes Guy
Cost: 100 Donuts
First Introduced to TSTO: Christmas 2013
How Did You Get it Before: Community Prize
What Does it Do: Premium character for Springfield, full list of tasks and questline.
Pros
-Premium character, earns 50% more on all cash and xp for tasks completed.
-Comes with a full questline (at least he did last year)
-Voiced
Cons
-Was completely free last year. If you played TSTO during Christmas 2013 you got him automatically (because he was a Community prize)
-Expensive for just a character. No building/decoration comes with him.
Final Thought
I have him, I enjoyed him…last year, but I almost never use him in Springfield anymore. In fact I often forget about him. I think the cost for this one is a bit steep & really not worth your donuts. You could get someone like The Rich Texan or Dr. Nick for less & get bonus quests with them. The Yes Guy, for me, is a pass.
Previous Posts:
Where Did That Come From
Walkthrough
Community Prize Overview
Decoration: Holiday Tree
Cost: 75 Donuts
First Introduced to TSTO: Winter 2012, Reintroduced Christmas 2013 & Again in 2014
How Did You Get it Before: Premium, Prize (2013) and Tunnel prize (2014)
What Does it Do: Typical Decoration, for most Christmas events it awards additional Currency (does not earn extra bells) and after that it awards cash and xp. .75% bonus
Pros
-Nice Holiday Decoration to your town
-Adds to Vanity (+200 Conform-O-Meter)
-Earns cash and xp ($550, 50xp/24hrs)
Cons
-After Christmas it’s a bit out of place
-No Conform-O-Meter Bonus % payout That’s been changed for this year..noted above.
-Adds vanity points, but that’s currently the easiest to max out
Final Thought
I currently own two of these and I was awarded both for free (1 last year and 1 this year). Save your donuts! This just isn’t worth investing 75 donuts in, especially since it adds absolutely no bonus value to your town.
Previous Posts:
Should I Buy
Decoration: Present Depot
Cost: 50 Donuts
First Introduced to TSTO: Christmas 2013
How Did You Get it Before: Freemium item, in game cash 2013, in 2014 this was a tunnel prize.
What Does it Do: Typical decoration except it earns cash and xp.
Pros
-Different spin on a Christmas tree, unique
-Decent pay out, $55, 5xp/1hr
Cons
-Was free last year, well it cost in game cash. (and was free this year as a tunnel prize)
-No bonus % awarded with it
-No character interaction
Final Thought
I own this from last year & most of you should have it as well (either from last year or as a tunnel prize). Personally, don’t waste your donuts on this. It’s a complete pass in my opinion. It serves no purpose for the remaining days of this event. So skip this one & save your donuts for something better.
Decoration: Elf House
Cost: 60 Donuts
First Introduced to TSTO: Christmas 2013 and again in 2014
How Did You Get it Before: Christmas Prize & a Tunnel Prize if you didn’t already have it.
What Does it Do: Earns income for your Springfield, $260, 26xp/10hrs. 2.5% bonus.
Pros
-Looks cool
-Another building for Springfield
Cons
-Very small.
-Serves no purpose other than to generate some extra income.
-Was previously free
Final Thought
I own this from last year & most of you should have it as well (either from last year or as a tunnel prize). Personally, don’t waste your donuts on this. It’s a complete pass in my opinion. It serves no purpose for the remaining days of this event. So skip this one & save your donuts for something better.
Previous Posts:
Prize Rundown
Decorations: Christmas Totem
Cost: 40 Donuts
First Introduced to TSTO: Christmas 2013
How Did You Get it Before: Community Prize
What Does it Do: Decoration for your Springfield. Offers a 2.25% bonus on all cash and xp
Pros
-Gives a decent bonus % for donuts spent
-Looks cool, especially if you have Kamp Krusty
Cons
-Was completely free last year. If you played TSTO during Christmas 2013 you got him automatically (because he was a Community prize)
-Can be out of place in Springfield if you don’t have the right placement for it.
Final Thought
I own it from last year. It currently sits outside of my Kamp Krusty…and is often forgotten about. However, out of all of the returning items this is one I’d say to get because of the 2.25% bonus it awards. So if you’re thinking about purchasing 1 item from Christmas past…this is the one to get (assuming you don’t already have it)
Previous Posts:
Community Prize
So that sums up all of the…”if you haven’t seen them, they’re new to you” premium items!
So now let’s take a look at the TREE brand new items to arrive in Springfield…the Small Islands
Decoration: Small Island
Cost: 30 Donuts
Bonus %: No bonus
Conform-O-Meter: Tree-Hugging +80
Where Can I Place It: Ocean Only
Pros
-Can be placed in the Ocean only, so won’t take up space in an already full Springfield
-Fun look to it. Something different for the water
Cons
– No bonus % awarded with it.
-Ocean front is expensive. So might be hard to find a space for it if you’ve got limited water space (especially with Squidport)
Final Thought
Personally I’ll probably end up buying this…mostly because I like the idea of the Islands in my water. However, if you’re a freemium player PASS on this. Do not spend your hard earned donuts on this one…especially since there’s a freemium one you can purchase.
Decoration: Small Island
Cost: 90 Donuts
Bonus %: No bonus
Conform-O-Meter: Vanity +900
Where Can I Place It: Ocean Only
Pros
-Can be placed in the Ocean only, so won’t take up space in an already full Springfield
-As a fun look to it. Like something out of Lost or even Castaway.
Cons
– No bonus % awarded with it.
-Ocean front is expensive. So might be hard to find a space for it if you’ve got limited water space (especially with Squidport)
-Most expensive Island..pricey for something that doesn’t award a bonus %
Final Thought
Personally I’ll probably end up buying this…mostly because I like the idea of the Islands in my water. However, if you’re a freemium player PASS on this. Do not spend your hard earned donuts on this one…especially since there’s a freemium one you can purchase.
Decoration: Small Island
Cost: $10,000
Bonus %: No bonus
Conform-O-Meter: Vanity +100
Where Can I Place It: Ocean Only
Final Thought
This is a freemium item….BUY IT! Even if you stick it in storage just grab it while it’s here. It’ll only cost game cash & eventually you’ll wish you had it. So pick it up…do it! Right now! 🙂
Whew and with that we’ve covered ALL of the Limited-Time items that arrived in our games this morning!
Remember…everything is marked Limited-Time. And they will ALL leave the store on 1/13/15. So if you’re thinking about making a purchase do so before they disappear again!
What do YOU think of the items? Have you purchased any? Have some from previous Christmas, or Phase 1? Any advice on what to buy for TSTO Noobs? Sound off in the comments below, you know we LOVE hearing from you!
Whatever the private joke with the last, shaggy, freemium small island — which I did smile at — you can see in-game they’ve redesigned it.
I have a problem . The islands aren’t showing in the store . Any help because I was thinking about getting island with plane tail sticking out . Any help is appreciated.
They left the store at 3:00am EST (0800GMT) this morning..
http://tstoaddicts.com/2015/01/12/last-call-for-christmas-items/
Hi guys! You mention that the Elf House was a tunnel prize…it was a pretty busy holiday and maybe I’m forgetting, but I don’t think I recall this and I completed the tunnels. The Elf House isn’t in my town, nor my inventory and I don’t think I got the multiplier either. Is it because it was only for last year’s players? Between Feds and elves and bells and everything else I can’t remember! Thanks!
It was an either or prize. It was from day 4. First prize was Willie’s Shack, second was the Elf House. If you didn’t have Willie’s Shack you automatically got that.
http://tstoaddicts.com/2014/12/05/santa-daily-tasks-elf-tunnels-info-tunnels-1-4/
I too am very disappointed at the crazy high donut price of the Islands. I just got the large prize island yesterday afternoon & absolutely love it! 7 days ago, because of holiday craziness, I was 2.5 days behind on Bunny’s Gift Calendar. I started setting my phones alarm for every 2.5 hours (forgot a few times, slept through it a few times, family started mocking me because I was playing more than usual😝) and I started only tapping on my neighbors cannon’s & elf cave’s for the extra bells. I worked hard and got that island!🏆😎 (My bro even stopped mocking me and started helping me find “that trap door thing”! lol)
I love the idea that santa’s sleigh and a small plane collided mid-air and presents are scattered all over some islands or keys. Good job to EA for that! Boo’s to EA on the insane 90 donut price on an island that is almost half the size of the freemium $10,000 game money island! Sure I know there’s a cool airplane tail on it and I really really want it but come on… It’s so tiny and pays no rent! The tail island at that size should have been 30 donuts tops and the other donut island should have been 20 donuts tops. EA, if you are reading this it would have been different if they were bigger and generated income! Will I always regret not having it? YES! Will I regret not forking over 90 donuts for it? Nope!
Hey EA! How about another 1/2 price sale… please?
Completely agree! Way to pricey for such a small island, c’mon 90 donuts! Many much sad faceness another aviation item I will miss 🙁
And, hi neighbor!
I’d like to buy the freemium small island as you recommend but don’t have ocean to place it as I’m new. Am I SOL?
Also will the time to purchase these item be extended like the event end date?
I don’t believe they’ll extend the items. They’re still showing they’ll end on the 13th.
If you can place and store in your inventory you’re good. But you need to be able to place it in order to add it to your town
Is there a way to put it directly into inventory as in don’t own any ocean yet.
You can try, see if it lets you select the inventory option (the box icon will show when you try to place it). If not, you can’t.
It has to go out on Squidport, so I don’t think it will let you buy the extra ones. If you win the Personal Prize Island, that will go into your storage until you unlock Squidport.
“Islands in the stream, that is what we are…” Sorry, I couldn’t help myself! 😋
Elf House wasn’t one of my tunnel prizes. I don’t have it and double-checked my storage box — no elf house to be seen there. Was it possibly a secondary prize?
Bought a bunch of the freemium islands and put most of them in storage. Incidentally, I think they award 1221 XP each when purchased. Had the island with the airplane tail on it been 30 donuts, I might have considered it, but the other one wasn’t worth it, and the airplane tail was too expensive at 90 donuts. Sorry EA, you’ll just have to keep glitching my donuts away — won’t get me to buy these!
It was the 4th tunnel… tappers got the lights for Willy’s shack or if they had those, an elf house.
http://tstoaddicts.com/2014/12/05/santa-daily-tasks-elf-tunnels-info-tunnels-1-4/
I got all the lights (for houses) during the 2012 event. I got the last lights last year, so I got an elf house. I had a very hard time placing the candy cane and angel because I think I have like 20😀
-3MJB
PS. Did anyone have a sign pop up and say “you currently have 2500 buildings and decorations?
Figures that the price differences were iTunes related, the difference between the cost of TV/movies/music between the Oz & US stores is also ridiculous. All it does is make people find work arounds (yay VPN and offgamers ease of buying US vouchers). I understand why physical items cost more or less depending on the country, if you need to ship something or pay different wage/benefit rates then it makes sense, but with digital products it’s just a total scam. While it’s a store thing, EA could easily adjust their base prices so everyone pays the same in the end.
Where is the christmas racoon this year? Also, where is the reindeer?
EA didn’t bring them back…
You could have earned another Christmas tree in the 2012 event. I got all the prizes last year so I’m A okay. I also got the 3 islands.
-3MJB
Unfortunately, I am disappointed with the high costs of donuts for some of these returning and new additions. I’ve been wanting ‘The Yes Man’ since I first seen him in other Springfields, but I can’t see paying 100 donuts for such a minor character. I still need Dr. Nick, which I believe is 90 donuts, so I think I’ll get him instead and I may have to say “No” to The Yes Man.
I didn’t understand the islands at first until I won the island personal prize and now I see how they all complement each other. I was going to get the Small Island with the plane tail sticking up, but at 90 donuts and no bonus percentage payout, I think I will have to pass. Also it is REALLY small. I tried placing it without buying it to see how big it was, and it’s tiny (I think the same size as the freemium one). Why is one 30 donuts and this one is three times the price?
I know EA is out to make money, but sometimes I wish they were fairer with their pricing.
The Elf House was a tunnel prize this year? I completed all the tunnels and didn’t get one. Perhaps it was a secondary prize if you already had the primary one? Not visa versa.
Anyway, as always, thanks for the post. I came here hoping to find out that the premium islands actually had a bonus percentage attached to them, but now that I know for sure they do not, I’ll pass on it and save my donuts for other things.
I was hoping we could place the islands in rivers, but ocean only. Would have been cool to have one in the middle of the town behind a mansion, maybe ea will change this in the future (one can hope).
An accurate article !
This Tapper says, “buy the Freemium! don’t buy the Premium!”
Why? Send EA a clear message (stop forcing Tappers to use
donuts to obtain previous Freemium items from past Xmas!)
Tapped Out can be a better game app thanks to the
participation via Neighboreenos during Quests (EA can
do its part to ensure players do not quit game app)!
As a fan of Lost, the plane crash island is somewhat appealing (can imagine Jack and Sawyer fighting over control of the gifts or something :p) but 90 sprinklies bit too much methinks
Regarding the Yes Guy you said: “I have him, I enjoyed him…last year, but I almost never use him in Springfield anymore. ” How do you mean that? Does he go away after the event? Or you just stored him? I bought him because I Love his “Yeessssssss” but now am wondering if he sticks around.
I also bought the islands! LOL Skipped everything else but like others who have posted I’m planning on some islands in the sun…
Many times a Character is great when you get them…. but at over 200 now in the game… some do tend to start to get put aside. Lol. So some of us long time players do store them and just bring them out for “special occasions” then put them back away. Keeps them more special that way.
ohkay. Now I understand. Actually King Winter is going into mothballs very soon in my Springfield. Did I win him or buy him, I can’t really remember. If I bought him Jack #1 must have played a big part late one weekend night. LOL
He was premium so Jack owes you some sprinklies.
When were you offered the chance to win the holiday tree and the elf house in this Christmas event (2014)? They weren’t among the tunnel prizes that I could win…
It depended on what option the game gave you. Not everyone got the exact thing from the Tunnels. It varied on if you played previous Christmas Events and already had items or not.
I won the First Christmas Tree, which is not the same as this one. (I think it has shrunken heads on it, ugh.) It is my first Christmas playing TSTO. I didn’t get the option to win the elf house or this pretty tree either. Maybe next year! I need reindeers!
Wasn’t going to buy the donut islands, until I saw that they tie in nicely with the last prize. I have the donuts since I took advantage of Gil’s deal, so I bought away. Not buying the tree or elf house, I got everything free last year, and another one of each this year during the tunnels. I did buy an extra tree and elf house last year since they did help with the event, and I didn’t get my free tree until Christmas day last year.
There are mistakes in your “should I buy …”
The elf house has a bonus of 2,5% and the tree of 0,75%. Seems to be new this year.
Good advice Alissa I’ve bought the freemium island very cheap but the others for doughnuts? Anyway I have never seen an episode of Lost so not really bothered.
Just working hard to get the island prize. On the interweb some tappers are saying the event has been extended any truth as my timer still says 3 days+ to go
I love the island idea, I got the two premium islands and about 10 of the freemium ones. I will have the final prize Island in a few hours. The only thing that annoys me is the scale of the crashed plane, it bugs me every time I see it. The issues with scale that already exist don’t bug me, not sure why this does.
I so want the Lost island, but it’s just too much for a decoration 🙁 I did get a couple freemium islands though.
I won the last island prize today so I decided to buy the one for game cash to add to it because I can’t spare donuts! I’ve gotten 3 today and 2 yesterday from visiting neighbours but when I go back into my game the total is what I had before I got the ones from neighbours (even tho they did show until I went back into game an hour later).
Let EA know if you are missing donuts.
Thank you for the freemium perspective in this post. Much appreciated. BTW, I bought 5 of the free little islands and formed the Hawaiian islands (including the tropical ‘big’ island earned in the Christmas event. Cool. 😃
🙂
There wasn’t too much appealing for me to buy this Christmas event, for me the only worthwhile thing was the Costington’s deal. The islands are cute, but for donuts for something that easy so easy already to max out make them not worth it. I however do like that they haven’t abandoned Squidport, and keep doing stuff for it, like how they incorporated Bloaters.
https://www.flickr.com/photos/98838330@N04/15619772624/lightbox/
I like all the islands, it gives something different on the water. Here’s what I did with them and the last prize.
Nice!