Masquerade 2026!
Things are a little different this year. Before we get to the details, just know that the Masquerade will last until July 15.
Dance Floor
💃 The dance rooms are back on the Masquerade Forums! Join a dance room where you can step onto the floor and the Auto Dancing Machine will pair you with another dancer every few minutes. Each pairing will earn you 2-5 trinkets (lounge or steelworks) with up to 80 per day across ALL dancing booths. You will always have a partner, whether it is another user or one of the gossips!
💃 You can only be in 3 dance rooms at a time.
💃 At the bottom of the page, you'll see active Masquerade achievements to help you keep track of things! There are a few new achievements for you to work towards.
💃 Don't forget, you can also use the Mystery Dance feature!
Foods and Drinks!
🍸 Why should I feed or provide drinks to NPCs? You will be rewarded for your help! Instead of new items to the Steamworks Menagerie, we've added the small pool of items to the various NPCs on the floor. If you provide 3 items to an NPC, you will get to pick your prize out of that NPC's pool.
🍸 This is an excellent year to catch up on past Steamworks Menagerie and Libertine Lounge items. There are 17 years worth of items, after all!
Olivette's Shop
🎭 Olivette is in the ballroom this year building masks instead of opening Migrating Masks. She has a higher chance to create a new mask for you but you could potentially get an old mask too! These older masks include masks that once restocked in the Holiday Shop, like the Mardi Gras Face Mask, or from other holidays like the Orange Wreathed Red Rreign Mask. Make sure you CLICK/Select each item when crafting for a mask for the 'craft' button to work.
Note: We've moved everything back to legacy this year (dance rooms were on kumos!), so there may be a bug or two. You can report any you come across here. Thanks everyone!
Note #2: This is just the first day, there will be more to come! Perhaps a robot or two may challenge you.
Posted by Amber
Load this on Kumos site
Spatial
why do not all of the things from thimble and co count as craft supplies? even things like sheets of materials??
@Eivor I believe the 2026 items are earned by offering food and drink to the NPCs displayed under the main ballroom.
I don't know if anyone has ask this question yet, but since we now can craft the mask ourselves does that mean the Blue Moon Vending Machine no longer give out masks during Masquerade?
I'm so excited!!! I got a little confused at first but yay!!
Hopefully I can get into the Grand Ballroom soon! It seems to be full :(
Thank you for all the new stuff!
Hopefully I can get into the Grand Ballroom soon! It seems to be full :(
Thank you for all the new stuff!
... I take it one of the hiccups is that there isn't a 2026 tab for Menagerie items? Otherwise, looking forward to everything.
One problem I've run in to is that Olivette does not specify which craft items she will take, because I've bought several that don't work. :( Waste of SPs.
Anybody else thinks, there is not much activity from the dance bots? I think I had 4 dances in 1,5 hours :-(
I'm glad the "Dance with" threads still work and we got Mystery Dance on top!
I'm glad the "Dance with" threads still work and we got Mystery Dance on top!
For anyone curious, I had to make about 100 masks before I got one of each of the new masks.
Amber
STAFF
(i'm really disappearing after this)
@BoaConstrictor The NPCs do rotate out! I don't remember off the top of my head how many will go in and out but each NPC has a different pool of prizes to choose from. I tried to make sure each NPC had at least 1 new item along with the old retired items. There is a mix of Gossips, Masq NPCs (like Jules), and random others like Tae and The Hustler.
@BoaConstrictor The NPCs do rotate out! I don't remember off the top of my head how many will go in and out but each NPC has a different pool of prizes to choose from. I tried to make sure each NPC had at least 1 new item along with the old retired items. There is a mix of Gossips, Masq NPCs (like Jules), and random others like Tae and The Hustler.
P.S. I got the new Skewer from giving items to a different? NPC - or they only shifted places /changed - I don't know.
So I have that food item, yet of course still missing 2 prizes.
So I have that food item, yet of course still missing 2 prizes.
I hope the chances of duels has been increased. Last year they were very few. I want to duel. :D
Amber
STAFF
@Rogue We have been changing up a bunch. Us on staff end up testing this stuff a lot and then when I have to do a news post, I forget that not everything is as initiative or obvious (because I've been playing around with it for so long). It's like when you've stared at a word for so long you don't know if it's even a word anymore. Please, ask questions! I'm happy to explain anything and then edit said post to clarify for others.
@Ambear Thank you!
I gave another 3 items to the NPC (first one in the row) hoping to trigger the "prize shop" again, still saw the "Prize available" field, no way to get back to the prize pool even though it says "You've given 6 times"
I refreshed the page - now the prize available field and "You've given 6 times" is gone :-(
I checked my inventory, just to be sure, my Libertine items were definitely consumed.
I did try a third time now, and got the "Pick a Prize!"yet the initial prize I wanted "Cheesy Rice Cake and Sausage Skewer" is not there any more - I chose something different (old stuff), but now the Prize pool is gone again and I cannot fetch my prices for the first 2 deliveries.
"I feel as though I should buy you something but, ah, I've already spent all my trinkets and money. Perhaps you'd like one of the things I bought? I suppose it is a lot for me to carry. You received: Black Mini Jeweled Crown!"
I gave another 3 items to the NPC (first one in the row) hoping to trigger the "prize shop" again, still saw the "Prize available" field, no way to get back to the prize pool even though it says "You've given 6 times"
I refreshed the page - now the prize available field and "You've given 6 times" is gone :-(
I checked my inventory, just to be sure, my Libertine items were definitely consumed.
I did try a third time now, and got the "Pick a Prize!"yet the initial prize I wanted "Cheesy Rice Cake and Sausage Skewer" is not there any more - I chose something different (old stuff), but now the Prize pool is gone again and I cannot fetch my prices for the first 2 deliveries.
"I feel as though I should buy you something but, ah, I've already spent all my trinkets and money. Perhaps you'd like one of the things I bought? I suppose it is a lot for me to carry. You received: Black Mini Jeweled Crown!"
Amber
STAFF
Just FYI everyone: I've let Keith know about the various issues that have been pointed out here (getting an error from masks but still getting, not being able to get back to choose your prize menu, etc). He's pushing fixes but then will be MIA rest of the afternoon (we are both on PST time). I haven't seen any other issues, so I'll likely go back to my tech free Shabbat until this evening. Ping me for any issues you have that haven't been addressed here in the comments or doesn't have a bug thread <3
I saw one of the masks uploaded yesterday and was excited to see it; nice to know we can craft it (also interested in talking to NPCs and giving food and drink :o)
Amber
STAFF
@brokensafety Yes! I'm going to be getting everything rounded up and added back there later today. It will include: Mystery Dance, Olivette's Workshop, Ballroom, Forums, Lounge + Menagerie. Any others you think should be included?
Amber
STAFF
@Laurey @Carlita Completely understandable if you are feeling lost. On the forums, there will be various threads and you can join up to three for the 'dance room' feature. This has a live chat, has NPCs dancing with people, and other users. You can also still dance using the scode dance=USERNAME on forums or statuses. I've also included the mystery dance up in the news post if you want to dance that way. :)
Can we get some links on the front page right side? There's been a lot of links added to the front page right side that I don't use at all. During holidays, it would be helpful to have the holiday related links added back.
I am loving having a bit more to do (creating masks, getting new achievements, giving food/drinks!!) AND superglad to see a way to use all my excess trinkets! I am glad to note there ARE new items, even if they aren't in the shops!!
And the fact you threw the crafting supply shop in there to make the masks, excellent idea, gives those items a use!!
And the fact you threw the crafting supply shop in there to make the masks, excellent idea, gives those items a use!!
I like the new features but I feel a bit lost. Where are the trinkets by dancing with others? I'm dumb xD
As someone who did not participate in the dance rooms on Kumos at all last year, it seems a bit confusing. I get that there are the dance rooms on the forums, so is that the only way to join? On the Ballroom page itself, trying to click the "step on the floor" button just returns an error that it's already full. So it's not really clear what is going on.
Totally digging this new Masq! I like having other stuff to do besides dancing. Excellent work y'all, it looks great!
Amber
STAFF
@MarchOnOff There is nothing new in the shops this year. Any new items are attached to the NPCs.
@BoaConstrictor Each NPC has a few new items as well as old retired holiday shop (and other shop) items to choose from. Thanks for pointing that out though the issue of not getting back to the prizes. I gave another item to an NPC and got the list again. I'll be sure to let Keith know though!
@BoaConstrictor Each NPC has a few new items as well as old retired holiday shop (and other shop) items to choose from. Thanks for pointing that out though the issue of not getting back to the prizes. I gave another item to an NPC and got the list again. I'll be sure to let Keith know though!
So I gave 3 drinks & food to someone , was presented with a list of rewards, tried to find out, what they were, chose the Item directory (my first visit at the new one), I didn't understand, these people gave out new stuff, it sounded as if this was the way to catch up on old wares. Anyway, how do I get back to that NPC I should get my reward from? There is a "Prize available!" filed, which is not a button.
Thank you, Amber! I'll never complain about having more retired items recirculated! 😁 the event is super fun this year!
Amber
STAFF
@Danis As of right now, those are the pool of items for each NPC. I'll likely look up some more old retired items to add to them later in the holiday but there will not be any new items. If I do add more items (retired!) items, there will be a news post. Also, each of the NPCs have different items attached to them. So you'll want to feed/hydrate them all!
Just did 5-6 masks and got only old ones. Hope some new ones show up. Interesting new activities.
sorry if I'm missing the obvious but how does one create a dancing booth? (one achievement is "Dance in a Dancing Booth room you created.")