Australian Christmas
The Australian Christmas was a major content update for Team Fortress 2 and was released on December 17, 2010.
A new game mode, Medieval Mode, was introduced which featured a new map, Degroot Keep.
The update increased backpack slots from 200 to 300, and introduced the ability to acquire additional slots, 100 at a time, by purchasing the Backpack Expander item. The maximum backpack size became 1000 slots.
During the event, the Festive Winter Crate became unlockable with a Festive Winter Crate Key that was only available as a purchase from the Mann Co. Store for US $2.49, UK £1.99, EURO €2.49.
The official Valve page for the event may be viewed here.
Origin story
On December 18th, 1788, less than a year after the first settlers colonized Australia, an old cutthroat named Nicolas Crowder arrived on a boat with some other new settlers, took one look at the heat and privations, said "screw this," commandeered the boat, and set course on a one-man voyage to conquer the South Pole. Legend tells that he lives there still.
Every December 18th, "Old Nick" returns down under to find out if Australia's children have been naughty or nice. The nice children are given the greatest gift of all -- they are not abducted along with the naughty ones and carted off to the South Pole.
For the next twelve months, the naughty children make toys to Old Nick's exacting specifications. Then, on December 17th, the presents are gift-wrapped, placed in a sleigh, and driven to Old Nick's mansion, where he opens them. Naturally, given the sheer number of hats and weapons Old Nick receives, there are bound to be duplicates -- and every December 18th, he posts them online, selling them at prices so low that he's practically giving them away.
New additions
Items
| Class | Item Sets | Item | Killicon | Details |
|---|---|---|---|---|
 Scout |
No item set |  Boston Basher |
|
 On Hit: Bleed for 5 seconds.  On Miss: Hit yourself. Idiot.
|
 Candy Cane |
|
On kill with any weapon while equipped: A small health pack is dropped. 25% explosive damage vulnerability on wearer.
| ||
 Flipped Trilby |
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 Soldier |
No item set |  Exquisite Rack |
||
 Defiant Spartan |
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 Pyro |
No item set |  Back Scratcher |
|
+25% damage done -75% health from healers on wearer +50% health from packs on wearer.
|
 Madame Dixie |
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 Pyromancer's Mask |
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 Prancer's Pride |
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 Demoman |
The Expert's Ordnance +10% fire damage resistance on wearer
|
 Loch-n-Load |
File:Killicon loch n load.png | -60% clip size +10% damage done +25% projectile speed +25% damage to self Launched bombs shatter on surfaces
|
 Ullapool Caber |
|
No random critical hits High-yield Scottish face removal. A sober person would throw it...
| ||
| No item set |  Claidheamh Mòr |
|
0.5 sec increase in charge duration No random critical hits -15 max health on wearer
| |
 Prince Tavish's Crown |
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 Scotch Bonnet |
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 Heavy |
The Hibernating Bear +5% Critical hit damage resistance on wearer
|
 Brass Beast |
|
+20% damage done 50% slower spin up time 60% slower move speed while deployed
|
 Buffalo Steak Sandvich |
Move speed is temporarily increased by roughly 35% Player may only use melee weapons Damage done and taken will be Mini-Crits Who needs bread?
| |||
 Warrior's Spirit |
|
+30% damage done -20 Max Health
| ||
| No item set |  Fists of Steel |
|
-60% damage from ranged sources while active +100% damage from melee sources while active
| |
 Coupe D'isaster |
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 Magnificent Mongolian |
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 Big Chief |
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 Engineer |
No item set |  Jag |
|
30% faster construction rate -25% damage done
|
 Industrial Festivizer |
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 Buckaroos Hat |
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 Medic |
The Medieval Medic +1 health regenerated per second on wearer
|
 Crusader's Crossbow |
|
Fires special bolts that heal teammates and deal damage based on distance traveled. No headshots -75% max primary ammo on wearer
|
 Amputator |
|
On Taunt: Applies a healing effect to all nearby teammates
| ||
| No item set |  Blighted Beak |
|||
 German Gonzila |
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 Berliner's Bucket Helm |
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 Sniper |
No item set |  Larrikin Robin |
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 Spy |
No item set |  Detective Noir |
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 Le Party Phantom |
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| All Classes | No item set |  A Rather Festive Tree |
||
 World Traveler's Hat |
Given to generous souls who have donated to community map makers. The effect will only be visible while on a map that has been donated towards! |
Tools
- Backpack Expander - Expand backpack by 100 slots (to a maximum of 1000).
- Map Stamps - Buy Map Stamps to support community map makers. Once a stamp is purchased, a player will receive a hat that includes a stamp particle effect. The particle effect only occurs when a player has purchased a map stamp for the map upon which they are playing.
Trivia
- It is actually summer, not winter, during the Christmas season in Australia because of the tilt of the Earth's axis during that time of the year.
- In the announcement pictures by Valve, the 1st & 2nd cards have a kangaroo with a glowing red nose. this is likely homage to the Holiday tale "Rudolph The Red Nosed Reindeer" where the main character, Rudolph also had a glowing red nose.
Gallery
1st Christmas Announcement from Mann Co.
2nd Christmas Announcement from Mann Co.
3rd Christmas Announcement from Mann Co.
