So you know. There's this mission called "Save Winterfest"? And there's, like, a lot of ways to get it done? And you wonder how other people do it? You're in the right place.
I don't know how much discussion this will generate, but I'll put my strategy in a second post right after this one. Feel free to discuss, argue (nicely), or propose your own strategies. Is there ever a time to go down into that bottom right area? Ever? o.O
Otherwise, here are a couple of pointers to keep in mind, regardless of your strategy.
• Shield bumping the monsters away is an effective tactic, but you will have to clean house some time, else you will invariably be overwhelmed by sheer numbers.
• The middle room has a spawner for one fiend and the other four have spawners for the Kleptolisks - if you kill them, they will only return later. I don't recommend dedicating time to them unless you're waiting on Freeze floor traps.
• Red packages are ALWAYS more efficient than Green. Green are only useful if there are less than 30 seconds on the clock, during which you should run, not fight.
• Four players is the ideal number of players for a run, as you will (unless someone screws up royally) get the most Wishes out of it, even if you don't complete the mission.
• The Stun Greavers (do they have a name?) leave an almost invisible haze on the ground in Tier 2 and up - colored an opaque deep red or purple. If you can't shield bump them away, for Vog's sake keep your shield up an extra second until you get clear the haze or it dissipates (usually within one full second). The red packages slow you to a slow speed, and more stun on top of that really sucks.
• If a fiend is readying a snowball and you are running across his field of vision, don't stop and shield. (S)he/it will miss if you keep running, assuming you aren't too close.
• The haze from the Stun Greavers will affect you through the mob barriers. Stay clear!
• Fiends left unchecked can hit you in the package area if you are in line with the space between wall and mob barrier. I have died multiple times from fiends throwing snowballs through the gap before, and it's really not worth it's weight in snow - be careful in that area!
• If you're low on health, and especially if you're on the east side of the map, GO BACK AND GET HEALTH. You're useless when you're dead!
Disclaimer of sorts: Hate on me if you want, but I haven't Tier 3 cleared my knight on purpose (although I could have months ago) and now I'm glad I didn't. That being said, I'm not sure exactly how Tier 3 Save Winterfest (SW) differs from Tier 2 aside from the Tier 3 monsters. If my strategy doesn't work as well in Tier 3, then sorry. It works perfectly in Tier 2. :)
My Strategy
See disclaimer above. I use an Antigua for lack of a better gun with my Dark Thorn Blade and Swiftstrike Buckler.
Also note that I say "usually" a lot. This is because I've done multiple runs with four players using this strategy and the result is the same EVERY TIME. I'm assuming that you can count on the fact that the same will happen to you.
Spawn in and grab a red package. Green packages are not worth it unless the clock is below 30 seconds.
Run down through the room, shield bumping away any mobs that get close - usually the one greaver. This doesn't mean keeping your shield up the whole time - it means being aware of who's attacking, when, and from where.
Run through the center and up to the top right, shield bumping away mobs - usually bumping one greaver and blocking one snowball.
Run through the top room, usually shooting a hole in the bottom of the three destroyable blocks sticking into the path. Usually, I shield bump one greaver and block one snowball.
The Freeze floor trap is usually running. I use the time to make single swings at whatever gets close, shield canceling to avoid the nasty recoil. I'm usually able to kill the one fiend (usually) in the top right corner and sometimes a greaver.
Enter the end area.
Refill health.
Deposit package.
The two greavers that follow us are usually agro-ed to the turret. Kill them.
Return the same way we came, killing all the mobs (except single fiend in the center room and kleptolisks) on our return. This keeps population under control. Never entering the other two rooms will keep other mobs from spawning.
Kill grinchlins if necessary.
Rinse and repeat.
If the greaver/fiend groups spawn as you go halfway down the path, the plan does not change. Shield bump your way to the exit, then return and kill them off.
If the greaver/fiend groups spawn on a friend, when you return to the room, kill them off. Nothing changes and you MUST keep the population under control or you'll all eventually get trapped in spawn. Take a few seconds and kill off the mobs as you return - not when you have the package that slows you down.
If the one Freeze floor trap is on when you get there, kill off any mobs (carefully) or just wait. Watch out for invisible Kleptolisks.
I have tried this method multiple times and have gotten anywhere from 55 to 90 Wishes with four teammates all working this strategy together.
I have not died using this strategy yet.
I have been able to make multiple runs in a single round using this strategy without losing any health.
Using this strategy will kill a good number of mobs, giving off at least a couple of Vitapods along the way, thus increasing your chance of survival and buffer in case of a mistake.