Letter to Winter Claus Math

The "Letter to Winter Claus" event in Hero Wars: Dominion Era is back, giving players a chance to choose one out of several valuable gifts. But with so many tempting options, it’s natural to ask: Which reward gives you the most value? 

The Letter to Winter Claus event in Hero Wars: Dominion Era is back, giving players a chance to choose one out of several valuable gifts. But with so many tempting options, it’s natural to ask:

Which reward gives you the most value? 

Note: all emerald values taken from Hero Wars Guide

🎁 How Does the Letter to Winter Claus Event Work?

At the beginning of winterfest there will be event called Letter to Winter Claus. This event will show you 2 different options based on your VIP Level (additional info on this is down below). You will be asked to pick 3 choices out of the 10 options, and Winter Claus will deliver one of those gifts to you later on in the Winter Festival Event.

If you do not have any Totem Fragments, I believe that the game will prioritize this over everything else! However, it is the wrong pick for new players (this is explained why down below).

The BETTER Choice for newer players (and Free2Play especially) is the Golden Ticket! This will give you the ability to Multi-Raid in the Campaign, which is a VIP5 (pay2win) privilege.

The game will weight this higher if you pick it, but it is not guaranteed.

🎁 All Gift Options and Their Emerald Value

Here’s a detailed look at each of the available rewards, sorted by their emerald equivalent value, which makes it easy to compare apples to apples.

Gift	Emerald Value	Notes
⚡ Bottled Energy (75)	18,750	200 Campaign Energy Each
💎 Emeralds (15,000)	15,000	Always a Good Choice
⭐ Greater SoulStone Chest (5)	12,500	100 Soul Stones of your choice, only for older heroes that aren't Rare
🧪 Pet Soul Stone Chest (50)	21,675	5 Pet Soul Stones of Your Choice
🧱 Chest of Supertitans (400)	16,000	5 Super Titan Soul Stones of Your Choice
🌿 Seal of Nature (4000)	14,440	Artifact fragment for Summoner Titans. Hard-to-obtain item; limited-time availability.
🎫 Golden Ticket	~$20 USD or VIP5	Allows Multi-Raiding in Campaign
🎁 Large Skin Stone Chests (50)	10,887.5	150 Skin Stones of your choice. Replaces Golden Ticket if VIP5+
🧙‍♂️ Rare Hero Chest (3)	7,500	Limited-time access to rare heroes: Choice of 100 Soul Stones for Cascade, Guus, Augustus, Lyria, Folio, And Electra
🧩 Random Totem Fragment	200,000	Random Totem Fragment
🧵 Golden Thread (1000)	20,000	Useful for War Pattern Upgrades

🔍 In-Depth Analysis: Which Gift Should You Pick?

🏆 Best Raw Value: Random Totem Fragment (200,000 emeralds)

Totems are the backbone of Guild War and Clash of Worlds power, and this gift is worth 10x more than any other. The catch? It’s random. If you're early in your totem collection or happy to roll the dice, this is the highest value pick.

SPECIAL NOTE:

Do Not OPEN This if you have not gotten the guaranteed totem fragment for spending 4500 and 45000 emeralds at the Altar of the Elements

🎫 What About the Golden Ticket?

The Golden Ticket will allow a Free-To-Play player to multi-raid in the Campaign, which is a privilege of VIP5+ pay2win players.

If you’re below VIP 5, this gives you a full Golden Ticket, which is a solid value (~$20 USD). If you’re already VIP5 or higher, you’ll get 50 Large Skin Stone Chests instead (valued at 10,887.5 emeralds), which is less competitive in value compared to other rewards.

Special Note: The game will weight this higher if you pick it, but it is not guaranteed.

🐾 Pet Soul Stone Chest (21,675 emeralds)

Pets are critical in both PvE and PvP, and this option provides a major boost. However, there hasn't been a new pet added in over a year, and there are no plans for a new pet to be added.

This has the second highest raw emerald value, but a very low actual value to most players.

🧵 Golden Thread (20,000 emeralds)

Golden Thread is used in War Pattern Upgrades, and is often a bottleneck for late-game hero advancement. If you’re in mid to late game and find yourself short on this item, this is a very strategic choice.

However, at high player levels Golden Thread loses it's value for two reasons:

1. There aren't that many patterns to rank up to Red

2. and once you're at Red, the Red+ is a low% random chance

Bottled Energy (18,750 emeralds)

Energy fuels everything in Hero Wars — from events to soul stone farming. This option is super flexible and great for any level of player.

However it's also one of the most plentiful resources in the game. You can earn it passively whether you're logged into the game or not, and MANY events reward this item as filler.

🌿 Exclusive/Time-Limited Pick: Seal of Nature (14,440 emeralds)

This Summoner Titan Artifact Fragment is hard to come by and typically only appears during special events. If you need this seal, its rarity may outweigh its slightly lower emerald value.

However, only strict Free to Play players likely haven't earned enough of these during the Verdoc and Asherona events (and upcoming Tidus event). Special Note: In early 2026 we know that they will be added to the Titan Artifact Spheres, which significantly lower their rarity.

⭐ Hero Collectors: Greater Soul Stone Chest vs. Rare Hero Chest

• Greater Soul Stone Chest (12,500 emeralds) is ideal if you’re collecting stars or specific meta (but Older) heroes.

• Rare Hero Chest (7,500 emeralds) contains limited heroes (Choice of 100 Soul Stones for Cascade, Guus, Augustus, Lyria, Folio, And Electra), making it more valuable from a rarity and exclusivity standpoint, especially for long-term account growth.

  
  

🧠 Final Recommendations

Here are my picks based on player type:

• Emeralds are ALWAYS a GREAT Choice!

• New or Free-to-Play: Golden Ticket, Random Totem Fragment (again, special warning here) and either of the Hero Soul Stone Chests or Pet Summon Chest. Bottled Energy is also quite useful for completing almost ANY event as well!

• Mid-Game Players: Golden Thread, Random Totem Fragment, Rare Hero Soul Stone Chest or Large Skin Stone Chests. Bottled Energy is also quite useful for completing almost ANY event as well!

• Late Game / Whales: Golden Thread, Random Totem Fragment, Rare Hero Soul Stone Chest or Large Skin Stone Chests.

  
  

📌 Conclusion

The Letter to Winter Claus event is a rare opportunity to claim high-value, premium resources. Whether you’re optimizing for emerald efficiency or grabbing something exclusive, your choice should align with where you are in the game and what your account needs most.

Want to make the smartest pick? Consider long-term progress over short-term boosts — and never underestimate the value of rare items in Hero Wars.

#winterfest