Pirate101 Tips – Understanding Talents

Having played Wizard101 for many years (proudly displays Pioneer Dragon Mount), I am very familiar with a single mental hurdle that must be overcome by all Wizard101 players who make the leap over to play Pirate101. In a single word, this hurdle is . . . talents.

In Wizard101 players are very familiar with coming to their school teacher and receiving a “spell” that they “cast” from a “card” in their “deck.”  As you can see from the picture below, my brand new storm wizard has a nice list of spells left to purchase in Wizard101.

In Pirate101 players also see a list from their class trainer.

As you can see from the shot above, my brand new Swashbuckler has a ton of things left to train, but here is a big difference!  These are not your Wizard101 wizard’s spells, these are called “talents and powers.”  Let me steal a couple paragraphs from our Player’s Guide about these:

“You can receive training in:

Talents – these make you faster, stronger, healthier, etc. or let you use new items (like Light Armor). They are active all the time.

Epic Talents – these are Combat skills that are used automatically when in combat, such as attacking whenever an enemy approaches, or getting a second chance if you miss during an attack.

Powers –special Combat abilities that show up at the bottom of the UI, during the Combat Planning phase. You can use a Power instead of a normal attack. These may attack one or more enemies, or help one or more units on your team.”

In my mind, I just imagine a confused Wizard101 player in Pirate101 purchasing the “Fast” Talent and wondering why they can’t “cast” this “spell” from their “deck.”  Ahhh fair wizard, not to worry, — Fast is a passive talent that will allow your character to move two extra steps on the battleboard PERMANENTLY from the time you train it.

That’s right!  All talents are passive, meaning you  don’t have to “cast” this “card” because it stays with you as a permanent benefit to your character every time you step on to the battleboard! That’s quite powerful (especially if the Talent is an Epic Talent like Repel Boarders where if an enemy approaches you, you get a free attack)!  To extend the metaphor, it would be like training a spell in Wizard101 that you never have to put in your deck but always gives you a benefit.

You can always find a list of your powers and talents by clicking “P” on your keyboard.  The first screen will be your powers and if you click the Star symbol in the top right corner, you’ll be taken to a list of your talents.

Fear not future Pirate101 players coming from Wizard101! Learn to use your powers and talents wisely, and you’ll be off to a great start in Pirate101.

What other small differences between Wizard101 and Pirate101 do you think people might find confusing?  Leave your thoughts below!