The Spring Update to Wizard101 brought some fun additions to the Spiral. With new ways to earn rewards, challenging bosses, expanded fishing holes and more, there’s a little something for everyone. Let’s dive in and take a deeper look at some of the latest changes to the game!
Skeleton Key Bosses
For those who love a little challenge in Wizard101, three new Skeleton Key bosses are now available to duel. The most difficult is Omen Stribog in Polaris at Rank 17. For a little guidance on what to expect from this battle, check out this guide from Mercenaries for Hire. If you defeat this shadowy boss, you’ll even get a chance to win a permanent mount that looks just like Omen’s wings! So grab a gold skeleton key and 3 friends and head on over to the River of Frozen Tears to check out this cool new boss.
Daily Assignments
Need a little extra gold, arena tickets or even Crowns? Daily Assignments have you covered. Wizards who are level 12 and over can take on these fun little tasks each day by visiting Aegon Statz in Ravenwood. The Gravulum Order needs your help locating Pekuliarities by measuring Pekrons in various areas. Then when you log in, Aegon will give you a new assignment to complete for a different reward every day. The system repeats on a 15 day cycle with progressively better rewards each day. So make sure to not skip your Daily Assignment! But if you miss a day, don’t worry, you can pick up right where you left off next time.
More Spells
If you’ve ever wanted to delve deeper into a secondary school of magic, now is the time. The scholars of the Arcanum can now teach even more spells from their schools of focus to Wizards over level 100. Each spell will cost 1 training point, so study wisely. A new damage Aura for Life Wizards was also added to the Star School Trainer in Azteca. Theurgists will love this highly requested new spell called Devotion. If you would like to learn some of these spells, but don’t have the training posts, the free training point buyback Member benefit is active in Wizard101 through April 10, 2016.
Zafaria Fishing
For those Wizards who love to cast a line, new ponds are available to explore. Go fishing in the jungle waters of Zafaria and discover new fish. The tricky new sentinels MsPacuman and Pacuman are ready to snatch your line if you don’t banish them away using your Banish Sentinels spell. The new Zebra, Rhino, Lion, Elephant and Hippo Tang fish fit in perfectly with the Zafaria theme. Take a look at these and more in this guide from Stars of the Spiral.
Gear Vault
Good news, fashionistas of the Spiral! You can now store hundreds more gear items using the new Gear Vault in your home. If you are familiar with the Seed Vault, this works just like it. Just place it down in your home, click on it in item placement mode, and move items into the vault. You can pick one up in the Crown Shop for 1995 Crowns or craft your own using the recipe from Toshio in Mooshu. Get some ideas for decorating with your vault in this feature from the April Ravenwood Bulletin.
New Crown Shop Items
Along with all the other exciting goodies with this update, are some new items in the Crown Shop. This includes the new Wild Hare mount and three Khrysalis Furniture Sets.
You can read all about these changes and more in the April 2016 Update Notes for Wizard101. What is your favorite addition from this Spring Update?
To help you get started, the first 2000 to redeem the code “key” will get a random skeleton key in Wizard101! 🙂
Our Wizard artists have been hard at work this winter creating some really beautiful art including drawings, paintings, and everything in between! Each month we like to feature Wizard101 fan art submissions through or official social media like Facebook and Pinterest. There are always tons of creative works from dedicated Wizard101 players, and this month is no different!
We had many talented artists submit in the past few months, but here are some of our recent favorites:
Want to submit something creative of your very own? If you are under 13 years of age, ask your parent or guardian for permission to send us your screenshot. If you would like to submit something, send the picture and your character name in an email to community@wizard.com! Please attach no more than three images per email, and please limit total submissions to no more than nine screenshots in a month. Try to only submit your very best images!
Have you ever heard of South by Southwest (SXSW)? It is an annual set of film, interactive media, and music festivals and conferences that take place in mid-March in Austin, Texas. This past week, KingsIsle was lucky enough to host a booth at the SXSW Gaming Expo! It was an awesome experience as our first time hosting a booth, and we certainly hope it continues at future cons and expos. Check out some of our favorite moments from the event below, including our first ever KI not Live!
Crutch buddies unite!
While hosting the booth at SXSW, I noticed a mini-me on crutches and yelled out “Crutch buddies!” He smiled and came over to give me a fist bump. I promptly sat up and said, “Let’s race!” The crowd parted before us and we hobbled off. I don’t want to say I let him win, but HE WON THE RACE!
“You cheated!” I teased him and asked him if he had ever played Wizard101. He hadn’t so I got him and his family set up with a bunch of free Crowns codes and talked with them a bit. Next I asked him how he broke his limb, and he said, “I fell out of a tree!” Without batting an eye I yelled out, “ME TOO!” I told him and his family the story, and we all had a good laugh. Meeting my new crutch buddy was my favorite highlight of SXSW. -Tom
Mario, Luigi, and . . . Leala?!
Cosplay is always a big part of going to conventions and we saw some great costumes over the SXSW Gaming weekend. One of our favorites were a couple of very familiar plumbers who dropped by the KingsIsle booth, and we introduced them to Wizard101. “This-a is-a my new-a favorite-a game-a,” said the Mario cosplayer in full character. We had a good laugh and took some pictures with our new friends in familiar disguise. Mario and Luigi’s mom told us this was only the beginning of their cosplay antics.
Friendly Neighbors
Part of hosting a booth at a show is that you get to know the people at your neighboring booths and talk network a bit around your games. We had a great time talking with the guys who ran the “Brawlhalla” game booth, Minecraft booth, and also the Reaper Miniatures booth. At the Reaper Miniatures booth they actually let you paint your own plastic miniature for free! Vanessa Mythdust was visiting us for the day, and Tom and Vanessa took some time during the last hour of Friday night to paint a couple of miniatures together. Vanessa talks about it on her blog, the Untold Spiral.
The Voice of Dalia Falmea
We all know Professor Falmea from the forums is our beloved Leah Ruben, senior producer, but we had a surprise visit from the voice of Dalia Falmea (also known as Kat). Tom made a vine of the occasion to celebrate and selfies were taken left and right.
KingsIsle Devs Galore!
We were so happy to host a whole troop of developers from KingsIsle during SXSW. Officially hosted were Leah Ruben and Joel White from Wizard101 and Pirate101, Kevin Chin and Kevin Wienecke from the Mobile Team, and master doodler extraordinaire, Jeff Toney. Outside of our officially hosted devs, we had a ton of others who dropped by to help us out and talk about the games–it was hard to keep track of them all! One thing is for sure, our KingsIsle group is a fun loving and hardworking bunch.
KI not Live:
Where do you want to see KingsIsle host a booth next? Let us know in the comments and be sure to stop by and say hi at the next event we attend! 🙂
Despite the desert climate and always sunny skies, Cool Ranch lives up to its name as one of the “coolest” places in the Spiral. The journey may be a long one, but these wonderful tidbits make it worth it in the end!
#10 Bison Companions
Throughout your Pirate’s adventures in Cool Ranch you’ll meet many influential Bison. And after completing the quest “To the Rescue” in Elder Bluff, you can even add some Bison to the ranks of your crew. Perhaps the “coolest” looking of this Cool Ranch bunch is the aptly named Ghost Singer. He also comes with a healing ability that is always handy in battle!
#9 Stagecoaches
Added to Pirate101 in September of 2014, Stagecoaches are one of the most helpful features of Cool Ranch. Use these speedy transport options located at the docks of many areas to traverse the skyways like a breeze.
#8 The Magnificent Seven
When you first meet the Magnificent Seven, they are a retired band of heroic peacekeepers. Wyatt Chirp, Wild Bill Peacock, Calamity Jane Canary, Duck Holliday, Buffalo Bill, Bat Masterson and Billy the Kid are legendary in the Spiral. But with the emergence of the Wild Bunch in Tumbleweed, it’s up to you to convince them to come out of retirement and help the innocent settlers. And once you complete the quest “Payback” from Sly Winkum in Tumbleweed, you’ll even get to recruit one of the Seven to your crew!
#7 Puppet Shows
Puppet shows are one of the “coolest” parts of Pirate101 and Cool Ranch has several for Pirates to enjoy. In one of the newest additions, Thunderbird will tell you the story of William the Duck’s tragic descent into villainy in the Duck of Death puppet show available after the quest “The Enemy Revealed.”
#6 Funny Food References
Cool Ranch is packed with funny references to modern and historical culture. Even the name is familiar as a flavor of corn chips. Hidden Valley Ranch isn’t only an area in Cool Ranch, but also a brand of salad dressing. When you meet Corporal Sanders, try not to laugh as you think of this military chicken as the spokesperson for a fast food chain. Face off against Monterey Jack during the quest “The Legend of Burly’s Gold.” If you are lucky enough to be a Privateer, recruit him to join your crew and enjoy this cheesy pun any time.
#5 El Toro
Oh, what a tangled web the heroes of Cool Ranch weave. Friar Cluck tells you the tale of this mysterious hero in the El Toro puppet show after the quest “Who is that Masked Bull?” Our masked hero makes several appearances in quests, but always seems to slip away with a “T”-shaped slash of his sword and signature trumpet flair. Eventually you will learn his secret identity and even recruit the memorable hero to your crew after the quest “The Shadow of Death.”
#4 Timmy
You meet Timmy, the cutest little chick in the Spiral, while inquiring about the Magnificent Seven at the Desert Rose Tavern. As one of the Magnificent Seven’s biggest fans, he tells you all about them during their puppet show after the quest “Trouble in Tumbleweed.” Later, you join the Magnificent Seven in a daring rescue mission to save little Timmy from the hands of the Wild Bunch!
#3 Miranda
Near the end of your adventures in Cool Ranch, you’ll be tasked with visiting the ghost town of Miranda. You need to find the cards to play Captain Blood’s final hand and break his spell of immortality. The dungeon of Miranda is one of the most epic in all of Pirate101! Not only does this huge ghost town have a spooky vibe throughout, you can even take side missions within the dungeon to help the ghostly citizens. The dungeon ends with a showdown in the saloon versus the notorious Captain Blood, while all the town’s citizens look on. And if you are lucky, you might even walk away with one of the most coveted items in game, Captain Blood’s Jacket with the Blood Flames power attached!
#2 Deacon
In one of the final battles in Cool Ranch, you face off against the Armada elite, Deacon, who interrupts your mission to find Captain Blood’s treasure. He always seems to show up in time to ruin your plans, doesn’t he? It can be a challenging fight, so bring your best companions and some friends along for the fun. But once you’ve shown this foe a thing or two, you’ll get your hands on the second piece of Marco Pollo’s map! You’ll also get a new ship, the Santo Oro, as a token of your victory.
#1 Dos Amigos Y Uno
Inside the Gallo Loco Cantina in Santo Pollo, exists the most famous mariachi band in the Spiral, Dos Amigos Y Uno. Fans of the classic movie Three Amigos will enjoy this hilarious reference in game. They send you on a romp of a side quest to gather the required materials to join the band. This quest series culminates in the battle versus El Kaboing for a beautiful guitar. But watch out, he might just hit you with the guitar rather than give it up!
And that’s our list of the top 10 coolest things in Cool Ranch. Do you agree? What are the coolest Cool Ranch things that didn’t make our list?
Can you believe that Spring is almost here? 2016 has been flying by! With March in full swing, we are certainly ready for that springtime weather to kick in. And what have our Pirates been doing while keeping warm in the cold months of the year? Creating amazing fan art of course! We like to feature fan art submissions through or official social media like Facebook and Pinterest.
We had many talented artists submit amazing drawings, paintings and more in the past months.
Here are some of our favorites so far from this winter!
Want to submit something creative of your very own? If you are under 13 years of age, ask your parent or guardian for permission to send us your screenshot. If you would like to submit something, send the picture and your character name in an email to community@pirate.com! Please attach no more than three images per email, and please limit total submissions to no more than nine screenshots in a month. Try to only submit your very best images!
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