Have you had a chance to try out the different Elemental Powers each of the Rise & Destroy monsters have under their belts? They can be quite convenient when trying to be as quick and destructive as possible. Read on to learn a little more about each one:
Fire
Spread a fiery explosion! This Power comes in handy for clusters of buildings in close proximities. While the Fire Power is active, destroying one building in a close group will result in the whole bunch going down—you don’t have to waste time or effort terminating each building in the collection! But, be careful! Sometimes it is better to NOT use this Power when the buildings you are targeting are not right next to each other. Buildings that would otherwise fall in the direction of others and take them out will not do so when they catch on fire!
Monsters with this Power: Frankie Forearms, Trevor Wrecks, Baron von Grizzlemoose, Brimm Stone
Ice
Send buildings slipping and sliding! Attack a building while your Ice Power is active to send it gliding across the city and taking down anything it comes in contact with. Each structure that you or your sliding buildings take out while using this Power will turn to ice and slip across the city until it collides with something to destroy or stop it in its tracks. Pro Tip: the Ice Power is helpful if you are trying to hold onto your combo and your monster can’t seem to get from building to building quite quick enough!
Monsters with the Ice Power: Blubbertusk, Sharberus, Moleton, Ivan Crushclops
Volt
Send a gap-jumping bolt! Destroy a single building to electrocute and abolish every other structure in the surrounding area. This Power can be great to destroy those pesky blue glowing laser buildings you don’t want to get close to in order to take down! The best part about this Power? You can even electrocute humans! Those humans close enough to a Volted building will be stopped in their tracks.
Monster equipped with this Power: Mecha Wrecks, Flutterspy 042, Maw Maw, Manny Leggs
Do you have a favorite Elemental Power? Which one do you like the best and why? Tell us in the comments!
Is gaming a sport? Some say it is, some say it isn’t. Let’s take a look at both sides of the argument!
It totally is!
Earlier this year, MarketWatch called competitive gaming a worldwide phenomenon that’s “well on its way to becoming the next major professional sport alongside the likes of football and baseball.” In case you didn’t know, there are championships centered on gaming professionals—and people are watching them in numbers that rival the viewership of major sporting events like the World Series and NBA games.
“[Competitors] study strategy, technique and opponents,” pointed out e-sports event organizer Michal Blicharz in an interview with the BBC. “All the elements are there—the excitement, the adrenalin, players crying tears of sorrow and joy.”
What’s more, since 2013, the United States government has granted professional athlete visas to players traveling to the country to compete in electronic sports (or “e-sports”) tournaments, effectively recognizing the sport of gaming.
“Eventually it got to the point where they were like ‘We have no reason to say no…. OK, this is legitimate,’” Nick Allen, e-sports manager at Riot Games, told Forbes.
But what if you don’t play at a professional level? Kicking a football around the backyard may not be the same as participating in the Super Bowl, but it still counts as playing sports, and for many people, the same logic applies when gaming on the couch.
Photo from Xiant
It totally isn’t!
Sports take many shapes and forms, but the vast majority tend to be associated with physical exertion. That’s something gaming lacks, although after a long session your thumbs and wrists may beg to differ!
“Sitting down for hours in a darkened room playing computer games doesn’t strike me as sport,” Tim Warwood, former British snowboarding champion, told the BBC. “When I was a kid, sport was all about getting outside, getting wet, muddy, out of breath—you’re not going to get out of breath smashing your thumbs on a controller.”
The technological aspect is another sticking point for people who think the term “the sport of gaming” is an oxymoron, and that playing video games should never be considered an athletic pursuit.
As PC Magazine pointed out, “Even sports defined by their man-made tools, like fencing and archery, do not feature mechanized or computer-aided technologies.”
So, when it comes down to it, is gaming a sport? What do you think and why?
Read the first words found on the Rise and Destroy website and you may soon be scratching your head, “Long ago, in the world of SERVOs and Monsters…” You probably know what a monster is (just ask any three year old what’s hiding under their bed), but what’s a SERVO?
In short, SERVOs are old and mysterious machines that have been partners with the Monsters of Rise & Destroy for ages. Even better, SERVOs are intelligent machines that will benefit your monsters . . . they even have names! Let’s get to know our SERVOs and talk about what they can do for you.
Minerva – The Teleporter SERVO
Those pesky humans dissembled a lot of the SERVOs . . . all except for the mighty Minerva! When you first meet her, Minerva’s power is low, but still strong enough to send out a distress single to her monster pal, Trevor Wrecks. Minerva is the backbone of the monster cave and your best monster ally.
Minerva will occasionally require a bit of gold to teleport you deeper into the human lands, so keep a bit of money handy for when you reach level 30. Just think of all the new monsters Minerva will help you free.
Eva – The Energy SERVO
If there’s one thing everybody needs in Rise and Destroy, it’s energy. Eva, the Energy SERVO, controls how much Energy you have and how fast it regenerates. Be sure to Upgrade EVA whenever you can so you can keep attacking those cities.
Wellington – The Leveling SERVO
Wellington is the leveling SERVO. A monster’s visit with Wellington is like taking them to the gym. In fact, when Wellington is through giving your monsters a workout, they’ll be bigger, faster, stronger, and ready to tackle the most difficult of puzzles. Better yet? Monster abilities get even more powerful at levels 5 and 10.
Dooplo – The Creepling SERVO
Sure you have SERVOs to help your monsters, but what about your monster’s friends?! Yup, Dooplo, the Creepling SERVO, allows you to clone 4 different types of Creeplings and power them up as well. How would you like a bonus chance at spawning an additional creepling when you use one? Level up Dooplo, and that wish could become a reality.
Blaze – The Fire SERVO
Blaze is the fire SERVO. Blaze is best buddies with monsters like Frankie Forearms and Brimstone. They’re such good friends that if you level up Blaze, your fire monsters are going to burn brighter (and longer) than you imagined. GO BLAZE!
Shiver – The Ice SERVO
Shiver is as cool as his name sounds. Monsters like Blubbertusk and Sharberus will thank you for leveling Shiver up. When you do, ice attacks can get pretty powerful . . . they can even create shields or freeze your opponents in place!
Static – The Volt SERVO
Love the zap you get when using Flutterspy 042 or Manny Leggs? If yes, then Static is the SERVO for you. Static will charge up your Volt Monsters and can send them flying on the screen! For example, at Rank 6, Static can give monsters a nice speed boost.
Now that you’ve become a bit more familiar with the SERVOs found in Rise & Destroy, which one is your favorite? Which one are you currently leveling up? Let us know in the comments below.
Each year for 12 Days of the Spiral, KingsIsle holds a contest for players to earn crowns by showing off their creative skills. This year we asked players to design a festive holiday ornament using a template that we provided. Wizard101 and Pirate101 fans submitted over 3,000 unique designs to this contest! Our judges had a difficult task in choosing the best of the best this year, with so many amazing designs entered into the contest. The talent and creativity of KingsIsle fans never ceases to amaze. Without further ado, below are this year’s winners!
Grand Prize Winners (click to view larger size):
Runners-Up:
Honorable Mentions:
Congratulations again to our winners and thank you to everyone who submitted designs to this contest. We appreciate your continued support and wish everyone a happy holiday season and wonderful new year in 2016!
It’s that time of year again! The holiday season is all about giving, but coming up with unique gifts for gamers isn’t always easy. If you’re nervously eyeing the calendar and still waiting for inspiration to strike, take a look at these gaming gift ideas for the different types of Wizard101 players among your family and friends.
The Animal Lover
Some people love animals so much, it may seem as if they prefer dogs, cats, and more exotic creatures to humans! If this description fits a gamer in your family, that person is bound to appreciate the chance to stock up on Mega Snack Packs for current Wizard101 pets, or even add a new member to the menagerie. Feliz Navidad has returned to the Shopping District and holiday pets are back in the Crown Shop, so there’s no better time to give the gift of Crowns to your animal-obsessed relative. Add a personal touch by drawing a picture of the pet you think the recipient will choose to get, or buy a stuffed animal equivalent so your family member has another gift to open!
The Vehicle Fanatic
From toy cars to real-life motorcycles, flashy vehicles are simply irresistible to some people. If you’re trying to think of Wizard101 gifts for the vehicle fanatic in your family, we have one word for you: mounts. These vehicles of the Spiral come in pretty much every form imaginable, including classic brooms, shimmery sea creatures, soaring birds of prey and swirling balls of vines. Mounts that come with Bundles are often particularly special, so if you know your relative has been eyeing the Two-Player Mystic Skiff Mount in the Mystic Fishing Bundle or the Celestial Wolf Mount in the Evergreen Bundle, make his or her holiday season with a special online delivery.
The Social Butterfly
In the real world, some people are wallflowers and others are social butterflies. The same is true of Wizards in the Spiral—some prefer to fight solo (even against bosses!) and others ask for help even with street battles. Of course, most of the time, members of the latter group don’t actually need assistance… they just enjoy the company! If you have a Wizard101-playing social butterfly in your family, set down your money and pick up some card stock, then put your art skills to the test by creating homemade “coupons” good for one side-by-side or PvP battle whenever your relative wants. Gotta love a gift that brings family together and doesn’t break the bank!
The Ultimate Gamer
Brainstorming gaming gifts can get tricky when someone in your family is an ultimate Wizard101 gamer. You know the type—Level 100 with pets and mounts galore, tons of rare housing items and the best battle gear available anywhere in the Spiral. With a family member like this, it’s practically impossible to come up with unique gaming gift ideas, which is why going back to basics may just be your best option: How about a one-month, six-month, or 12-month prepaid Wizard101 membership?
Whether your family features an animal lover, a vehicle fanatic, a social butterfly, an ultimate gamer, or a combination of the four, this list will save you from scratching your head over gaming gifts to buy this year.
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