Grab your fishing pole Wizards, it’s time to hit the open water and find your prize. We’ve wanted to include fishing in Wizard101 since before its launch almost six years ago, and now it’s finally here!
What makes fishing different in the Spiral? Magic of course! Wizards cast a magical lure into open waters to create a truly unique fish. Don’t expect any boring ol’ Salmon or Marlin in the Spiral… instead we have rare species like the Deathacuda and the (potentially tasty) Fish Sandwich. If you love hearing about the new and exciting kinds of fish you can catch, make sure to check out the Fishapedia created by Mercenaries for Hire.
These dedicated Wizards have taken the time to catch, identify, and record each type of fish in the Spiral! Have you caught them all yet?
If you’re new to fishing or having trouble getting that prized catch, check out another one of our great fan sites. Duelist101 has created a Wizard101 Fishing Guide that will turn any junior angler into the Old Man and the Sea! This great guide covers everything from fishing basics to badges you can earn from your triumphs. It’s a must read for anyone who’s ready to dive into a world of magical lures.
Not a huge fan of fish? Well, that’s outrig-ragious (outrig… outriggers… get it?). That’s okay, even if fish alone aren’t your thing fishing can add great value to your Wizard. Sometimes instead of a fish, your Wizard can catch an elusive treasure chest. These chests are filled with cool items ranging from gold to Crowns items!
In the real world, one of the largest fish ever caught weighed in at nearly 1500 pounds! We’re not sure there are fish that big in Wizard101, but they definitely are going to be a lot more magical! What’s better is that you can show off your best fish in new fishtanks that will look awesome in your house. Look at this amazing “wall of fishtanks” that Paige Moonshade has created:
Let us know what you think of this new update, and what kind of fish you are looking forward to catching! Plus… think of the amazing aquariums you could build with all of these new, exotic fish!
Time for another Throwback Thursday, to showcase one of great Wizard101 articles printed in the Beckett Massive Online Gamer magazine. Originally printed in the Mar/April 2011 issue, this article focuses on Wizarding with a green thumb… gardening!
Wizard Mary, Quite Contrary, How Does Your Garden Grow?
That’s right! I fyou haven’t guessed it, the students of the Ravenwood School of Magical Arts are now using magic outside the battle c ircle and inside their houses to grow outrageous plants with unique personalities where harvesting bountiful rewards is just a click of hte “X” key away. Can you dig it?
It all starts at level 12 when Moolinda Wu, the Life Professor, requests Wizards pay her a visit to begin ascending the path to mastering all 10 levels of gardening (Novice to Grandmaster). Tending to plants and eventually harvesting them earns Wizards gardening experience (and loot) in this new, alternate way of progressing through Wizard101.
One of the first things you’ll notice as you begin to explore the new gardening system is a number of new vendors who sell gardening-related spells and give gardening quests. Look for the primary gardening trainer (Farley) tending to the lawn around Golem Court as you begin your new classes in Gardening.
Gardening 101
The basics of the system involve all the basics of real gardening: seeds, soil, tending to plants’ needs… and blasting the bugs that infest them with a Meteor Strike! Now that’s how Wizards take care of business.
Let’s break down the basics of gardening in the Spiral:
Step 1
Obtain seeds through drops, vendors, crafting, or through the Crown Shop. Those seeds determine the difficulty and type of plant you’re going to grow and the reward they’ll possibly return to you.
Step 2
Prepare a spot of soil outside your player housing or prepare a batch o soil in a pot for an indoor plant. This preparation involves casting a magic spell that doesn’t use mana from your blue globe but rather energy from your green and yellow globes. This is the same energy you use when training your pet.
Step 3
Plant your seeds and watch them grow! Plants grow at different rates, determined by the type of plant you have and the envrionmental conditions in which you are planting it. For example, if a seedling has a natural affinity for the plants that surround it, it may mature more quickly.
Step 4
Tend to your plants with magic. You can cast both permanetnly trainable spells and one-use treasure cards to fulfill your plants’ needs. AGain, you’ll find these spells from trainers, quests, drops, or through the Crown Shop. Although there isn’t an equivalent to the Mega-Snack pack for gardening to make yoru platns gro waster, there is a new special pack of cards that helps save you time by casting a global-effect spell to take care oftthe neesd of all your plants with a single action.
Step 5
Reap the rewards! Plants start as seedlings, grow to adolescence and then eventually become “elder” plants. Plants rward character sthroughout their life cycles. For example, one of hte first plants you encounter in the new gardneing system is the Baby Carrot (sold by the Wizrad City vendor). The rward a Baby Carrot plantgives is… a lot of different carrots! Throughout the carrot plant’s life cycle, Wizards have a chance to collect all the carrot pet snacks as rewards : the Flaming Carrot, the Diamond Carrot, and even the small chance of harvesting the Baby Carrot Mega-Snack Pack for your pets. All of those rewards are in addition to a small amount of gold that you receive as well from all plants.
Eventually, you harvest your plant one final time at the end of its life cycle. You know a plant has entered its elder phase because it begins to glow. At this final level of maturity, you can harvest your plant for a much bigger reward.
Step 6
Do it again! After your plant has been harvested at the elder level, it says good-bye and you can start the process all over again with a new seed.
By Tom Purdue
This article originally appeared in Beckett Massive Online Gamer Vol 6 No.2 on Mar/April 2011 and has been reprinted with permission from Engaged Enthusiast Media by Beckett.
What do you think Wizards, are you a fan of gardening?
Recently on FreeKI Games, we launched a new trivia system! Many Wizard101 and Pirate101 players rejoiced because of the prize associated with passing a trivia quiz… Crowns!
Here at KingsIsle, we were excited about the implementation of trivia for many different reasons. We thought it would give players a chance to stretch their brains and perhaps learn about new topics. Doesn’t everyone have a niche field that they know a lot about? As trivia continues to grow and we add more and more quizzes, we hope that every player can login to FreeKI Games and see a trivia topic that makes them go, “Oh! I know a lot about that!”
Plus let’s be honest… we knew that our players would be really excited about earning Crowns! With every trivia quiz that you pass with a 75% score or higher, KingsIsle will award 10 Crowns directly to your account. There is a limit of 10 trivia quizzes you can take per day, which means that if you pass all your quizzes you could earn 100 Crowns a day!
We love how this gives our players an additional opportunity to get access to Crowns, especially knowing that it can be hard for many young Wizards or Pirates to gain access to premium areas of the game or purchase some Crown Shop items otherwise.
Hopefully you’re enjoying FreeKI Games Trivia as much as we have enjoyed creating it! If you haven’t checked out trivia before, head on over to FreeKI Games to try it out. All you have to do is login with your KingsIsle account and start taking quizzes!
What we’d like to know from you all today is what kind of quizzes are your favorite? Are there certain topics you’d like to see more of within FreeKI Games Trivia? Tell us in the comments section below!
Time for another Throwback Thursday to one of great Wizard101 articles printed in the Beckett Massive Online Gamer magazine. Originally printed in the February 2010 issue, this article focuses on one of our favorite aspects of Wizard101 – school housing!
Ever since the update that introduced housing to Wizard101, people have been fascinated with making their very own personal home in game. KingsIsle has done one better, and in mid-December they introduced school specific houses. These homes (like most things in Wizard101) consist of two payment options. You can pay with gold or Crowns. The ability to pay for homes in either gold or Crowns is a great one, if you’re reluctant to spend Crowns on an item you can always save up your gold. The amount of space in these is amazing, and the layout of each home is exciting and unique to its Wizard school.
Another great feature is that you’ll be able to tour each home before deciding on whether you want to purchase it. These homes are sold in the Crown Shop, under the ‘Housing Items’ category. On the right hand side you will see a magnifying glass with a plus sign in it, clicking on that will allow you to port to the viewing version of this home. Once you enter, Myrella Windspar will be waiting to guide you around. She will act as your realtor, showing you each of the unique aspects to the home. By the time you’re done exploring you’ll probably have a new home in your bags, she’s just that good! Let’s see what each home is about.
Myth School House
Want to live on the shoulders of a giant Cyclops? Well, now you can. This home is multi-level, and when you first stand in front of it you can’t help but just gasp in awe. Rushing water pours out of your very own water fall, and butterflies flutter all over, not to mention you have an amazing view of a rainbow way up above. When you walk up the front steps you’ll come face to face with your very own swimming pool! Now you can have your friends over for that summer event (or winter, when you’re trying to get away from the cold!). The myth school house also comes with a large expanse of green grass, perfect for putting down those outdoor items. You’ll also get a pavilion with an incredible view; a path leads up to it. To reach the actual home, you’ll have to take a portal located on the right side of the yard and it will bring you to the upper levels. This home is really one of a kind; it even comes with an outdoor balcony complete with a rainbow bridge to walk across. Watch your footing!
The inside of the house is just as exciting; with music that really fits the atmosphere. Want an atrium? Now you have one. This house may remind you of a museum, with little nooks and crannies to store all of your precious treasures. Myrella Windspar will talk to you as you enter each room, and even give you ideas of what theme you may want in a particular room. AS with regular homes, the school specific ones each come with a bank to use.
Balance School House
Amazing statues grace the entrance to this home, old relics of ancient days that are still in fantastic condition. There’s a statue buried right in the center of it, which really gives the house a lot of character. There’s a guest house (or cottage if you prefer) on the left as you enter, it’s a bit of a fixer-upper but still fantastic for when you have friends over. You’ll have to head down a slope to get into the main house; it’s a bit tucked away.
As soon as you enter the main house, you’ll find yourself standing on a precarious edge, looking out at your vast home. It is fantastic; a number of rooms joined by swinging bridges, while a balance figure stands in the center with water rushing over portions of the statue. Myrella Windspar compares the home to an ‘open-air underground villa’ and she is right on.
Fire School House
Myrella Windspar is quick to mention that this house is a ‘red hot deal!’ – and she wasn’t kidding. The flames look like they should scorch anyone who walks into it, but thankfully you’ll remain unharmed. This home is a single tower on an island a safety feature for those Wizards dealing with fire magic. There are scorch marks along the ground, and flames lick every available space – the mark of a truly great fire Wizard! This home involves lots of ramps leading to each of the rooms, so be prepared to wear your walking shoes! This home also two entrances, one on the main floor or the ground floor below. Flame covered pillars hold up walk ways, and the raging inferno can be heard no matter where you stand. One of the most amazing rooms is known as the inferno room, with three walls of windows that are beneath the flames from outside. A portal in the room will take you to the attic space.
Ice School House
This house is frozen all year round, and sits on top of a giant glacier. There are ice flows and the whole atmosphere just makes you shiver in your seat. You can hear the window blowing as you walk along the ice bridges that connect the islands to the home. The inside of the house is made up of ice crystals, an ice fortress that is cold and frosty year round. The snow and ice glimmers and sparkles, not to mention who doesn’t want a house where it snows inside? There’s even an ice cavern outside, when the sun shines and reflects off all of the snow it lights up wonderfully. Like each of the other school homes, this one comes with a bank for you to use.
Storm School House
This is the only home located in an ocean, the clouds roll overhead and you can hear the anger of the storm that is all around. The home gives off the aura of a submarine, but with a few house items you can have it nice and cozy in no time! One of the best features? The house goes under water, and you get some amazing views in your very own aquarium. You even get your own lighthouse, and caves to sit and watch as storms roll by. Out of all the new school houses, storm is by far my favorite. The attention to detail with this house is just astounding.
Life School House
Ever wanted to live in a giant tree house? Well, now you have your chance. This house is nestled in the branches of an amazing tree, and the property itself is absolutely beautiful. It comes complete with water falls, and its own wading pond. Being able to live inside of a living tree is something that you’ll surely want to tell your friends about! There are even mushrooms and grass growing inside, as the sun shines through and covers everything with an amazing glow. Don’t forget to check out the amazing balconies, they give you a view that really can’t be beat. Everything is so tranquil and serene.
Death School House
Unlike the life school house, this house is dark and scary, candles light the path leading up to the front door, and a swimming pool with a broken diving board can be found along the left side. The house is mansion sized, with a huge staircase in the main room and even a dungeon where you can find a furnace working away. The music leaves players feeling as though a ghoul or goblin may jump out at any minute, and you may be scared to venture into the rooms all alone! Magnificent balconies will let you look out over the main hall, and the entire house has a very elegant haunted feel to it. Now just watch out for cobwebs!
Each home has a completely different feel to it that matches its school of choice perfectly. You’re not restricted to which type of house you buy, so even if you’re a death Wizard who loves the storm house, you can purchase it without any problems. Maybe you’re a life Wizard who secretly enjoys the bright flames of the fire school house. It doesn’t matter which house you choose (maybe you’ll want to own them all!) you will surely love the incredible attention to detail that comes with each one. Players are also allowed to own as many houses as they want, you equip them (activate them basically) from your inventory much like you do with pets, decks, and gear. Now, to figure out which one of these amazing houses I want!
This article originally appeared in Beckett Massive Online Gamer Issue 18 on May/June 2009 and has been reprinted with permission from Engaged Enthusiast Media by Beckett.
What about you Wizards… which school house is your favorite?
You may have read previously about our involvement in Texas game-related conventions, but in case you haven’t, here’s another reminder that KingsIsle loves to join in the fun and pitch-in on panels with useful information at our local conventions! In fact, we just participated a couple of days ago in Comicpalooza, which is a huge four-day International Comic Book Convention started in 2008, right here in Texas.
For our Wizard101 players, the name “Comicpalooza” might sound familiar since we run several sales events throughout the year like Pet-a-palooza, Mount-a-palooza, House-a-palooza, and more. I guess great minds must think alike! At the heart of Comicpalooza is a big emphasis on Comic Books with many for sale in the Dealer’s Room and get this, Stan Lee, the legendary comic book writer and Chairman of Marvel Comics, was even in attendance!
It’s more than just comics though — involvement in a big convention like Comicpalooza means you’ll also see fans dressed up as their favorite sci-fi, fantasy, comics and anime characters. Participants can also join in fun concerts and events; and if they’re a KingsIsle fan, attend our panels and discussions.
We talked a lot about several topics over four different panels which included family friendly board games (everything from Ticket to Ride to Munchin), Wizard101 and Pirate101 in general, voice acting, and how to get into the game industry. For those in attendance, we also passed out some Crowns codes and posters!
One of our avid KingsIsle fans, Deborah Kent, and her family attended Comicpalooza this year and even volunteered for the event. She later commented in an email to us:
“I loved watching all the interesting science fiction, fantasy, and gaming costumes and characters at Comicpalooza over the Memorial Day Weekend. Comicpalooza is a great place to meet like-minded people who love to dress up as your favorite characters. It was also wonderful to meet some of the staff behind Pirate101 and learn about how to become a creator of content for both Pirate101 and Wizard101. After the panel, I got to talk a bit to the content designer–the person behind some of the stories in Pirate101, and to One-Eyed Jack. He’s a rather slippery fellow, but still a very nice rabbit. Thank you for the crowns you gave out to everyone at Comicpalooza.”
Indeed, Comicpalooza was a great way to meet with our fans one-on-one and in a smaller setting while sharing insights and having a lot of fun. If you’re in the Texas area, we certainly hope you join us next time KingsIsle goes to a convention.
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