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[kaneowldust]

Report 23: To Boldly Go Where No Wizard Has Gone Before

Dusting the sand out of my hat, it is time to head trek after the Spider and Melori. The most likely place is to the heart of the Spiral al la Empryea, a piece of the world so hidden and shrouded that not even the Spider and the Raven can touch it. Thus we must brave the storms of the aethyr and sail away in an Ark. Our first steps were to find a Sky Captain (I miss you Pirate101) that could reverse the skyways to Empryea. After a refusal from Captain Colledge, he directs us to the true captain who said out of the Aethyr-James T Pork and Doctor Beans. A bit of a ham but does know his stuff all things considered. Our first trek ends up a bit bumpy as a storm forces the ship to crash on Aeriel. Turns out Aeriel is a common place of shipwrecks for those straying too close to Empryea. This jungle environment is not the most spectacular place. We’ve seen jungles before…granted a lot less wet. But looking around there are a lot of different races scattered about Nowhere Town-humans, Marleybonians, fish people (?). Unfortunately, we are current stranded as the Lux Capacitor is damaged and we need a new Strom Crystal to keep the ship steady. 

That’s where we must deal with the Beastmen and Master Kahn. Once we have convinced Kahn to give back the capacitor, he joins us on our way to Zanadu. Aeriel is not the most difficult place to work through but that could be from all the side quest grinding I’ve been messing about with…except the Beastmen Club. Meanie cheaters….

Using a pod, we have gotten ourselves to Zanadu where Shadow Creatures have taken over the city and the Alphoi live in ignorant bliss inside the Leisure Dome. Rallying these folks to fight by your side will not be easy as most have just given up and let the city be overwhelmed by the Shadows. None of them really believe that Kahn is their king now returned. Hey could be worse, guy, ye could be cursed into a dragon. The Bat has holed himself up in the palace along with Ziggy Stardust and Melori though the full scope of his plans is unknown. The environment has a bit of a retro futuristic aesthetic to it with KI doing what they can to still keep it in the fantasy palettes of the game. 

The Alphoi are…interesting. Not the most varied of creature aside from Ziggy and Knightwing. Word is Knightwing is the Bat’s sidekick. Granted so far, we have not seen the other of Spider’s children really working in compliance with denizens of the Spiral so this is a puzzling one. Also, we shall be fighting the Cabal as they are also trying to snatch up Melori. 

But wait, aren’t the Cabal supposed to be working with the Spider and his children? What strange puzzle is this? Anyhow Killer Krok is our first match where he mentions their leader known as Medulla. There is a LOT of back and forth going in this area. The city feels pretty small with enclosed instance battles to give a sense of a larger space. I’m not even too mad about that. It’s about the same scale as Polaris. The real challenge is ferreting out the Bat himself. But once we have caught up to him, Melori is taken away by a floating brain thing…and the Bat escapes.

Turns out Melori has been taken to be used to break the Paradox chains; the thingies keeping the Heart in place. Great. Now we have to make our way to the fire and ice chunk Athanor to try and get to the chain first. With another crash the ice dwarves blame your ship and the fact you’ve got Shadow Magic at your fingertips. Yeah, you messing with the Shadows has kinda marked you as a bad guy and you have to fight off the attacking citizens before Pork and one of the councilmen can calm things down. 

There is rising tension between the already tense relationship between the fire and ice dwarves and it takes a lot of effort settle things. Athanor isn’t large like Zanadu. Unlike Zanadu this uses a bit of assets mostly the rocky golems from Polaris.

All this tension turns out to be a trap to leave the Temple wide open to attack. The Bat has snuck in with an essence cannon though the full scale of his plan is…confusing? But we might’ve messed things up as apparently the Bat is…on our side…kinda? Well, he doesn’t want Spider getting his heart-why? We don’t know. But brain guy has Melori under his control and she blows up the first Paradox Chain. We are able to stabilize the world but now it’s a race to get Melori out of the clutches of Medulla before that happens. 

The Cabal has set up a headquarters inside a squid and with some bait we get into the gullet. With Bat more of less fighting alongside us, still don’t know his deal, we shut down various defenses before heading into the brain. But Medulla was playing us, forcing us to fight Spark, Pork, and Beans along with Medulla. Fortunately, we had some heavy hitters on the team. But then Bat says that Melori is a liability and tries to kill her. So…. yeah. 

And to make it even worse, Raven is done with the conflicts and decides to wipe out the Spiral. Oops. Sooooooo looks like we’ve might have made things worse…like a lot worse…our bad. So, if this is the end of the Spiral, we’re really gonna take to the sky, my friends.

[kaneowldust]

Report 22: Come on Down, Stop on By, Hop a Carpet and Fly

So, once again we have gone to the desert. Bartleby has gotten worse and he is trying to recall something very important. Ambrose suggests we try to find the Eye of History that Malistaire stole early in your adventure. Again, it was never said when you began your journey why he took the eye in the first place, only that he did. Going inside his home you come across another student who is trying to retrieve Malistaire’s journal. He is, or is trying to, gain a position in an organization known as the Cabal. Duncan falls pretty easily to your spells especially if you’re like me and do all the side quests before moving on. From the Arcanum we learn the Cabal has positions in the world of Mirage and it’s your best lead.

Getting there isn’t as easy though. The door disappeared into the Sands of Time and you have to put the door back in place. Upon arrival, we come to the canyons of Mirage-a world based off the Arabian Nights concept. In Caravan the merchants have been chased off by vultures and tengrils and you need to rescue them before getting any leads to the Cabal. Once that is done-the Mr. Clean genie directs you to a temple that has been broken open and the previously dead tyrant Xerxes has been brought back. 

So now the Cabal has to wait as stopping Xerxes’ rise to power by uniting the splintered power factions of Mirage in a united stand.

So now everything shifts to this goal and the Eye and Cabal are put on hold since this is considered more important. Your goal is to clear out Aggrobah’s crime problem and unite the Quat Houses. Our first stop is Aggrobah where we meet the Sultana and her genie assistant. The King of Thieves has let the three gangs pretty much overrun the city and then fled to parts unknown. Our job is to force the Thuggies, Fangs, Ferals into a truce. Ali Baboon agrees pretty quickly but Loother Ray and Achmad need a bit more convincing. 

On a side tangent I do like how they’ve made the hub areas a bit more alive than before. Like hearing crows chatter and more people walking around in the hub world instead of just staying in place. They did do that starting in Khrysylis-though I suppose it is because of the two different tones of the worlds that Mirage is more alive.

Also, we have a very big variety of enemy types. Genies, cobras, tabby cats, Persian cats, skeleton cats, boa constrictors, Siamese cats, baboons, pythons…here there are more variety of cat enemies in Mirage than there were in Marleybone which only had two models. They do also have some variance to Boss models of their respective clans. Then we have the introduction of Faction Rewards. Faction Rewards come from defeating a certain number of enemy types and allowing you to buy clothes, wands, and housing from that Faction in addition to the usual (defeat X number of X enemy badges). We also get Dual type enemies, basically where Bosses can have two mastery schools to utilize against you. This can be either a boon or a bane depending on your school and forcing you to think a bit more strategically this time.

And back onto the track after getting control back from the crime lords our next task is uniting the Quat houses. There are three families of Quats each dealing with a different issue in their districts that it is up to you to resolve. The Tabbi and Purresian houses are fighting for rights over the manor with the Benni Jesserit claiming authority over the final decision. We must go down to the Wyrm grounds and assist the heir but also free him from mind control.

In House Calixo, the Baron has gone mad from his illness and is either imprisoning or exiling all his heirs. The only heir that stands a chance against him is the eldest Teddy who was sent to Istanboa-a city of serpents. From there you must stage a jailbreak with the help of the Mongools as well as take Kobra Commander out of power.

And finally house Sayameez where there is a civil dispute over the Basking Grounds. The Ice minors are kept down in the cold while the upper class just lounge about in the sun all day. From here you must get an artifact that will force conversation and peace talks. These areas aren’t particular large or long, but are still packed with enough. Also, the storyline and procession are pretty straight forward compared to Khrysillys and Polaris. 

Areas are locked off until you complete a section and you can track your progress a lot easier. Once united you face off against Xerxes who turns out to also be The Scorpion, one of Spider’s children. With the right help you can finish off this fight pretty easily. But wait! There’s more!

Yeah, Xerxes was just the distraction as the genies of the various houses have been swapping out the Chronoshards you’ve retrieved and swapped with fakes to give to Grandfather Spider. With the Chronoshards in hand and the Chronoverge under his control he is going to turn back time to the First World.

 Also, the Cabal finally gets mentioned again. Turns out they are a schism from the Arcanum that feels the current world is broken and sick and needs to be reforged back into the First World to make things right. They never told you because they didn’t trust you since you dabbled in Shadow Magic and did set Grandfather Spider free in the first place.

You do manage to beat Spider in the Sands of Time, but know that if you do kill him, the Spiral will fall since his Heart was used to string the spiral into stability. I do like that the deities are a bit more gray area in this game. Raven says she needed Spider’s heart to complete the spell, in which afterwards she just tossed him into a well because he apparently loved the First World too much and refused to move on. I am saving judgement on Bartleby as he has not been as involved with the hazy memory but hopefully, he becomes more of a character in later stories. Also, you aren’t exactly in Raven’s favor anymore so she could strike you down if she feels she needs to.

When it comes to world length, Mirage is definitely one of the better worlds. It is longer than Polaris but not as long as Azteca. Also, it does not take as long (comparatively) to get the enemy badges as you only need to acquire 100 instead of 250 or a 1000. But the Spider is still out there as well as one of his Children and he’s captured Raven’s daughter. So, after wresting against a few more Djinn, I’ll head out to a new adventure…and hopefully not take as long as before. Take to the Sky my friends!

[kaneowldust]

No I am totally not wasting time taking down Purresians to get a magic carpet

[kaneowldust]

Momentary Hiatus

Greetings to those who have chosen to read the ramblings of a simple Ice school wizard,

My computer of many years has decided to finally kick the bucket. A new computer is on its way, but it will be a bit before a Mirage report is up. Thank you for your patience.

~~Kane Owldust~~

[kaneowldust]

Have You Heard? There is a Wizard in St. Walruskberg

And so we must continue out trek. Bartley is sick and we must figure out why. He manages to give us a hint to trek to the cold land of Polaris “where the land meets the sky”. Upon arriving, you are under the regime of Empress Antuskette who has taken over Polaris and has put the Penguins under her flipper. The hub is based off Russia’s architecture mainly based off Moscow. I will admit this is one of the best hub areas I’ve seen to date. The streets have various levels and the buildings have different twists and turns. If there is one issue though is that it is difficult to navigate and know exactly where to go without the assist of the quest helper arrow. The streets are not as well marked, but this is a minor detail.

Upon arrival to find the polar bear who can lead you to the witch Baba Yaga for assist is under arrest in the stockades after a bar fight. The penguins are willing to assist, but only after you help with their revolution. Okay, so it will be like the Monquista’s quest line where you subtlety undermine various authority channels before striking directly at the regency. This doesn’t last long. After a few missions of setting free a ballet dancer and a couple of breakouts in the Bastille, you are already fighting against the queen and dethrone her. The hub changes to showcase the victory of Penguins and we’re all set. Admittedly, this was a bit of a disappointment. The outside areas of the harbor and the bastille aren’t even that big of areas either. Not getting caught by the penguins and seals can be a bit of a trick though.

Once the empress has been removed, you briefly see Rasputin before he flees and leaves the Empress to her fate. Now our trek takes us into the snow bound lands outside the city that has been taken over by trolls and mammoths. Again, they aren’t big areas. They don’t even feel big. I guess they just feel really small compared to Khrysalis’ world areas. Sure it is more densely packed with more details compared to Khrysalis, and yet somehow it feels a lot more empty. After fighting Baba Yaga to get her attention, she shoves us off to see the Arouracle who gives cryptic conformation of the Spiral meeting its doom in a soonish state and the best we could do is stall it.

After this we are whisked off to another world area known as the Arcanum. The best way to describe the Arcanum is like the Justice League/Avengers. Each school of magic is represented by a different scholar and Baba Yaga is the Scholar of Myth magic.  Also you’re in big trouble. Turns out Old Cab whom you freed back in the depths is the ancient spirit of Shadow: grandfather Spider who has a big ol vendetta against the Spiral and seeks to wipe it off the map to begin anew. After being sent to various Worlds to gather additional clues, we are given an additional piece of Spiral History. During the First World there was a Seam of Balance and Light and Shadow magic were free to roam about but in something of a harmony. 

When the Titans fought, the Seam was torn asunder and shattered the First World where Bartleby sang a song of creation to tether the pieces to create the Spiral. Also you have gained the attention of Grandmother Raven who is less than pleased with you what with all the dabbling in Shadow magic and digging up ancient secrets best left alone. I have a feeling that several higher powers might be on our heads before this is all over.

Turns out Rasputin has been using the imprisoned Penguins were interred in the mines to fig up ancient power stones to build a giant Titan sized golem to break an artifact called the Sky Anchor-a stone that keeps the Spiral in place and not flying off into the void. Enemies-wise again we have a nice variety from penguins, polar bears, and shattered golems. Even the trolls have been redressed up to give them a unique feel to the area. This is also the first time that the bosses will use Pets as part of their mechanic. A few will have both Shadow Magic and Pet assistance though those are few and far in-between. I do like the design of the Rat-one of Spider’s children who shares his hatred and will work to destroy the Spiral. He does get away, but it is heavily hinted that we will encounter him again.

I wish there was more I could say about the world, but this area is so short like the first couple worlds short. Given what is world is based off on there was so much passivity they I feel was rushed. I get that time is not on our side anymore, but this world does still like a bit of a cheat. At least we get a new spell out of the deal which I suppose isn’t too bad. I’ll admit the Snowball Barrage gives quite a few new possibilities of battle. Until then, take to the sky my friends.

[kaneowldust]

Report 20: Sidequest Logs, Alright!

So I decided to take a bit of a detour with the main story, as far behind as I am, and clean up some sidequest dungeons in my backlog outside of fishing and crafting. Namely Aquila, Helephant Tower, and Marleybone side dungeons. I will say the way queue system the game put in in a heavenly godsend as it is SO much easier to get a party of four outside of shouting in the commons or posting in the forums.

The Helephant Tower is…an odd dungeon. So the basis is that someone broke into Belladona’s office and stole a jewel known as the Heart of the Helephant. Our mission obviously is to get into the tower and take it back. So it’s one of those tower slog dungeons. Here is where it gets….odd. Okay, who decided to put the hardest bosses in the first round? You fight against two barbarian parodies who have several cheats attached. One you can’t trap and they will steal your blades. Plus one casts a 90% tower shield on themselves each round. Even when you get rid of the gimmick partner, the shield guy will cast a hard hitting leviathan spell every two rounds. After that the rest of the dungeon is relatively easily.

Aquila is where things got a bit dicer. Technically at level 30 you get an invitation to participate in a series of yearly challenges set by the gods of the Grecian based world of Aquila. Once you talk to Cyrus, he will send you to Colossus Boulevard where a special chariot is awaiting your arrival. This is the only way to get to Aquila. 

There is no World Door for this level. In the Garden of Hesperides, you get a brief introduction to each challenge of the Immortal Games before being sent on your way. There are three challenges depending on your level. The first one is at level 30 where you must go to Mount Olympus and go through a series of fights and puzzles before reaching Zeus who admits he was holding back out of good sport. You face the most amount of gods here as Athena is your guide and commenter in this round. You fight Apollo, Aries, and possibly Eris if you fail the puzzle as well.

Our second round is at level 60 where you must delve into the depths of Atlantis and under Hermes’ direction-take the two Sea Cow statues from Poseidon’s children. You also free a cursed Aquillian warrior and please the sirens. Poseidon also starts using cheats as he cannot be trapped. Since I was level 103 at this point, these could be done on my own.

The last one, Tartarus, requires a full party. Just about every boss has a cheat and can be very difficult to defeat solo especially at level 90. Cerberus is perhaps the hardest boss out of all of them as one head is surrounded by Tower Shields and the other will absorb your traps. Out of all the levels I will have to give it credit that Tartarus looks the most intricate of the three dungeons. With Mount Olympus, a lot of the structure feels like Wysteria with an added coat of Grecian paint. 

But compared to the dead palate of Khryalis it is a welcome setting. Atlantis suffers the most here as most the backdrops we have seen from Celestia. This is also the dungeon with the least variant of monster designs as, again, many seem to have been pulled from Celestia’s assets. While Tartarus takes place underground, there is a nice sense of desolation and creepiness. Plus you can find some nice housing items to take. Hades will also drop modified Mastery Amulets down here and just my luck I get the Ice one. The ICE one. The one absolutely useless to me since I am in the ice school.

At level 90 three more challenges are open to you. Each area also has an additional side boss you can fight for an extra badge. Aquila has the smallest amount of badges with a total of 6 you can obtain: one for each dungeon and one for each mini boss. For these side bosses I suggest a full party as they can have some of the highest health and vicious cheats that can really ruin your day. And Earthquake. Bloody earthquake. Nothing ruins your blade stacks like Earthquake am I right?

Aside from that, this is more of a distraction since you don’t get a bunch of benefits from here at later levels. Or maybe because I was spoiled from Pirate101. Okay, enough distractions, let’s get into the cold winds of Mother Polaris! Take to the sky my friends!

[kaneowldust]

Report 19: Down Came the Shadow and Washed the Spider Out

And so after two months on a fantasy treatise (seriously how the hell did it get that long) we are finally going to take the fight to Morganthe herself. Unfortunately her stronghold is across a violent ocean and is still protected by the Shadow drenched Alcazar and Solar Arcs which are temples to the Star and Sun magics akin to what the Eclipse Tower was. Of course getting past the sea was not going to be an easy task. Our first job was to make allies with the Hoppers-a kangaroo variant of the mouse races. From there we learn only one rodent has ever gotten across the maelstrom-a rat who recites a lot of passages from Moby Dick.

Getting across the sea is basically baiting a sea monster and riding on it through the sea. I will admit this is kinda one of my more hated dungeon instances. It’s not long, but it can be brutal as you are dealing with several waves of increasingly harder enemies until you deal with Cthulhu monsters that are a real pain to deal with especially if you’re a class that doesn’t do a lot of damage. Once you get to the ruined Alcazar flooded with flying squirrel ghosts you have to fight to free the Celestial Beasts to bring back a new school of Star Magic. It is also here where you are taken to the past, or rather a colored version of the past, of Morganthe.

 Essentially you could say that Morganthe is a shadow of the player. Someone who possesses capable skill with magic and is ambitious, but lacks patience and restraint. So her, magic should be pushed as far as it can go without thinking about meager things such as consequences and everyone else who tried to steer her from this path is just holding her back out of jealousy and spite. Heck, the fact she drags Malistaire from his eternal rest and pump him full of Shadow Magic just because he was instrumental in her expulsion from Ravenwood just shows the length of her personal biases. Playing her avatar can be a bit tricky as your spells are limited and you have to act fast enough or be wiped out.

Once passing the ocean and the Alcazar you delve into the city of the mantises, Sardonyx. Though notably more lively than Bastion, Lost Wood, and Bumbler Town largely due to the preferences given by Morganthe. In return, mantises get sent as tributes to be reformed into Spider Weavers. Also bees get turned into the numerous Goliaths that you have been fighting against for some time. A bit of a twisted thing isn’t it? Basically Morganthe has no qualm twisting others to suit her needs. Sure, Malistaire turned his wife into a Wraith at one point, but as far as we knew that would be as far as he would have gone. Inside Sardonyx you also learn more about the insectoid rebellion forces known as the Fifth Column. Which is strange because those loyal to the Shadow Queen are called the Second Column so…what happened to the First, Third, and Fourth. Or did I miss something? Bees? Moths, Scorpions, Spiders, Centipedes? I’m so confused. You also fight against other creatures who have high standing with the witch from places such as Avalon and Zafaria. This is also where you learn further with Shadow Magic.

Our first tasks deal with treading through the desert and making treaties with both the Hoppers and Barbarians-more vicious micefolk that roam the desert. The Solar Arc tests you against every element of magic from Balance to Shadow. Once the beasts are free from Morganthe’s spell you are given one free Shadow Spell and for a low hitting class such as Ice-the Dark Nova is a boon plus your small bonuses gained from the Malistiare set. But if you don’t put up enough traps and blades up fast enough the backlash will hurt.

And finally we get into the Hive where we see the machines that convert the Bees and Mantises to “higher” forms. I will admit the environment of the Hive is rather lackluster especially when compared to the other areas. It’s just a greenish stone cave with a few webs and ladders here and there. The rat who has lead you to this place also guides you to a mysterious dark hole where sectors tell you to go back as the rat as a liar. This is where we meet Old Cob. A mysterious hooded figure who seems to know a lot about Shadow magic and how the Hive works. He assists you in returning converted into their original forms and seems just fine with trashing Spider Magi. In fact, they seem quite scared of Old Cob. I wonder why…

Granted I did get lucky to get in with a high level party to make the Morganthe battle easy. I might go back again and see how her fight fares on even level parties so I can see the full scope of her move sets. Just luck of the queue I guess. That being said, this feel like a lot more focus and getting to the point than Azteca though I’d argue that Aztec dinosaur land had a lot more variety and detail to its landscapes and world building than Khrysalis does, but at least the story doesn’t drag. 

Sure you are doing a lot of repeat fights but the story is actually moving on. What you are doing is weakening the barriers into the Shadow Palace. Even minute main and side quests do actually feel like things are going forward and aren’t as repetitive as Azteca. I do find it humorous that there has not been a real graduation in like forever according to Mr. Lincoln which makes me wonder about Ravenwood’s teaching capabilities. Like do people just give up and do other occupations? Why so low a graduation rate? There is much to know.

 Oh and Old Cob might be the Spider God or something I dunno. He just sent evil spider creatures to sew havoc and make the World Tree worried. I’m sure there is nothing to worry about. Take to the Sky, my friends!

[kaneowldust]

Report 18: It’s a Hard Bugs Life...For Us

I apologize for the lack of updated content. Life has made it so I cannot play the game as often as I would like.

And so with failing to stop doom from coming to Azteca, we must chase after Morganthe before she learns the Song of Night from her captured Aztecian ghosts and remakes the world as she sees fit. With the Council of Light brought back together again, you must chase the witch to her home world Khrysalis, a world broken away from the Spiral pathway. Your first task is to fashion a key from various components from a dying rock before entering. Once inside the Council has you pretend to be joining the army of Morgathe in order to sneak about and gather information. Upon entering you see that the world has been broken to ruin, crystal and shadow and crawling with bugs. I do like the variety of the bug designs because it can be difficult to make insects with anthroporphic traits without them looking off or too cartoony especially if they’re classified as threats. 

We have three basic designs aside from the bulky goliath bruisers and robe wearing bug eyed ant things (I don’t know what bugs the goliaths and weavers are based off on) that we have fought several times over since Celestia. We have the slender mantises, the armored bees, and strange armed centipedes. So far this is one of the favorite enemy designs for worlds so far. But dear Bartlby do I despise those hornets. Seriously those things an absolute pain to avoid. At least with the Emperya update they count as enemy kills for a badge.

Khrysalis is a world that hints as being once a beautiful and vibrant world before being besieged by a war that has been going on for centuries? Again the Wizard101 timeline is a confusing thing. For our first half has us traversing back and forth between the Bastian, the deep and mazelike Tyrian Gorge, and the forested Moon Cliffs. We also learn that there has been a decades long resistance from the mice clans. While I get the whole war on all fronts thing, it can be a bit annoying when you have to bounce between areas and going back and forth in the Silent Market even with their teleporters. One other thing that bugs me if you’re often told to fight the same group of enemies repeatedly. It can be rather annoying. Like come on you just had me right 6 of those darn ice bees and now you want me to take out ten more?

As you traverse between the areas, you learn a little more about Morgathe and the world’s history. In your youth Morgathe grew impatient in her failure to learn Celestial magic and took it out on everyone else as the problem. She also taunts you thought your missions as you try to rescue the queen bee from her spellcasted mutation and later free the Moon Tower from the shadow grip. From here one out, you are given to play with a new mechanic Shadow Magic. 

Shadow Magic works a bit differently from your regular spells. For one, you need Shadow Pips to make them active. Second is the more tricky part. Depending on how successful you managed to trip the boost requirements is the backlash. For example I have the Shadow Guard equipped which draws away attacks from other players to me. The more hits I take the less backlash when the spells wears off. And I have had it knock me out a couple times before I figured out exactly how it works. There are others outside your school that you can play with, but this is what I decided to use my training points on to use since I mostly shield others in group fights anyway. So far the Shadow spells available to you are booster spells and no attack spells, but they might come later as we progress.

I have noted that a lot of areas require you to have someone play with you or at least make it real difficult for solo wizards. As someone with a shaky Friends list, this can be a real pain. Don’t judge my large use of minion hires. I can afford it. But at least Queues are a thing now because they would make the Malistire farming thing so much harder. 

Oh right, around level 100 you unlock the side mission of Ken Devarsi in which the maddened undead Malistire has come to challenge you before unleashing his obsessed wrath upon the Spiral. That has three dungeons you must progress though before fighting him. 

And at least it does not take as long to get to his boss fight as the battle in Dragonspyre *shudders remembering the hours farming him when Dragonspyre as the last world*. From the dialogue though I guess you were supposed to fight him after finishing Khrysalis? Then again timelines can be confusing in this game.

As to the environments, as aggravating as it is bouncing between the areas as last they have their own flavors despite being a ruined world. The Tyrian George has multiple levels and passages as well as the fortress. Moon Cliffs has the flowering fields of the Burrow hideouts, the burnt out passages of Fallow, and the honeycombed forest of the Bee kingdom. Once the Eclipse Tower has been freed from the shadow, the Bastion aka main hub of Khrysalis will drastically change and all the NPCs except those who give you quests will be replaced by the mice. It’s a nice touch. We saw a hint of this with the falling ice in Azteca after we clear the Xibalba dungeon, but this is a noted change. Another thing to note is that for a time certain NPC’s will fight you and join you in battle….sort of.

 Rather they give you boosts to your attacks that stay with you though the fights such as an attack boost or a critical ratio boost. Which is nice because some of the fights can be real…harrowing. After taking the fortress, the burrowers, bees, and mantis on your side will do what they can to secure the area while you must find a way to traverse across the ocean. And that is where I will take my break so tighten up some better equipment and spells. Until then, take to the sky my friends.

[kaneowldust]

Report 17: Land Before the Spiral

It has been some time since I have written any reports. After dealing with other life stuff and odd studies I am finally back into my Ice School studying and I suppose saving the world. Our first introduction is from a Quetzal that has arrived in Marleybone with a distress message for Merle Ambrose. We are sent to investigate since we have yet to know Morganthe’s cryptic warning after stealing back her Shadow Deck. Azteca is from the first worlds before Bartleby broke everything up and while there are traces of destruction from the past-they have rebuilt from those remains and have created a thriving civilization. But all is not at peace. The dread comet Xibalba has returned to finish the job and its impending collision has caused all manner of problems for the dinosaurs. The dead have risen with ravenous hunger and the raptors and triceratops are in fighting. Meanwhile you have to investigate the various temple pyramids left over from the first world as they seem to be the targets for Morganthe.

This world’s design is a notable step up with the world layouts and its inhabitants. There are multiple levels and dips and turns giving the vibe of a wild South American jungle. Each section also has its own unique feel with little confusion from between areas. There is notable difference between the close felt marshes of Saltmeadow Swamp and the lush leafy areas of Alto Alto. Contrary to Avalon the character designs are unique and a lot more detailed than previous creatures. 

Orate skirts, beaded sashes, and markings really bring them to life. These aren’t really designs you could reuse in another world without it looking out of place. The insect bruisers and wizards are also in force here as well.

If there is one complaint I have about this world is that it feels far too stretched out. There feels to no end to the great step pyramids and what we have to do in order to get in. The first two not feel as laggy as it’s mostly quell the numbers of the dead and rescue survivors or interrogate Monquistians and placate Moon Priestesses. But from then on the steps feel unnecessary. The most notable one is the Pyramid of the Moon. Because it was sunken during the old times it takes a lot more work to get inside. First you have to investigate the avian uprising in Alto Alto and rescue the princess priestess. Then your next task is to fashion a special key to get inside. But to make the key first you must quell a sibling dispute between the Gold Frills and the Green Horns to get the gold and gems needed to fashion the key. But then it must be blessed by a god spirit to enchant it. In order to do that you have to make a War Challenge avatar and then fight the spirit. Afterwards you have to delve into the lake and find ways to pass the crevice and steam barriers and THEN fight an old priest to get the secret entrance. 

The Falling Sky suffers similar problems. From unlocking the petal door and then getting an offering for the Oracle. And THEN fight an avian warrior to get to the village of pterodactyls and then rescue their generals and queen. And even after you survive the final pyramid you have to charge up the stone archer to get to Xibalba. The story felt like it would never end even with the constant reminder that there is a time limit.

Morganthe can be seen one step ahead in each pyramid supposedly cursing each temple and absconding with souls of the oldest dead with the help of a mysterious servant. You are then left alone with the temple guardians who look a LOT like Kroks. Just a theory I am thinking that Azteca was the origin world of Kroks since it was hinted in Krokotopia that they arrived in the dessert clinging to wreckage. 

The final area takes place aboard the comet Xibalba where we face an invincible Malistaire all wraith like and stuff and he’s got more than a few bones (and undead dinosaurs) to pick with you. 

And after all that? The comet is gonna fall anyway. Basically you failed and this world is doomed. Which is…surprising for Wizard101 I’ll be honest. Pirate101 tends to be the darker tale with some story wide consequences and I’ll admit this threw me for a loop. Well nothing to dwell on now. Time to hit the roads and recruit the Council of Light…or craft that war shield before things go boom. Take to the sky, my friends.

[kaneowldust]

Report 16: Quest for Avalon

And so after a month of ink drawings and another monthtime of writing stories, we’re finally back on our magical studies of Ice. And what world have we decided to explore this time around? The far off land of Avalon with knights, and kings, and goblins, and magic swords that won’t stay in one bloody place. Seriously, you needed a “Find my Sword” app for all the chasing you have to do. Off side, it would make sense that in the worlds revolving around magic that we would take to a world based off Autherian lore. This is also the home world of Ambrose and Gamma as well as the origin of Morganthe. 

           I will admit I have some mixed feelings about the design. On one hand, much like Zafaria-each segment has its own unique aesthetic telling the areas apart showing just how much KingsIsle has some since its early days of Krokotopia through Marleybone where at most the main difference was the color of the buildings and that was before the first major graphic update. Most of the area takes place in the outdoors from the bright and sunny fields of High Road and Abbey Road, to the lush coloring of the Wilds, to the darker drabber areas of the Wyrd and Dun Dara. The only real town segments are Caer Lyon and the Outer Yard to the castle. Your quests do not stay to one area in the course of the main story. One leg could be mingling about the High Road and then going to Caer Lyon before going to Abbey Road and then back to the Wyld. 

The teleporter arches do offer some help in reaching the main areas once activated, but there is still a bit of tracking to be done within each area. Also it is very easy to get caught by the enemies in this place-a thing that can be especially frustrating if it is the same class as you. Ice type enemies are super common much like Grizzlehiem which makes things that much harder. That being said, there is a spell you can use training points for after performing a side quest known as the AOE prism spell. While it costs 2 pips to use as opposed to the 0 pop cost of the standard prism, it pays off in the long run. 

           Speaking of enemies we get a mix of both old and new models from several knight designs from badgers, dogs, and foxes to various goblins from the fluff round skirkers to gangly sprigas. Sure you also have reused models like the ghosts and treeants but they mostly stay to the Wild/Wyrd areas. For the most part much of the overworld enemies don’t give you too much issue but the bosses can be quite aggravating. 

There are a lot of Storm and Balance enemies you deal with that can hit quite hard or have rules that make shields and traps ineffective. A lot of these bosses make soloing the game rather difficult though you shouldn’t have too much issue during the Days of the Spiral events where points are awarded to use the Team Kiosk for Zafaria and Avalon at the time of this post. To the final boss aka the Pendragon I will admit I was rather disappointed by the design. 

For something that was a terror that lead the goblins and deer people against Avalon I was expecting a bit more. Instead we got a green recoloring for the dragon design made for this level. Granted at least it was not a reuse from Dragonspyre but still a bit meh.

At least the narrative is fairly straight forward this time as opposed to Zafaria and Celestia. Your objective is to go to Avalon and retrieve the Sword of Kings to give you a fighting chance against Morganthe and the Deck of Shadows. Unfortunate the page that Merle entrusted the sword to has now grown old and retired from knightdom and had given it to someone else to guard. In turn they handed it to their minstrel to escape with during the raid only for them to lose it in the Wyrd and have it taken to a tomb. Get into the tomb and the Lady of the Lake spirits it away. Meanwhile you must assist the knights against the tides of monsters and restore the shrines of knighthood with the very long names that I honestly glossed over and could not tell you what they were in the first place. 

Which does make me question the length of time between the fall of King Arturious and present day. Because Mallory and Morgathe led the assault on the King and Mallory was killed while Morganthe fled still under the guise of ambitious student of Merle Ambrose. But sometime between then and now she brought about the fall of Celestia in an almost completely manner that the Marleybonians know nothing about them save for the ruins left before. And all that time Avalon has just been surviving against the Pendragon…honestly it is all a bit too confusing trying to put everything in order. At least with Malistaire it was relatively real time. On a side note the biggest gripe would be the Zeke quests and the tapestry quest. This time around they don’t say exactly where these items are. By that I mean, say you’ll find this crow somewhere in the Cave of the Lightening Lizard or this tapestry is in Bolga’s Tower. No instead you get the lovely vague indicator of High Road or Outer Yard. Honestly it is very aggravating for you to have to investigate every single instance in the off chance the crow or rug is there otherwise you’ll just have to do the instance all over again and at least half of those areas will not let you sneak around enemies. If it were not for the online guides, the trouble for extra two training points would have barely been worth it (not that it entirely matters since you only have 60 slots for attacks anyway). 

Most of your side quests revolve around helping the knights and recruiting others to the fight even though they don’t partake in the final battle. Half of them are errand jobs that means a lot of fighting the same sets of enemies that can be a bit repetitive. Thankfully most of these are easy to dispatch. If you’re really unlucky, you might get the “kill x amount of enemies” badge. Hasn’t quite happened to me, but it was very lucky.

That aside it was still a nice place to explore around and it looks like we’re going to head to the land of dinosaurs. Wonder if I should look into training raptors? Take to the Sky my Friends!

[kaneowldust]

Announcement

Report for Avalon will be delayed until the end of the month as my computer is currently being repaired due to a hard drive failure. Thank you for your patience.

~~Kane Owldust

[kaneowldust]

Report 15: I Bless the Rains Down in Zafaria

My apologies for such a late report as I am currently working to earning enough gold for a much needed vacation where everything isn’t trying to kill me. But back to the matter on hand. Great Bartleby is this world a much needed breath of fresh air and exploration after the slog that was Celestia. Basing a world off the African environment makes sense to me of course and we will of course also be dealing with more Celestia magic from now on. It was found in Celestia naturally but now feels much more prevalent and actually has some bearing. Plus we now have narrative that one could actually be invested in. Hey there is only so much ‘dig Marleybone out of their stupidity’ one can put up with. Also from here on out, each world is completely new to me so reports are going to be a little different as they are more first impression then compare and contrast gameplay, memories, etc.

The narrative is a basic one. Professor Falema has sent a group of handpicked students to study abroad in Zafaria along with Umlilo the flamingo sorcerer and the Olyphant Prince Tiziri. However communication stopped and your job is to find out why. You are sent to meet Inyanga WhiteStripes, a zebra witchdoctor, who saw the students last. Along the way you uncover plots to cause unrest between the main tribes to obtain special golden weapons and unleash the power of Spin…sorry-the Deck of Shadows. If I don’t see a certain spiky haired protagonist ahead I shall be disappointed.

This is also where we learn more about the Umbra Queen little by little as we explore each area as opposed to the exposition dump that we got from Malistaire. This reminds me a lot of the way Kane and the dark powers of El Dorado (if they ever decide to expand) was handled in Pirate 101. First just mentioning the great war, then Napolequin, and finally how and why Kane even existed. But that is beside the point. Granted I have heard Morgana was a bit of a disappointment from what I’ve gleamed of forums and the like, but I don’t know for sure since I have been avoiding a lot of this stuff to try and figure it out for myself (save for those special dungeons).

Each area for the main tribes has a distinct feel and culture to it alongside with mostly all new enemy models. We will also be taking on more Sun and Moon type enemies as well. Zamunda, the Zebra territory, is much more forest like and the art of battle is valuable to them. Sometimes it looks like they look for any excuse to battle. The Savanah, Lion lands, are more arid though they seem to be more of a hunter gather race. Stone Town is the empire of Elephants and is much more cultivated than the other residential areas. Plus magic. Lots and lots of magic. And finally you have the treetop village of the Drum Jungle.

The story revolves around these tribes at war with each other for various reasons. The elephants blame the zebras for the disappearance of their prince, zebras distrust the Lions, and the Lions are trying to keep their own kingdom in order with the usurping of their king. The gorillas are still following their Umbra Queen even after the whole sealing of her power thing because they felt like outsiders even as they formed the Zamunda Council. Most of the Zafarians seems to find you an annoyance like they have this less than enthusiastic view of Wizards.

Like all worlds from Mooshu on, there are books giving more world history. This time they are animated sequences of rock art depicting the takeover of the Umbra Queen and her banishment thanks to the Council of Light which was composed of several races from places like Wizard City, Mooshu, and a future world Avalon. I do love the details for each world really showing each tribe without a bunch of text dump; something I often appreciate in entertainment.

This is also the first time in memory we actually have an overarching villain for a world. A shady zebra witchdoctor named Tse-Tse Snaketail who wears “disguises” to trick both you and others into fighting each other. Honestly I thought he was just as an odd duck until the lions are asking you why the heck you’re beating on them in their first place instead of asking them whatever you wanted to know.

Speaking of knowledge, each of the students are either incarcerated, left behind, or in hiding. One is even put in a zoo! I like that they actually know who you are and are not just some wizard out of the ether. Fun aside, during the Five BOXES event, you travel to Skull Island and they actually refer you as a witchdoctor instead of wizard. Though we have seen from Mooshu and Marleybone that Wizard101 and Pirate101 share the same universe albiet not exactly parallel timelines as the pirates arrive in Mooshu just before the wizard comes in because the Emperor is still under the sleep spell; but pirates arrive in Marleybone AFTER the wizards have done their deeds since Meowarity is in prison. Heh wondering how worlds like Aquilla and Polaris will fare (seriously KingsIsle PLEASE give us a new world to explore for Pirate already).

So from your efforts you are able to bring about some measure of peace between the Lions, Elephants, and Zebras. I cannot say for the gorillas though. For all I know, a sizeable portion of them might still be loyal to the umbra queen. Playwise this area isn’t too hard but it can get tedious. For example you need to fight, say 5 elephant sorcerers, then go to the quest giver and they make you fight five more again. Granted some of the bosses have been giving me trouble and I KNOW everyone is saying to get the Waterworks gear. However I do not have the time these days to really sit down and spend all day farming. I wish I could, but I just can’t. So I am utilizing what gear I have and get from regular gameplay.

Though it does feel like it actually serves a purpose rather than Celestia that was more ‘learn stuff’ rather than actually making a difference towards the main conflict. Some, though, do feel like one off jokes but at least they’re short and don’t take forever and a day to complete them. I do kinda wish the Housing was a bit more impressive (though I am still stuck on that accursed Two Ring Circus quest because diamonds are a pain).

Unfortunately you are unable to keep Morgana from getting her Deck of Shadows. She even teases you how she was just like you and like you; you are capable of doing better things then being Ambrose’s errand wand. So it appears that we might have a much more personal interaction then we had with Malistaire. I’m not overly complaining by any means-no. But could go rather well or fall flat. Anyway I am off to deal with Spellwrit mobs as far as I can even if getting enough to complete this quest is a real pain in my frozen backside. Until then, take to the sky my friends.

[kaneowldust]

Report 14: Uninteresting Fathoms Below

Real talk I don’t remember anything from the last time I went to Celestia. Well almost nothing. Really the only things that ever stuck with me were that it took almost four hours to download (with all the crafting some monster updates plus the Astral Spells), there were underwater levels, and these really annoying robot things that I for some reason remember them having spherical heads. But that is just about it. Unlike the first five worlds, Celestia never stuck in my memory and there was a LOT I could recall from even Grizzleheim and Wisteria more than seven years ago. I don’t know. You’d think exploring what is essentially the game’s version of Atlantis would be an interesting world to explore.

I think one of the problems is that it cribs a LOT from Dragonspyre; a dead and abandoned world overrun by wilder creatures and ghosts, connections to being doomed by a Titan, and mostly speculation about the kind of world it used to be. The biggest difference, of course, is that it IS being explored by the Marleybonians who inadvertently have opened the door to evil. Because of course that is something that would happen. Guess they didn’t really learn from Krokotopia, huh?

Admittedly I kinda did this a bit backwards. See, before the big update two dungeons became available in short succession of each other: Briskbreeze Tower and the Spiral Geographic Society Archives. You were supposed to be sent to Balthazar who was testing out new equipment to receive signals. You get a mysterious coded message and need to get the Mazzaroth Stone to translate it. Basically it is an SOS from an expedition party in Celestia and that they were under attack from someone named ‘Mor’. From there you are sent to the Marleybone Royal Museum to get the key to the door. Or course it is stuck at the top of the archive tower and you must fight your way through four party enemies until you face an insectoid sorcerer who breaks the key upon defeat. Balthazar says he can fix the key and that is when you waited for the new world update. This isn’t anything new. They usually would send out minor dungeons to give players something to do and possibly get some good gear in preparation of the new world. I still hate tower dungeons.

Of course in this particular world they give you three new Schools of magic to toy with called the Astral spells: Sun, Moon, and Star magic. Sun magic boosts individual spells. Star magic is an all-around boost that generally last for about 4 turns. Moon lets you transform into various creatures that have their own special moves and playstyles. So as you can see you can really mix things up and add a bit more individuality to your own playstyle which is pretty cool. My only real issue is that the Celestian Codex trainers are scattered through the world and some are in dungeons as opposed to the main seven (with the exception of Balance) that are generally all in one spot. It’s honestly a real pain if you want to train unless there is a much more streamlined training system I am not aware of yet. Then again I have seen many spells from helpers I’ve never seen before. Oh and I did finally get Snow Angel and Mammoth. Mammoth was surprisingly a LOT easier than getting the snow angel though I have gotten much more use out of Snow Angel then Mammoth of recent. Funny how they both have times to Grizzleheim.

I think one of the things that hurts this world is there really isn’t any story per see. Sure you have the overall background mission of find Thurston Plunkett who sent you the SOS signal initially, but otherwise each area is more “hey figure out this mystery for us” or “go and fix the problem we initially caused because we keep walking up dead civilizations that were dead for a reason”. I suppose I should give them SOME slack as they are technically explorers and scientists and not fighters but really guys. Come to think of it, I don’t remember ever having to go against a canine enemy yet. Pretty amusing as you fight Marleybonians quite early on in Pirate101. Granted to my knowledge none of them are magic users (or the voodoo class in Pirate101). I would like to see SOME dog enemies at some point just to make things fair. I mean, Mooshu had a pretty varied assortment of enemies. Back to base, there just wasn’t anything to get me invested in this world especially when compared to outside Malistaire arc worlds like Grizzleheim and Wisteria. Granted, from this point onwards all the worlds will be very new to me though I have heard there had been changes to some of the worlds since their initial launch. That’ll be fun.

On topic of the environment itself, it is a least a LOT more varied than Marleybone though I couldn’t tell you exactly what area is what. Half the place is underwater while the rest is vacant hallways that kind of an alien water look to them. Granted the Celestians do look like modified versions of those common bug eyed big head little green men, though I suppose that was the point. From what I had gathered from the Tomes quest and various other side quests where you have to read something in a dungeon as part of the main quest, the Celestians were a very enlightened race that came under attack because they would not give away the secrets to Astral magic to Morganthe. Morganthe attacks with an army of insectoid wizards and human soldiers and neither side was budging. In a last ditch effort they called upon the Storm Titan for help and the Titan did help them…by dragging the entirely of the civilization under the sea and drawoning everyone. This is kinda what I meant by it copies a LOT from Dragonspyre though granted the Celestian doom was not brought about by their own hubris as the Dragonspyre empire was. Then again it also reinforces what the Titans are real pricks and should never be trusted. But we also had you dealing with the offspring who are more of a chaotic neutral then anything else. As long as it benefits them in some form they’ll help you.

It is kinda funny the crab enemies call it the Crustacean Empire and claim they built it themselves when they’re just using the ruins of Celestia. Rather both cute and condescending when Plunkett says it’s not much but at least they’re trying. You also deal with Sharks, Angler Fish, and palette swapped Dragonspyre ghosts. Also the Sharks and Fish people are being used by Morganthe to keep the crabs distracted for…some reason. No really, I don’t know what her plan was. You needed the three pieces to activate the Trial of Spheres to get to the innermost secrets (BTW I hate that dungeon though it is not as patience dragging as the Waterworks). You only really see her just once and that is before the last boss of the Crustacean Empire segment where you fight a shark of all things. But this might also be a preview.

I don’t know at this point because it has been seven years and if I keep saying that I should just wear green and dye my hair blonde because Bartleby almighty. Huh, how come there hasn’t been a Time school yet now that I think about it. Weird.

Anyway got some mysterious Krokotopian ruins to explore and maybe get the heart of a helephant…or FINALLY beat that cursed Buckingham Palace segment… *sigh* Take to the sky my friends!

[kaneowldust]

Report 13: The Cold Even Bothered Me Anyway

I do apologize for not really being around but I have had other studies to contend with outside of ice magic which have taken up quite a bit of my time. Also it has been one heck of a slog getting through this level and with debatably very little to show for it. Save for maybe my current headgear and athame, Wintertusk has not given much after all the team ups I had to do because like 80% of these enemies are bloody ice! And like I said, Ice have it hard enough getting off decent damage without having to deal with constant shields and what not. I have completed all the quests save for the three Ice School specific spell quests and by gods those are proving to be very hard for me. I get it is to test your skills with your class, but at least make it reasonably difficult for the level that these get unlocked. Grr….

Anyway so it seems the Coven is back at it again to bring the Eternal Winter and this time they be gonna wake up ol Ymir the Ice Titan. Oh and they managed to imprison Grandmother Raven in an old bird body. We are also introduced to new Raven and bear models that weren’t seen in the previous Grizzleheim installment including some female models which is pretty neat. Though why do all of them have to be so frowny and snarly I dunno. So the good ol bear king sends us to Hrundle Fjord because they have not heard hear or hide from the outpost in some time. When you get there I’ll admit is a bit of a gruesome (well implied anyway) scene. I mean you see bears frozen solid and spooky skeletons roaming abouts. While there is a quest to thaw out some of them; others you don’t which means…brrr.

Our first task is to free Grandmother Raven from her cage and to do that we need to perform supposedly three impossible tasks: get a white feather from a raven, a claw from a bear with no name, and a tooth from a wolf that has never seen battle. Remember before when I said that each main race has their own cultures and values? Nice to see them holding continuity. Once done we are tasked with getting four golden seals from the Ice Titans four sons. And yes they are literally gold seals as in splish splash arf arf bork seals.

The four sons; Nordri, Audri, Vestri, and Sudri, are giants who rule/terrorize four quadrants of Wintertusk. Funny enough they do seem to know exactly why you’re here and aren’t necessarily looking for a fight. They like their freedom and if their father got loose it would destroy their own little tyrannical empires. However, they are not just going to hand it over to you. After all, they are bully giants. You want it, you work for it. Each giant gives you different tasks to perform before they give you their seal. Some take a bit of time to do while others are very easy (it’s their underlings that give you more trouble than the giants). A little note here; maybe I am overthinking it, but I’ve noticed that each of the four lands has something of a seasonal theme to it even if there is still pieces of snow and ice everywhere; Vestrilund (spring), Austrilund (summer), Nordrilund (fall), Sudrilund (winter). And yes the game has each area named after the giant that has territory over it with lund/land added onto it. Also each area has a unique design as opposed to just swapping color pallets and adding maybe a few extra things. This is something that is of note when looking at worlds designed after Dragonspyre. Mostly likely because they have the budget and recourses to do this now.

The final area is underneath Grandmother Raven’s Tree; Nastrond. And by gods is Nastrond a real pain in the ice cubes with just two people as many of the Elite/Boss enemies are four at a time and use a lot of wards and charms to really ruin your spells. It took me and a random person from the cue almost an hour and a few trips to the Games area to refill our potions to get through. Because unfortunately you do fight all the Giants at one time though not of their own volition. They will stun or put hexes on each other on occasion but it is still one of the most difficult fights for me at this time. And I made dead sure I got the Trogg and Runstone because there was no way in Hades I was willing to go through that dungeon again. Also somehow this triggered the Polar Bear Defeated counter in your character badges for some odd reason. I don’t know why since according to the counter it is a Polaris badge. Maybe the bears in Polaris may count towards the bear defeat count of Grizzlehiem much like how Boars count as Pigs for the Mooshu badge (and suddenly remembers the hours spent long time ago to get the Nightstalker badge…ugh).

Overall, at current Grizzlehiem is still my personal favorite place to explore even if it was extremely frustrating to try and solo. I do have to go back there for the Ice School spells, but I’m going to get a few more levels in from Celestia since I don’t know if I can get help from another player for these quests. Hopefully they are actually worth the trouble. I don’t know, I haven’t looked online but chances are at least the Snow Angel is a required thing to get other spells *sigh*. Well I guess it’s time to make a deal with an octopus witch with my voice and dive into the sea. Until next time, take to the sky my friends!

[kaneowldust]

Report 12: The Adventure of Wisteria School

Okay I am back from swinging giant keys and smashing stuff with a giant hammer, so I guess it is time for me to get back into my studies. I am taking a break from Wintertusk since 80% of the enemies are bloody Ice school types and we don’t hit hard enough as it is to deal with those confounded resistances and shields. At least they don’t have Ice Armor…yet. They don’t do they? Anyway I decided to go and clear up some side quests in my log to get some levels up. Got through Briskbreeze Tower (normally a 2 hour trek with barely any reward but I got in luck with some help from a level 130), and still having my tail feathers handed to me by Chief Whip in Barkingham Palace. Like seriously you open the dungeon instance at roughly level 40 and it’s near impossible to clear without a full team and you are bloody lucky to get one. Anyway I decided to head on over to Wisteria. I know this is technically breaking my rules of doing things in order of release, but I am really struggling without help.

So we are off to Wisteria to compete in the Spiral Cup; a parody of the Triwizard Tournament from the Harry Potter series. The biggest difference though is that there are more than three schools competing; as stated in the Pigswick papers, the tournament was created to showcase Pigswick Academy process as well as give smaller schools a way to present themselves from places like Mooshu and Mirage. From what Headmaster Ambrose tells us, we haven’t won the cup in a very long time. It’s not exactly clear if it is due to quality of education or because Pigswick is known to cheat. Also it’s hunted in the history books that the usual winners are either Mooshu or Ravenswood but the cup remains in Pigswick if no one else competes. Anyway the place as a bit of an Italian sort of vibe to it from its architecture. Not quite as Grecian/Romanic as Aquila and leans slightly over to Valencian style but not quite. Anyway we meet the Headmaster of this place Belladona Crisp who for some reason is not a pig herself. I’ll admit it was kind of odd since the students and matrons are pigs while the guards are rabbits. By the way, each one shares the name of a media rabbit. Anywho Belladonna is not exactly too pleased with your presence and really plays up her school. I mean, she tries to tell you the fountain in the courtyard is the source of magic instead of a freaking GIANT TALKING TREE!

Anyway I do like the idea of while the school as arguably the same elements that Ravenswood teaches, they have different names and philosophy about said element (though they think their way is better though the Gobbler isn’t exactly the most qualified). I don’t know, just seeing a Yeti and that fish monster thing in suits is pretty cute. Their schools go as follows: Chaos (myth), Earth (life), Ember (fire), Equilibrium (balance), Spirit (death), Frost (Ice), and Tempest (storm).

So once you pass the qualifier (by the way the world opens at level 24 and is also used to teach players about Cheats but I went in at level 56), you meet the other students. But then after the first two tournaments the cup goes missing and you are blamed for it! But Belladonna is somewhat merciful as she thinks even Ravenswood isn’t so pathetic as commit something so obvious and tasks you with clearing your name. Anyway, outside the school, the environments have been taken over by massive vines, plant men, and goblins. The goblins have somehow gotten through a portal of unknown origin and no one seems capable of really dealing with them (not too surprising as the history papers suggest they have a lax regimen and most students end up in other trades). The plant men are from a time when Wisteria was overrun with wisteria vines and Pigswick later cleared out for his own property.

Also there is quite a bit in the way of egos as they really play up how better their school is than you even though tuition seems to be high and hiring rates are not that great. Then again it also seems their entry standards are low. I don’t know if this was done to make Ravenswood a better school by comparison or what. I mean, you ARE the chosen one after all. That said, it would be pretty neat to see the magic school from Mooshu among other worlds and learn other things to really diversify your spellbook.

Now for someone at my level it won’t take you that long to complete and a lot of the quests outside of goblin troubles, plant men, and the tournament itself don’t involve a lot of combat. So it’s not exactly the most experience rich world out there. Though I’ve been told that it was mostly to tide people over until Zafaria was out. Granted I don’t know myself as I was slow going with Celestia due to college. I do like the aesthetic of the place though I kind of wish they had done a little more. Heck there isn’t even a spell quest you can learn in this world. That is a bit of a missed opportunity. How cool would it be to learn some magic from a different perspective? Also why don’t we get dual attack/ward/debuff spells by now? I mean, the enemies get them much to my annoyance. Can’t we just have one widdle spell like that?

Granted, higher level players might not get as much enjoyment from this world as lower level players this was intended for. It really is a bit of a breeze for someone at my level (though I cannot speak how many times I had to pummel those stupid mustachioed walking string beans for three measly leaves). I am not quite high enough to unlock the Tower of the Helephant, but I’m still working on trying to get to level 58 so I can use that darn coat in my inventory. I do apologize that this is not a very long report, but there really is not a whole lot to talk about in this side world (and yes it is much more of a side world even than Grizzlehiem). A bit of a shame too. Like I said before, maybe you could learn additional spells like Sun and Moon stuff and they cost Training Points (save for maybe outside your school) and you have to complete little quests that take you around the Spiral. Darn shame. Well I guess I got to get back into my winter gear and tread on back to the land of bears and birds. Oh joy. Take to the sky my friends!

[kaneowldust]

Report 11: We Are Grizzleheimstien Bears

Ah bear country. And yes while technically Celestia IS the next world in the storyline (and honestly my memories of that place are less than stellar of it), it was not the next to be released after Dragonspyre. Like I said, I intended to go through the worlds in order of release. And while I have done dungeons that were released after the fact like the Himmolayas and Barkingham Palace (still need to finish that. Curse you Chief Whip), I see them as part of that world. Grizzlehiem is a bit of a different sort of world than the main storyline ones. It is essentially a side quest world.

The stories are brief and relatively easy to complete (if you came in as a level 50ish like yours truly) and there are not many side quests. You get access to the first section roughly around level 10 and each section becomes unlocked every ten levels or so or so I assume because most of the sections are open to me since I have completed Dragonspyre.

You first need to talk to Baldur Goldpaws around level 5 who will set up the trade agreements between Wizard City and Grizzlehiem and basically let you waltz around Northguard as a small preview of the area. Once level 20 the first quest will be open to you. Apparently Grizzleiem and Wizard City have been cut off for years and now they have just reestablished the connection and Merle wants you to go and check things out. Of course the guard at the gate won’t let just anyone see their king unless you are accepted into their clan and prove you can uphold their values: strength, honor, courage etc.

Naturally our first trek is into a camp where they are holding out against Boars and Grendels. Funny enough you could, if you so desire, get monstrology points from Grendels but by Bartleby are they so bloody expensive. Again, even fishing and gardening are not this costly and since they offer this type of crafting, one would think they could lessen the price especially in lower level areas to get more people on board. Gold is not the easiest to amass unless you pay in crowns. Or was that the intention? Hmmm….

After the camp proving section of Svarstaad Pass, Baldur says he might call on you again if needed. This is suggesting you came in at level 20 as opposed to the level 50ish you’d currently be at if you left Grizzleheim alone and went on through to Dragonspyre. This world is meant, I believe, to give players a break from the first arc questline and try their paw at something else for a little bit. Most of the sequential areas (Murkholm Keep, Ravenscarr, Vigrid Roughland etc) will take about 1 to 2 hours to complete at level 50.

Funny enough I remember Nidavellier being a LOT harder when I first did it. You got caught by enemies a whole lot easier and Jotun and company were a terror to beat. See the game gave you the option to either fight the two side brothers first in their respective dungeons or challenge all three at the same time plus one Grendel wizard thing. And boy was that a damn nightmare. Also they cheated, a LOT. I guess they nerfed the bosses to adjust the difficulty curve for upcoming worlds (not that it doesn’t stop the side dungeons like the Barkingham Palace and others). Which reminds me I really need to finish Kensington Park one of these days…anyone up for a four people raid party weekend? No? Okay.

Now the story is pretty straightforward. A war is occurring between bears vs bears (or the Red Claw) and bears vs wolves. You uncover this to be the work of an evil group of Ravens who want to spread the curse of eternal winter. Why? Well don’t know yet. Still working through the second half of Grizzleheim; the area available to you after you reach level 50. Also I am curious to know if I will be seeing Nick Jonas in Wintertusk.

I haven’t been around W101 so I don’t know if his side quest is still available or has been removed like Selena Gomez has. Which is funny because she IS in Pirate 101. Well maybe because the two games supposedly are parallel to each other, maybe she moved away from Wizard City to Cool Ranch? This is interesting because the Eric Oysterbloom (after the drummer Eric Bloom from Blue Oyster Cult) is still available.

Background design. I love it. It’s so calming and actually feels like you’re in a rough country with its hills, caves, and narrow pathways. This is a very different feel as opposed to the previous five worlds that had very laid out and albeit grid-like pattern as opposed to Grizzleheim that has a very exploratory feel to it. This could be possibly due to the increased popularity of the game and therefore a larger budget.

 I do not remember if Celestia has such a level design but we shall get there in time. I intend to complete Grizzleheim as much as the game allows before moving on. Not to mention the theme differences between the areas for each race. The bears have reinforced huts, wolves have caves, and ravens have perch-like houses built into the wintery cliff side. Plus a little note you will notice that each areas have a little symbol for each tribe which is a nice touch. Anyway time to move on to the second half and brace for winter. Take to the sky, my friends!

[kaneowldust]

Report 10: Dragonspyre-Riders of Drakes or Race to Malistaire

Report 10: Dragonspyre-Riders of Drakes or Race to the Crown of Fire

Ah Dragonspyre, how many many MANY hours have I wasted in your realm once upon a time. How many times I’ve farmed Malistaire and others to get the best Death Class gear available. Oh the days when you has to scrounge the forums and the commons to get four players to join in farming the final boss for his coat. So many…many…hours. And how it would take one to two hours to beat the final level and trust me, when you are farming, it is a real pain in the butt. Heck there was not even as much incentive outside the badges to complete all the side quests because of the Level 50 Max cap and pretty much wasting potential experience points. And the fact we could not get the actual coat is a bit of a bummer. Maybe it is available somewhere else if anyone comments on these, but as far as I know that is not the case.

So the story for the final section is pretty straight forward. You need to find a way to get to the Great Spyre and to do that, you are going to need a Drake. However, getting a Drake is not going to be easy. First you need a Dragon Rider’s staff which makes you backtrack through the previous worlds and beat the bosses again in order to get the chests. Then you have to get a crystal headpiece. And finally raising a Drake from an egg and armoring it up so it can fly you to the top. Again, much like the previous levels, the DragonSpyre Academy section has its own story and builds upon the history of this devastated world; something is memory serves I never really felt from Celestia (but we’ll know better when we get there).

From here we learn about the relationship between humans and the drakes (which are smaller versions of dragons and are said to be a lot more docile than their counterparts). You got a hint of this in the Drake Hatchery area and now it’s your turn to learn and take to the skies on one. I do like the fact that a lot of the ghosts are more than willing to pass on their knowledge or are still fighting the titan army in their own ways. Still if there is something that I’ve felt was a bit off a loss was that aside from the first level we never really get to see things from the Draconian’s point of view. There isn’t much we know about them outside of them being destroyers. Some hints that they did try to emulate some of the things like armor and magic. And what of Ivan Soulsinger? What was his purpose? Like okay, he’s enthralling Drakes, but why. At least with other bosses Vika Markmarker, Vesta Shadowmark, and Yeva Spiderkeeper even with what minimal dialogue we do get from them, we can figure out their motivations. But Ivan? He says he wants to borrow our bodies and turn the Drake ghosts into stone monsters. Honestly this is the only side quest in Dragonspyre that doesn’t feel like it really gives anything-no history, no world building, nothing. But it’s really only one in this level unlike the many that were in Marleybone. And thankfully, it’s a fairly short chain of side quests that don’t take too long.

I will have to admit that this area was one of the most frustrating for me. A lot of the enemies and bosses you had to fight were either Ice school or readily used that accursed Ice Shield. And for a school that doesn’t hit as hard as other classes that can be really frustrating. Not to mention capping it off with that -25% ward that enemies like to use a lot. Granted it’s been over seven years but I don’t remember them using this ward as often if at all. I get it you want to make levels harder, but by gods this constant debuffing made thigs difficult and more infuriating than fun or strategic. This can be really difficult for a solo player and some of the dungeon areas are very tedious without a second player.

Also you have to have at least a second player joining you for the Malistaire fight since there are a lot of triple enemy fights you need to get through in order to reach the top. Plus there is an area where you have to beat both sets of enemies within a short amount of time. And as Level 50 capped players you had to get a team of four together in order to complete this. Now I wasn’t there for the original Malistare fight at least when you fought both Malistaire and Sylvia at the same time. Plus his health was 100,000 and he used a lot more cheats back then. He seems a bit nerfed in here now. Or it could have been I was with two level 60 players who had a lot more attack power than yours truly. Trust me, this used to be a real pain to pass.

Also this was before Celesta was even brought up online and Grizzlehiem had just come to the surface. So it would make sense for Dragonspyre and its final boss to be the toughest thing out there. I think they might have made him a bit easier as to make the boss curve a little easier when adding new worlds. I mean we’re at what HOW many levels now? On a side note, I am impressed with the cutscene that they added after the big 10 year update was pretty neat. I wonder if we’re going to see this in future levels. Perhaps not because that is a lot of work.

So at last we have completed the original worlds and on to the added worlds. Take to the sky my friends!