Wizard101 anyone?

[coopasonic]

I'm curious if there are any other otherwise mature adults who enjoy playing Wizard101? I started playing a couple months ago, looking for some way to combine gaming and entertaining my 3 year old. We were both pretty tired of Plants vs Zombies. The free areas were just enough to get me interested in the play mechanics, but not enough to keep me entertained for long. I grabbed a discounted 1 year sub for $60 and feel like I've been getting my money's worth.

It's far simpler than anything else I've tried, except for Toontown. The combat is basically a card game, you build your own deck from spells you get from trainers as well as some you get from items you have equipped. Stats on equipment can affect damage, healing (given or received), "mana" generation, defense, accuracy, health and mana pools. Equipment is gained through drops, quests, shops or crafting  (and microtransactions).

The game is mostly solo friendly, each world has one dungeon that would be very challenging solo. Friends can help with most anything and it seems you can teleport to your friends location pretty much anytime. Fights have up to 4 per side. At low levels they are limited to even numbers, a bit later the enemy can have one more mob than the players side. There's also arena pvp for combinations from 1v1 to 4v4.

I think there are 9 different "classes", tough all work pretty much the same. Some focus on healing, some on defense, some have more health or less, some do greater damage with lower accuracy, some have lifetaps, some DoTs. You get all of the spells for your own class and can use extra training points to get spells from other classes, though they aren't all available and you have to get other classes spells from the bottom up.

Oh there are also one time use spells you can get from drops, quests, crafting or I think microtransactions that you can add to the sideboard of your deck. Good for emergencies.

I have a 27 ice mage that is more or less a tank with high health and good defense. He's been mostly abandoned for a 34 death mage that has lots of lifetaps and stacking damage boosters.

If you want a very simple MMO to waste time, I find it more fun than it has any right to be. I don't actually know anyone else that is playing, but if you try it out I'll see if I can figure out how to meet up. I don't even know if there is any trading, I hear people talking about trading those one time use cards/spells so there must be some level of trading. Even if I couldn't help with equipment, having a 34 Death mage with all available Life mage healing spells could be helpful in tough fights.

There's also housing and you get a metric ton of decorations from drops and quests.

https://www.wizard101.com/start

[sgoldj]

My wife and I are playing.  I found out today that a new world is coming soon along with a raised level cap

[MaxSteele]

I know two guys on the art team at Kings Isle.  I was in the beta but for some reason it over-taxed my video card at the time.  I think it was just un-optimized graphic code that made it happen, because the graphic complexity isn't that high.

I'll check out the free side again and see if my video card still flips out.

[Tals]

Both my children (10, 13) play this and love it. I like the fact they have a family sub option and their support guys are superb. Maybe I need to check it out as well....

[coopasonic]

Maybe I need to check it out as well....

It definitely doesn't compare with the modern mature MMOs from a gaming complexity standpoint, but depending on the number of PCs you have available, I think you could have fun playing with your kids. As a soloist I love the challenge of managing a deck that allows me to take out the big bosses.

[vizionblind]

New things coming

http://www.mmorpg.com/gamelist.cfm/game/362/feature/4367

[sgoldj]

still enjoying this one.. a level 49 Ice Wizard and now a level 3 Necromancer.

the new world of Celestia is open (I haven't made it there yet) and so is the Pet Area,

[vizionblind]

still enjoying this one.. a level 49 Ice Wizard and now a level 3 Necromancer.

the new world of Celestia is open (I haven't made it there yet) and so is the Pet Area,

whats the pet area like?

[sgoldj]

The Pet area has 4 mini games to improve your pet; a hatchery to create pet combos; and the derby.

Completing each minigame (A maze run, shooting out of a cannon, a dance game much like SIMON, and a ""catch the food as it falls game) gains you points and stat increases.  The pets now can "age" through experience points.  When a pet is "adult" and the next one, it can be "hatched", combined with a second pet to mix the attributes.  Pets now have a rarity rating.  My Ice Pet provides me with a spell card.  The derby is a race against other players. aside from bragging rights, I don't know the point.  I don't do PvP in the arena either.

[coopasonic]

the new world of Celestia is open (I haven't made it there yet) and so is the Pet Area,

I think they just have a teaser open, not the entire world, don't they? I thought it was just an intro quest or something.

I'm working my way through dragonspyre now after a long hiatus. Level 47 Necro. Once you play Death you'll never go back!

[vizionblind]

the new world of Celestia is open (I haven't made it there yet) and so is the Pet Area,

I think they just have a teaser open, not the entire world, don't they? I thought it was just an intro quest or something.

I'm working my way through dragonspyre now after a long hiatus. Level 47 Necro. Once you play Death you'll never go back!

love your Avatar

[sgoldj]

the new world of Celestia is open (I haven't made it there yet) and so is the Pet Area,

I think they just have a teaser open, not the entire world, don't they? I thought it was just an intro quest or something.

I'm working my way through dragonspyre now after a long hiatus. Level 47 Necro. Once you play Death you'll never go back!

Maybe it is.. I'm working through Dragonspyre as well, so I can't get there yet.

BTW my new character is a Necro, I'm thinking Fire for secondary. thoughts?  I hit a great combo last time Ice/Storm.

[coopasonic]

BTW my new character is a Necro, I'm thinking Fire for secondary. thoughts?  I hit a great combo last time Ice/Storm.

I'm pretty sure I went Life secondary for a while, but I haven't used anything but Death spells in probably 30 levels, except the balance blade that buffs death, but that doesn't require any real investment. Life is good for the heals early before you are doing lifetaps for all of your attacks. After that it is useless, except as far as it is group-friendly. I don't group much so I don't bother putting any heals in my deck.  The other big thing everyone recommends for everyone is the 50% shield from ice. I don't use that either. Not sure if I have it even. As death, at least once you get the vampire, you don't *need* anything else.

Funny thing, my original main was Ice too. Though I only took him to mid-20s.

[sgoldj]

my wife is a Storm/Life with a bit of fire thrown in.  she swears by the Life spells

[coopasonic]

my wife is a Storm/Life with a bit of fire thrown in.  she swears by the Life spells

Life spells are great... unless you are a 30+  necro. There's pretty much no use for healing. I have full life at the end of pretty much every combat due to the huge lifetaps I do. A fully stacked lifetap can do 4k (against life opponents anyhow ) and I don't use all the boosts I could. I could get it to 6k with everything against a life boss. I've soloed every boss in the game but Malistaire.

Speaking of Malistaire, I just got to his area (and 50th level). I got to the door, it said "more than 3 hours" and I shut down. No idea when I'm going to have that kind of time. Have you or your wife done Malistaire yet? I'm guessing to get it done in a reasonable time I'm going to need a group (hint). Of course my playtime is pretty sporadic.

[sgoldj]

we're in the Crystal Grove and have just received The bit about finding the staff pieces.  Since we haven't made it to Dragon Claw Canyon or Crown Of Fire, I'm Guessing we still have a ways to go.  I'll check for some weekend time and see if we can arrange a meet.  We can friend then port over to the dungeon.  it will have to be after finals though (week after next)

[coopasonic]

we're in the Crystal Grove and have just received The bit about finding the staff pieces.  Since we haven't made it to Dragon Claw Canyon or Crown Of Fire, I'm Guessing we still have a ways to go. 

Ha! That quest line feels like it goes forever. It doesn't but it's close.

[sgoldj]

Steven Deathgarden if you happen to be on and run into me.  wife is Cheryl Moonblade. 

[coopasonic]

Steven Deathgarden if you happen to be on and run into me.  wife is Cheryl Moonblade. 

Kevin Darkweaver here, I'm pretty much just leveling my pet now. Someday I will have an adult pet!

[sgoldj]

Questikn: did you complete the GM quest on Colossus Blvd?

[coopasonic]

I don't know what a GM quest is, so maybe?

[sgoldj]

There seems to be a special quest for lvl 50 characters in Wizard City.  Talk to Pvt Mouldoon in old Town.  He'll ask you about Lt. Culpepper.  I can't get past the first level of the battle.  my wife made it past the first, not the second.

If you've done that one on Colossus Blvd, let me know how it went.

[coopasonic]

Couldn't make it past the second level and the first level was a crapshoot solo. I was trying it with scarecrows though, I think with pure wraiths I'd stand a decent chance. On the second level the first scarecrow doesn't take anyone out and getting beat on by all 4 mobs for 8 rounds is too much, especially with mobs casting the ice 50% shield.

[sgoldj]

We went in together a few minutes ago.(2 of us)  Got past the first 3groups; Storm Lord really helps.  lost at the boss fight when we got hit with meteors to the tune of 9000 +\-.  the lesson is take out the henchman.

[coopasonic]

We went in together a few minutes ago.(2 of us)  Got past the first 3groups; Storm Lord really helps.  lost at the boss fight when we got hit with meteors to the tune of 9000 +\-.  the lesson is take out the henchman.

Actually the lesson should be to kill the boss in one hit. I read up on this a little bit and it looks to be pretty hardcore. That wasn't the boss, it was the first boss.

[sgoldj]

We're gonna play again about 9:30 pm central tonight. Hopefully we'll catch each other ten.

[coopasonic]

We're gonna play again about 9:30 pm central tonight. Hopefully we'll catch each other ten.

Sorry we got in late Saturday and still had to workout before bed. For the next 9 days I am finishing up the Insanity workout program and that takes most of my free time before bed. After that I should have more time... unless I reopen my WoW account.

[Cragmyre]

So do you guys subscribe or pay by area?  I used to subscribe, but my characters aren't all that high - got to Krokotopia - and I don't really PvP, so the subscription wasn't really worth it to me.  Now I'm unlocking areas as I get to them.  Doesn't hurt that every so often they'll have a sale on crowns which would pretty much let me unlock everything that a subscription would get me for about the same price.  Not sure about the new areas though, but I'm guessing with my EGADD it will take me some time to get there.

[coopasonic]

So do you guys subscribe or pay by area?

I bought the year for $60 last year. I think it's running out soon. I'm not sure if I'll renew as I'm back into WoW now. When my son gets older I'll probably reconsider for him. I have one end-game character and a couple lower levels.  I didn't do the math on the unlocks, but $60 for a year of access to everything seems very reasonable to me.

[sgoldj]

We went subscription. I have one end game character and a level 20 necro I'm playing with.  Since it's my only mom,  we'll keep it.

[Cragmyre]

I had the year for $60, but when it ran out I started buying areas.  From time to time KI will have a sale on 60000 crowns for $60.  According to them, that will unlock all the areas ( though not sure about the new areas like Celestial ).  The main advantage to subscription, besides not having to worry that you haven't unlocked an area yet, is you can do all the PvP you want ( either duels or the pet racing...I believe ).

What I'm doing is only unlocking the areas as I get to them.  I'm playing with my daughter, so I'm sending her the crowns needed too.

[sgoldj]

Defeated the big bad this evening. FWIW, you will require at least two people because of the last few puzzles.

[sgoldj]

I hold the broken key to Celestia... Muwahhhahahaha.

[coopasonic]

Defeated the big bad this evening. FWIW, you will require at least two people because of the last few puzzles.

Congrats one of these days I'll get back, I guess my timing was bad for restarting WoW.

[sgoldj]

If you want to jump in one-evening and give it a shot, just let me know.  No worries, no hurries.

[vizionblind]

Defeated the big bad this evening. FWIW, you will require at least two people because of the last few puzzles.

Congrats one of these days I'll get back, I guess my timing was bad for restarting WoW.

come back now!

[vizionblind]

Wizard101 celebrates its second anniversary



It's easy to dismiss Wizard101  as nothing more than a cute MMO for kids, but the game has proven that it has quite a bit of depth and staying power. And September is the milestone to mark it by, since the game launched in September of 2008. With the arrival of the two-year anniversary for the game, the production staff for KingsIsle Entertainment has posted a short letter to commemorate the achievement and discuss the game's future in brief.

Obviously, one of the big points of the future is the release of Celestia, which is currently slated for early fall. The new area and concurrent free expansion will raise the level cap and offer players a variety of new abilities, in addition to the eponymous underwater zone. To help kick off the pending launch, the development team is promising a quest later this month featuring "one of the hottest teen icons on the planet." It's been a busy two years for Wizard101, and it looks like the team is looking forward to many more.

[sgoldj]

Secon d anniversary AND I got to run around looking like a Ninja Pig for a while.  How keel is that? I

[vizionblind]

http://www.massively.com/2010/09/08/pax-2010-selena-gomez-is-wizard101s-new-damsel-in-distress-em/

[vizionblind]

VOTE FOR WIZARD101!!  http://www.gdconlineawards.com/audience.php
  Simply type Wizard101 in the choice box and enter your email in the other box.