From Storm Sharks to Owls

 Some years ago, I randomly made a third account and stocked it with various Doodle Dug rewards. When KI Free Games released their trivia-for-crowns, I figured, why not make use of the long forgotten newbies?

My highest level wizard was a level 5 Diviner, so I got started on him. Luckily, there was a brief zone sale going on, and I had just enough KIFG crowns to buy every Wizard City area for 375 crowns apiece.

Foulgaze and Nightshade, as always, were quite an annoyance.

Dogs and Clockworks living together? What kind of world do we live in?!

That first power pip is such a proud moment :D

Not cool, man. Houses are .. uh .. friends! Not food.

I'll probably do each area(s) after achieving enough crowns to get by, in the meantime. Looking at my trivia-roundup post two months ago, Krokotopia takes almost 4 months. Of course, I'll probably forget to do some trivia here and there, so it will probably be more like half a year until Marleybone. Good things come to those who take trivia, I suppose.

On the higher-level questing front, my other Diviner has been receiving support from my Thaumaturge. A tank and a damage-based character make for a great team, especially when deep into Azteca.

Although it was nice not worrying about dying, I had to solo for new spells eventually. Enemies ranging from Eke Chuah to Tempest Eels posed a fun new challenge. I wasn't about to try and solo Xibalba, though.

Gross name, funny musical reference :P

The final fight ended up being a vicious cycle of one wizard dying, returning, and the other wizard taking all the incoming attacks and dying. I wasn't very lucky, but thankfully finished the battle after running through several batches of potions.

This moment was just as exciting the second time around, lol.

Not sure when I'll step into Khrysalis again, although I am anxious to reach Exalted on both accounts. For now, here's the status of all 11 wizards (discounting the newbies for now) --

Exalted: 1 Myth

Promethean: 1 Storm, 1 Ice
Archmage: 1 Life, 1 Myth

Transcendent: 1 Death, 1 Fire

Legendary: 2 Balance, 1 Death, 1 Fire

All I can say is, the four wizards waiting to do Zafaria are probably in for a long wait. Sorry, Sorcerers!

Saving Pirate101 for last, I recently created my third pirate, Valkoor Vane! For the first time, I'll be going through the game on a ranged pirate (sorry future Musketeer, you're last in line :P)

Valkoor attempting to look wicked at too early a level. Apparently he forgot that the staff is what completes the outfit. 

After quickly reaching Level 5 and Lasko's new quests, I had an amusing idea. Why not go questing on Valkoor at a pace of one quest a day? Surprisingly, it's been smooth sailing (pun unintended-ish) so far, and I have gotten used to a very steady diet of pirate questing :D

It's a little early, but Mormo is the early front runner for cutest companion ;)

Although I have skipped a day here and there, I made up for it in due time. Questing once a day almost makes me nostalgic for, say, three weeks ago... if that makes sense. Everyday I catching myself thinking: "I was doing that quest in that area over a month ago?! Wow, feels like yesterday."

I'm mostly curious to see how long Cool Ranch will take (I'm guessing I'll still be there by Christmas), and where this pace will take me, really. In fact, I just found the Monkey's Paw a few hours ago. Thankfully, it looks like Monquista will *only* take a couple weeks.

It's okay Pancho, I feel the same way.

I'll be back soon for a fishing recap of my nearly complete Angler's Tome -- Until then,

Happy Questing!

                                                                 

Operation Grimwater

As I was minding my own business in Triton Avenue, I happened upon the ever-egotistical Duncan Grimwater. Suddenly, it occured to me that my Death wizard, Chase Deathcrafter, had the same facial features as this humble NPC.

So... why not replicate the clothes?

After a little bit of Bazaar research, I happened upon Duncan's hat and boots --

Certainly not cheap for level 20, but stylish nonetheless.

Unfortunately, I couldn't find the appropriate robe to complete the look, so I went with a standard one. Duncan's Terminus staff was in good supply though, and the look was done!

Well, almost perfect. The robe was still bothering me.

Flawless above the shoulders, though! :P

Newbie wizards were gawking, but I had to figure out how to get Duncan's cooler death-y robe. His robe and boots both come from Taskmaster Djal in the Karanahn Barracks.. won't the robe also?

A visit to the Wiki page proved fruitless. Several of his robes were specific to other schools, and all of them were auctionable.

Obviously the newbies were starting to see past my disguise, so it was time to start farming Djal for a robe I wasn't even sure he had. However, Chase hadn't even done the quest.

On the bright side, I got to see manders dancing for freedom! :D

Sadly, farming the tyrannical Krok for an hour or so produced no results, so I had to cut my losses with the death-y symbols and be content looking mostly like Duncan Grimwater.

Close enough.

Next up, Susie Gryphonbane?

Yeah, probably not.

Happy Stitching!

Time and Money In KIFG Trivia

As I was pet training this afternoon, I stopped to listen to a group of wizards debating the worth of the new KI Free Games trivia. One of them was planning to do it just so they could buy Ravenscar (a hefty 1995 crowns). Grizzleheim by itself is worth nearly 10,000 crowns.

 A little background to this - www.freekigames.com released a new trivia feature to its site last Thursday. Passing at 75% (9/12) or better for any category means 10 free crowns ... which is two cents in real world value. However, you can do ten quizzes a day - game related or educational - for up to 100 crowns. How long, then, would it take a player solely supported by this Trivia to get to level 100? 

Here's a rundown (c = crowns, z = zones, pz = per zone) - - -

Wizard City Zone: 750c / 100 = 7.5 days pz                                                                              

Wizard City (3z): 2250c / 100 = 22.5 days

What KIFG's trivia means to Friendly's 
iconic Selena Gomez parody :P

Krokotopia Zone: 915c / 100 = 9.15 days pz         

Krokotopia (12z): 10980 / 100 = 109.8 days                           

So far (15z): 22.5 + 109.8 = 132.3 days (over 4 months)          

(MB, MS, and DS all take 108 days to finish) 

Marleybone/Mooshu/Dragonspyre Zone: 1200c / 100 = 12 days pz

Marleybone/Mooshu/Dragonspyre (27z): 32400 / 100 = 324 days

So far (42z): 132.3 + 324 = 456.3 days 

This means that, to quest up to Malistaire's Lair, at least 15 months and a week of perfect trivia would be necessary to earn the 45k+ crowns to finish the First Arc. So, I wouldn't recommend getting by in Wizard101 this new way unless you absolutely love trivia and can take it real slow.

And that's not even the half of it.

(CL, ZF, and AV all take about 102 days to finish)
Celestia/Zafaria/Avalon Zone: 1695c / 100 = 17 days pz
Celestia/Zafaria/Avalon (18z): 30510 / 100 = 305 days
So far (60z): 456.3 + 305.1 = 761.4 days

(AZ and KR take about 120 days to finish)
Azteca/Khrysalis Zone: 1995 / 100 = 20 days pz
Azteca/Khrysalis (12z): 23940 / 100 = 239.4 days
So far (72z): 761.4 + 239.4 = 1000.8 days
Second Arc Total (30z): 544.4 days

To quest from Celestia to the end of Morganthe's reign would take nearly a year and a half. Add that to the First Arc total, and it's over 33 months to complete the game! Several new worlds in the Third Arc would likely be out by then. Basically, doing a daily dose of KIFG Trivia would get you through all the current main worlds before April, 2017, at a grand total of 100,080 crowns.

Although I won't go in-depth on Pirate101 pricing, I calculated that total as 88,712 crowns - or 887 days of trivia (almost 2 1/2 years). Considering the max level is at 65, that's a lot more than the price to reach 65 in Wizard101.

I actually do have a 3rd W101 account that I'm never going to willingly pay for.. so I *might* try a little experiment with KIFG crowns and leveling on that newbie account in the future.

Happy trivia-taking!

Quoth The Raven, Nevermore. (Plus, Sights Of The Spiral - Commons/Unicorn Way). And, I Know This Is A Long Title.

So, the video I had for this Segment finally worked, so here you go! ^.^

These areas are mainly known for PvP trolls, Gobblers, etc. but there is some beauty to them, as we all pass by often. Hope you enjoyed that!

Also, a goodbye is in order for Homework in a Graveyard, a blog that I truly enjoyed reading. I remember, as a newbie to blogging, looking through her old posts and feeling a pang of sadness on her leave for half a year from 2009-2010, but she was back in business by that time. I remember reading her short Penny Dreadful fanfic and wanting more! As my experience in the community grew, I couldn't help but notice her absence for another few months from late 2010-early 2011, and I think I squee'ed when I saw a new post from her on my blogroll again. Her amazing techno work, in her pictures, in her 'AutDOSK' personality, must have had quite some time spent on them, and I really admire the work in those for OUR enjoyment. I know I'm not supposed to be sad at the conclusion, but my heart dropped when I saw her tweet and checked her blog. We'll still see you in-game Autumn, I'm sure, but its hard not to miss an ending of such a fantastic blog. I was such a fan I felt like a Belieber being followed by Justin when I got her friend request! LOL. Once more, thank you very much for your time, Autumn, and I hope to see you in the Spiral! :D

Lastly, another good luck to those starting school in the upcoming weeks (including me!) and those starting off on the real grind recently. High School seems a lot cooler, and I got some good teachers in my Orientation today. By next post I'll probably have started, so please forgive me if I start posting less once the papers start becoming a weight! ;)

Oh, yes, and best wishes to those in Irene's path. We may be affected on Sunday, a little off the seashore but still quite possible, so hoping for the best. And that earthquake on Tuesday, that shook us up (no pun intended) quite a bit, as I'd never experienced one of course. Till next time,

~ Be Well.

We Are The Champions

Go Ravenwood!

They're obviously used to this, because that pig didn't bat a sweat at the sight of a ghost..

Reminds me a little of the Science Center.. 'cept for the flying Unicorns, defenses, and hobgoblins, of course.

Spiffy! Chico begs to differ though, think he got a splinter.

Immediately following a 10-15 minute maintenance fixing the friends list, LOL.

Ok, those Green Men are just STRANGE. Face reminds me of Shel Silverstein for some weird reason and whats with the thin red handlebar whiskers?

Nastrond-esque tunnel - easy to get claustrophobic in.

Hall of the Gorgon, where its not too hard to get lost. Very pretty and spacious! And the satisfaction of defeating a snob helped ;)

Its like the gateway for those condemned to the lions in the Roman Colliseum, yet the rug, fountain (not pictured) and more closed-up arena give an air of fanciness. Nice design by Kingsisle to give both a view of feeling condemned walking down those dungeon-y halls yet the splendor is completely different.. I could go on ^.^

*evil smile* + Myth Prisms + Gargantuan + Froggy....

I probably liked Nalia the most among my opponents, not jumping to conclusion of victory, humble in defeat.. I hope Mirage comes first, I want to see more of those foxes over Goth Pixies and Goblins with pierced-ears (sorry, Weirwood). Or the flying squid world!

Sorry I didn't bring you along for the ride, Medusa. A wall painting can't hurt me, right?

Feelin' Stronger Every Day! I mean.. YAYYY I HAVE THE SPIRAL CUP! *tries to lift, fails dramatically, carries broken piece of Cup to Jared Banks*

And, onto opinions!

The Best ~

It would have to be the new furniture items. Even if you weren't splurging on the Wyvern Hoards, some were up in the Bazaar, among them Birdbaths, Chicken Coops, etc. Cutefied! I even filled a small spot inside and outside to completely finish my Island Getaway from Wyvern Hoard items...

A close second, probably the design that was Wysteria. The ominous

background music (thank you, Nelson Everhart), the delicated tile and building, there was just many new places that are hard to compare to others. Pegasus Park, the vines, the Dorms..

The Worst ~

Err, why the little Pet Page change? (btw, credit to Cass Hexthorn for the idea of this segment and the pic) Thats just wasted time spent changing that right there for Kingsisle, while having zero good advancements made. The only thing they need to work on there is changing more accurate rarities, and that wasn't even done. Its small, but its just taking a tiny step back.

Teleporters - Yes, I believed these were very nifty... so I splurged 10k crowns on the 6-Pack. Now I want a refund. The main complaint from my end is it not being trade-able. I've heard there can be issues if it IS tradeable, but what in the world is the point of the 6-Pack if you only have 5 houses (if you have the MFP and MSP) and 1 dorm at maximum? And it doesn't change too much walking, it sort of shows you how lazy we can all be somet

imes xD.

The Debatable ~

Obviously, for a main course, we have the Wyvern Hoard Pack dispute. I'm on the fence here, to be honest. To stray the subject matter a little bit, take the 1000 gold for 800 crowns deal. That, along with the other gold for crowns buys, are a complete rip-off, (25k gold for $27? Farming

can get you that amount in under an hour) but you rarely hear people complain about why those are in the Crowns Shop. "Then doesn't everyone just not buy them?" Not really, newbies to the game may think this is a great deal and buy it, but 1000 gold is very easy to get in Wizard101 these days. Plus, the total combined gold of what you sold from everything in a Wyvern Pack would be well over 1000, for only 400 crowns. Or, take the second-chance chests, there's a

chance at getting a piece of gear that sells for a bit for only 50 crowns. Anyways, what I'd do for the Hoards is, should you have plenty of crowns, buy 20-25 and completely stop after that no matter the circumstances. The Wyvern mounts would probably be 10k crowns if sold separately, and spending 8k is probably enough. Still, if you don't get the Wyvern (me..), you got plenty of little things (more energy gear, housing pieces, etc) and can sell the stuff you don't need for a bit of gold and be a bit satisfied, but pick a reasonable limit. Its an addiction, after all! I really want the Cloud Wyvern, but I've

reached that personal limit, so just moving on. And, after all, maybe its not as great as you think, take the Skeletal Drake - I got that on my 2nd Dragons Hoard try, was pretty excited, but its just uncomfortably large and takes up a bit of the screen. The Wyvern may be the same case, maybe try getting on in the next Test Realm -free crowns- and see how it actually feels to ride it. It may not really be good enough, and don't most of us have plenty of mounts anyway? Anyways, I'll cut it short, the Hoards aren't Vegas, but they've got their pros & cons.

Note: For those interested in all the Wyvern drops, click HERE

Miscellaneous ~

These can be skipped over, the pet page is an example of a small miscellaneous update, but here's some opinions on the small ones that appear on the Update Notes:

Players will now see a confirmation window when they ignore a friend on their friends list - Good! There's been many accidental removings of friends, as Ignoring removes a friend, and we get a confirmation window to remove them, right? Good little fix.

School Symbols of Mobs/players now appearing besides them - Nice notice, and not changing it in PvP. Bosses with pretty long names don't have it all written down, is that part of the update or my Computer resolution? Might be my bad, but thats not very important anyways.

"Transaction Not Successful." -> "Sorry, this item has been sold." - A bit more simple... but, I noticed the number of reagents available didn't change when I bought some, and I had to refresh the page to see how many left again, which is kind of inconvenient. If this was bought on by the new sentence... this caused more bad than good for my Bazaar sniping.

Text Chat Dictionary slightly smaller/Angrus Hollowsoul no longer appears to load - Not sure which words were taken out of the Dictionary, but from the substitutes I've seen, there's always going to be a new way to say an obscene word. Hopefully they took out some big ones for the Trolls and peace may be a little better. Bad apples hurt the good ones, which is life, sadly. Angrus Hollowsoul, very minor update but lessens some annoyance when I sometimes walk through the Commons. It just makes me tic a little even though it matters none.. so I'm glad they fixed that.

Long post gotten to you yet? Sorry, I've had a lot to catch up on :P but I had fun for a week, and won't be going on anymore Vacations, although School restarts in 9 days. Good luck to those starting in the upcoming week! To close, it was nice to hear about the further Wizard101 expansion into foreign areas, as the largest country in terms of population joined hands! I hope it goes over well there and attracts many new players, so it will be interesting to see the commercial for China and if anything is different there. The British servers whole Wizard City is free, I believe, with several other minor differences from our main one, so you never know.

Happy Questing!