Medusa!!

Bought some Crowns. Got 3 henchmen while fighting Talos. One henchman died. Got another henchman. Defeated Talos. Met up with Medusa in Dragonspyre Academy.

She was all, "DUDE HOW ARE YOU NOT DEAD? Okay, I'll help you out." :)

So, yeah, Jack got Medusa.



She's really quite a help. Now here they are, folks: Jack Frost's Medusa and Adam StarShade's Forest Lord!



Enlarge those if ya want a better look. ;) So now we've got a great full-power duo of doom! Once they hit 60, Fallon'll be back in action with Jack as her questing buddy!

Forest Lord! And some issues with the Medusa quest...

WOOHOOOOOOOOO!!!!!!!! FOREST LORD!!!!!!!!!

Nope, I'm not excited at all.

OK I'M SUPER EXCITED!!!!!!!!! This guy is the boss. But I haven't actually used him yet. You see, Jack is still trying to beat Talos, the Balance boss who wraps up the Medusa quest. So I've been focused on helping him before we set out to wreak havoc with our awesome new spells. Talos starts with 7 pips, and Jack has a relatively low health level, so it hasn't been going too well. Let's see...he's lost to him around 6 times now? It's hard, especially since Jack only has 14 Crowns (aka, not enough to buy a henchman). Also, I find it weird that I was able to bring in buddies when I fought the Life boss, who was part of the Forest Lord quest, but Jack can't bring in friends to fight Talos. I doubt it was a glitch that let people port in to me, so what's up with this? I mean, the Spirit schools boost on Balance, which is obviously easier than fighting a boss from your own school. But Myth just doesn't have the health capacity to take on a 13,000-health boss that hits you with a Power Nova or a souped-up Judgement on the first turn! Here are some strategies I've been thinking about for fighting Talos:

1. Polymorphing. Having recently acquired the piggy and kitty Polymorphing spells, we've found them to be incredibly helpful--especially the kitty. Having some solid Storm spells up your sleeve never hurts. However, in fighting Talos, the Gobbler transformation has been most useful. When Jack's low on health, he can pull out a Gobbler Polymorph and rocket back up. Well, not necessarily rocket, but increase substantially. All four heals put together round out to 1600, which is pretty good. Of course, all the while Jack gets battered by attacks, but it lets you recover for a little while.

2. The Minotaur Minion. Minions are always helpful, but so far, we've found the Minotaur to be the best. With 700 health, it can last longer than most Minions, and it Taunts almost all the attention to itself. It also puts up a Tower Shield on you sometimes, when it's feeling generous. So I'd suggest stacking up your deck with Minotaur Minions and Sacrifice Minions, so just when your Minion is about to die, you can sacrifice it and collect 450 health in return.

3. To take out Talos's henchman, use a Mythblade on your first or second turn and get an Orthrus out ASAP. This is very important. The henchman can actually do a lot of damage, including blading and supporting Talos.

4. I haven't actually tried this yet, but what about buying some good Balance-resistant clothes? I'd hate to trade in Jack's Grandmaster/level 58 gear during such a crucial fight, but it may be worth it to give up those luxuries in order to stay alive.

Possibly more strategies to come! I'll let y'all know when Jack wins (that's a when, not an if!) and what strategy he used during the battle!

Idea time!

I had some troubles with the posting of this post-eriffic post, and unfortunately, my issues were not exactly solved. See, I lost the whole thing, and I tried to recover it...it makes me tear up just thinking about it! However...FEAR NOT! I've done my best to rewrite the post for y'all! Sorry for the sadness. I:

I'm back and totally (sort of) out of my writer's block (mostly)! I'd like to offer y'all a bowl of idea soup. It's the best kind of soup, because it's made out of ideas (and broth), and it's calorie-free!! Here's the recipe; enjoy!

1 tbsp school Mounts: it seems unfair to me that permanent Mounts have to be bought. I mean, I went for more than a year without a Mount (before Mounts were even released!!!), and I survived, but it would be great for newer players to be able to get a Mount earlier in the game. They're super helpful, although we now take them for granted. I used to hate long hauls between quests, especially in Wizard City. Walking wasn't much fun. And, as we all know from my post about random stuff that we all love, jumping doesn't actually grant secret access or anything special, so even that loses its novelty after a while. So, here's my idea: set up a side quest for each school. It has to be pretty hard, and it has to eventually enter a solo area, where you can't bring your Legendary buddy or what have you. I'm thinking a quick tower--three floors or so--with a different boss on each level. If you were Fire school, for example, the first two bosses would be Storm and Ice, and the final boss would be Fire, and he/she would drop a permanent Fire-themed Mount. Here are some ideas for the Mounts: Ice = Polar Bear, Fire = Firecat, Storm = BIG Lightning Bat, Life = Centaur (perhaps awkward, but still), Myth = Humongofrog (think about it), Death = Death Scarab (like that cool pet), and Balance = Scorpion. I’d love it, but I’m biased.

2 cups more hybrid-looking pets: okay, picture this—you get a regular, everyday Unicorn pet, mix it with a regular, everyday Firecat pet, and (SHAZAM!) you get a totally cool horse-thing with orange cat paws and a flamin’ mane! Woohoo! That would rock! I’d definitely want one of those. But, besides the potential awesomeness of a Fire Unicorn pet, what would you think about every single pet combo—not just the level 48 ones—having the prospect of a hybrid-looking pet?! This would undoubtedly be a HUGE undertaking for KI, but when they finish with the new worlds/new spells/higher level caps/other stuff that clearly takes precedence, maybe…maybe…they’ll work on this!

3 gallons new pip system: SUPER PIPS! MEGA PIPS! Wait, let’s back up. A ‘super pip?’ What in the name of Ninja Pigs is that weird thing? Well, in my crazy mind, a ‘super pip’ is like a power pip…but for ANY school spell, no matter what your school of focus is! When playing Adam, I find it very annoying having to wait SIX TURNS for an Earthquake after my opponent puts up a Life Ward RIGHT AFTER I’ve fully bladed myself. Now THAT is tedious. Now, a mega pip would be like a power pip, but give THREE regular pips for your school of focus! Just think: when we start to get higher-ranked spells, that mega pip would be a great thing to have. Plus, I wouldn’t mind waiting one less turn for a Centaur or Colossus. ;)

4 pounds school-specific homework assignments: well, I never thought I’d be asking for homework…clearly, something is wrong with me. But hear me out before you call me crazy! This is my greatest idea yet! Okay, I’m gonna give you a scenario.
You are an Ice wizard (GO THAUMATURGES). At the beginning of the week, you get a message from Professor Greyrose. She’s like, “Scoot on over to the Ice school for your assignment!” So, you head over to the Ice school and pick up your homework. This week’s assignment: bounty-hunting! Defeat a specific boss in each world, with one of each of the following: an Apprentice Thaumaturge, a Magus Thaumaturge, a Grandmaster Thaumaturge, and a Legendary Thaumaturge. So, to participate in this assignment, you must be one of those ranks, and you must have a group of that arrangement. Once you’ve found your group, you add them onto your 4-person-max ‘Study Buddy’ list, a temporary friend system that allows players to work on homework assignments with other wizards of their school, without maxing out their regular friend list! Study Buddies can port to each other in any world, and talk to each other in a Group-like setting. After the assignment is finished, your Study Buddy list is cleared. Rewards for these assignments could vary from super-rare housing items to experience prizes, or from huge gold rewards to school-specific pets or clothing items. Also, each participant would receive a grade through a points system. For example: at the end of the week, if only one of the bosses were defeated, you might get one point. If all were defeated, you’d get five or six points. This would make for some great school bonding, too! At the end of each month, whichever school collected the most points in total would win the monthly school competition!! A special prize would be given to the members of that school…say, an organized all-school party, maybe trophy symbols on their clothes, or a special spell that they’d have for the next month. Just throwing it out there.
Okay, I know it’s getting pretty complicated, but there’s one more point to this idea: by winning a monthly school contest, the winning school would collect a YEAR point! So, at the end of the year, whichever school had the most YEAR points would win a HUUUGE award!!!!! I’m talking an automatic level for one character, maybe some Crowns, a super rare single-edition pet, a special Mount…the list goes on and on, I tell you!

5 tsp awesome broth: hey, it has to taste like something.

Okay, there’s your recipe for Idea Soup! Hope it tastes awesome! If you come up with any great ideas, please tell me via comment! I’m sure the Wizard101 community will appreciate your thoughts!

A bit of a block...

Hey trusty readers! As you may have noticed lately, I've had a MASSIVE case of writer's block--I haven't made too many posts, and I am truly apologetic for that. As soon as I overcome this, though, I'll have some great stuff to tell y'all about, regarding Celestia among other things!!! So, please take this time to visit some other blogs and fansites, and I'll start up again ASAP. :) Thanks everyone!! Here are some screenshots to pass the time:



First glimpse of Celestia on the Test Realm!!



Icezilla, baby!



Hehe...looks like my "skull cap" trend is spreading!! Had to share this. :)



My friend Hunter's first Snow Angel, which was actually "SO POWERFUL!"



Checkin' out the new Gamestop gear before it was released...lucky dude, huh?



Jack and Scout, his Jade Hound!!! SOOOO CUTE AND NON-VICIOUS-LOOKING!!!




Takin' on Axenos (yes, I'm WAAAY behind) with a little Centaur/Orthrus action! Well, I'm done with the Stellarium now. So there. :P



Jack and Adam, in all their awesomeness! They're working, slowly but surely, through the Floating Land at this point. Wish 'em luck! (And you're very welcome, Mr. PixiePants!)

Gold Guide!

Sorry for not posting for such a long time! Here's a quick update:
Adam, Jack, and Fallon at Grandmaster. I'm taking Adam and Jack through Celestia first, then Jack will help Fallon get through the storyline. From playing Celestia a bit on the Test Realm, I've discovered several important things: Life characters are very handy in near-death experiences. Ice characters aren't. Although they have wonderful health levels and such, their power is just a little too low for the kinds of crazy creatures in Celestia, so if your school of focus is Ice, STICK WITH A BUDDY! Same with Storm, come to think of it. Wild Bolt's power has been reduced (GASP!)...sort of. It has three possible outcomes when cast: 10 damage, 100 damage, and the original 1000. I have seen it hit 1000 twice today, so I guess that's a good sign, but clearly this was an attempt by KI to cut down on PvP cheats (thank you very much KI!! Sorry, Diviners!).

Okay, now for the meat of the post! I've decided to make a brand new gold-making guide for three different level sets! Because my character teams are at three different level stages, I figured it would be helpful for everyone to see what I do to get the most gold possible! So, here is a non-cheating, hopefully helpful guide to earning quick/hard-earned cash!

Team 1: Molly SilverSword (Novice Conjurer) and Logan StarSword (Novice Sorcerer). Here are some tips for characters at Novice-Journeyman levels.

1. Try to buy potions as infrequently as possible. ALWAYS try to muddle through the minigames, because that way, you won't have to spend gold, and you may even earn some. A tip on minigames: play Dueling Diego, beat the first level boss by hitting him with the downward sword movement when he raises his own sword, and then let the first Fire Elf you meet kill you. That way, you're sure to get enough points to give you a full potion, plus it doesn't take too long.

2. If you get caught in a battle, DO NOT FLEE unless absolutely necessary. Fleeing may seem like a good option in the moment, but trust me: it's not. Play the battle through, and you'll get gold, experience, and maybe even an item. You won't lose your spot, either. It's worth it.

3. Once you have amassed about three pages of items in your Backpack, head to the nearest store in the Shopping District (besides the paint shop and the housing shop). Once there, sell all the items that you don't want. If you like the look of an item, or you want to keep it for later use, hang onto it and store it in the bank in your dorm. If you decide later that you don't want it, you can always sell it, which means MORE GOLD!!

4. Farming is always a good option. If you're unfamiliar with the term, farming means to repeatedly fight a boss or creature, usually in order to collect a rare item that is hard to get in a single fight. If you pick a boss that drops good items and is pretty hard, you should farm it. If the boss you pick is too easy, then it's not going to make you a better player, and it probably won't drop great stuff, either. I'd suggest Rattlebones--he's pretty quick, but he drops some awesome stuff, like the 1-day Starlight Pony Mount (which is kinda hard to get, so keep on farming!), the Myth Sprite pet (which I have too many of), and some good lower-level gear! Also, Nightshade (final Wizard City boss), if you've gotten to him yet, even drops some Crowns items, last I checked. So hop to it!

5. Okay, last tip. This isn't one you're going to want to hear. But seriously: don't buy a pet. It was the first thing I ever spent gold on (my dragon, Sir Jackson). I regretted it, even though I loved my dragon. Here are the reasons: first of all, you get a free pet the minute you enter the Pet Pavilion. Second, you can get WAAY cooler, more uncommon pets by farming bosses in ANY area. Finally, you'll end up spending all your gold on boosting up your pet right away. If that's what you want to spend your gold on in the end, then go for it, but if you're saving for something special, DON'T go for it!

Team 2: Kestrel SilverBane (Adept Necromancer) and Finnigan StarBane (Adept Diviner). Here are some tips for Adept-Master levels.

1. Complete side quests. But don't just do side quests that offer big gold rewards--with more experience comes more ability, and with more ability comes more hard-core farming! If you do all of your side quests in each world, it will absolutely pay off in the long run.

2. Finish Grizzleheim. Some people don't like Grizzleheim. It's kinda boring in some places, admittedly, but it offers a LOT of experience and gold along the way! So bring a friend, beat some big bad guys, and rake in the gold!

3. Sell, sell, sell, sell, etc. There are some very high-selling items that can be dropped in Marleybone and Mooshu. In Marleybone, for the upper Adept range, run through the Counterweights and Big Ben. For the most part of the Master range, you can take on any of the Oni bosses and be pretty much guaranteed a good prize. I especially suggest the Tree of Life instance and the multiple bosses scattered through it. You can earn rare pets, rare housing, and rare items from many of those bosses, a lot of which can be sold at a high price. So please, good wizards, I beg you: go forth and farm!

4. Take a step back and go to Krokotopia or Wizard City, for a change! Try soloing Nightside, set up a help service in Olde Town, run through some Krokotopia dungeons or fight all the bosses in the arena! The possibilities are endless. Even if you didn't enjoy WC or KT, you might love going back and showing that you can handle that stuff alone now. Prove your metal: beat some souped-up alligators and creepy dudes in cloaks. It's really a good time.

Team 3: Fallon SilverShade (Grandmaster Thaumaturge) and Adam StarShade (Grandmaster Theurgist). Tips for the Grandmaster range (since I haven't reached Legendary yet!! Soon to come!).

1. First and foremost: KEEP FARMING. Don't stop, yo!!!! Seriously. Most effective gold-earning tactic EVER in the highest range. You have all the worlds to choose from, so do it! If you want a sword wand, head to the Labyrinth or the Drake Hatchery. You'll get your sword in the end, while also earning some other great items on the way to sell.

2. Try out some instances that you had some trouble with before. In Grizzleheim, you can try the Nidavellir instances. They're challenging even for Grandmasters, and the bosses drop amazing level 40+ items for all schools. There are secret bosses, and loads of opportunities to pick up rare pets (Adam got his Life Minotaur there, Jack got a Death Troll, etc.). In Dragonspyre, Malistaire's Lair and the Labyrinth are great options. The Labyrinth is far shorter than the Lair, but what it lacks in quantity it makes up for in quality of items. Malistaire's Lair has Tumok, the Gurtoks, and the big guy himself, all of which offer Grandmaster gear. In Mooshu, run the Tree of Life and fight the Jade Oni. In Marleybone, try out Kensington Park (if you're a Diviner, bring A LOT of converts!). Krokotopia and Wizard City probably aren't great places to return to, though, unless you're up for helping out lower-level wizards and wiping out low-health creatures.

3. While they last, try all of the Halloween towers in Ravenwood! They're fun, quick, and rewarding. Go trick-or-treating up to the top floor of the master tower, and the boss will surely offer you a Grandmaster Athame! Having run that tower many a time since it came out, I have earned thousands of gold coins to prove it.

4. Do Celestia. Simple. The quests so far have given loads of rewards in gold.

I hope this helps you earn some cash! Let me know if you come up with any more ideas, too! I'll be happy to answer questions or give suggestions. Good luck!

Get Psyched! Level 58 Spells ARE AWESOME!

I don't know if any of y'all have seen the new level 58 spells...but lemme tell ya...THEY'RE AWESOME. We now have seen all of the spells, but if you haven't, here ya go! They each cost 8 pips. And did I mention they're AWESOME?!

Fire: Efreet. It's a big genie-type dude with a large golden sword and even better hair than Malistaire. Deals 895 damage with a sword slash, plus gives the opponent a -90% damage negative!

Ice: Snow Angel (!). Love the name, LOL (get it? Like a snow angel? HA). Anyways, creepy cloaked guy (or girl?) comes down from the heavens on a pegasus. He/she (let's call it 'It') is holding a glowing blue lantern-thing, which sprays icy awesomeness onto the enemy! Deals 100 damage, then 660 over the next three rounds (that's 220 each round). Also taunts all of 'em!

Storm: Leviathan. That is a biiiiig snake. It wiggles around a little, then pops up in the middle of the stormy battlefield and spits some lightning out of its nose. Next, it flips over and dives back in, slapping the enemy with its tail! Didn't see that coming, eh? Yeah, I was expecting some lightning-breath too, but I guess we'll have to wait for level 68 for that. :)

Myth: Medusa (thanks comment-folks!). You know, the lady with the snake hair? An earthquake splits the ground, and she rises up with two huge swords...um...and then screams at you? Like Leviathan: why not just HIT you with the swords? Come on, Medusa, get real. You don't hafta show off your cool scream, even though it deals 770 damage. Silly snake lady!

Death: Skeletal Dragon. It's kind of self-explanatory, except for the huge glowing purple wings. It flies, then falls, then shoots Death stuff (DEATH BREATH!) at the enemy for 200 damage, plus 810 more over three rounds (270 per round).

Life: FOREST LORD. Yessss!! It's an AoE spell. THANK YOU KI! 560-640 damage. Wowza. Giant fuzzy green dude appears, makes some trees, grabs their branches, absorbs some tree energy (I guess), and BASHES EVERYBODY!!! This is great. Theurgists: enjoy.

Balance: Ra. Okay, I admit, I totally thought that this guy was a new Solar spell (thanks to Pegasus7 for proving me wrong, LOL). However, Ra makes a great Balance spell, going along with the ancient Egyptian theme (plus giant floating fiery orb). He appears with his staff and Ankh, which he uses to magnify the sun's heat onto all your enemies! 560-640 damage for everyone! ALL HAIL RA!

Okay, guys, do your thing on the Test Realm and keep up the good work!

OMG. WOW. YAY. AAAAAHHHH!!!!!!!!!!!

CELESTIA!!!!!!!! GUYS!!!!!!!!!! (*insert screaming, jumping, and wild dancing here*) HOORAY! Okay, let's get serious now y'all.
If you haven't already, GET ON DAT TEST REALM. Mine's still loading...heh...but read the update!! Link link link!!!

https://www.wizard101.com/game/community/updatenotes

Whew, okay, I'm all right. But get this: new level 58 spells (woah), weird/amazing new school powers (?), and (OMG) buying reagents in bulk! HALLELUJAH. No kidding. ENJOY!! New posts on their way, no worries!!! (*shoves face in pillow to muffle excitement*)

This. Is. Awesome.

Dude.

It's coming....

Gimme a C! Gimme an E! Gimme a...okay, let's get serious. Celestia is almost here--I can feel it, it's a tingle...well, actually it's more than a tingle, I mean come on. We've waited patiently, and I know that this new world has ALMOST arrived! AAAAAHHHHH CAN'T WAIT!!!!!! So, let's chat, then. This is a Q-and-A session between Mr. Crab (a Celestian inhabitant) and a Grandmaster Thaumaturge (*cough cough*). Uh, and yes, I made this up for the enjoyment of my readers using my predictions about Celestia. Heh. YEAH ENJOY!

Q: It is so nice to finally meet you, Mr. Crab! I've heard lots about you. I just want to ask you some quick questions while I have the time (gots me some homework). So, can you give us Wizards a basic idea of what Celestia is all about?

A: Of course, Fallon! Well, first of all, it's all underwater. If you've visited Crab Alley, you'll know what's up with that. Also, there is a clear conflict between the good guys (crabs, some fish, some Marleybonians) and the bad guys (insect-type creatures, sharks, evil enchanted figureheads). Us good guys are a bit outnumbered. Oh yeah, and the bad guys have the Umbra Queen. She's SUPER powerful. :)

Q: That sounds like fun! (Sorta) I hear that there'll be three new schools of magic that have to do with the sun, the moon, and the stars! Are you versed in any of those? Can you tell us anything about them?

A: Well, these three schools of magic were created by my ancestors. Most crabs use a considerable amount of magic, though some of us use weaponry and technology to achieve our means. Sharks and most fish do not use magic at all. The most skilled magical beings in our world are the bug-people, led by the Umbra Queen, the most powerful of all! They use not only Solar, Lunar, and Astral magic, but also all of those that you learn in Wizard City. Additionally, I can tell you that your new students in Wizard City cannot apply to focus in the Celestian magic schools. Much too complex for Novice Wizards, including myself, actually. To answer that first question, no, I do not do magic. I wield an axe. It hurts waaay more than magic, in my opinion.

Q: That is definitely a bold statement, Mr. Crab--I appreciate your frankness. Anyways, I watched that Selena Gomez clip featuring a preview of new spells, and I was wondering if you knew anything about those featured?

A: In fact, I do! That first spell you'll see is a Solar spell. It appears to be a representation of the Egyptian god Ra, holding an Ankh! You see, Ra was the sun god, so it makes sense that it is a Solar spell. You can even see the sun blazing in the background. The other featured spell is a bit genie-like, isn't it? He's clearly coming from a golden lamp, and he's got that whole hair thing going. To be honest, I'm not sure exactly which school that spell is from! Looks pretty fiery, doesn't it? Perhaps with the rise in the level cap to 60, your Elemental and Spiritual schools will have some new spells!?

Q: Cool! Thanks for your insight on that stuff, Mr. Crab! Now, about that level cap...what will it mean for our Wizards back home?

A: Oh, great question! The new level cap will mean lots of good, hearty, high-experience quests in Celestia! It should also mean new quests in Grizzleheim, whose quests advance throughout level progression! It will mean new gear level 50+, like the Wayfinder objects! It will definitely mean new level 60 super gear, plus a new title besides Grandmaster! I'm thinking...SUPERWIZARD!! Catchy, huh?

FALLON: Um, yeah, really catchy...(not)...THANKS! I'm so happy we got this chance to talk! See ya in Celestia!
MR. CRAB: Yes, see you there! And thank YOU, Wizards of all schools! Can't wait to meet you all!

That ends this session of: Q-AND-A, SILVERSHADE STYLE! See y'all next time!

Man it's been a while!

Hi guys! Thanks for hangin' on--school's back in, and I am SUPER occupied! I'll be posting a lot less frequently, but check in every once in a while and you'll probably see something new. :) Here's what you've missed while I've been busy:
1. Adam is done with Dragonspyre at level 50.
2. Selena Gomez quest: CHECK!
3. New Shark Mount: in the works...? See that old Mount post from '09--new updates on the way!
4. Kestrel and Cori SilverBane (me and my friend's new Death and Fire gals) are level 12!
5. And...no new hybrid pets...sadness...

NOW, who else can't wait for CELESTIA???? Check out the survey! :D Thanks again!

Rebirth

Finally, the achievement has been reached: Adam has learned REBIRTH (!!!!!!!!) and collected his SATYR PET!!!!!!! :D It was a long, hard road, but at last I have another school master! Adam hasn't actually cast Rebirth yet (updates coming soon), and his little Satyr still has about 23 hours to hatch (his name's Rocco!). I'll post stuff as soon as possible!! Also, thanks to Dylan and Laura Darkheart for their amazing help on the Rebirth quest!!! Couldn't have done it without you guys!

Warehouse = HISTORY!

As you can probably guess from the title of this post (I like to make 'em nice and obvious ;) ), Fallon has completed the Warehouse tower in Marleybone! Sorry I haven't posted in a while--I've been incredibly busy! Anyway, from the boss at the top, I won the coveted Wayfinder's Helmet, which not only gives some cool stats but also a NINJA PIG CARD. I got the boots (similar stats, no card) from the crab boss. These are level 50 requirement items, so I'm guessing they'll be the norm in Celestia. Hopefully there will be some other items that give usually unobtainable spell cards! To tell the truth, though, I can't think of any other spells that at least one class can't normally learn...well, maybe some uncommon Treasures, like Woodwalker, or new pet spells?! We'll have to wait and see!!!

Meanwhile, Adam is level 47 (SOOO close to Rebirth!) and working on the Drake Hatchery! Let me know if you have any questions about anything! I'm happy to give advice to those who want it. :)

Bring it, DragonSpyre

ADAM FINISHED MOOSHU! Here's a shot from before his battle with Cyrus!!

AND, because I've done all my side quests plus finished Grizzleheim, he's already level 44!!! Man I'm so excited!

Adam StarShade: ONE SPELL LEFT! And...the Test Realm

42 is such a nice number...

Not only did Adam learn the spell above (EARTHQUAKE!!) as his last Myth spell, but he also learned his second-to-last Life spell, Sanctuary! He's actually level 43 now, so only five more levels to go before Rebirth!!!

I like to do double posts now and again, so let's talk about the Test Realm. I have been on it recently with Fallon, and have reached the ominous Warehouse. Can't beat it. Fallon and two Theurgists got to the first boss, died, then tried again and got to the same point. You really need four players for this dungeon, people. VERY difficult. Harder than Briskbreeze, I think...? Let me know the details on this dungeon, because all I know for sure right now is that the first boss is Myth, and he has the same tricks as the Briskbreeze bosses: Myth style!

He also yells out randomly, "HELP ME!!!" or something of that nature. I have concluded that he is being manipulated by the evil Celestians. He's a crab (sorta), and I'm pretty sure that the crabs are the good guys, because earlier in the quest string you fight these nasty-looking insect thingies, which MUST be the bad guys. GOOD LUCK EVERYBODY!

Sorry...AND question!

I'm sorry I didn't warn anybody beforehand, but I've been away for two weeks...just got back...so, yeah. BUT there is a question I must answer!!! Somebody asked what some new cool pet mixes are! :D I CAN ANSWER THAT!!!
To Mr./Ms. Anon, please check the link on the post 'Hybrid pets = super-duper' (lol) if you haven't already! I believe all of the hybrid pets on that link are still available, but I don't think there are any new ones!?
If anybody else is aware of new hybrid pets please let me know! THANKS!!

Malfunctions: FIXED!!

Fallon is back in working order, people! THANK YOU KINGSISLE!!! I received my Firebat pet, and 2500 Crowns, and my Black Stallion, AND my decks!!! I really appreciate all of the work you guys have done over there! The only thing that was not fixed was Prince Shadow's level, but don't worry: I got him back up to Ancient. ;)

I = DEPRESSED

I have a MAJOR technical difficulty, folks. You see, it all started on a sunny Saturday (day before yesterday)...
*FLASHBACK*
So, I bought some Crowns and purchased the NEW MEGA SNACK PACK! I leveled Prince Shadow, my Colossus, up to Ancient. He gained Mana Gift and Steal Morale. I was pleased. Next, I decided to do a little bit of farming: RATTLEBONES! I needed a break from Gurtok Demon--don't judge. I gained a total of EIGHT Myth Sprites, but no Starlight Pony. :( Anyway, I did a last Gurtok Demon battle with Jack, then logged off.

SUNDAY...*sparkles*...
I log onto Wizard101 in the morning, but cannot connect to server--twice. Third try works, and when I log onto Fallon, the first thing I realize is that I have no Mount. Huh. Very weird. My little Scarecrow (Black Stallion) is gone!!! He's not in my backpack, not in my bank, NOWHERE. So while I'm hunting through everything for Scarecrow, I discover that I don't have any decks anywhere either. I check my card selection page, and guess what? NO CARDS. AT ALL. No deck, no cards, no Mount, AND Prince Shadow is somehow an Adult again. Once again: very weird.

So I sent a bug report in to KI, and I'm still waiting for a response. If y'all have any ideas/consolation/your own technical difficulties, please be a friend and leave a comment. Thanks. I will try to fix this ASAP!!!

Prince Shadow: Adult!

As you can probably tell by the title of this post, my Colossus is now an Adult!! How did I do it? Train, train, every day!



Now for Ancient! That's 500 XP, so I'd better start cracking! To do so, I have purchased the formula for 'Frosted Drakes,' an AWESOME Ice snack (recipe available for purchase in Dragonspyre). It adds 7 XP with every game!!! I've already crafted fifteen of 'em, and hopefully all this crazy Gurtok Demon farming will get me some extra 5+ snacks. :)

New pets!

Okay, here are the new pets I've gotten so far!

Here is Patch on the left, my Striped Boar. He's a teen now. THEY GROW UP SO FAST!!!

And on the right is Chance, my Blue Spider (still a baby). Below is my NEW Storm Cat, Sir Cocoa! He just hatched, so I've got some work to do! Jack has gotten a Silverback Wildclaw as well, so I'll be sure to post up shots of him when he hatches! :D Let me know what kinds of new pets you guys have gotten!

PETS PETS PETS YAY!!!

HEY GUYS GUESS WHAT??? THE PETS HAVE BEEN RELEASED IN-GAME! Okay, this is great. :D I have to level up Prince Shadow (once this thing is done patching)!!!! CYA HAVE FUN!

Katz Lab with Adam and Jack

Adam is on his way to Big Ben! Getting through Katzenstein's Lab was easy enough with Jack Frost helping, since the big Katz himself is Storm. Plus,we stopped by Smogger and picked up the Smogger Smasher badge!

Smogger is a hidden boss in Katzenstein's Lab. After you beat Katzenstein, go up to the platform on his right and into the outside area. You'll be asked to find wooden planks to bridge the gap between that area and the path to Smogger. You have to find four or five, so set a teleport mark and grab that wood! There are is a pile in that area, and one right outside of the Katzenstein building. Other than that, you'll have to search around the rooftops near the building, and then you can come back and make the bridge!! Smogger is a Storm boss (like Katz) with 4,000 health and a clockwork helper with 575 health. Good luck, potential Smogger Smashers! Time to finish up Marleybone!

Half-man, half-horse, ALL-AWESOME

Centaur for Adam! This here's his first one: it was in Kensington Park! Took us a while to beat the first boss...we never finished the whole dungeon. :P

A Centaur Mount would be pretty cool....................or a pet!?

Jack: MALISTAIRE MAN

Guess who Jack's recently defeated? It's that lovable Death dude, Mr. Malistaire Drake! I like him better than Cyrus, to tell ya the truth. He's got great hair. Anyway, Jack is now done with the game!!! He's still level 48, however, and I'm TRYING to get him to go back and finish side quests.

Not easy, I tell ya.

Here are a couple pics!

Congratz Jack! And thanks to Amy HawkMender and Daniel Firesword--y'all rock! :D

Hybrid pets = super-duper

Thanks to the Friendly Necromancer for putting up this awesome link on his blog: http://www.wizard101central.com/forums/showthread.php?t=67377

I'm sorry Friendly, I willingly admit to the crime of being a copycat (copycatting?). But sometimes things are just too super-duper to not write about!

It's a link to Central that shows all the new hybrid pets to be released! My favorite is the Ianthine Spectre--soooo cool! I'm also a fan of the Storm Cat and Ice Bird. Icezilla might come in handy, too...yeah, I think I'll be farming in Dragonspyre and Grizzleheim quite a bit...I love that these cards give you blades, too. Did you notice that White Rat Magician gives you a Time of Legend, and Storman gives a Darkwind? Pretty cool. I wonder if it does it before the attack or after? We'll just have to wait and see!

I'm gonna get me a Spectre on the Test Realm ASAP and train it, then combine it with Prince Shadow! Ooh, it's gonna be awesome!!! THANK YOU KINGSISLE FOR RESETTING THE CROWNS ON THE TEST REALM! Luv y'all!

New Heading!

So, whaddya think of the new art up there? I drew it myself! :D Let me know if it's too flashy/enormous...hehe, it's possible...thank you and HAPPY MOTHER'S DAY!

Time to dust off the old coat

Does anyone remember my pirate coat? Take a look at the first couple of pictures on that link, maybe they'll jog your memory. :) Actually, it was once a cloak with that cool tree symbol on the cape--you could buy it in Krokotopia. But, eventually, these items were taken out of the game (I think they were too awesome). I also ended up stitching the cloak onto my pirate coat.

And now that Adam has turned level thirty (they grow up so fast!), he can use the coat!!! Here's a picture. Pretty fancy, huh? :P I also replaced the blue trim with green. Adam's all about going green.

Oh, and here is his first Regenerate! And thank you, Heather Raven, for your nice comment--you're right, it is a cool spell! And quite handy in Frostholm!

Okay Marleybone, I'm ready for ya!

Adam is OFFICIALLY on to Marleybone!!!! HOORAY!!! Here's a couple 'o pics:

Okay, so there's a glimpse...now, HERE'S where it gets complicated. My new spell. Enlarge these screenshots please...OR ELSE.

So, uh, Freddy turned out to be quite the little speedbump...at first, there is pure joy:

And I wipe him out with a snappy double-boosted Earthwalker. But guess what? These kinds of things are too good to be true.

Whoopsie. Well, I cut my deck down to ONLY boosting and a little bit of healing, and I get him with a boosted Earthwalker all nine times. Pretty frustrating. But check out my prize!

Hehe, I guess I forgot to take an actual shot of the spell, but it's Regenerate! Check out the Life spell list for a closer peek. I haven't used it yet, so I'll let y'all know when that happens!

Egg = Sadness

Miss Belle, my new pet egg on the Test Realm, hatched last night...and I have to say, not exactly what I had expected. Not what my Necromancer friend Wolf (who supplied his Wraith) expected either. It was an Ice-only pet that was basically an exact replica of Prince Shadow, but with better stats. I'm still not even sure how the Wraith ties in at all. :( I just wanna tell you guys, when pets go live, I would suggest not making a pet egg unless you're TOTALLY SURE about it, and you have LOTS of gold to spare!! Otherwise: oops, look at that! You just spent 70,000-80,000 gold on a pet that takes 2 days to hatch and you're probably not even gonna use it. Argh. Unless this expansion is improved a little bit, I don't expect to be hatching any eggs in the near future. I know a ton of work has gone into it, but seriously--we needs some kinks worked out here, or I won't be the only one to not hatch a pet.

Jack's First Orthrus Spell!

As promised, here is Jack Frost's official first Orthrus! This here's the first bark--the head on the left does that one. Check out the creepy moon up there...yikes. Jack commenting on Cyrus Drake. Adam being excited. Yep. We can cross this one off the list!

Second bark: full-fledged awesomeness!!! It sure takes a while, though. Both heads bark this time, but in this shot, it looks like the one on the left is still getting most of the action. Super-fun spell! Thanks to everyone who helped Jack out with his questing! Next (minor) speedbump: Malistaire! WE'RE COMIN' FOR YA! And so is Baby Rascal!

Join the Club, Baby Rascal!

PLEASE click on this picture to enlarge it!!!

Well, after completing a tough tower (with me walking him through it) Jack got his Orthrus spell/pet at last! :D

It's very cute, I have to say. His name is Baby Rascal, which Jack insists on keeping. He has yet to actually use the spell--screenshots coming! For any of you Conjurers in possession of Orthrus...remember Cyrus's jokes?

"Stupid demon dogs"

"Cerberus's brother"

"Two-headed cats--the natural enemies of Orthruses!!"

Oh, Cyrus. What a guy, huh? He's really the life of the party.

Anyway, can't wait till the Test Realm goes live! I'M GONNA GET ME AN EGG! The one on the Test Realm will take another 20 hours to hatch, so I'll be waiting...oh, and THANK YOU WOLF DEATHWALKER FOR SHARING YOUR WRAITH! Little Belle is gonna be so great thanks to you. I think she'll get her father's looks (Prince Shadow--fingers crossed lol).

Lookie!

Check it out---I GOT DEAN DARKFLAME'S SWORD! That's my newest addition to the sword collection! Now all I have left are the Property Master one and Redwind's Viridian Blade! Woot!

And here's your latest Jack Frost update: level 47, with about twenty thousand experience left to go! I'll be sure to put up a screenshot of his first Orthrus for y'all!

And...ACTION!

Okay, I FINALLY have some more screenshots--sorry for the wait (blog musta been really boring)!!! Soo I've been on the Test Realm quite a lot, but still no egg. I know. It's sad. No one has wanted to hatch a pet egg with me. Oh, and it costs a whopping 80,000 gold!!! DUDE. That's pretty hefty. But I guess I can try to save up...I'd better start farming! I think I'm gonna wait for Jack to get his Orthrus first anyway (he's level 46 now--two more levels to go). Okay, here we go...

This is what I like to call a pet par-tay. Look at them!!! They're all so cute and ferocious...so, as you might have guessed, you can now release your pets in your house and hang out with them! Here are a few little tricks I learned--click on your Emotes, and choose "clap" (makes your pets come toward you), "scold" (makes your pets run away from you), or "dance" (makes your pets dance with you). Dance is totally my favorite. You should see some of those moves! I wish I was skilled like that.

Here's Fallon on her PERMANENT Blue Dragon!!! I probably won't be able to buy this in the real game...but my birthday's coming up so who knows?! And as you can see, I'm in Colossus Blvd. chilling with Mindy. So, you know Mildred Farseer, who lives right near where I am in this screenshot? I would go check in with her if ya catch my drift...(new spells!!!).

Oh, and here's Adam! I just realized that you hadn't even seen him yet!

So there's your update! If you've got any questions, post a comment and let me know!

I HEART PETS btw

GAAAHHH TEST REALM OPEN!!!

I AM SOOOO EXCITED GUYS!!!! The test realm is now officially open, so new pet stuff has arrived!!! Man I can't wait!!! Okay, patching.....logging on....I'll let y'all know what's up when it finishes all this loading.

DRAGONSPYRE TIME!!! And Character Plans!

I am pleased to announce that Jack Frost has completed Mooshu!!! He has yet to finish many side quests (from several different worlds), which I keep begging him to do, but he just wants to get to Malistaire ASAP. What can ya do?

He's almost done with the Tower Archives, and he's played it mostly without my help, since I've been working on Adam. Recently we decided to make teams of two characters each, one from each account. I will be making four characters, and he will make three. The first team is obviously Fallon and Jack (Ice and Myth). Next is Adam and Jack (Life and Myth), just because Adam has kinda been going solo while Jack finishes up his story quests, and he needs a partner in crime. Coming soon will be a Storm-Balance team and a Fire-Death team. If you have any good name suggestions, let me know! All of my characters' last names will end in 'Shade', and Jack's will be one word. Here's what I was thinking:

Storm (my next character): Scarlet SkyShade
Balance (Jack's next character): Lucas Bane
Death (my last character): Angus NightShade
Fire (Jack's last character): Patrick Dragon

Please leave some comments!! And remember, if you have any Wizard101 question, feel free to ask!

Polls closed! And some Celestia ideas...?

The voting is over, and the winner is................NEW MAGIC SCHOOLS!!! Four out of the seven who voted are most excited for the new magic schools. Trust me, I am too. Here are some assumptions I made regarding these schools:

FACT: We have the Elemental schools (Ice, Fire, & Storm), and the Spirit schools (Death, Life, & Myth)
ASSUMPTION: We will soon have the Celestial schools: Lunar/Moon, Solar/Sun, and Astral/Star

FACT: When creating your Wizard at the very beginning of the game, you must come up with a name. In the last name selections, you can pick any of the schools (i.e., Fallon Iceshade).
ASSUMPTION: Because you can also pick Sun, Moon, or Star, they are schools as well.....

FACT: The Elemental and Spirit schools can be chosen as schools of focus.
ASSUMPTION: The Celestial schools will only be available through Training Points, because the schools might be located in Celestia.

Now, here are some ideas I came up with for the schools.

Spells and traits for the Lunar/Moon school: a couple spell ideas...lots of nocturnal animals...Werewolf, I'm guessing...an owl of some type...an actual bat (not a Bloodbat)...even...*gasp*...Lunar Eclipse?!? Maybe. School colors: navy blue and white/yellow.

Spells and traits for the Solar/Sun school: if there weren't a Fire school, the Solar school would probably have most of those spells, but I'll give it a try; hmmm....some kind of flaming horse...a lion...a sun chariot...a sun god (equivalent to Storm Lord?)...ooh, and maybe Solar Eclipse, too!! BTW: Solar eclipses are WAAAY cooler than lunar eclipses, but they're shorter, so Solar Eclipse could be more powerful. School colors: red and yellow/orange.

Spells and traits for the Astral/Star school: okay, I would love to see a little star-guy who went up to your enemies and attacked them with rainbows or something...but I'm guessing that's not gonna happen. Now, since FIRE STOLE THE METEOR SPELL (*cough cough*), the Astral school will not have one of those, but I bet there'll be something similar, like star shower...and then maybe some constellations will come to life? THAT WOULD BE AWESOME. School colors: silver and gold.

Oh, and Fire school, no offense intended--I still love you.

Soooo, there are my ideas for the new schools! Hope this makes sense!

I'm Back! Adam StarShade Update!

I was away again for most of this week (sorry I didn't warn you guys), but I'm pretty sure I didn't miss anything... :P Here's an Adam StarShade update: level 23, recently learned Humongofrog and Seraph! Like I said in my school tips post (check out the blog archive!), Myth is a good secondary school for Life because it offers a nice all-enemy attack spell at an early level. Now Adam's gotten to the Krokosphinx, and he's about halfway through it. He'll be done soon!

Jack Frost: Level 38, Mooshu-Finishing Time! AND Sword Collecting!

Jack recently reached Mooshu, and got to LEVEL 38! Yeah, so he didn't reach 50 by the end of that week (I know we were all expecting it), but 38's pretty good! He got caught up in parties, apparently...silly Conjurers...but anyway, he's learned Minotaur and Minotaur Minion, and he is SO excited for Earthquake!



Now, lately I've been building up my sword collection--that's right, you know the swords you can win from bosses and such? Not athames, but wands! The ones I'm after are those that do 100 damage. Here is the list of bosses that drop these swords (most of 'em are in the Drake Hatchery/Labyrinth, so be sure to stop by those areas next time you hit Dragonspyre).



Giant Homonculus: Drake Hatchery--Longblade of the Homonculus, Ice

Avalanche: Drake Hatchery--Avalanche's Legendary Cutlass, Myth

Valeska Redwind: Drake Hatchery--Redwind's Viridian Blade, Life

Vladimir Darkflame: Labyrinth--Dean Darkflame's Cleaver, Fire

The Hoarder: Drake Hatchery--Shockblade of the Hoarder, Storm

Ivan Soulsinger: Drake Hatchery--Soulsinger's Soulsword

Property Master: Labyrinth--Sword of the Steward

Here's some tips for farming these guys:

1. With Avalanche, Soulsinger, and the Homonculus, JUST KEEP FARMING!! Bring some friends too--even when you have friends farming with you, the drop rate of whatever boss you're fighting is not lowered. After one round, check your loot, and if you're low on health, mark at the instance, go back to the Atheneum and fill up your mana/potion. Then you can sell the loot you collected and head right on back! Oh, and quick side note: these three bosses are all the same type as the sword they drop.

2. For the Hoarder...she's Balance, unlike the Storm sword she drops. She enjoys walking around the upper part of the Drake Hatchery, so after you kill her once, you'll have to either wait until she respawns, or you could switch realms. It took my friends and I a pretty long time to get her sword, but if this happens to you, DON'T BE DISCOURAGED! It's an awesome sword, so it's worth waiting for. Plus, you can get some great extra loot to either wear or sell!

3. I already own the swords of everyone in the Drake Hatchery (except Valeska), partly because they're the easier ones to farm, and partly because I haven't had the patience to get through the Labyrinth a billion times. I have done it twice, however (with Jack), and this is what I discovered: almost every single boss in the Labyrinth drops a sword. The Property Master and Vladdy drop the 100-damage ones, but most of the others drop those 95/90-damage swords. HOORAY! In fact, Jack got the Saber of the Gallium Paladin, which happens to be a Myth sword. Okay, so the Property Master is Life, and Darkflame is Death. I happen to really like Vladdy's sword, so I'm hoping I get it SOOOON!

4. Valeska Redwind. My arch-nemesis, I think. In a past life. Or something. I know hate is a strong word...so I'm not gonna use it. I've actually only fought Valeska once, on the Dragonspyre quest to defeat her. Yeah, you can guess how that went...didn't get the sword. :( But seriously, I want that Life sword!!! The tower is kind of excruciating, so try it out with a friend or two (a Diviner or Theurgist if possible--you guys know I love you). Valeska is Myth, which is kinda.............weird? I strongly dislike this lady, but I'll probably like her more once I kill her a few times. And get her sword. That would be mighty fine.

Adam StarShade Update! And NIGHTSIDE!

Adam's on a roll! He's now level 14 (I had a lot of time on my hands), and he's just about done with Wizard City! All he has to do now is beat Grubb...which might take a while.



If you aren't familiar with Grubb yet, he's in Nightside. Have you ever been across Rainbow Bridge in Wizard City? Well, while you're standing on it, take a look to the side. There's a waterfall running into the lake, and if you wade over there and duck under the fall, THERE'S A SUPER-SECRET CAVE!! You won't be able to get through the door with the Death school symbol unless you've completed Colossus Boulevard, so you might have to work for a little while longer. But be thankful. Grubb is by far the hardest dungeon in Wizard City, so I suggest getting a few friends to help you. Here are some examples of the extreme craziness in Nightside:

1. Right when you enter the dungeon, you get pulled into a battle with three Myth ghosts, 500 health. Send your "bait" into the fight, then have them flee and port back in.

2. Navigating the streets can be a real hassle, as these 3-foe battles are everywhere you turn.

3. That Norton tower is MEAN. It has numerous floors (I wasn't counting :P but I looked it up: 5 floors)

4. Even level 40s have trouble soloing the Sunken City dungeon.

SO PLEASE: help those in need. Lend a hand. Don't let your buddies die when fighting Grubb. Get healing spells in your decks (a lot of 'em), and definitely take a Theurgist or Diviner. YOU WON'T REGRET IT!

New Beginnings

I re-did a couple of things lately:
1. Bought back my training points (Mr. Lincoln, in Golem Court) and learned Storm, as well as Elemental Blade/Trap (Niles), Fire and Ice Dispels, and Reshuffle (all available at Mildred Farseer, Colossus Blvd).
2. Changed Fallon's colors (again) to purple and gold, and brought back Mr. Meowz (Meowmodon Mount).
3. Deleted ALL my other characters and created Adam StarShade, now level 6 Theurgist! I've decided to make other characters after getting him to level 50.
4. I'm taking on the PvP arena! Fallon needs some practice (not a very good record...still a Private). If anybody has some tips for the arena, let me know!

Goldenbrand Challenge

I recently received a comment from Samantha Drake, a Storm wizard, working on the Goldenbrand challenge!! SO COOL! I'm not brave enough to try it out, but here are the details if you have no idea what I'm talking about. The goal of the challenge is to reach level 40 (Master wizard) without going on ANY story quests; only side-quests or dungeons. WOW. This means no potions, less experience points...and I guess the only way to get to worlds other than WC would be porting to friends...? Oh my goodness, that is quite an endeavor. I applaud those who have completed this challenge!

Now, being a STORM wizard on this challenge is FAR more difficult than usual, I'm sure! Without potions, I'd say the best way to succeed is simply to take on the Life school as a secondary. Or, just kill those monsters as fast as you possibly can, and get a few friends to help you out! I'm not an expert on the challenge, so I don't know if this is all legal... :P

Another good tactic is to repeat bosses. Some of them drop very helpful items, with higher HP and defense stats. If you are attempting the Goldenbrand challenge go for the high-health/high-defense items as often as possible. Samantha also mentioned being in possession of pets with health boosts or healing spells...these could prove to be incredibly valuable. By late spring, we can expect some new pets with cool assistance powers, which will hopefully help you guys a lot!

GOOD LUCK!!!

SCREENSHOTS AT LAST!

Well, everyone, I've finally done it! I CAN TAKE SCREENSHOTS NOW! JOY TO THE WORLD! I kinda went crazy, so here are just a few of the snapshots! Enjoy!

Here's one of me and Jack (plus Prince Shadow and Madame Jasper)

And this one of me and Prince Shadow admiring Boris Blackrock .

Here's Trevor on his Black Stallion, Scarecrow.

KIERAN!

Logan and Bruno in the Storm Tower.

Flint sayin' hi to Tinu

Rowan is very talkative. What can I say.