As much as I’d love to believe that there’s another game waiting in the wings with the exhilarating combination of light-hearted fun, white-knuckle encounters, challenging quest chains, engaging storyline, grind-optional content and grind-optional gear, all rolled into casual friendly package like Wizard101, I’d be a happy gamer. But there isn’t. W101 isn’t perfect but man it’s hitting my sweet spot these days.
In how many other MMOs have I had this much fun leveling? How many opportunities have I had to pick out clothes and run around looking like this? Don’t let the cute looks fool you. My Balance Wizard kicks ass and doesn’t bother with taking names. And so does this supposedly, kid-targeted game.
This evening I hit 40! I have no idea what the level cap is now but I think I’m probably ¾ of the way there – maybe closer. Half the time I don’t even know my level. The levels don’t matter. It was only important to me this time because it was a level that would grant me the training point I’ve been anxiously awaiting. Tonight I was able to train Meteor which does a fire-based Area of Effect (AOE). Adding this second AOE to my arsenal was the final puzzle-piece in my plan to change over to an AOE spec for normal difficult combat.
I will always keep Treasure Card versions readily at hand. My Elemental Blades + Curses + two AOEs should handle all regular combat encounters. It still surprises me how something that small can make me feel this excited. I don’t know that I would have been as satisfied by W101 two years ago – one year ago. I certainly wouldn’t have been this enamored back when I was still having my love affair with World of Warcraft.
This is partly the result of a perfect storm. I’ve reached a point where it’s not acceptable for my gaming to feel like a second job. I’m no longer willing to “prove” myself worthy to access content via excessive grinding and repeating content over and over and over just ‘cuz. These days I demand fun, options, fresh encounters, strategy, progression, effort and reward, and in that order for me to subscribe to a game. I’m not against small amounts of grinding. However, grind optional is certainly better. Now I get to pick and choose what I find valuable enough to warrant grinding/farming, not of which impacts my ability to access content.
I hope all the more traditional MMO gamers/bloggers that are writing about W101 raise the level of attention surrounding this game. I hope game designers and content developers will take note and see that content doesn’t have to be painful, repetitive and grind ridden for it to be challenging. Rewards don’t have to be extremely exclusive or epic to be valued or coveted. Gear doesn’t have to be the mile-marker by which players judge themselves, each other and their progression. I’m fortunate enough that just as I hit the breaks on my treadmill a game like W101 had released.
Congrats! Right behind you at 39. The current level cap is 50 so you are almost at it.
I've now reached the point where I have 3 decks for different situations depending on the mob resists. Now it's simply a matter of playing the deck correctly instead of hoping for the right card to show up.
Posted by: Winged Nazgul | January 28, 2009 at 07:04 AM
I'm wracking my brain -- I THINK there's a group fire trap that traps every member of the enemy encounter? I don't have it, but I'm sure I remember something like that. Once you get these sorts of multipliers going -- and in a group, they can get really high with some teamwork -- almost nothing can stand too long.
As I leveled, I valued shields less and less, reasoning that killing stuff faster would make up for resisting less. Dragonspyre has been an education. Now I love shields again :)
I'm pretty sure the level cap is still 50.
Posted by: Tipa | January 28, 2009 at 07:04 AM
Oh yeah -- level 40 is when you can wield swords :) Oyotomi (is that the name?) is the easiest one. Death mob, instant respawn, no trash, contested mob that hardly anyone farms except to get their swords. Drops the life sword. I got it after three or four kills.
Posted by: Tipa | January 28, 2009 at 09:50 AM
@Ronan - Congrats to you too as I'm sure you'll be 40 today or tomorrow. :-) Yes, on the 3 decks. I've been playing three for a long time. All short and for specific types of encounters. I struggle if I try a general long deck now. The only time I use a long deck is big group or PVP.
@Tipa - I'll have to check. There was a trap of sorts after Meteor but it wasn't clear from the card if it was applied to a single target or all. I was confused. But now that you mention it, there was a 4-way arrow on the card so it might have been trap all. However my storm spell that traps all clearly says it does. Since we can re-train I'll have to research it before spending the point. I don't need anymore single target traps. You can only spend but so many rounds trapping.
I so want a sword. And yes, I'm still crying about never having found even a simple staff. Why the weapon gods are against me I don't know. But I'll be happy to take a sword in the meantime. :-)
Posted by: Alysianah aka Saylah | January 28, 2009 at 10:38 AM
My son has Groostak's Prudent Staff waiting for him to ding 40. Hopefully it will look as cool when he's wielding it, as it does in the picture:
http://img91.imageshack.us/img91/127/groostaksprudentstaffwu3.jpg
I believe Groostak can be found around Hametsu Village in Moo Shu, so he should be easy enough to farm if you want an interesting looking staff/polearm :)
Posted by: Capn John | January 28, 2009 at 10:55 AM
@Capn - thanks he will be farmed! :-)
Posted by: Alysianah aka Saylah | January 28, 2009 at 11:09 AM
That followup fire school spell sounds like the one that adds a fire damage buff to the entire encounter -- both sides.
Posted by: Tipa | January 28, 2009 at 12:33 PM
Both sides?? Whoa that's hot! I'll look on the forum and read thru the Fire spells. I have a ways to go before I get another point to spend. Are there new cards in DS or are we just getting more points to spend in other schools? Too many points dilutes people having to specialize which will take some of the flavor out of the game.
Posted by: Alysianah aka Saylah | January 28, 2009 at 12:50 PM
Wyldfire - 4 pips
Effect: +25% to all Fire
It's a global enchantment that sticks around and affects both sides. It's one of the spells you can train after Meteor Strike. I know Storm also has a similar spell in
Darkwind - 4 pips
Effect: +25% to all Storm
Posted by: Winged Nazgul | January 28, 2009 at 01:02 PM
Thanks! That is awesome and will be my next point spent!
Posted by: Alysianah aka Saylah | January 28, 2009 at 01:11 PM
I believe Myth also has a spell similar to that because my son has something like it. I wasn't sure whether it affected both sides or not though, but the first time he cast it, it created a rapidly expanding globe which quickly encompassed the entire field of battle, so I figured that meant it affected ALL Myth spells.
Posted by: Capn John | January 28, 2009 at 02:06 PM
The level 15 Zeke boots have those "battlefield enchant" cards, if you just want to fiddle around to see if they are useful. There's one for each school... except Balance. (At least as far as I can tell, according to Zeke gear.) Balance gets the Power Pip %up card in that slot.
Quick question for those of you hardy souls further along than I: How much Gold do you have? I'm writing about the economy in W101, and my sense is that there aren't enough gold sinks. I'm wondering if that's true at the higher levels.
Posted by: Tesh | January 28, 2009 at 03:38 PM
@Tesh - I hover between 60K and 70K gold. Whenever I think I have too much, I start dying outfits.
Posted by: Tipa | January 28, 2009 at 03:56 PM
At least, gold sinks that aren't just Zeke gear, that is. Yes, I can spend 51k gold on a black/black level 15 Zeke Cloak, but if I have Crowns to spare, why bother?
What exactly do people spend gold on?
Posted by: Tesh | January 28, 2009 at 04:00 PM
Congrats on 40! Glad you're having so much fun with it.
Of course, with that cat costume and your preference for mage-type characters, you'll have to release a photo gallery called "I can haz flamethrower" or something like that. :)
Posted by: Khan | January 28, 2009 at 04:54 PM
Whoa, I'm poor! I suppose I should stop collecting outfits and dying them. I never have more than 20-22K! But man, my trunk is full of hot lookin' stuff. I could strut the catwalk with the best of 'em. *meow*
I spend gold on Treasure cards. Sometimes I buy a spell that I will be getting so I can try it out in the line-up and decide, especially since we can't respec. For example, I've been using Meteor for a couple of weeks. I wanted to know if it was going to be worth going that far down into a 3rd school. If not, then I'd finish out Storm and get Stormzilla. As it turned out I liked it very much and got it. Unfortunately, I learned that technique AFTER sinking points in Storm that i really wish I hadn't. *sigh*
Other than that I color outfits like I don't have any sense. :-) Oh and wands. I've bought all my wands since the mobs don't wanna give none up for me.
Posted by: Alysianah aka Saylah | January 28, 2009 at 08:21 PM
@Khan - Yes, I am having lots of fun. thanks. :-)
Posted by: Alysianah aka Saylah | January 28, 2009 at 08:24 PM
Hrm... new question, would you convert crowns to gold if you could do it at a better rate than what Zeke offers?
Posted by: Tesh | January 28, 2009 at 11:22 PM
Hmm, only if there were cooler things to do with gold. At present there aren't. Like if we had player housing and I could decorate I'd probably be willing to spend a little real cash to do it. If I could have a mount, additional teleport option, send a messenger to a friend (wouldn't that be cute!), things like that. Since gear isn't a stringent requirement for anything, they'd have to add more unique vanity or convenience items for me to care about having more gold.
Posted by: Alysianah aka Saylah | January 28, 2009 at 11:36 PM
That's what I've been thinking. Thanks!
Posted by: Tesh | January 28, 2009 at 11:50 PM
@ Saylah
Headmaster Ambrose (a KI employee) has frequently referenced on the W101 forums that in the future they will be adding an "off-campus housing" feature. Could be what you're looking for :)!
Posted by: JollyFellow | January 29, 2009 at 08:24 PM
I'd heard that from someone, can't remember who but yes, that would be sweet.
Posted by: Alysianah aka Saylah | January 29, 2009 at 08:51 PM
Hi,
I'm one of the new admins for the Wikia Wizard101 Wiki, and I have been approaching the awesome blogs I have seen in my travels looking at Wizard101 content and comments. We would greatly appreciate it if you would put a link up to the site. Wizard City is now approaching the point where it is well covered and we are moving on to Krokotopia. Any of your readers who could add to later game content would be appreciated as well. Regards and thank you for the entertaining and informative reading!
Love your comments on Marleybone - especially as I am just about to get there myself.
Jaycee27
Posted by: Jaycee27 | February 07, 2009 at 12:39 AM