Author Archive: Ravenwood Academy

Jewels

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What are Jewels?

Jewels are items in the game that can be added–affixed–to equipment. (Athames, rings, amulets, decks, and even pets!) There are five different types of jewels–circle, triangle, square, tear, and star. Each different shape gives different boosts to stats.

Square jewels boost resistance, stun block, critical block, and incoming healing percent.

   (The square, tear, and triangle shape jewels.)

Triangle jewels boost shadow pip percent, power pip percent, accuracy, and can grant cards.

Tear jewels increase mana, health, energy, and fishing luck.

Circle jewels boost damage percent, critical chance percent, and outgoing healing percent.

Star jewels are equipped to pets, and can offer a multitude of different things; accuracy, cards, damage, resistance, and can even increase your gold obtaining rate. Star jewels can also boost your pet’s attributes. (Suffice to say, star jewels can give your wizard a handy little boost.)

(Know that jewels can boost specifics as well. A square jewel that is red will give you a boost in a fire resist. Jewels that are rainbow colored are the jewels that are universal–universal resist, universal damage, universal accuracy, etc.)

 

When you affix–socket–a jewel to an item, you must shatter–break–it to reopen that slot. When you shatter a jewel, the jewel will usually disappear. There are exceptions to this rule, so before you affix a jewel to a piece of equipment, double check that it is, in fact, shatter-proof.

You can carry up to a hundred jewels in your bag. They can be trashed and sold, but they cannot be auctioned. You can put jewels in a bank and the shared bank.

Obtaining Jewels

Like mostly everything in the game, jewels can be obtained be farming, buying off of vendors, or crafting. (You can even find jewels in fishing chests.) Some jewels can’t be bought, some can’t be crafted, some can’t be farmed. It’s annoying, but it’s life.

To craft jewels, you need two things: the recipe and the jewel crafting station. (Which is obtained from a quest at level 15.) All jewel recipes require three fundamental things: a type of metal, a type of gem, and a type of treasure card. What type of metal, type of gem, and what type of treasure card depends on the recipe, but that’s the blanket rule.

For example, the recipe for a random ice school jewel for levels 45-65. In the bottom left, the ingredients needed are listed. 15 sapphires, 4 bronze, and 4 ice spear treasure cards.

Farming for jewels works just as farming for any other type of equipment. Do your research before setting off. Buying jewels from a vendor is just like buying gear from a vendor.

 

This is a novice’s wrench.

Opening Sockets

Some items have sockets that have a lock over them. This means you must open the locked socket before you can affix anything to it. This requires an item: a wrench. Different items require different wrenches. If you don’t have the correct wrench, you can pay crowns to unlock the socket. Wrenches are traditionally dropped by bosses, but a variety of bosses drop different wrenches.

Affixing Jewels

Courtney, you say, I have the jewel I want to affix, but what do I affix it to? 

Great question, young grasshopper.

You affix jewels to gear you know you will be using. The better the jewel, the more you want to ensure that it will get used.

Just recently, I got my gear from Darkmoor. My ring, Band of the Chilling Light (dropped from Aphrodite, the gold skeleton key boss in the Graveyard) gives three sockets: a circle, a tear, and a square. Since I plan on using this equipment piece of a long time, I would choose to affix a good jewel, perhaps a universal resistance jewel, a health-boosting jewel, and a really good damage jewel.

The ring I used before I got this one was one I got in Zafaria. At level 66. I never replaced the ring because I had my best jewels affixed to it, and the rings I found later on never matched up to it.

When you’re a lower level, you switch gear a lot. When you’re level fifteen, there’s a good chance you’ll be using a different athame at thirty. There’s nothing wrong with that, and I highly recommend you do not use a level fifteen athame at level thirty. Don’t equip a rare/good jewel you just found to an athame you’ll use, perhaps, for five more levels. (This is a suggestion, not a requirement. What I’m trying to get at is to plan out how long you’re going to use a piece of equipment. It does no good to waste jewels you spent hours farming for.) 

Shattering Jewels

This is the downside. I mentioned it above, but for almost all jewels, when you affix them, to get rid of them you must shatter them. This breaks the jewel, and you can never get that jewel back. There are jewels that are shatter-proof, but there are more jewels that aren’t. Be very careful what jewels you choose to affix.

 

I was very fond of the +17 ice damage as well as the +32 fire resist. I also never really found a better ring, but that could have been me forgetting to double check my gear.

The process of affixing/shattering a jewel to an item

 

 Community Contributor Courtney PixieBreeze

Power Pips

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Power pips are a special feature within the game and with good reason. A wizard has a base chance of getting a power pip, starting at level ten. This chance goes up by one percent every level until you reach level fifty, where it is maxed at 40%.
 
Power pip chance can be increased with gear (pets can also develop a talent for increasing a power pip chance.) Depending on how the game is played by the individual, some may favor another stat. Others will devote a whole gear set just for power pip chance. Higher power pip chance is found on better gear, and as your wizard gains more levels, the gear has a higher power pip chance. Balancing power pip chance with other stats is a part of the game.
(These are just examples. Not all rings will offer 12% power pip chance.)
 
Once you reach a certain level, wands will start to give you either a pip or a power pip. This is just a standard power pip, it doesn’t affect power pip chance.
 
Power pips are, as stated above, a two-for-one deal. One power pip represents two normal pips, but only for spells that are from your primary school. A storm wizard who has two power pips could not, for instance, cast Satyr (a four pip spell.) This is because life isn’t their primary school, and the power pip would only count as one.
 
The number of pips a spell cost is in the upper left-hand corner of your spell card.
 
Spells that have an X in their upper left-hand corner are based on the number of pips you have on hand. Tempest and Dryad, for example, have this symbol. However, Dryad is a healing card, and based on the number of pips you have, is how much it would heal you for. Dryad heals 200 health for one pip. A life wizard who wanted to heal 800 would have to wait for four turns. This life wizard would only have to wait for two turns if they received a power pip each turn.
 
No power pip: 200 [amount of health on the card] x 4 [the number of normal pips] = 800 [the amount that would be healed]. This would take four turns.
 
One power pip: 200 [amount of health on the card] x (2 [the number of normal pips] + (1 [ number of power pips] x 2 [value of power pips])) = 800. This would take tree turns.
 
Two power pips: 200 x (2 [number of power pips) x 2 [value of power pips]) = 800. This would take two turns.
 
Tempest would be the same way, only for damage. If a storm wizard wanted to do 320 damage, that would require four turns. (As it is 80 damage per pip).
 
Power pips can be used for a side school if you have the school’s mastery amulet. There is a mastery amulet for each of the seven schools of magic. You can buy the basic mastery amulets in the Crowns Shop, but you cannot buy the amulet of your own school.
 
There are also exalted mastery amulets that do the same thing but offer extra stats for your wizard. Critical block for two other schools, damage boost, and balance and life offer incoming or outgoing health boosts. Exalted amulets have to be farmed for as they cannot be bought in the Crowns Shop.
 
Spells that take pips (Mana Burn, Lord of Winter, etc.) will specify on the card. Mana Burn is a balance card that does 80 damage per pip and takes the enemy’s pips as well. It takes 3 pips from your opponent.
 
Spells that take pips will only take what it lists on the card. If the enemy has three power pips, it will take the three pips the enemy has and give you three normal pips, even though the power pips would equal out as six pips. If an enemy has two normal pips and a power pip, it will take the two normal pips and a power pip. It won’t leave a pip behind. Power pips cannot be taken apart and you are only given what you’re promised on the spell. It’s all or nothing.
 
It’s important to know that if you cast a spell, and someone casts a spell on you that removes your pips, you still attack even if you have nothing. If you are hit with a Mana Burn, and the seven pips you had go to four, you still use the spell you selected that costs seven pips.
 
In short, power pips are considered a fundamental part of the game because they help with performing a spell quicker. Every school uses some form of the pip, and power pips are just a two-in-one pip deal. Increasing the power pip chance is invaluable as well, however, some wizards may choose to increase another stat.

Shields101

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Shields are a type of ward and are the exact opposite of traps. While traps add damage to a spell, shields detract damage. Charms and blades trigger first, and wards go second. So any shielding you do will affect the spell with the charm buffs.
 
There are three different types of shields: Absorbs, Universal Shields, and School-Specific Shields.
 

ABSORBS

Some absorbs absorb a set amount of damage.
Life gets absorb 400 damage at level 16
 
Other absorbs take damage based on the number of pips the wizard has when it was cast.
If the wizard had 3 non-power pips, the absorb would absorb 375 points of damage. Ice learns this spell at level 18
 

It’s important to note that any damage will be absorbed by this shield, making all absorbs also universal shields. If there is a boss that takes universal shields, they will take absorbs that are individually cast. (Rebirth users, rejoice! Some bosses won’t take your absorb, but some will. Depends on the boss)

UNIVERSAL SHIELDS

These are the shields the Ice school is known for. You guessed it; the tower shield. The other, slightly less common one is the legion shield. A universal shield takes a certain percentage off of any school-type damage before it hits you. A tower shield, specifically, halves the damage. A spell that does a 100 damage will only do 50. The legion shield takes off 30% damage.

SCHOOL SPECIFIC SHIELDS

These are the most numerous. There are school shields for every school except balance. There are different amounts of damage they take off as well. Everyone, starting at level 10, can get a -80% shield of their school for no training point cost. Others can be trained for one point each if you wish. Sabrina Greenstar, in the Commons, by Hilda Brewer, trains these spells

Each school, except for Balance, gets a spell with two -70% shields of the other members of its trio. The elemental trio (Storm, Fire, and Ice) can get the Glacial (Fire), Thermic (Storm), or Volcanic (Ice) shield. The spirit trio (Life, Death, and Myth) can get the Legend (Life), Dream (Death), or Ether (Myth) shield.

As you can see, the Volcanic shield gives the user two shields; one-70% storm, and one -70% fire.

Just because Balance isn’t a part of a trio, doesn’t mean it gets left out. Balance wizards get two different spells. One spell has the spirit trio shields, all at -50%. The other spell is the elemental shield.

NOTE: Damage over time’s (DOTs) do count as incoming damage, meaning that any shield placed will be used by the DOT. This is either helpful or just a nuisance.

Be careful, and pay attention.

LAYERING SHIELDS

Just like traps and blades, shields can also be layered. However, two shields of the same kind will not stack. Three of the same type of tower shields won’t work better than one tower shield. However, it is worth noting that different types of shields can be stacked. For instance, a trained tower shield can be stacked on top of a treasure card tower shield to increase its protection.
The rule of layering: First thing on, last thing off!
 
When it comes to layering shields, you should watch carefully. A tower shield placed before an absorb will only trigger after the absorb has been broken. A tower shield placed after an absorb will trigger as soon as you take damage, halving the damage the absorb takes. If you’re in charge of shielding think about whether you want an absorb as the last line of defense, or if you want standard shields last.
 
Consider this scenario, you place a Spirit Armor (400 absorb) on a teammate. The teammate suffers no damage, and next round you place a -80% Storm on top of it. The enemy casts a Storm Lord (690 base damage) and ends up doing a total of 0 damage. This is because the -80% storm shield lowered the damage to 138. The absorb had enough to take the damage, lowering the amount left to 262.
 
Now, consider the reverse, with the storm shield on first, and the absorb on second. The opponent hits. The absorb takes 400 damage, leaving 290. The -80% shield pops, damaging the wizard with 58 points.
 
These two scenarios are basic, but, as you can see, layering shields so you can get the best advantage out of them is important. Keep track of the shields going off and on.


GETTING RID OF SHIELDS

Ice has this handy little spell called Steal Ward. It takes a shield off of the chosen target and places it on you. However, this only works for the most recently cast shield. If a wizard places a tower shield followed by a -80% Myth shield, the spell will take the -80% shield off.
 
Myth’s infamous Earthquake will take every ward off including any traps. If there are important traps that need to stay in place, Shatter can be used instead on a single target for 3 pips. After reaching level 100, Mystic Colossus will do a mass shatter, taking all unused shields and leaving behind any unused traps. Myth can also use Pierce to remove the last shield cast in much the same way as Ice’s Steal.
 
Another way of taking shields off is with small spells. Wand charges, for example, will take a tower shield off, or a school-specific shield. A decent DOT will be enough to take off most absorbs. Having a teammate hit before you will also be semi-helpful if they can pull the absorbs and universal shields.


CONCLUSION

Shields are just as important as blades and traps. When soloing in attack gear shields can save you. They can give you enough time to save pips for that one-shot. When shielding others, keep in mind their health and resist. Don’t just shield one person, pay attention to every Wizard. Properly used, shields can make all the difference in your quest for victory.