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Crafting101 – Dragonspyre | Pt 1

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We’re back with another Crafting101 issue. Lets explore the crafting quests in one of my favorite main worlds, Dragonspyre!

Balthazar Dragonthorn

The next crafting badge you can earn is your Master Artisan badge, but first, you must complete all of the crafting quests Balthazar Dragonthorn gives you. Balthazar is found to your right after you cross the bridge entering the Atheneum.

The first quest he gives you is called Two-Ring Circus. For this quest, you will need to craft 2 Rings of Apotheosis. To craft these rings, you will need an Equipment Crafting Station. It is available for 1,500 gold in the Furniture stores in Krokotopia, Marleybone, Mooshu, and Dragonspyre.

Balthazar’s crafting quests are more difficult than Toshio’s were. He not only asks you to craft the 2 rings of Apotheosis but also 2 robes specifically for your school and 2 pieces of furniture. This quest will require the Housing Crafting Station which is available for 1,500 gold from the Furniture Stores in Wizard City, Krokotopia, Marleybone, Mooshu and Dragonspyre.

The Recipes

The recipes themselves aren’t too difficult to complete. The biggest obstacle is gathering the rare reagents such as Diamond, Nightshade and Blood Moss which can be difficult to find or aquire.

The first recipe, Ring of Apothosis, only has three ingredients. Balthazar starts you off with something simple.

Below is the Recipe for Ring of Apotheosis. With needing to craft 2 rings, you will need to double the reagents.   

Below is a picture of your second crafting quest recipe. The robe you are given in this quest all depends on what school you are. I am a Life Wizard so I was given the Needle and the Vine quest. Other schools will get:

  1. STORM – Needle and Rain: Craft 2 Raintree Uniforms
  2. ICE – Needle and Frost: Craft 2 Thunderchill Cloaks
  3. FIRE – Needle and Flame: Craft 2 Grimblaze Vestments
  4. DEATH – Need and Bone: Craft 2 Duskwind Tunics
  5. MYTH – Needle and Fate: Craft 2 Bright Surcoats of the Paragon
  6. LIFE – Needle and vine: Flamesoul Cloak
  7. BALANCE – Needle and Luck: Craft 2 Cloaks of Weighty Grief 

The only recipe available for purchase from Balthazar is the Flamesoul Cloak. You will need to craft 2 of each robe so again you will need to double your reagents.

The third and final quest from Balthazar is Iron Craft Dragonspyre. You will need the recipe Crimson Book Stand from Toshio in Mooshu. You will need to craft 2 of these to finally receive your Master Artisan Badge. 

Gathering the Reagents

Now, the fun part begins! For me, it took some time to gather all of the reagents needed. For the first recipe, Ring of Apotheosis, you will need:

Ghost Fire

Ghost fire is best bought from a reagents vendor. In fact, Zoltan Nightstone, who is standing nearing Balthazar, sells them for 100 gold a piece. The Bazaar also has them available and can cost anywhere from 50 to 500 gold. If you happen to have any Burning Snap Dragon, they drop Ghost Fire. If you are in a hurry to rank up, I would recommend buying them from a vendor or the Bazaar whichever works best for you. 

Diamond

I found Diamond to be the most difficult reagent to gather. You can find them in Ore as a rare harvest, or transmute Ore to create them. Ore spawns all over the spiral. It’s all about finding the hot spots. The Atheneum usually has 2 that you can harvest and the Cave of Solitude, in Mooshu, has around 3-4. Jumping from realm to realm makes it easier and quicker to gather the reagents you need in an area like these. They are available at the Bazaar, but they are quick to go, so if you see any – buy them as fast as you can! They usually cost anywhere from 100 – 1,000 gold. There are also several plants that could drop Diamond when you harvest them: Burning Snap Dragon, Deadly Helephant Ears, Fickle Pickle, Frozen Fly Trap, King Parsley, and the list goes on.

Black Lotus

Black Lotus can also be a difficult reagent to find. Mostly found in Mooshu, once you find a few, I would switch through different realms to find as many as you can in that spot. If you still can’t get enough, it is available at the Bazaar when you’re lucky usually selling anywhere from 43 to 425 gold, depending on how many are available. 

So in total for this recipe, you will need:

  • Ghost Fire – 18
  • Diamond – 30
  • Black Lotus – 40

Now, the second recipe varies depending on your wizards’ school. As we covered earlier, there are 7 different quest variations. We will cover the other variations next week. Since I am a Life Wizard, I will cover the reagents needed for the quest Needle and the Vine. For this quest you must craft the Flamesoul Cloak.

Nature's Wrath TC

Nature’s Wrath is a popular treasure card available at the Bazaar. These TC’s usually sell for around 300-400 gold each. You can also get it from harvesting Bamboo Shoots, Fickle Pickle, Fortune Cookie Tree, Purple Grapes of Wrath and Queen Crape Myrtle.
If you can’t find it at the Bazaar, Zan’ne in the Krokotopian Library has them available for 400 gold each.

Ruby

Ruby is an easy reagent to find. The vendors in Wizard City, Krokotopia, Marleybone, Wysteria, and Mooshu have it available for 15 gold each.
You can also buy it from the Bazaar from 8 to 75 gold. 
If you have any Ivy League, Snap Dragon or Ultra Dandelion there is a possibility you could get Ruby when you harvest them.

Crystal Vial

Crystal Vial is a pricey reagent when bought from a vendor and the Bazaar. The vendors in Wysteria, Mooshu and Dragonspyre sell them for 330 gold where as buying them from the Bazaar can cost between 165 to 1650 gold each, depending on how many are listed available. Harvesting Pink Dandelion can also get you some of these vials.

Ectoplasm

Ectoplasm is a tricky reagent. Battling different bosses in Mooshu and Dragonspyre can reward you with Ectoplasm but it is not guaranteed every battle. Buying it from the Bazaar is much quicker unless you enjoy farming. It retails for 25 – 250 gold each. Harvesting Baby Carrots, Orange Dandelion, Ultra Snap Dragon and Ultra Trumpet Vine will give you the chance of Ectoplasm at harvest.

Frost Flower

I would say Frost Flower is a fairly popular reagent that spawns all over the spiral in its cold and icy places. It is especially easy to find in Grizzleheim and Wintertusk and there is always a frost flower near the Ice Tree, Kelvin, in Ravenwood! rost flower can be found at the Bazaar, prices ranging anywhere from 33 to 325 gold each. Harvesting Evil Snow Peas, Fickle Pickle, Frozen Fly Trap, Orange Dandelion, Snow Apples, Honey Bee Plant and Boon Tree will increase your chances of harvesting a Frost Flower.

Black Pearl

I found Black Pearl to be a challenging reagent to find. It can be gathered as a rare harvest from black lotus or pearl. It can also be transmuted. You can also purchase Black Pearl from Diego 175 arena tickets. The Bazaar has them available but they are quick to go, so if they are available buy them quickly. They usually sell for anywhere from 188 – 1875 gold each. A few gardening options are Alligator Pear Tree, Deadly Fly Trap, King Parsley, Ultra Tiger Lily, and the list goes on.

Stone Block

Stone block is one of the easiest reagents in the game to find.Two of them spawn right in the Athaneum where you get the quest! The Bazaar has them selling from 18 to 175 gold a piece, you can even buy a bundle of 100 from the Crowns Shop for 499 Crowns. Burning Snap Dragon, Dandelion, Fickle Pickle, Snap Dragon and Tiger Lily all drop this reagent.

So in total for this recipe, you will need:

  • Nature’s Wrath TC – 12 
  • Ruby – 28
  • Crystal Vial – 6
  • Ectoplasm – 24
  • Frost Flower – 30
  • Black Pearl – 16
  • Stone Block – 20

Now for the last recipe. The Quest is called Iron Craft Dragonspyre and you have to craft 2 Crimson Book Stands.

Fire Elf TC

The Fire Elf TC is a very popular TC dropped by low ranked enemies. A popular boss to farm is the Kraken, located in Triton Avenue. It can be bought from the Bazaar from 113 gold each. If you can’t find any available at the Bazaar, Harold Argleston in the Wizard City Library has them for you at 250 gold a piece, Zan’ne the Krokotopian Librarian has them selling at the same price. They can be harvested from Bell Pepper and Helephant Ears.

Shadow Oil

Shadow Oil is best bought from a vendor. Vendors in Krokotopia, Marleybone, Wysteria, Mooshu and Dragonspyre sell Shadow Oil at 20 gold each. It can also be harvested from Orange Dandelion.

Glass Vial

Glass Vial is also best purchased from a vendor. Vendors in Krokotopia, Marleybone, Wysteria, Mooshu and Dragonspyre have them available for 125 gold each where the Bazaar could be anywhere from 63 to 625 gold each. There is a chance of receiving Glass Vial’s from harvesting Burning Snap Dragon too!

Cat Tail

Cat Tail is a very popular and easy reagent to find. They spawn just about anywhere in the Spiral where there is water. If you are having trouble finding them, they sell from 18 to 175 gold at the Bazaar! They can be harvested from Dandelion, Pink Dandelion, Tiger Lily and Honey Bee Plant!

Nightshade

Nightshade is actually a rare harvest from Deep Mushroom! Deep Mushroom is a reagent that can be found all over the spiral, however, Mooshu is the world where Deep Mushrooms likes to spawn most! If you aren’t having much luck finding Deep Mushroom by the road in Mooshu, the Bazaar is the best place to try next. Nightshade sells from 100 to 1000 gold each, but they are very rare. If you find them available be super quick to buy them! If you are still struggling to find Nightshade, harvesting Burning Snap Dragon, Ultra Ninja Fig, Honey Bee Plant and Fickle Pickle will increase the chances of you getting more Nightshade. You can also transmute 15 deep mushrooms into your needed Nightshade. 

Blood Moss

Blood Moss, another rare reagent. Actually a rare harvest from Red Mandrake. Red Mandrake spawns frequently in Wizard City’s Colossus Boulevard, Nightside, Sunken City, Firecat Alley, Haunted Cave and Cyclops Lane. If you have Azteca unlocked, it can be found there too! The Bazaar sells Blood Moss from 150 – 1500 gold each but it is one of those rare reagents that sell like hot cakes! Harvesting from Deadly Fly Trap, Ultra Ninja Fig, Honey Bee Plant, Pink Dandelion and Fickle Pickle will hopefully grant you some Blood Moss, or you can transmute 15 Red Mandrake at the crafting station to make 1 Blood Moss. 

Black Pearl is also needed for this recipe. So in total, you will need:

  • Fire Elf TC – 6
  • Shadow Oil – 6
  • Glass Vial – 2
  • Cat Tail – 72
  • Nightshade – 24
  • Blood Moss – 20
  • Black Pearl – 12

Transmute Recipes

A Transmute Recipes are recipes you can buy from various Recipe Vendors around the spiral! They take a number of common reagents and craft them into a single desired rare reagent! You will need the Card Crafting Station which is available for purchase from the Furniture stores in Krokotopia, Marleybone, Mooshu and Dragonspyre for 1,500 gold. I found these recipes extremely helpful when trying to find Nightshade, Diamond and Blood Moss. I just crafted them and problem solved!

 

 

The Diamond Transmute Recipe is available from Felicia Worthington in Marleybone – Regent’s Square. Selling at 200 gold. You will need 15 Ore. 

 

 

The Black Lotus Transmute Recipe is available from Toshio in Mooshu – Jade Palace. Selling for 300 gold. You will need 10 Cat Tail and 10 Ore. 

 

 

The Ectoplasm Transmute Recipe is available from Balthazar Dragonthorn in Dragonspyre – The Athaneum. Selling for 150 gold. You will need 5 Leather Straps.

 

 

The Frost Flower Transmute Recipe is available from Torald Wayfinder in Grizzleheim – Northguard. Selling for 300 gold. You will need 10 Mist Wood and 10 Stone Block.

 

 

 

The Black Pearl Transmute Recipe is available from Toshio in Mooshu – Jade Palace. Selling for 400 gold. You will need 15 Black Lotus.

 

 

The Nightshade Transmute Recipe is available from Wul’yahm in Krokotopia – The Oasis. Selling for 200 gold. You will need 15 Deep Mushroom. 

 

 

The Blood Moss Transmute Recipe is available from Eudora Tangletree in Wizard City – Olde Town. Selling for 400 gold. You will need 15 Red Mandrake. 

That concludes our walk through of the Dragonspyre Crafting Quests! Next stop, Celestia! Where we will meet with Pierce Stanson, the Grandmaster Artisan! See you in the next article!

The Wysterian Honour Band

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Intended for Musician and Non-Musician Alike

Welcome to the fourth annual Spiral Cup music competition, created to honor the success of our competitors in the Spiral Cup PvP competition. In the heart of Wysteria, Pigswick Academy thrives with the best school band of the Spiral, winning every single competition. Despite being the only competitor, we pride ourselves on our winning streak. Our judge tonight is composer Nelson Everhart. Unfortunately, our competition will be postponed until the magical occurrence that caused a crawling vine to run rampant and completely overrun the town is cleared. Enjoy your evening.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=J4oCifMm4b0

“Main Theme“

We begin with a confident, yet soft strike on the drum and cymbal as the horns begin the piece. The flute and the glockenspiel duo in some light counterpoint against the horns. The texture becomes more regal as the choir and harp adds-in. After this intrada, the clarinet begins its happy Major melody 00:25 seconds in, that can remind us of springtime. The eighth notes give us a quick feeling to the tempo as the sixteenth notes add an upbeat bounce.

Next, at 00:42 seconds, the woodwinds play a variation on the melody from before. Using the same notes and different rhythms, this gives the themes continuity between each other. By using such similar structures in the melody, they give Wysteria a musical identity. We associate this music to be happy, youthful, innocent – naïve. This reinforces the storyline that the Wysterian folk aren’t as good at magic as they seem.

This piece jumps from melody to melody, all with similar ideas that connect them together, such as an overture. The piece jumps into a waltz with the reeds having the melody and the brass keeping the time, promoting Wysteria’s elegance. Then, arpeggios float through the horns, passing the melody to the strings in a bold climax. The flute calms the piece down, leading us into the first melody we heard, played on the trombone. This section also mimics the texture we heard in the waltz, combining the various ideas that fasten the piece together.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LB14GLh3jyQ

 “Theme 1“

Echoing the magical climax from the previous piece, the texture begins with arpeggios and harmonizing descending lines from the piccolo and flute. Afterward, the violin and horn engage in counterpoint on top of the sustaining chords and texture added from the glockenspiel, giving a royal texture.

Next, we go into a new major key, contrasting the minor key from before. The brass keeps time, giving us a waltz. Even this develops as the cello plays a counter-melody through this. The horn plays the melody, passing it to the flute as the strings become the timekeeper. The theme passes around the ensemble back to the horns, and then to the oboe.

After this, we enter a new section as the mood changes. The strings and percussion take this section, giving us the resolution to the climax. The horn settles down, playing the melody as a relaxing solo as the piece finishes.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WcTZIK4AWRI

“Theme 2“

As the most cinematic score of Wysteria, we begin in silence as the harp crescendos in, setting the mysterious tone. The bass clarinet plays, interrupting the harp’s line, setting that there’s something beyond our grasp. This tidbit is the same melody that was played in the main theme, but now in a minor key. This is an operatic technique to signify we are now in the villain’s domain.

The high strings break the serenity in high intensity. The horns add-in, dipping back down to a quiet piano dynamic before immediately jumping back up to forte. The bass interrupts, mimicking the bass clarinet adding to the atmosphere. The suspended cymbal rolls into the glissando of the high, shrill strings.

Afterward, we enter a new section. The harp strokes away at the strings as the violins play pizzicato, replicating the texture and giving harmony. The cymbal rolls before the cellos take over, playing an ostinato of a chord progression. The quick notes and low tone add tension. Tanglewood Way has been taken over by the forest and we are at the heart of the world’s trouble.

The flute plays the bass clarinet solo from before, accompanied by the arpeggios of the harp. This develops the idea by placing this melody on a texture we are used to, but now at the same time. The horns add-in, with the glockenspiel adding texture on the resolving chords. This segues into the glockenspiel’s mysterious solo that ends the piece.

Thank you, Starlights, for venturing through my tour of The Wysterian Honour Band. Have a wonderful evening.

Disclaimer:

Please note: I transcribed the music from the original/classic mode music scrolls. Not all of my transcriptions are 100% accurate, but they are close and the rhythm is properly notated.

Grand Tourney Arena Drops

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The Grand Tourney Arena is a housing dungeon that comes with the Grand Tourney Bundle. The dungeon can be accessed through castle tours using a glitch. The drops mentioned in this guide will be for the highest tier.
 
There are 12 pieces of gear (3 sets; each with a hat, robe, boots, and wand) from the Hoard of the Hydra card pack that drop from this housing dungeon. There is an Energy Set, a Healing Set, and a (terrible) Offensive/Utility Set.

Offensive/Utility Set (World's Fool Set)

As I stated before, this set doesn’t really have much to offer. Aside from the wand (that will be mentioned later), each of the 3 pieces provide a decent amount of health and power pips, as well as universal accuracy, damage, and resist. They also each give a nice utility item card: Cooldown (1 Pip), Enfeeble (2 Pips), and Mana Burn (target loses 4 pips).

Regardless of what school you are or what role you play, I can only see this combination of stats being useful for a spammer or support at best.

Energy Set (Pixie's Encanta Set)

The level 100+ version of the Energy Set gives a total of +59 energy. (Hat, Robe, and Boots give 18/23/18. The wand in this set doesn’t actually give any energy bonus.)

Healing Set (Faerie Court Set)

The level 100+ Healing Set a great option if you don’t want to spend crowns to get healing gear from packs, especially for non-life wizards. The 4 pieces give a total of 56 incoming and 60 outgoing healing bonuses! With a decent ring and athame, that could easily total to 100/100 or more. In addition, it provides item card versions of Rebirth, Healing Current (2 pips), and two Guardian Spirits (Restores 20% hp).
*Note: Although the Mandolin of Evermore visually looks like it matches with the energy set, I listed it with the healing set because it has the best healing stats of all 3 wands.
 

The Wands from the other sets also give decent healing boosts, with similar critical block ratings and a different item card.

This dungeon also drops many snacks (including mega snacks) at a high rate. Here are some of the good snacks:

Rank 7

Rank 8 (Mega Snacks)

The gear’s drop rates are decent, and the dungeon is very easy with a full team. Good luck!

Empyrea P2: Live Realm!

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Introduction

We’ve finally reached our last chapter in this amazing series! The third and final chapter, Live Realm. We will look and see how the community feels about this world!

Let’s tackle this insane world once and for all and see just what we all think about it!

Questing

The story line and questing difficulty are locked. What we have is what we’re getting. Kingsisle noticed that the majority wanted it to be challenging, we’re lucky we don’t have to relive the Mirage release.

What’s great about this is that the story is engaging. If you take away the visuals, fight mechanics and mini-games, it’s a well-written and enjoyable story!

Did you enjoy questing?

Over two-thirds of the players I asked enjoyed questing throughout Empyrea Part Two. That’s an amazing figure, as only 19% didn’t enjoy it! There are many people in the game who don’t play it for the story or questing, so this makes sense and is a lot better than it seems! 

Personally, I believe this is one of, if not the most important factor, to a world’s memory in hindsight. Looking back on Khrysalis, while it’s a beautiful and story-driven world, it’s only remembered for being insanely long!

It wasn’t just the story that stood out for Empyrea. The difficulty was almost perfectly tuned with the quest line and made us feel immersed within the world!

Did you enjoy the bosses and mobs?

The majority enjoyed the fights within the world! It wasn’t just us battling our way brainlessly, we had fun killing things! Again, this will contribute a lot to our long-term perception of this world. We’ll look back and say yeah, I enjoyed it. Things like these keep our hopes up for the game and its story!

Did you enjoy the challenge?

The difficulty was perfect and I’m happy Kingsisle didn’t nerf Part 2! We needed a challenge and we got one! There are also some debatable topics flying around the community. The biggest being the Titan’s Trident fight. 

Do you think the Trident fight needs to be nerfed?

The community was split on this topic. We want a challenge! It’s too hard! There’s cause for both arguments.

The cheats are unfair and gaining shadows while raised in the air and untouchable means the boss is super hard to beat. If you’re coordinated and playing with a knowledgeable team, it doesn’t take too long.

The problem lies within the team requirements. The demand for Balance and Death wizards for blades and Bad Juju is insane! You need both if you don’t want the fight to take over an hour. This debate will keep raging on and there’s nothing we can do to resolve it!

Overall World

I asked for a lot of information from you guys to get the best overall feel for this world and how you felt about it. It’s safe to say, the chart reveals all!

Did you enjoy the World overall?

All the positive results combined take up more than half the data. Another fifth considers it cool, another considers it okay, and a small majority didn’t enjoy it.

This is a good thing. It shows us that Kingsisle isn’t messing around with world releases. We’ve got a lot to look forward to!

Did you enjoy the ‘Nothing’ teaser?

The community is split three ways on this. I think partially due to concern. It’s been a long time since we started a new story arc, let’s hope that Kingsisle will nail it like they did this one.

This had led to some wild speculation about what we will face, let’s hope it meets our expectations!

Was what we got enough?

An overwhelming majority think we got enough new content to keep us going for a while. However, there is a cause for concern we won’t get new content soon enough, and the game will die down.

Recently, I’ve noticed a lot more people in the game, with a few realms appearing full which used to be empty at peak play time. I think the number one priority for Kingsisle should be to keep this hype train going!

To those who said it wasn’t enough, I’d encourage you to keep going. It may just be the initial grind that burns you out. Give WhirlyBurly, the side quests, and farming a chance. Maybe your opinion will change!

Opinions

I did something different with this questionnaire and asked for individual opinions. I also asked about one of my favorite new games, Whirlyburly!

Have your opinions on WhirlyBurly changed?

Sadly, I seem to be in the minority. I think the main reason for the overall view and perception of Whirlyburly is that there isn’t enough to work for, cause, and there aren’t any shorter game modes. 

That’s a different topic and we can be reasonably sure this isn’t all we’ve seen from Whirlyburly.

I then asked for just your thoughts on anything Part Two related. I got a lot of calls for nerfs but not to over-nerf. There were other great ideas and opinions such as:

  • A request for PvP gear and PvE gear to be entirely separate.
  • It’s the best world ever.
  • A Life school AOE spell needs to be created.

Conclusion

We’ve tackled Empyrea Part Two while breaking down each part to see how we all feel and overall, I think this world has been great. A 8.5/10 at least. There’s little room to complain, a lot to enjoy and shows promise for what’s coming! I am happy and eager to see the game’s future.

A final shout out to the entire community for taking part and helping with these articles! You guys have been amazing and I think it’s participation and approaches like this that will keep this game going for years to come! Thank you all!

Catching the Humunukapua

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Every Monday morning, the weekly tournament fish changes. In this article, I’m going to share my experience with the fantastic hobby of tournament fishing!

Humunukapua

School Life | Rank 3 | Common/Regular |1500 XP
No used in any recipes
Αverage sale price in gold: 1300 each

Limits:

Small Fry: <15
Whopper: >45
 

Fish Location In order:

Celestia/Celestia Base Camp/The Floating Land
 
Housing Items:
Fantastic Voyage Expedition
 

How to catch a Whopper:

The best place is the Fantastic Voyage Expedition if you have access to it. The Humunukapua is one of 2 life fish. The other being the Mistletoe Angler, although this is a seasonal fish which only appears during the Yuletide season and is a Rank 1 fish.
 

How to find this fish:

1. Reveal Large Fish / Reveal Fish School
2. If no fish are affected: Summon Fish and repeat
3. If a fish is revealed: Reveal Rank 1 fish
4. If no fish are affected: Common Vitality Lure and catch it
 
The first 3 winners will get tournament tickets:
First place: 120 tickets
Second place: 50 tickets
Third place: 20 tickets
 
The Tournament end on the 10/11/18
 
Good luck!

The Marleybone Philharmonic

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Intended for The Musician and Non-Musician Alike

Welcome, one and all, to tonight’s program. Performed by the one and only, Royal Marleybone Philharmonic Orchestra. We have a lovely selection prepared for you tonight: the four original Marleybone themes, as well as a few surprise delights from the Pirate101 edition of Marleybone. From Albion to Cheddarberg, only the finest musicians from all around Marleybone will play for you tonight. Special composer, Nelson Everhart, will conduct the ensemble tonight.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FEu5rLXdhGc

“Main Theme“

From the very first downbeat of the piece, we are entranced with the mood set. The clarinet plays the melody accompanied by the fluttering harp and chiming bells, adding a unique timbre to a proper magical Victorian era, Marleybone. The strings come out of nowhere, crescendoing into the main melody and taking over the pre-established sound of the ensemble.

A waltz begins from the climactic intrada. The melody is passed from the clarinet to the horns as the harpsichord adds to the timbre and keeps the timing of the piece. The call and response from the instruments switch faster, building tension to which 00:39 seconds in, the cymbals crash as the clarinet takes over once again. The horns keep the time, building on the atmosphere of the piece, giving the clarinet a more noble sound.

The theme passes again to the strings and then to the trumpets, building upon itself until a great resolution at time stamp 01:12. The strings maintain the melody as the chimes strike the most it has in the piece. The chimes are giving strength to the overall sound, adding light counterpoint in its differing rhythm with the strings.

In a serene moment, the Celesta adds to the sound of the ensemble, suspending the overall mysterious tone. The harps flutter and chimes strike again, mirroring the established sound from before. The mood shifts brightly as the horns begin the melody upon the cymbal crash. Wonderfully enchanting, I could see Mary Poppins fly down from the heavens.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vmApo5QCH48

“Theme 1“

With a strong strike on the bass drum and chimes, the piece begins. The Celesta keeps time as the piano adds flourishments before the cello begins the melody. We have kept the same waltz style as before – a common attribute to the tracks of Marleybone. 

00:52 seconds in, a bell-tree plays, marking the start of a new mood and a key change to Ab harmonic minor. We are more solemn than before, relying on the higher woodwinds and strings to carry the melody rather than the hardier instruments. The chimes accent the melody’s downbeats. After this, the tuba fanfares in a climax at 00:57 seconds, with the higher instruments from before crescendoing in. Ending in high intensity, the last two measures, as written above, shift into Ab melodic minor.

We then enter a new section that includes a unique modal counterpoint between the flute and the bassoon. A motif from before, the bell-tree again marks a new mood. The flute continues playing the same melody as before, but now alongside the violin. The pizzicato strings continue the light waltz pattern, providing an upbeat vibe that the melody floats over.

Next, we crescendo into the most notable climax of the piece at timestamp 1:22. A classic V I chord progression brings us excitingly into the first melody on the violins. The celesta keeps time again, bringing back elements of what we’ve heard before to give the continuity.

Finally, we feel the piece giving its all before the final close. Time stamp 1:42 marks the point the low brass can give a good blow, giving the piece a nice touch of color. The melody plays over this, emoting triumph. The celesta comes in, adding a touch of mystery before the winds and strings arpeggiate to rejuvenate back to the top.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eitnO5KYQmA

“Theme 2“

Rather familiar, this is nearly the same as the music played within the tower of Golem Court. Played on the Scotland Yard rooftop, the theme hints at what is to come. Swarming with golems, Katzenstein’s lab connects us back to our prior experiences. Regina Flametalon assigns us to go back and forth to each tier of the tower for a new golem part, establishing them as important in our minds.

Meowiarity eventually breaks out with Malistaire, who, in the tutorial, was inside the Golem Tower when we first met him. This is a clever leitmotif. Using a musical theme to connect characters to places, it is foreshadowed Malistaire will make an appearance at this part of the game when we hear this theme played.

At 00:49 seconds, the strings slow into harmonious counterpoint as the chimes strike, adding onto a common timbre displayed throughout the Wizard101 tracks of Marleybone. The woodwinds join in, fluttering between their notes, rocking back and forth to add to the layers of orchestral texture.

At time stamp 01:09, there is a modal interchange that adds brightness, taking us out of our current calming minor key, adding excitement, and resolves into a mysterious minor section, changing the mood.

The melody becomes more stately as before, reminding us of the beginning of this track. The rhythm begins to syncopate with the tempo, defining the pulse in a way unique to the other tracks. The melody from before plays again, but now in an upbeat tone and Major key. It too syncopates along the rhythm, adding odd accents on off-beats.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ENfpLKyntx8

“Theme 3“

We feel the tension the moment the strings glissando downward. The mystery beckons us forward with the ostinato in the harp. The flute dances eerily like a fiend in the shadows. This is a unique theme, as it is the only one of the original Marleybone themes that aren’t a waltz. We hear this melody pass to the cellos as it develops the material, ornamenting it with the violin glissandos. This continues until the strings and flute enter counterpoint with each other.

At 00:33 seconds, the beat pulses in the background as the theme is placed on a violin, changing the mood. We are driven forward until the climax point at 0:40 seconds, bringing back our familiar melody from the previous tracks.

The chimes join in, adding continuity to the dynamic timbre from the other tracks.

The mood drastically changes again, 00:52 seconds in, changing the pulse from quarter notes to eighth notes. This causes the tone to be upbeat, although its use in a minor chord causes this bittersweet emotion, where it’s dark and joyous at the same time.

The march continues onward, layering the woodwinds on top with the main melody. We next mix up this emotion as the orchestration spirals deep through the ensemble, leading us into an unstable development section where the meter changes back into a waltz feeling at time stamp 1:11. There is heavy counterpoint between the strings and woodwinds; each playing their melody the moment they have the chance.

We calm down as the cello takes over the melody, slowing down into true majesty. The woodwinds add in, adding a high-pitched color before we settle into the horns. We are taken back to the main melody in the same Mary Poppins style from the “Main Theme” track. The brass come in heavy, preparing for a final close, leaving with a big final hit, representing our close on the Marleybone story.

“Sewers”

This piece alone gives Marleybone such great depth. In Wizard101, we are only exposed to the aristocratic life, where people’s greatest worry is the Policeman’s ball, whereas, in Pirate101, we get to see Marleybone as a whole society. From Marleybone’s navy to the orphans that run the streets, our wizard’s head is up on the rooftops.

So much lies beneath the rooftops of this world that this piece begins to scratches the surface of. It isn’t as posh nor elegant as the others, but the syncopated percussion and the deep and swift bassoon gives us character and the feeling of tension. There is danger out there and making it out alive is a part of life.

We are met with this repetitive figure as the main melody of this piece. The overall essence of this piece is unique in its own right. Unlike the previous tracks, it does not feel orchestral, and it does not organically flow. The repetition is dark and soothing in a dark way. If you were to play this sheet music, you would find it sounds out-of-tune. This entire piece did not fit to a single key of the twelve. This is an absolutely unique feature of this piece, considering most synthetic compositions are in-tune.

To be human is to feel. We feel grief, failure, and remorse, but also joy and melancholy. There is no more specific way to feel emotion than through music. Words can often be vague, but music is something we all feel, even when we can’t describe it.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YsFcuYd84yY

“The Isle of The Dogs“

Second to the Aquila Journey and Cool Ranch Santo Pollo themes, this track is within my top 3 favorite tracks across both games. We begin with a timpani strike, followed by a silent ostinato in the upper strings, setting the tempo and meter of what’s to come. Arpeggios from the flute, harp, and cello ornament to the texture, giving us a taste of the layers the piece offers. The oboe hints at the main melody before the flute and harp continue. The oboe plays again, leading us to a new section 00:16 seconds in.

The chords uniquely progress in a modal tonality until a climax 00:40 seconds in. In a waltz style, the tambourine strikes on beat two and three, reflecting the original tracks.

The bassoon takes the main melody, giving a romanticized European texture we can associate with Tchaikovsky’s Dance of The Sugar Plum Fairy or works by Danny Elfman, such as The Nightmare Before Christmas. The lower reed’s focus perfectly associates with the dark and magical mood Marleybone so excellently presents.

At time stamp 1:06, we introduce new musical content. The three beats we were comfortable with now divides into three again, clearly dividing our waltz into 9/8. We can still hear the lower instruments pulsing away in the bass line of our waltz, keeping time.

The lower voices take over the melody, giving our arpeggios of awe and wonder to darkness. We climax by the time stamp 1:39. We hear the same melody as before, but now in the choir and woodwinds. This is the most magical point of the piece, as we recapitulate the various goings-on. The woodwinds flutter the 9/8 arpeggios above the main melody as the lower voice sustain chords, thickening the texture. We diminuendo until the piece begins again.

Thank you, Starlights, for venturing through my tour of The Royal Marleybone Philharmonic Orchestra. Have a wonderful night.

Disclaimer:

Please note: I transcribed the music from the original/classic mode music scrolls. Not all of my transcriptions are 100% accurate, but they are close and the rhythm is properly notated.

The Masteries of Wizard101

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Greetings fellow wizards! In this article I will discuss the different type of masteries, where they are dropped and their usage in PvP/PvE.

What are Masteries?

Masteries are a subgroup of amulets that allow a wizard to use Power Pips with spells that are not of their own school.

This is what a mastery looks like.
This one is the Life School Amulet.

Where to Find Them

Any Level

Dropped from either Waterworks, located in Crab Alley, Wizard City, or from The Tower of The Helephant, located in Pegasus Place, Wysteria.  Both are avaliable to wizards at level 60 or higher.
It can also be bought from the Crowns shop for 9995 crowns

Level 90

 

 

Dropped by all 3 secret bosses in Aquila.
Mount Olympus – Gladiator Dimachaerus
Atlantea – Sand Squid Tentacle
Tartarus – Cronus

Level 100

 

 

Dropped by the hidden chest in the first part of Darkmoor. A gold key is required to gain access to the boss. Castle Darkmoor becomes available to wizards who reach level 100

Level 110

 

 

 

Dropped by Omen Stribog in the River of Frozen Tears in Polaris. A gold key is required.

Level 130

 

 

 

Can either be crafted from a recipe bought in Nimbus Recipe vendor Romar sells the recipe for 50,000 gold

Usage in PVE and PVP

Life: Mainly used because of the amount of healing spells it offers. Regenerate and Satyr are the most popular to save you which in battle either in PvP or PvE. 

Death: Mainly used with damage, life steal and healing spells. But its more commonly used to spam the enemies with plagues.

Myth: Mainly used to stun, using earthquake to remove all the enemies blades and shields or the use of shatter. 

Balance: Mainly used to spam Loremaster and Mana Burn in PvP, but also used when the wizard wants to be a support focused player.

Fire: Mainly used for damage over time hits (DOTs) which include Fire Elf and Burning Rampage. Also good for the Eirikur Axebreaker spell that comes from the ColdFire Dragon pet.

Ice: Mainly used for the shields that ice has to keep their damage low and you can use it to stun your enemies.

Storm: Use if you want to land high damage hits on your enemy or cast dispels.

What else are Masteries good for?


Masteries are not just used for PvP and PvE, they can also be used as part of a stitch. For example,  if you’re trying to make yourself look like a life wizard it looks cool to have the orbs flying around your wizard’s head.

To the right is an example of the Mastery Amulet stitched to a matching look.

You can use a mastery from another school to take care of some of the weaknesses that your main school has. For example, Storm wizards have low health so some Storm wizards might use a Life Mastery to get themselves out of any sticky situations. 

If you buy or farm for a Mastery Amulet, I hope this guide helps you to use it to your best advantage in game!

Play Wizard101 for Free!

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Let me start by saying, we’ve all been there. There’s always been a time in the game when you’re considered a free player, whether you’re out of crowns or your membership has just run out. Especially when you’re playing for the first time, crowns and membership can be difficult to get if your parents don’t agree to it.

This guide assumes you want to level up to receive more spells from your professor and receive lots of gold, without ever paying crowns or membership.

Phase I: The Early Days

Farming

There are plenty of different places to farm, but where do we start? Farming is the repetitive act of defeating an enemy’s instance or gauntlet.

Let’s begin with the simplest places to farm that you can access yourself.

1. The Kraken

Kraken, the mighty monster of the depths is famously farmed, right in Triton Avenue. This is the best option until you are about level 12. The Kraken drops clothing and furniture you can sell in the bazaar (or keep for your future house!)

I recommend that you join a busy realm, such as Ambrose or Balestrom to get as many people to join the fight as possible so it will go quicker. After defeating the boss if you return to the Storm Mill through the teleport pad and come right back, the Kraken respawns.

2. The Harvest Lord

Farming The Harvest Lord has all the same benefits as the Kraken, except now you have a Team-Up button. Once you click that button, higher levels will join to help you farm him from the Team Up station right outside the bazaar.

3.  Housing Gauntlets

Winterbane Hall and the Midnight Sun Pagoda are some of the best gauntlets there are for this purpose. When you farm them you will get weapons, clothing, furniture, seeds, and pets. The only downside to gauntlets is that there is no Team-Up button to find higher levels to help you. Therefore, you must invite your own friends, or find a way to gather help. Find this place in a shared home on the housing tours menu.

Below are the tiers of difficulty and experience for all gauntlets. The numbers represent your level. I suggest you should farm the gauntlets around level 12 to level up quickly. The closer you are to the latter end of the levels, the more experience you will receive. Upon second entry, you will receive half of the experience you received the first time.

  • 01-19:  Tier 1
  • 20-39:  Tier 2
  • 40-59:  Tier 3
  • 60-79:  Tier 4
  • 80-100: Tier 5

Remember to try to mix it up between the various gauntlets offered. They can yield large rewards and XP. Here is a list of all housing gauntlets there are, as of November 2018

  • Winterbane Hall
  • Midnight Sun Pagoda
  • Spiral Cup Gauntlet
  • Grand Tourney
  • The Great Clock
  • Fantastic Voyage Expedition
  • Accursed Playhouse

Please note: Tanglewood Terror, Baddle of The Bands, Zeus, Krokopatra, Meowiarty, and Rattlebones housing instances from the crowns shop are non-repeatable, but yield great rewards. Use with caution. They are  extremely challenging and do not adhere to the same tier of difficulty rule as the gauntlets listed above.

Gardening

Upon the completion of level 11, you will be given a quest. You must speak to Moolinda Wu, informing you that your status as a level 12 player now gives you the ability to garden. Farming the Kraken and Harvest Lord all this time, have been saving your money?

The two best seeds you can buy are Stinkweed and Prickly Bear Cactus. Prickly Bear Cactus is useful for pet snacks, because there is a chance it will give a mega-snack at the elder stage, but don’t be surprised if it doesn’t give you one too often.

Stinkweed

This is unironically one of the best plants you can buy at a lower level, purely for the sake of how much gold you get per harvest. Remember to save your gold to buy items, like the mounts for gold. Please click here for Amber Ravynsong‘s guide on the various permanent mounts that you can purchase for gold.

“Smoke Screen” and “Poison” will give you 200 and 215 gold each, respectively, by selling them at the bazaar. It is also worth mentioning that each stinkweed will give you about a hundred gold per harvest.

All you need to do is buy one stinkweed. It should roughly cost 480 gold. The gardening spells, pest control and water are all you need for this plant. Don’t waste money on much else, besides a gardening gnome. The stinkweed will give you more seeds over time- after all, it grows like a weed.

Buy a castle block floor from the bazaar. Although, there may be a chance there won’t be one there right away. You can grow small plots on these like a grid. I suggest plotting it as a 3×3 to a 6×6 grid. If you do ever plan to get a membership to continue questing, the large range Mooshu gardening spells will be your friend.

Phase 1 Review

  • At levels 1-9 (roughly), you will quest until you are completely done with the free-to-play zone offered.
  • When you are levels 9-12, you will farm the Kraken and The Harvest Lord.
  • Reaching level 12, you will garden Stinkweed.
  • By planting a 6×6 plot of stinkweed, you will earn thousands upon each harvest, selling poison and smoke screen treasure cards.
  • Also when reaching level 12. you will farm the Winterbane and Midnight Sun Pagoda gauntlets.
  • By level 15, you should have 100,000 gold to buy yourself a nice house from the Crowns shop.
  • Try all the gauntlets at least twice by level 19, then repeat.

Phase II: The Higher Levels

Over time, you will feel this is going to be monotonous and grinding. What variation can we add to this sequence, to make it more fun? You can begin by helping those who have the same goal as you. You can go to the Team-Up center outside the bazaar and aid lower levels with their quests. Remember, you earn 3 xp per pip used in battle, so attempt to use bigger spells when you have the chance.

Fishing

Try to get involved in fishing. By catching fish, you can earn even more money. As you progress, you will get more energy every 2 levels. You can earn hundreds to thousands of gold for every fish you sell, especially if you catch the fish of the day, or the fish of the week. Please click here for our fishing guides for more information.

In-game Events

Within the game, you should take advantage of an event whenever it comes around. Events such as The Lost Pages and The Five BOXES come around once every few months. Seize the moment and go for it. With The Lost Pages, farming is built right into it. Try helping other young wizards with the event even when you are done.

Free Crowns

Overall, you cannot deny that crowns are king in this game. They buy so many of the nice items in the crown shop, such as pack items, unique housing items, and much more.

On the KI free games website that opens every time you log out of the game when you aren’t a member, there’s a trivia tab where you can earn 10 crowns for each quiz you take.

In-game, check out the “Free Crowns” button to watch videos and earn crowns. Recently, they’ve stopped working, so be hasty with using these when you see one available.

Every Christmas, free crowns are offered as a part of “The 12 Days of The Spiral” event where you can receive gifts. Be warned! Keep up with the event every day, even on the thirteenth day, or else you may just miss the day they offer that gift.

Thank you, Starlights, I hope you have a wonderful evening, and good luck playing the game.

Pirate House Party

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Yarr Harr Pirates!!

We are excited to announce something new! We will be throwing our first ever Pirate101 house party on December 8th, 2018! Meet us on Skull Island in Avery’s Court, Commodore realm at 12pm Eastern American Time. Besides the best Pirate101 house party ever we will have:

  • Obsidian Key Boss Runs
  • PvP
  • Raffle for a prize
  • Hide and seek
Dungeon Runs:
  • Moo Manchu
  • Kane  
  • Smugglers

Not only that, there will be prizes too! We will have Moo Manchu’s wands and Empire Bundles for a few of you lucky freebooters.

Rules for PVP

  • Old Scratch is banned
  • Overwatch 5 is banned
  • All Seasonal Champion Weapons are banned
  • Ghor is banned (eagle eye glitch)
  • All tiers of the Beastmaster’s Banner are banned 
  • Nefarious Staff and Terra-Cotta robe (Tower of Moo Manchu version) are banned for all classes EXCEPT Witchdoctors.
  • Blast of Discord is banned
  • First Mate’s Boon is banned
  • All Haywire Companions are allowed (overwatch 5 cannot be given to them however)
  • All Doubloons are banned
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Catching the Jabber Pollock

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Every Monday morning the weekly tournament fish changes. There are fishing secrets I can tell you. I want to share with you my experience in the fantastic world of wizard101 tournament fishing!

This week we have the Jabber Pollock:

School Myth | Rank 2 | Common/Regular | 1400 XP
 
Limits:
Small Fry < 15
Whopper > 25
 
Fish Location in order:
Avalon/High Road/ Poisoned Well
 
No used in any recipes
 
Αverage sale price in gold:
500 each
 

How to catch a Whopper

The only place we can find it is the dungeon: Poisoned Well. Be careful, because you must finish the battle first. So prepare your gear or your deck for a fight before you go in. Once you get to it, Jabber Pollok is the only myth school fish in the pond.
 
 

How to find this fish in order

1. Reveal Fish School/Reveal Large Fish

2. If no fish are affected – Summon Fish and repeat
3. If a fish is revealed – Minor Fable Lure or / Common Fable Lure and catch it.

The first 3 winners will get tournament tickets:
First place: 120 tickets
Second place: 50 tickets
Third place: 20 tickets
 
The tournament end in 19/11/18
Good luck!