Hunting for Beasts

Posted on September 5, 2023December 8, 2023 by Sarai Willowbreeze

Part of the Summer 2019 update, is the addition of a new challenge! It’s called the Beastmoon Hunt, and it’s not only a challenge but loads of FUN!

I’ve been hearing that there are quite a few people that don’t understand it or are worried that it’s just a PVP event. Well, I’d say it’s more like “Capture the Flag” with touch of PVP added. You can join a hunt by clicking on the icon of Gamma in the upper right hand side of your screen. But I highly recommend you go to the Arena, where the features of the Beastmoon Hunt are located. You’ll want to start by chatting with Artemis New Moon.

Artemis New Moon is the NPC you will start out with. She explains the basics of the hunt.

After joining a match, you will be transported to the Beastmoon Hall, where you will select the Beast Form you wish to play as (Balance Cyclops and Death Ninja must be unlocked by upgrading the tier at the Beast Form upgrade Kiosk). There are 10 Beast Forms available.

When you have selected your form, I advise you speak with Actaeon, to see what extra cards you may purchase from him. You can find Battle Coins in the gold chests that are scattered throughout the hunting grounds. You can also get them from harvesting Beastmoon seeds.

Next to Actaeon, up some stairs, you will see a portal. The portal will be either red or blue, depending on which team you were placed on. When you enter the Beastmoon Hall, a timer starts on the portal. You have 30 seconds from entering the hall until you can go through the portal to the hunting grounds. This gives you plenty of time to stock up on some extra spells.

Entering the Hunting Grounds

Upon entering the hunting grounds there will be a map in the upper right corner of your screen. You will be able to see where your team mates are (but not the opposing team, unless they are in a battle). Each corner of the map has a ring,each with it’s own designation, Moon, Eye, Sun, and Star. The center ring is named the Spiral.

Throughout the hunting grounds you will see Pip Wisps. Collecting these pips will give you an advantage in the next battle you enter, allowing you to start with extra pips(Extra starting pips can make a big difference in a battle). They are only good for one battle, so you will need to get more after each battle.

Battle Coins can only be used in the Beastmoon arena. Each team member can collect up to 100 Battle Coins. They will be used for purchasing extra spells from Actaeon in the Beastman Hall. You collect them from the Golden Beastmoon chests scattered through the Hunting Grounds, and from harvesting Beastmoon seeds (You receive these seeds as a reward after a hunt has ended).

Battle Rings are what you want to capture. When you first enter the hunting grounds, they will all be grey. As they are captured by standing on them, they will turn that teams color. The first time a ring is captured it will only take 10 seconds to capture it. If you are trying to capture a ring that is the other teams color, it will take 30 seconds. An exception to that is if more of your team-mates also stand in the same circle, the timer ticks down faster.

Scattered around the hunting grounds are Health Urns with health wisps in them. Walking up to an urn will restore a portion of your health. You do not automatically recover health after battle, so you will want to use these urns to get back to full health. You can also return to your base through your portal, to recover health.

Located at the top and bottom center of the map, are Yellow Teleporters. They will port you from the bottom of the map to the top or from the top to the bottom. You will want to utilize these to quickly get from one area to another. On the right hand side of the hunting is the teleporter to Blue team’s base and on the left side is the teleporter to Red’s base. You can only use your own team’s porter and base.

Point System

You will gain 1 point for every circle you capture. You also receive another point for each circle you control. If you capture a circle you will gain 1 point. If you capture a second circle, while still having control of the first one, you will gain 2 points (2 for the circle you just captured and 1 for the circle you already control) for a total of 3 points. The more you control, the more points you will receive. It’s very important to control as many circles as you can.

Unlike an empty circle, circles that are challenged by battle will award a lot more points when you capture them. When you win a contested circle you will receive 5 points. The main circle in the center(The Spiral) will give you 15 points if your team wins a battle there against the other team! Winning a circle through battle will award you bonus points based on the amount of circles your team already controls, and, even more points for defeating the opposing team.

You will receive 2 points for defeating an opponent. Points are calculated at the end of the battle, so just defeating one opponent but then losing the overall battle will not award you any points. You must win the battle to receive the points for it. When defeated your opponents return to their base and will receive a 30 second penalty before they can use the teleporter to return to the battle arena. The same applies to you as well, if defeated.

If you flee, it will immediately award the opposing team 2 points, as it is counted as a defeat. Try not to flee unless there is a strategic move for it. If your team is ahead in points and your teammates need help in other circles, then it can be a wise choice. Just like with a defeat, you are sent back to the Beastmoon Hall for a 30 second cool-down, before being allowed to rejoin your teammates. Knowing when to flee or not, can be crucial to the outcome of the hunt.

Rewards

Lunari
Lunari are the coins you collect that are used for all of your Beastmoon-related needs. You use them to level up your rank and to level up your tiers for the various beastforms. They will also be needed to purchase recipes for the special Beastmoon robes and Beastmoon seeds. You are awarded Lunari by winning battles in the Beastmoon event, participating in the Scroll of Fortune and as a reward in your Beastmoon Hunt Panel. You will receive Lunari based on how many points you earned for your team. The more points you earn, the more Lunari you will receive.

Moonstones
Moonstones are special reagents that you will need to upgrade your Beast Form’s levels. They drop from the Beastmoon Hunt and from Beastmoon seeds.

Thread
An easy to get drop that you can receive from the event and seeds. You will need this to craft the Beastmoon Robes, which are available from Actaeon. They drop from the Beastmoon Hunt but if you plan to craft the robes, you will need to get extras by gardening Beastmoon seeds. There are threads for all of the schools.

Beastmoon Seeds
Beastmoon Seeds are special plants that drop Battle Coins, Threads, Moonstones and Idols. You will need these to upgrade your Beast Form level and tier. The different Beastmoon seeds will drop different rewards. They can only be planted in Beastmoon Planters. You will receive 2 planters after your first hunt (win or lose). You will then get a 3rd after your 25th Beastmoon match.

You can get the regular seeds by participating in the hunt, and you can also get them from the hunt rewards panel and from the Scroll of Fortune. Elemental and Spirit seeds are very rare drops. No worries though as you can purchase the recipe for them from Actaeon. The school specific Beastmoon seeds are the rarest of all. They are available only from the recipe purchased from Actaeon. School-specific Beastmoon seeds are one of the only ways to receive the Beastmoon idols needed to get your Beast Form to level 5 and to level up your tier on your Beast Form.

Badges

There are badges galore to be earned by participating in this event. There are badges for unlocking Beast Forms, maxing out Beast Forms, and for unlocking tiers. There are also badges for winning and participating in matches. All total there are 60 new badges, 9 pages in all! How about that! Badge collectors will be hard at work collecting them all.

Handy Dandy Tips

When entering the Hunting Ground, split into groups of 2. Each group will head to a different battle ring. Having more than one team member on the same ring makes the timer go quicker. This will allow you to get control faster.
Always make sure there is a healer on your team. Familiarize yourself with the healing Beast Form in case no one else assumes that role.
Collect as many chests as you can, so you have plenty of coins for extra cards.
After capturing a battle ring use the colored rings in the pathways for a speed boost.
You must stand on the battle ring, until the color changes for it to be captured. If at all possible always try and have more than one player capturing the ring, so the timer counts down quicker.
Healing Urns are located near each of the battle rings, always make sure you are at max health after battle.
And most important of all, have FUN with it!

All in all, I find this to be a wonderful addition to the game and look forward to participating in it again. I hope this has helped you understand the Beastmoon Hunt and gets you on your way to becoming a Beast-Master! Let us know in the comments any tips you might have that I haven’t covered here or just about your experience with this amazing event.

Spring Update Highlights

Posted on June 1, 2021August 7, 2021 by Morgan_Shade

Greetings, Wizards of the Spiral. As we prepare for the Summer here at Ravenwood Academy, we’d like to highlight some of our favorite changes from the Spring 2021 Test Realm. Without further delay, let’s begin!

New Skeleton Key Bosses

Two new Skeleton key bosses have arrived in Grizzleheim and Karamelle. The first boss, King Borr, resides in Savarstaad Pass. Meanwhile, the Stay-Puffed Marshfellow dwells in the Nibbleheim Mines.

The Stay-Puffed Marshfellow requires a Gold Skeleton key. At the same time, King Borr has variants for all three keys. The Nibbleheim Key Boss drops new unique Marshmallow Wands. Meanwhile, King Borr drops Spellements for the Grizzleheim Lore Spells. Life Wizards rejoice as there’s now another method to get Ratatoskr’s Spin!

New Social Feature

Recently added in the Spring Update was the new Social feature. Clicking the icon beneath your Friend’s List will bring up a list of all nearby Wizards. This list will show you all the Wizards currently in your same zone and their current quest.

Friendly Wizards are okay with other people joining them in combat. You can also chat and teleport to any nearby Wizard who has marked themselves as Friendly.

Finding a questing buddy is now easier than ever! Even better, we no longer must sacrifice those on our Friends List to make room. Finally, we can see if a player is fine with another person joining their PVE duel. No more awkward conversations when you enter a fight that was almost over.

Team up VolUnteering

The Join a Team Kiosk has received an update in the form of Volunteering! Volunteering allows you to help other players without having to stay put. You can select the world and types of instances you want to volunteer for at the Kiosk outside the Bazaar. Here you can choose from any world you’ve unlocked to volunteer. From there, you can choose to volunteer to assist with farming or longer dungeons.

The teams who’ve been waiting the longest time for help will receive volunteers first. After you’ve helped your team complete the instance, your Health and Mana are replenished. From there, you’ll return to your previous location. This system allows players to help other players without selecting a new team to help each time. Excellent for any Wizard seeking to get the illustrious Team Champion Badge.

New Spell Animations

Many AOE animations were updated to hit all enemies, making them faster. Below is the list of AOE’s whose animations were updated. You can also check out the video below to see the changes made to them.

Fire: Meteor Strike, Fire Dragon, Rain of Fire

Ice: Blizzard, Frost Giant

Storm: Tempest, Storm Lord, Sirens

Myth: Humungofrog, Orthrus, Mystic Colossus

Life: Forest Lord, Rebirth

Death: Deer Knight, Scarecrow

Balance: Sandstorm, Ra

New Spells

It’s time to visit your professors because sixteen new spells have arrived in the game! There are two new spells for every school. But Life and Death received an extra, each in the form of damage boosting Globals. All these spells are available from the respective trainers in Ravenwood. You must be level forty-two to learn these spells. You’ll also need the prerequisites in your Spellbook.

Many of these spells were once popular treasure cards used in PVP. Their popularity has brought them to be permanent additions to our Professors’ curriculum. Don’t worry non PVP players; the Developers kept PVE in mind too for these spells. You might find them helpful outside the arena.

New Quest

“Old is New Again” is a new quest available in the Arcanum for Wizards who have completed “Everything and Nothing.” For those who don’t want any spoilers look away now. For those who don’t mind spoilers, the video below covers the entire quest.

Spoilers Ahead!

To summarize the quest. We receive a message from the Old One, who is seeking to recover a memory of a world called Lemuria. Scholar Zander helps us discover Lemuria is little more than a fairytale.
The Old One insists the world exists, and so we venture to Mirage to find proof. After some snakey-shenanigans, we realize we are the only ones who can see the Old One. From there, we recover a piece of a mosaic depicting the Lemurians kneeling beneath him.

The Old One reveals himself as an aspect of the Nothing. Exhausted, the he tells us we must find Lemuria before vanishing. Finally, we return to Bartleby for more information. The Grandfather Tree gazes back through history only to inform us that Lemuria disappeared centuries ago.

We’re too late.

Food for Thought

The quest takes us to Mirage, which houses the Sands of Time. According to Librarian Fitzhume on the Message Boards, we know time within the Spiral is governed by the flow of magic. Meaning time within the Spiral is flexible and subject to manipulation. We’ve seen it in Dragonspyre, the Five BOXES event, and Mirage. Does our return to Mirage hint at us going back in time to stop Lemuria’s disappearance?

We also know worlds can become disconnected from the Spiral and reconnected to it. We’re told about this in the level twenty quest “Grizzleheim.” Merle Ambrose tells us, “The Grizzleheim world-tree was once linked to the rest of the Spiral, but the contact was lost…. we thought it was destroyed. Bartelby now informs me that the portal to Grizzlehiem is now active, and travel there is possible.” This begs the question of how does a world lose its connection to the Spiral? How does it regain contact? Going a step further, how many worlds are floating undiscovered within the Void?

Regarding the Void

Which brings us to another question what exactly is the Void? In the Storytime posts from 2013 and 2014, King Artorius spoke about the “Outer Void.” The most we can glean from his responses is that the Outer Void fills the space between the Spiral’s worlds. It’s a dangerous, inhospitable place, and little is known about it. In Pirate101, when we sail from one world to another, one could claim we are traversing the Void, albeit not as empty as the name implies. Artorius does use the words “Outer Void” when he mentions it; this means, to me at least, that the Void has depth.

Could it be what we see in Pirate101 and the Arcanum is partly a product of being so close to the Spiral? Are other fragments of the First World being pulled closer to the Spiral by the same magic used to create it? Who is to say the Void doesn’t grow darker and quieter the farther out you go? But to our knowledge, no one has ever traveled so far and returned to talk about it.

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Again, according to Librarian Fitzhume in the 2016 Storytime on the Wizard101 Message Boards, it doesn’t appear that the Void is the end. According to Fitzhume’s responses, there is still something beyond the Spiral. Whatever it might be is beyond our understanding. It is worth noting there is no mention of the Outer Void here.

Meaning the theoretical ‘something’ excludes the Void. Based upon this information, I’d like to think of the Void as a kind of padding. It surrounds and guards the Spiral, somehow part of the Spiral, and apart from it, like armor or a shell. It is keeping things that don’t belong in it out while also containing everything within. A fascinating subject, to be sure. I am interested in seeing how it develops going forward.

Thanks for Reading!

With that, I will draw this to a close. Thank you all so much for reading this article; I hope you enjoyed it. Feel free to browse the other guides and pieces here. Leave a comment below on what you think will happen as the Fourth Arc continues.

If you want to stay up to date on our most recent releases, you can follow us on social media. Ravenwood Academy has started creating YouTube videos for the Community. Check it out!

Until we meet again, I hope to see you in the Spiral!

-Morgan Shade

2021 Spell Audit Showcase

Posted on April 6, 2021April 6, 2021 by Ravynlea

This Spring, Wizard101 is bringing quality of life changes to the Spiral. Check out the updated all-one-enemy spells from the Spring 2021 Test Realm. Watch as Ravenwood Academy showcases the changes to: Sandstorm, Ra, Deer Knight, Scarecrow, Meteor Strike, Fire Dragon, Rain of Fire, Blizzard, Frost Giant, Forest Lord, Rebirth, Humongofrog, Orthrus, Mystic Colossus, Tempest, Storm Lord, and Sirens.

What do you think of the changes? Love ’em or hate ’em, let us know what you think at the Test Realm discussion on Discord, or in the comments below.

Meet Angelica Windspar

Posted on February 1, 2021February 1, 2021 by Sarai Willowbreeze

A sister joins the team!

We have an exciting addition to the Housing Tours office! Angelica Windspar has decided to join her sisters Myrella and Eliza. I do believe that “everything housing” is their family motto. I wish they’d offer stock options, as they do booming business! Angelica’s a crafty cat and brings some fabulous new recipes for our crafting pleasure. Attractive and functional, I’m sure you will enjoy their uses.

Angelicas Recipe Book

Angelica was kind enough to let me peek in her crafting recipe book. Here are the beautiful things I saw that she brought to Housing Tours. Useful housing items, invisible housing blocks, and even a new apartment! She has an exciting variety of new treasures to suit any Wizard.

So without further ado, let’s check out what she has to offer!

As with some other crafting recipes, there are badges you must get to buy the recipe. You can earn the badges by visiting and voting on different castles. Here are the ones I have found :

Castle Tourist-Vote on 10 castles

Castle Auditor-Vote on 100 castles

Castle Inspector-(Vote on 1000 castles?)

Castle Assessor-Unknown

All the new recipes need reagents that can be easily acquired except for one. In this update, a new reagent was introduced; they’re called “Blueprint Tokens.” One known way of getting them is through The Spiral Scene housing tours event. KI has also mentioned they may become available from other sources in the future, like the Scroll of Fortune.

Babbage Basset

No more running to Marleybone for your Castle Magic needs. You can craft your very own Babbage Basset to have in your castle. Very convenient, to say the least!

6 new banks

A great time-saver is the new bank item that you can place anywhere in your castle, for your convenience. With six versions available, I’m sure you will find one to suit your style.

New housing blocks

Angelica has something special for all the housing fanatics. Recipes for invisible housing blocks! As a fanatic myself, I can think of some fantastic and incredible ways to use them.

I can’t wait to see what you all create with them!

Spiral Door

If you have ever wished you could have a Spiral Door elsewhere in your castle, your wishes have been granted. Craft this and place it wherever your heart desires.

I’ll definitely be placing them all around my castles.

a new apartment!

Woohoo! Looky here! Last but not least, we have a new craftable apartment!

Your fabulous new apartment will be located across from the Fairegrounds in the Commons. What a lively place for a home! It’s the same basic style as the craftable one from Derrick Blaze at the Team-Up Kiosk. This recipe calls for A LOT of Blueprint Tokens, so I sure do hope they aren’t too hard to get. With such a great location, though, it will be well worth the effort.

Thanks for Reading!

Well, there you have it. All the new recipes are available at the Housing Tours office in the Commons. I think they are a great addition to the game. You can bet I’ll be utilizing most if not all of them. Leave a comment and let me know what you think. Will you be crafting them? Have you thought of a clever use for a new item? Let us know in the comments below or the housing channel at Ravenwood Community! See you there.

Spring 2020 Test Realm Updates!

Posted on April 3, 2020April 3, 2020 by Kyle Sword

As we enter April, the first Wizard101 update for 2020 is here!!! Past Spring Updates have brought popular quality of life changes, as well as new features and systems. Two updates you may remember included Monstrology and Hatchmaking. The 2020 update lives up to those expectations without a doubt. So, let’s explore what Spring is going to bring to the Spiral this year!

Beastmoon maps and changes

The first thing KI revealed early told us a lot about the future of the Beastmoon Hunt. We get two new maps in the hunting grounds! A beautiful, underwater Celestian building and an industrial Aquilan quarry. These new maps add swimming and new adventure to Beastmoon Hunt, potentially changing strategy and game-play.

In the same teaser we learned that changes would be made that will allow us to group-up and hunt together with our friends!

pets!

Pets are receiving lots of attention in this update! The first change we’ll look at is an update to pet training. The new system works in tiers. Upon completing any pet mini-game 25 times, the option to skip the game unlocks. This new system allows you to feed your pet snacks and level them up faster than ever before. I feel that this update will help make pet training more accessible to Wizards of all levels. Below you can also see the new Pet UI and the new pet-based event, the Pet Promenade.

The addition of an exciting new pet talent, called “Will-cast” is the next fantastic update. Unlike May-cast talents, Will-casts aren’t cast by random chance. Instead, the talent appears in your Wizards’ hand to be cast at your direction. While currently restricted from PvP, it could be interesting to see this come to the Arena if it could be balanced. The new stat called Happiness determines these talents. To cast a Will-cast spell, you need a high enough level of Happiness.

You can control your pets if your Happiness is high enough. This depletes at a rate of 5 Happiness per second, but you can feed your pets snacks to increase their Happiness as you go.

Set Bonuses!

New set bonuses could redefine the “best” gear sets entirely. Now, equipping multiples pieces from a gear set will give you bonus statistics. This update allows for gear adjustments and stat maximizing that were never possible before, potentially unlocking exciting new gear setup strategies. We also get a brand new interface for inspecting gear! Now you can use Ctrl + Right-click to see where another Wizard got their gear!

New gold key boss

This update also brings an exciting new boss to challenge us! Meet Fellspawn, a new Gold Key boss that was locked away inside the Wizard City catacombs by the ancient Druids. Although the challenge is nice, Fellspawn is not too difficult and is expected to drop Dragoon’s gear!

Fishing in Khrysalis!

Fish have slowly spread through the Spiral over the years. Now, fishing has finally come to the end of the second arc in Khrysalis. There are eight new fishies for you find, so go out there and catch them all!

Housing!

This update also brings a much-awaited quality of life change to housing. The new Advanced Move system makes the old rug-glitching system practically irrelevant. Items can now be moved or placed wherever you see fit!

Shadow Magic

Impactful changes are coming to Shadow Magic. Now, Shadow enhanced spells like Shrike will backlash every single time. Backlash starting values have changed, and final backlash caps out at +70%. For example: at the start of a round when you cast Shrike, you will get +40 Backlash. When you blade or hit, you receive -10. So, even if you flawlessly execute your Shadow’s preferred moves, you will still be hit with at least ten backlash at the end. This change will be impactful in PvE and the Arena. Further changes in the Arena include PvP becoming turn-based as the standard mode, and tournaments free to enter. However, tournament rewards have been temporarily removed.

All of this is subject to change, as that is the fun of Test Realm. Make sure to log on and check it out yourself. Don’t forget to let us know what you think at the Ravenwood Community, or on Twitter. We would love to see pictures of your adventures in Test Realm, like this one of me as my pet little Boomer!

The Spring Scroll of Fortune

Posted on March 1, 2020March 1, 2020 by Kyle Sword

It’s been a thrilling Winter here in the Spiral. Updates to the Spiral Showcase, Beastmoon Hunt, and Deckathalon have brought more Wizards to these exciting events. Many Scrolls throughout the Spiral were completed, and paintings hung. So, as we transition into Spring, lets look at the awesome rewards we can earn for ourselves this season!

The cosmetics!

Thankfully, this Scroll of Fortune has decided to continue one of my favorite parts of the Winter Scroll, the cosmetics! A new hat and wand are available, as well as an awesome new teleport effect and a unique new emote. So, lets take a look!

This season there is an unbelievably charming new emote. Instead of summoning a snowball to pelt your enemies, you create a beautiful flower using your hands and a little bit of magic!

The teleport effect is also very seasonal. A ray of sunshine leads to tall blades of grass that surround you, before exploding in a burst of leaves and flower petals.

The first wearable unlock is the Wild Hair, which I will be using as my new Life Wizard stitch! It’s unique and I love the way the tree roots form horns.

The Sprig of Spring is a cute and lively wand. A variety of flowers grow from a vine covered stem, and could be used on a variety of stitches. I’ll be using it for my energy gear. It seems so appropriate for gardening!

Event Items!

This season we’re definitely going to receive our fair share of event based rewards! These will provide an edge in your Beastmoon Hunts and School Deckathalons. A humongous total of 975 Lunari is available in the Scroll!

Packs filled with runes, various moonstone based rewards, over a dozen Beastmoon Idols, as well as copious amount of Lunari will all aid you on your way through the upcoming events.

Reagents, Spellements and elixirs!

Once again, the Scroll spoils us with a litany of rare reagents. These will undoubtedly make your life easier, as Shining Scales can be hard to fish for and Participation Trophies do force you into PvP! The clay variants in particular may come in very handy for anyone who still needs to farm Sinbad.

However what may be the most helpful is the grand total of 35 Daybreaker or Nightbringer Spellements!

The elixirs are an impressive reward, they’re quite literally member benefits on demand! This Scroll comes with various helpful elixirs, including Double Pet and Gardening rewards!

A fun and unique reward features, the Random Elixir reward makes a return this season. We wish you the best of luck !

The Best of the rest!

As always, there are some really sweet rewards that don’t fit into a category. These rewards are super useful and will be graciously accepted by all of us that unlock them.

This season we are given a lot of gold. Like, a lot. A maximum reward of 20,000 is a fantastic mid tier prize.

A massive total of 45,000 is really appreciated by anyone. I mean, who doesn’t like free gold?

There’s also a single mount early on in this Scroll. An adorable Warthog with a comedic, over-sized head will give you the speed you need this season!

A great 40% boost and a 7 day period will allow you to travel in style for a full week!

The Spring Globe is an awesome housing decoration, that can allows you to bring the spring theme of the Scroll to any of your houses. The Spring fish tank is also a nice novelty reward that is becoming a seasonal collectible.

We also get treated to a free few packs, like a Druid’s Hoard pack. Hopefully, you get exactly what you want! There is also a Fairy Friend Pet Jewel, which gives your ancient pet may-cast fairy!

And of course, never forget the best item on the entire Scroll! An awesome collectible that I will strive towards achieving! This of course, is the Spring Scroll of Fortune painting!

So, go out there over the next few months and enjoy Spring! You haven’t got long before these rewards are gone forever! Make sure to let us know your favorite parts of the scroll below!

Wizard101 2019: A Spiral Review

Posted on January 1, 2020January 1, 2020 by Sarai Willowbreeze

2019 was a groundbreaking year in Wizard101. There were so many amazing additions to the game, from interactive housing to exciting new in-game events. Wizard101 turned 11 this year, and oh how we grew. Sit back and join me as we relive it with 2019: A Spiral Review.

January

2019 started strong with new social media and adventures at Pax South. The first new pack of the year was added!

Wizard101 announced that you can now find them on Instagram! How cool is that ?!
A new pack was added to the Crown Shop. The Nimbari Hoard Pack is full of exciting must-have items from Empyrea.
Renee Wooten and Matthew Anderson shared their adventure at Pax South, a gaming event in San Antonio, TX.

February

In February, big changes came to in-game housing! Castle decorators and their friends were excited about a new table!

The new Friendship Table made its debut! We were finally able to sit down and interact with the furniture in our castles. Be still my heart! This allowed us to sit a spell with our friends, like we would in real life.
Another adorable addition in February was the Bubbler Music Player! It is such a fun item! Bubbles float around the castle while music plays, and I mean, who doesn’t love bubbles?

March

March is always a fun month in Wizard101! Pat O’ Gold made her yearly appearance, bringing all things green to the Spiral.

March started out with the announcement of KI’s very first Spring Decorating contest. Castle decorators were excited to show their amazing creations to the world. You can revisit the winning entries here: 2019 Spring Decorating Winners
Exciting new Elixirs were added to the game. There were Mega Elixirs and the Hyper Elixir as well.

April

In April we had an amazing Spring update that brought many new features.

Expand Friends List and Backpack Elixirs came to the Crowns Shop!
The Pandamonium Hoard Pack arrived.
Wizard City revamp unveiled!!!
Monstrology additions: Spiders and Colossus.
The Deckathalon was introduced!
Chocosteins Monster Pet

Skeleton Key bosses were added to Crab Alley and Empyrea.
Treasure Card Display was added
Additional Teleport Emotes added
Free housing was added to Polaris, Mirage and Empyrea
Release of the 7th character slot!

May

May was a little quieter, but that’s not to say that there weren’t any fun additions. After the success of the first ever Deckathalon, they brought another one to the Spiral. May brought us Ice! Wizards from all around the world and every part of the Spiral tried to get the rare Deckathalon Hamster and the Hands of Fate.

Ice Deckathalon

The new Gallop Emote was added.
Khans Dance Game premiered. Fun, fun, fun!
Grandmother Raven visited the KI offices. What a wonderful interview! Watch it here: Grandmother Raven interview

June

The new additions in June were absolutely fabulous! Now we can now dance the night away!

*Turns on some Disco Music*

The Fantastic Fairytale Bundle gave us an inspired new Castle full of hidden potential. With beautiful gear for stitching, and grounds ripe for fishing and farming this amazing Castle was a summer sensation.
We could finally get our groove on with up to 6 friends on the new Dance Floor housing item!
An Empyrean beast became a new mount, the Fangle!
The Deckathalon returned, with a Death school theme. Death Deckathalon

July

July brought many wonderful new things to the Spiral. One of the most exciting for Wizards everywhere was the Wizard City Free Weekend! This special event allowed all players to experience all of Wizard City for free for a limited time.

The Wizard City revamp was completed with Crab Alley.
Advanced Quick Sell was introduced.
New Treasure Cards became available in the Wizard City Library: Balance Blade, Nature’s Wrath, Sandstorm, Blizzard, Stormzilla, Hex, and each school’s Traps
The First time user experience was updated, becoming more engaging for new Wizards.
The Deckathalon returned with a Fire Deckathalon

August

This month was really hot with the Sizzling Summer Update, officially released on August 1st. New events, mounts, bundles, packs, and emotes made 2019 a summer to remember.

The Grizzleheim Lore Pack came to the Crown Shop giving Wizards a chance at fabulous new spells!
A quirky new mount was added, the Bumbershoot!
The Spiral Showcase arrived, allowing us to gain special rewards for daily activities.
The Twister Dance emote was added, taking us old timers back to the good old days.
The Ray of Sunshine teleport effect was added to Crowns Shop. Sarai starts singing “Blinded by the Light”
11 Days of Birthday Magic began, celebrating Wizard101’s 11th year!!!
The Beastmoon Hunt was introduced.
The Summer Scroll of Fortune brought exciting rewards.
The Deckathalon returned with the Myth Deckathalon

September

It was party time in September. Wizard101 celebrated eleven years of magic! Wizards were showered with special gifts during the 11 days of Birthday Magic.

The Beastmoon Hunt was brought back for the second time.
Four new Crowns Shop bundles appeared. The Phoenix Bundle, The Cloud Wyvern Bundle, The Skyvern Bundle, and The Jade Wyvern Bundle. These new bundles all included a rare pack mount!
The new Strut Dance emote had Wizards “Strutting their Stuff” all over the Spiral.
A Birthday Teleport effect was added for a limited time.
The Sinbad Hoard Pack arrived with many wonderful items such as the Gryphon Pet, two-rider Roc Mount, and special reagents to craft the Sinbad and the Iron Sultan housing gauntlet.
The Life Deckathalon made its first appearance
The Sinbad and the Iron Sultan Gauntlet was made available for purchase on the Wizard101 website

October

As the weather turned cool, the Spiral turned spooky! Halloween in the Spiral is always a favorite, with scary fun for every Wizard. Some exciting new things we saw in October included:

The Spooky Sounds Music Scroll.
The Megabat Mount.
The Spider Rider Mount.
A new Halloween Multi-Tank.
A New Rhythm Mortis Dance Emote.
A New Pirate Nightmare Pack.
The Prepaid Time Elixir.
The first Balance Deckathalon Event.
The new Creepier Carnival Bundle.

November

After months of suspense and wild speculation, we finally found out what happened to “Doug!” The poor guy has been stuck in the drains underneath Wizard City for all this time! There were many updates that fell to us with the September leaves, including a new bundle!

The Wizard City Underground was unveiled!
- Olde Town Drains Instance
- Golem Court Drains Gauntlet
The new Spellwrighting System unleashed new potential for Wizards everywhere.
- New Utility Spells
The Backpack Butler made finding that missing pet or robe easier than ever before.
There were Hatchmaking Kiosk Improvements
An exciting Castle Magic Update brought a new level of fun to decorators throughout the Spiral.
The Beastmoon Hunt returned with updated forms and a new map!
The Deckathalons were updated to include the opportunity to battle a Professor!
The Storm Deckathalon blew in.
The Undersea Enchantment Bundle allowed us to place fish in our houses like pets!

December

The final month of the year brought the 12 Days of the Spiral. KingsIsle generously gifted us packs, Crowns, a Mystery Discount, and other holiday items. Exciting housing items were added with new holiday packs. We found Stuffed Reindeer, Baked Ham, holiday plates and glasses. There were many wonderful holiday items that helped set the scene, even lobster!

The Winter Scroll of Fortune begins!
The 12 Days of the Spiral comes back again.
The New Santa Jaws Charity Mount brought hope to Creative Action and The Ronald McDonald House of Dallas.
The New Yule Logger Pack brought fun new style and better energy gear!
The New Festive Fox Mount trotted onto the scene.
The Winter Wonderland Artwork Contest gave us all a reason to share our holiday creations!
The New Holiday Frostbitedome landed.
The Cozy Fireplace let us warm ourselves by the fire with a good friend.
The Festive Table gave us a way to gather around the table with our Wizard101 family.
The Formal Dance Floor let us jingle all the way!
The Winter Wonder Pack was updated for 2019 with Krampus Spellements!
The rare Charity Fa-La-La-La Llama returned.

Well, there you have it! What a fabulous year it has been in the Spiral. I have enjoyed the ways they have enhanced our game experience and can’t wait to see what 2020 brings. What were some of your favorite things in the Spiral in 2019? What is on your wish list already for 2020? Let us know in the comments below!

The New Olde Town Apartment!

Posted on December 6, 2019December 6, 2019 by Sarai Willowbreeze

With the popularity of apartments in Wizard101, from the Arcanum to Mirage, we are starting to see more of them. Now, KI has added a cute little townhouse to the Spiral! You can buy the New Olde Town Apartment from Derrick Blaze, next to the Bazaar. I’m sure you’ve seen him hanging around out there right near the Team-Up Kiosk.

Being able to buy this cute little flat will be a challenge for almost any Wizard. To get the recipe, you have to earn the Team Champion Badge. When you help other Wizards complete their battles at the Team-Up Kiosk, you earn points towards badges. Well, to get this one, you’re going to have to be very helpful. You receive the Team Champion Badge after you have earned 2000 points. Sarai listens to the sudden silence. Yes, somewhat intimidating. But you know what? You can do it! Do a couple of runs a day, and you will have that badge before you know it. It’s a no-trade item, so sharing it through the Bank will not be possible. Each Wizard will have to earn their own. At 12,500 Crowns, it’s an investment. But, it’s a rare gem that you will be proud to show off to your friends. Still, I hope they will have a gold price for it eventually.

Now on to the good stuff!

The Olde Town Apartment is a simply charming castle. From its townhouse feel to its enclosed yard, this new addition has a world of possibilities! The interior layout is reminiscent of the Wooded Cottage. There are a few differences, such as no alcove on the first floor, and you will find a curtained window seat downstairs. You will also notice that the second floor is larger. The wallpaper is the same pattern and color as the Wooded Cottage, purple with a decorative block pattern. Two leaded glass windows add a charming touch.

More good stuff!

Now, let’s head out the back door. Yes, we have an actual back door! Wizard101’s Olde Town Apartment has a secluded yard, surrounded by stone walls. A thoughtful touch, shrubbery peeks over the top of the walls bringing them a splash of color. The yard itself is an open area, surrounded by trees that tower over the stone walls. There is plenty of room to have a wonderful little tea garden. On the other side of the wall, you can see the towers and walls of Olde Town in the distance.

Well, there you have it. The newest apartment available in Wizard101. Do you plan on getting one? Can you already get one? Let us know in the comments below

~ Sarai Willowbreeze

Winter Scroll of Fortune!

Posted on December 5, 2019December 5, 2019 by Kyle Sword

It’s been an exciting four months since I last spoke to you about a Scroll of Fortune! We’ve seen a massive game update appear in our world, as small icicles form outside. Welcome, ladies and gentlemen of the Spiral, to the Wizard101 Winter Scroll of Fortune! It’s going to be a great ninety days full of events and fun!

The Cosmetics!

If we had to choose one thing that this Scroll does better than the previous edition, it would be the cosmetics! Not only do we get two custom emotes once again, but also a unique teleport effect and two stitch-able items!

The emotes are fun this time. Thematically appropriate, the new “Snowball” emote will spark pranks and mischief with your friends while the “Winter” teleport effect surrounds your Wizard with icy spikes before shattering to pieces!

But there is certainly one emote to rule them all. The “Let It Snow” emote is a fantastic reference to Elsa, from Disney’s “Frozen,” and couldn’t be timed better with the recent release of the sequel! I feel like I’m going to be singing a lot with this emote!

These two items for stitching are unique to this Scroll of Fortune. With dazzling, sparkly effects, they are really funky! “The Cold Cut” hairdo is going to be my Ice’s new default stitch. It’s really cool, excuse the pun, and will work well with everything. The “Wintercrystal Wand” includes an icy blade and a pine cone in its design. I like it for its unique appearance and value as a rarer item, it’s an awesome wand design.

The Event Items!

Ramping up a lot this season is the Scroll’s emphasis on event-based rewards and items. This scroll rewards you with Beastmoon Idols, Deckathalon Rune’s, packs, and a sum total of 925 Lunari throughout its tiers! It’s worth it for these rewards alone if you’re trying to take advantage of events when they come around.

The largest individual Lunari prize you’ll be receiving is 500. But, with a grand total of 925, buying level upgrades or recipes to enhance your Beastmoon Hunt experience has never been easier!

On top of that, the Scroll drops a lot of Beastmoon Idols. These will help with tier improvements or unlocking forms you choose to follow. It is unfortunate that the only known way to get the Balance Wolf Idol is through the Scroll, as it means playing him won’t be possible for every player. But, they’re a fantastic bunch of rewards!

The Reagents and Elixirs!

My oh my. There are so many awesome elixirs available to you throughout this Scroll! These elixirs will bring you an array of member benefits whenever you’d like them. Not to mention some very valuable and very rare reagents for us to grab ahold of too!

Participation Trophies are now obtainable without having to do tournaments! Magical Clay is available to make Sinbad farming easier! Shining Scales up for grabs, without spending hours fishing? And don’t even get me started on the free Amber!

While “only three” of each may not seem like a lot, I’d be more than happy to remind you how difficult some of these can be to get!

Major Gold Elixirs, Double Gardening Elixirs, Double Pet Experience Elixirs and so many more! Having a personal member benefit in your back pocket will be helpful for whatever you’d like to do in the Spiral!

Not to mention a mysterious Random Elixir! We have to ask ourselves what elixir this be? Could we grab ourselves a Level 50 Elixir or a free One Month Elixir? It seems unlikely that it could, but it would be exciting if they did!

The Best of the Rest!

While the rewards highlighted were what this author deems most relevant, that does not mean the other rewards aren’t amazing. There’s an awesome variety of goods and rewards that we could grasp.

This Jewel, if you didn’t know, was previously available only through Kroger cards!

Giving a pet of your choice a may cast Mass Feint and also a Pain Bringer talent; this jewel will surely find use in a variety of PvE or PvP focused pets.

In this authors opinion, this is the most unexpected reward from this Scroll. Giving us a free recipe for a winter-themed house, you can save on gold if you’d like to craft it. It’s definitely a unique reward, and it leaves me curious as to what future Scrolls could bring.

The Scroll also has many Crowns items. Some of the rewards include Deckathalon focused packs and Sinbad’s Hoard Packs! You’ll also be able to grab a hold of various Reagent and Snack packs along your journey.

Make sure you don’t forget to level all the way up to the limited Painting item once again. These are bound to become collector’s items one day and you’ll kick yourself if you don’t grab one while you can!

So, what do you think about this new Winter Scroll of Fortune? Will you be buying it this season? It’s great to remember it’s retroactive, so feel free to buy it after you have finished the scroll in its entirety! I’ve already grabbed mine, and I’m looking forward to a bunch of Snowball fights in my near future!

Beastmoon Hunt Tips & Tricks

Posted on November 23, 2019November 26, 2019 by Ravynlea

Introduction

The Beastmoon event has been active a few times now. Each time both the game itself, as well as the players, change. I’ve taken the opportunity to collect different tips and tricks. These I’ve learned myself and from other players.This article will detail different pieces of advice I use to help win Beastmoon matches. From very basic ideas you already know, to more detailed ideas you might not have considered. The main points will be in bold at the end of each section. You can, if you like, skip the points you already know.

Joining Fights

Anyone who plays Beastmoon knows, getting into combat with the opposing team is a big part of every match. Yet, you shouldn’t run into every single fight you get the chance to. For starters, if you don’t think you have a chance at winning the fight, don’t bother joining. Every time someone is defeated in battle (or flees from a battle) the opposing team gets 2 points. This means joining a fight you won’t be able to win, is giving away free points. Once you come to terms with this idea, you will most likely ask yourself “How do I know if I can win the fight before I join it?“ Although I can’t guarantee you win every fight, I have some tips you can use to help determine if a fight is worth taking.

Pips and Health

There are two critical things you should pay attention to, before starting a fight. Your pips and health. Every beast form has a set amount of health and some beast forms can have extra pips. To give yourself the best chance at winning fights, It is best to have full health and max bonus pips if you can. Pips are all around the map and you can refill your health from wisps in each corner or at your base. Sometimes you will have to join a fight without being well prepared. But if you have the opportunity, definitely gather pips and health first.

It’s pretty simple to look at your own pips. But it is very beneficial to look at the pips your opponent has also. Every character’s bonus pips display next to their character. This allows you to see who has pips and how many they have. Whereas, you only want to join fights when you have pips. You’ll have the best chance of winning if you join fights where your opponent doesn’t have pips.

In conclusion: Join fights when you have pips and your opponent doesn’t.

The Numbers Advantage

Beastmoon Hunt is a team game, which means you’re expected to play with your team. With this in mind, your best chances of winning a fight are when your team has more players than the opposing team.

There is something I’ve seen all too often. It’s when a player enters a fight outnumbered and then requests help from their team. This strategy has many problems. For starters, the lone player could die before their allies even get a chance to join the fight. Giving away points to the other team, for free. Other problems include the enemy team having more time to build pips. Even if your team arrives a couple turns late, that’s two extra pips for each member of the opposing team.

Even if you see allies on your map that are close to you, remember to consider the needs from the previous section. If an ally is close to you it does not mean they are in a good position to take a fight. It’s a good idea to look and see who is available. Even better, ask which allies are available to take a fight before joining.

Beast Form Synergies

Beastmoon Hunt includes many beast forms, all which have many advantages and disadvantages. They also have cards that need certain conditions to be met to unleash their full power. Yet, many of these conditions you cannot fulfill by yourself. To have the best chance of winning a fight, you need to consider as many of these factors as possible. In Beastmoon, I have found forms that work with another, as well as forms that work against another. These are partly due to cards and partly due to damage boosts based on the school.

In conclusion: Know which allies you want to fight with and know which enemies you want to fight against.

Strong Allies

Strong Opponents

Krokomummy and Fairy form a very resilient team. They are capable of staying alive and dealing damage through shields. Krokomummy has many shields that help keep Fairy alive. Krokomummy also has many spells that want traps, which the Fairy can provide. Fairy has many traps as well as a powerful shield-piercing drain. It is devastating when combined with Krokomummy’s disarming trap. Together dealing 450 damage that bypasses shields and heals.

Wolf Warrior and Rat Thief are a powerhouse pair. Wolf Warrior has access to a wide range of blades, especially Storm Surge, the +200 damage blade (or an additional +100 if they already have a blade). Rat Thief has a lot of starting pips as well as many low-pip damaging spells. For instance, Striking Ifrit, which deals 250 damage to the entire enemy team, for 4 pips. Combine Storm Surge and Striking Ifrit to deal 450 damage to all enemies on turn one!

Elf and Minotaur are another pair that can dish out a lot of damage in a short amount of time. The main spells you want to use are, Elf’s Dive-Bomber Beetle, and Minotaur’s powerful DOT spells. For instance, Ruby Shark. Ruby Shark plus Dive-Bomber Beetle can do 575 damage without any damage boosts.

Colossus vs Elf is most likely the hardest match up I’ve encountered for Colossus. Elf’s damage is boosted for Ice, and they have many tools to remove shields. Because of this, Colossus does not have many options in a fight against an Elf. As Colossus, you don’t want to have your Armory of Artemis spell countered by the Elf’s Surtr’s Rage spell. This is because Surtr’s Rage will remove all your shields.

Elf vs Wolf Warrior is one of the few challenging fights for the Elf. Wolf Warrior has many spells that counteract the Elf. They can remove damage over time effects, and stun to interrupt Elf’s combos. They also have high base damage spells that can kill the Elf, in a round or 2.

Wolf Warrior vs Krokomummy favors Krokomummy. Only because of the many ways to punish the enemy for using blades. Additionally, Krokomummy has stun blocks that also prevent Wolf Warrior from stunning.

Fairy vs Rat Thief is a challenging match for Fairy. Rat Thief has many spells that need him to have a trap on himself, and Fairy has many spells that place traps. Fairy also lacks ways to deal with minions if the Rat Thief decides to summon one.

These various combinations are the ones I find myself taking advantage of the most. Every single beast form has ideal allies and ideal opponents. Take some time to look for which beast forms help you the most and which beast forms your spells counter. A good start when looking for ideal opponents is to start with beast forms that your school counters (life counters myth, ice counters storm, etc.).

Where to Fight

Beastmoon is interesting in that it allows you to pick and choose where you want to fight. There are 5 Battle Rings that you can fight at and they are not all the same. Sun and Moon have a limit of 2 players per team. Star and Eye have a limit of 3 players per team. The Spiral is the only one where 4 members of the team can fight.. Not every beast form is equal in all these different types of fights.

For example, Rat Thief and Myth Minotaur have spells that summon minions. Minions can fill spots that players cannot, meaning it would be most beneficial to join a 2v2 or 3v3 Battle Ring.

Colossus and Cyclops have defensive spells that work on your entire team. These spells become more valuable the more players you have, so look for 3v3 or 4v4 Battle Rings.

It is pretty easy to dictate where fights happen because the enemy team has to capture your Battle Ring. If they already control a Battle Ring, they won’t be able to get points from it unless you try to contest it.

The final thing to consider is how many players are available on either team. If you have 4 players at the Spiral and the enemy team only has 3 players on the Spiral, you should not take a 3v3 fight. Otherwise your 2 players will be outnumbered by their 3 players.

In conclusion: Pick which Battle Rings to fight over.

Only Fight If You Have To

Taking any fight has a risk. Even if you are favored to win a fight, there’s always a chance you will lose it. Due to this, before taking any fight I ask myself what I gain by taking the fight and what I lose if I don’t take the fight. Keep in mind that an opponent can only gain points from a Battle Ring if they capture it. You shouldn’t take Battle Rings away from the enemy unless you intend to defend it. Often times the best path is to guard a single Battle Ring rather than capturing many Rings. This goes back to having the numbers advantage, force your opponent to take fights where you want them to.

In conclusion: Have a reason for entering a fight.

Final Thoughts

In summary, fighting other players is a major part of any Beastmoon Hunt. Winning fights will grant you a majority of your points. Likewise, losing points will cost you the most points. Due to this, all my tips revolve around how to give yourself the best chance of winning fights. This includes when fights are or are not worth taking. Something to keep in mind before any fight is how likely you are to win the fight? Which beast form would win the fight alone? Which team has allies that are available to join? Do I have all the resources necessary to win this fight? If you don’t think you have a good chance of winning the fight, do not take the fight. Hopefully, these tips can be as helpful to you as they have been to me. If you have any questions or comments feel free to let me know, looking forward to hearing some tips of your own.

Links to more information about the Beastmoon Hunt