Wizard101 Review

When I first found Wizard101, I had never played an MMORPG (Massively Multiplayer Online Role-Playing Game) before. I thought I’d have no idea what to do first, but I decided to give it a try. I’m glad I did. The tutorial is excellent, and instructs new users on the rules and basics of dueling, the understanding of which is crucial to advancing in level and eventually becoming legendary.

Wizard101 is an engaging, family-friendly 3D world – or rather, a collection of interconnected “worlds,” all together in a galaxy-like universe best known as the Spiral. Currently, this Spiral consists of seven worlds (though new ones pop up every so often, thanks to the game developers at KingsIsle, Inc.): Wizard City, Krokotopia, Grizzleheim, Marleybone, Mooshu, Dragonspyre, and the newest, Celestia.

When you create a character, you get to choose from seven different kinds of magic to master: Balance, Fire, Ice, Storm, Life, Death, and Myth. I have three Life Magic characters, one Death, one Myth, one Balance, and one Storm. I recommend starting with either a Life Wizard or a Death Wizard, because of the ability of these types of characters to heal themselves and others. Healing, as you’ll find while completing your first few quests, is crucial to succeeding in the game.

The only downside to this game is the fact that after a certain about of advancing and quest-completion, you’ll eventually need to pay to go any further. However, if you do decide to continue despite the real-money issue, I highly recommend paying the $9.95/month for a subscription, because even though you can also use “Crowns” to access new areas and worlds, a decent amount of Crowns is much more expensive than a monthly subscription. You can also pay yearly for a subscription at the same rate. However, if you can afford Crowns, they are also very useful, especially as you gain levels. You can buy a mount, like a broom or a pair of wings, which lets you travel 40% faster, and you can get much more powerful equipment with Crowns as well.

My favorite thing about Wizard101 is that it is extremely social. Besides the chatting features built into the game, other players can (and often do) join in when you’re dueling a monster, and can help you complete most, if not all, quests. The quests people most often ask for help with are the ones Prospector Zeke (an explorer who travels throughout the Spiral) gives you, to find things in each world that have gone missing. In Wizard City, it’s the Smiths you’re sent to locate; in Krokotopia, it’s ten Beetles; in Grizzleheim, it’s ten Yardbirds; for Marleybone, it’s ten Stray Cats. The hidden objects in Mooshu, Dragonspyre and Celestia are not yet known to me, because I haven’t reached those worlds yet. I only got access to Marleybone not long ago (from completing a long string of quests in Krokotopia), but I’m having a bit of trouble getting some of my quests completed there. But not to worry: after all, if at first you don’t succeed, there’s always another opportunity to try. All you need is the courage to take that chance. 🙂

Come on then… Give Wizard101 a chance, and you’re sure to enjoy it! See you in Wizard City!!

My Characters
Rebecca DreamHunter – Level 29 Life
Amber NightCaster – Level 29 Storm
Rachel SandFlower – Level 16 Balance
Vanessa Weaver – Level 10 Life
Cassandra DarkTamer – Level 9 Death
*Autumn Garden – Level 8 Life
Samantha LegendHeart – Level 5 Myth

*To avoid confusing you all, Autumn is on my second account. You can only have six characters on an account at any time, but you can have multiple accounts per person. 🙂