Marvelous Mounts-Slowpoke Sloth

You may have seen the grand race between the tortoise and the hare but you haven't seen anything yet.

The Slowpoke Sloth is the best way to enjoy the spiral. Not only will other mounted players stream past you but so will unmounted players!













The Slowpoke Sloth is by far the best way to enjoy the spiral. You could also use this marvelous mount to complete Prospector  Zeke's searching quests.










Most sloths are tired and this one knows how to prove it! Whenever he yawns he makes it big!

All you need to keep one is leaves and a place to sleep 23 hours a day! Get yours at ItWasOnlyAvailableOnAprilFools.com (btw - that is a joke, it actually was only available on April Fool's day! lol!)

- Shadowgem

The Zebras of the Zamunda

Hey everyone,

You know there is one thing I have noticed in Zafaria, well Zamunda I guess. That is the prolific amount of Zebras. They are everywhere. Although I can't exactly call them a harem or a herd as they seem questionable by their distance from each other; rather they are dotted around randomly! By the way, it is not just the characters I am referring to...... take a look at this for an entrance!

The huge tribal gates are overseen by these two magnificent sparring partners, but take a look at the city beyond the gates.... Two wooden Zebra heads can clearly be seen!!!


I thought I'd take a few more shots of some of these Zebras, as they caught my eye so much while I was passing through. This guy here is the elder. Can barely stand and uses his walking stick to remain somewhat upright. We chat to him a few times, but I don't want to give too much of the story away.


As the story evolves your movements through Zamunda will see many interactions with these Zebras. They really do come in all shapes and sizes, well maybe not shapes - more like many colours. So far there have not been any 'afro circus' like Marty from Madagascar, but painted camouflage appears more than once. 

There are many of the Igoka Defenders splattered around. They are a bit fierce and have a definite sense of pride to them. Strangely enough they give off a fierce persona, but are amongst the only Zebras not have have some sort of weapon.

The soldiers, however, have both weapons and camouflage paint! As you can see there are a couple of types, one with green paint and one with red paint. If you look closely they have different 'uniforms' but they are very similar in stature. Both have the same very cool striped mane. 

Each of the these zebras have manes that are slightly different if you look close enough. Their weapons are different, and interestingly they are both slightly stooped, though only one is using a staff.  

Next up are the captains !

Now these have weapons and colour and both have shields. They are not stooped, they are upright, proud and ready. Interestingly I also noticed that they hold their shields and spears in identical hands. I guess there are no lefties here!


But this story isn't just about the combat Zebras. As with all good tales, there are the good ones, the bad ones, and the unlucky ones. The unlucky ones in Zamunda have been made prisoners. There are a few of them around.

These little fellas are the Igoka Prisoners. You are tasked with setting them free. But before you rush up to them and just press 'X', take a moment to watch them. They are very sorrowful, literally shaking in fear. They turn to face you, to implore you to help them, then turn away again. They have no additional colouring and are bound by their front legs.
Don't take too long watching them though, these poor creatures deserve to be set free!

And that's my take on the Zebras of Zamunda. It is good to take time to marvel at the detail that the artists of KI take time to give us - don't you think?

Until Next Time,
Tabitha

Waterfalls Making Ripples

Hey everyone,

As you all know I recently entered Zafaria. When entering a new world I like to take a look around and get a feel for the place. So I thought it was time to share my initial thoughts on this very different land. First up I am very happy to be outside once again. Second up I am just loving the colour palette for this one!

And another thing I always find interesting when in a new world is the placement of items I have only seen at the Bazaar or decorating my houses. It is clear that this land uses many of the artefacts that I have acquired and have on display in my Barn.

The huge yellow sun is a big draw (again, yellow is my favourite colour), but add to that the vibrant reds of the the sky and looking up is a pleasure! 

This is also the first time I have seen the Savannah trees in situ, they are fine looking trees by all accounts. I'm not sure if I will get a bit fed up of the orange land and the wooden buildings. The colour is very similar - I guess time will tell. As a nice contrast though, I do love the tents, the rugs strewn around, the awnings. They are all colourful and have lovely patterns. 

As you move to the Market place you can almost feel the place come alive. They have done this area very well, the feeling of vibrancy pops out everytime I visit. 

But I think the thing I like almost more than the sun, is the water. The shade of the water is just fantastic. It has so much more depth than the water in all the other lands I have visited so far. The waterfalls into the pools creating the ripples in the water are a nice touch. 

The characters are a bit strange, but that is the case in most of the Spiral! But I am also loving how the story is panning out in this one.... ancient texts and images appearing in places, seems like there are secrets to be learnt.

So it's definitely hats off to KI designers for another well put together land. Will be interesting to see this land evolve as I move through the many areas. 

Time to go back and quest now.

Have fun, until next time,

Tabitha.

Alia's Sightseeing through the Spiral - I (Part 2)

My solution for Insane

The problem I found with Waterworks is that I just didn't have the money to level the towers up quickly enough to kill the enemy.  I had most success with the Myth towers and was using 6 of them to try to hit quickly. The problem was to increase their hits I needed a life tower.  Trying to level up everything though wasn't being affective, so I decided to get a life pet tower.  Although only at Ancient I was hoping it would be enough.

The solution other than the life pet, was death towers.  I still needed Myth towers, but some enemy were just too strong and needed to be taken out quickly so the Myth towers could concentrate on other enemies.  This picture shows the towers and setup I used to complete Waterworks.  And below is my medal, and although it is not silver or gold medal, I am very happy to tick it off the course with a Bronze medal.

Have fun :)
Alia

Alia's Sightseeing through the Spiral - I

I is for Insane and Impossible

Hi Everyone,

It has been a while.....I seem to have had a bit of a break from the spiral, and was brought back by an annoying problem.

I had been logging onto Grub Gardian and was just having fun completing all the different paths when I got stuck at one particular path ranked as "insane"......... so after continually being beaten by the game I decided it was time to pass this insane course.  I went through the process of trying all different types of towers but could only get to wave 4, before being beaten.

Ok.....time to train a new pet.  The storm pet wasn't hitting anything quickly enough and the only other fully developed pet I had was death.  Again not useful in this course, so for the first time I had to train a pet to use on Grub.

The course is Water Works, and this had been my best attempt yet.  Wave 1.  I ran out of good pet snacks so could only get my pet to ancient.  I decided that if I could get to wave 1, then maybe changing the strategy slightly might be enough to win.....

And guess what.......after a week or so of "on again, off again" trying I finally completed Waterworks on Grub Gardian.

Here is the screen shot of the time I got close.  Not quite the strategy I used to win..... Will post the winning strategy soon.  Until then, if you want an Insane challenge then this one will give you that.
There are probably tips and hints out there, but this one I wanted to accomplish on my own.

Enjoy :)
Alia

The Changing Land

Hey everyone,



Finally got back to questing today, back to Celestia. You know I've resisted this land for so long, and for the life of me I have no idea why. Well I do. It was the submarine area. I disliked it with a passion.... then I found my way to the stars! The Celestian Art I have written of previously, was nothing short of awesome.

And I continue to love the District of the Stars. The moving stars in the sky, the movement of the astral items like the huge star chalice. And then today, I had to go get some air (in the game obviously), so I got to go 'up top'. And it changes completely. Seriously. This was completely unexpected.

And now i know where all the Water Mole items in the Bazaar come from too! And it has me wondering what else is around the corner. The world that I loved to hate is actually becoming a very pleasant place to be around. I mean who doesn't love a beach with an almost cloudless blue sky!

Can't wait to get back over there, so that's all until next time :)

Tabitha

When Dark and Murky Becomes Bright and Vibrant!

 Hey everyone,

I thought it was about time I got back to questing today. Celestia has been patiently waiting for me to pop over and explore - today was that day.

To be honest, having seen a little of Celestia already, I really wasn't in a hurry to go over there. I think that is why I have been dragging my heels somewhat. It is the sub-marine, under-water thing. It just looks bleak and bland. Having come from the bright, fresh and open landscape of Grizzleheim, this just wasn't exciting me!

But as with everything in Wizard101, these perceptions can change. And that change can be quite dramatic!

So off to Celestia I go, and whizz around those submarine tunnels getting through some of the initial quests. Then I get the call to go to the District of the Stars. Cool, somewhere new in Celestia, and also getting me closer to the Astral schools. I have some training points burning a hole in my backpack, but I have been waiting to see what is on offer in Celestia before deciding what to do with them!

And this is where the total back flip occurs.... this place is stunning! In no way natural like Grizzleheim, it is about as Blue as you can get, but the colours flowing through really bring the place to life. Take for instance the wall art I have taken below. You could forgive yourself for thinking you had transported to an art gallery from another world!

There were many more of these, so I took the ones that really caught my eye. Bright and Vibrant. I found myself wandering around looking at each of them - weirdly in the same way you would an art gallery. Questing was forgotten for a little while.

Hats off again to KingsIsle, and the artists that bring these worlds to life. You've done a great job, once again. Of course the great news for me is that I am now looking forward to seeing what else Celestia has to offer!

Until Next Time,

Tabitha.

Alia's Sightseeing through the Spiral - H

H - is for Hatchery

Basics for Hatching - 

The Hatchery is the only place you can go to hatch two adult pets together to get a new pet.  You can either hatch with another wizard or hatch using two of your own pets.

The Hatchery is located in the Pet Pavilion. This area is where you can buy and sell pets, and train your pet to get them to be an adult.

You begin by getting a pet (egg) from either a drop, a quest or buying one.  After this pet has hatched you will be able to start to train it.

You train your pet by playing games.  I have tried all of the games but have found my favourites are the maze game and the dance game.  The maze game is a bit like pac-man where you just eat the treats around a maze.  If you get more than 70 snacks then you score a perfect round.  You have 60 seconds but can add to this time by eating the clocks.  The ghosts will try to freeze you if you are just in front of them, although you can also get speed bonus and anther bonus where you can eat the ghosts for a limited time.

Scoring a perfect round gives you 4 points for the game.  Then you are able to feed your pet a snack.  This is where having mega snacks can be handy.  The snacks are worth 1 to 50 points so always try to feed your pet the biggest snack so you make your way to the next level quicker.

You need 125 points to advance your pet to teen, then a further 250 points to train your pet to adult.  Now that you have an adult pet you are able to hatch with other people.  You do this to either get a new type of pet, or to increase your stats and talents.

This is a picture from inside the hatchery. Once inside, you can hatch by selecting the wizard you wish to hatch with and selecting hatch from the menu or you can stand on the blue lit up area, with them next to you.  The orange lit up sigils are for standing on if you wish to hatch two of your own pets.

There are many different types of pets and talents available so have fun.  If there are no wizards you wish to hatch with, or the Hatchery you are in is a little quiet, just keep changing realms until you find the pet you wish to hatch with.

There are other posts on our blog about pets, training and talents when you have mastered the basics.

Enjoy :)
Alia

Alia'a Sightseeing through the Spiral - G

G - is for Grub Gardian

When I was looking for new furniture I found some of it was dropped by playing Grub Gardian.  Although I had heard of it before I had never had a reason to play it before.  After a few tips from Blaze I changed my death pet to my storm pet and was off on the very addictive tower defence game.

You can either play to train your pet or play to win gifts for your Wizard101 character.

Although I've only had one furniture drop, I'll definitely play it again to see what prizes I can win.

Good fun,
Alia

Alia'a Sightseeing through the Spiral - F

F is for Furniture

It must have been a while since I have bought furniture at the crowns shop and so I was delighted to see the new furniture packs there.  I bought all the Zafarian furniture sets 1, 2 and 3 and they have become my new favourite furniture in the game.

At 22500 gold a set, I think they are great value and I think it is great that you don't need crowns for them.

I have been redecorating my life house which is still a work in progress but have included a few pics for you.  My favourite is the elephant bath with the rubber duck wearing a mask.

At the moment the bath, sink, bed and dining table are all in the same room downstairs.  This was just because I didn't have time to rearrange all my rooms, and I just wanted to see what it all looked like.







The lounge/entry room upstairs currently has the tree couch, fireplace, bookcase, rug and table.  One of my little sea dragons wanted front and centre for the photo :)


I'm not sure how long the packs have been in the crown shop for, but when I was telling my new friend Emily about my find, she said that she already had it in her house.  Here is Emily Roseblossom standing next to the enormous Zafarian Bath Sink which is just so impressive with it's size.  Thanks again Emily for letting me visit your lovely home.

 I went on to buy the Celestial Furniture packs as well and ran out of money after sets 1 and 2.  Thanks to Morgrim for helping farm halfang with me so I could afford set 3.  Not my favourite furniture but the dining table is amazing.

Until next time
Alia

Alia'a Sightseeing through the Spiral - E

E - Is for Enchanting

Happy New Year to all the wizards in the spiral.  Christmas is such a magical time, and it is wonderful to be surrounded by this special holiday in the spiral.  Thanks to Wizard101 for creating all the enchanting objects to decorate our homes.

It has been a lot of fun putting the Christmas spirit in my spiral homes this time.  I have managed to add a few more items to my Christmas supplies this year.

With our Christmas tree now packed away for another year, it is now time to pack away my spiral Christmas items.  The hidden room in my Fantasy Palace becomes the storage area to put the Christmas tree, gifts and other items.....until December 2014

Alia

Alia's Sightseeing through the Spiral - D

D is for Decorating

Regardless of whether it is inside or outside wizards spend a lot of time and effort with decorating.  It is interesting to see the same house look completely different depending on the decorating.  My poor dorm room was forgotten as soon as I bought my second house, and now because I use teleporters I rarely go back there at all.  My life house is still one of my favourite houses and I love most of the rooms in it.  Below are 2 of my favourite areas.

The inside garden area, with headmaster statue and trophy.

 Inside my study with all of my crafting tables

The Wysteria Villa is one of my latest investments.  This house still needs a lot of attention but I have been crafting the cupboards for the kitchen.  It has a very different feel to it than the life house, and is still a work in progress.

Snow inside at my life room in my Wysteria Villa 

At the moment I have 6 homes, the Life House, Royal Estate, Massive Fantasy Palace, Imperial Palace, Wysteria Villa and the Red Barn Farm.  The Red Barn Farm seems to be more of a dumping ground at the moment to put all the furniture in because my backpack and bank were continually full.  I have just started a new garden there for my couch potatoes and should really farm for some more of them.

The outside space at my Fantasy Palace is one of my favourites.  This is the archery practice area.  Both targets were picked up at the bazaar, but they are hard to get :)

Stage/Play area, party pavilion, and camping grounds 

 Relaxing garden area with one of my favourite trees

I hope you've enjoyed seeing some of my homes, and I'll post some photos from friends homes soon.

Have fun

Alia :)

Watchtower Hall - As you have never seen it before!

One of the things I really love about Wizard101 is the way you can really make it your own.  You can craft and design so many parts of the world and you can see things from perspectives you wouldn't normally consider.

Watchtower Hall was one of my first ever real 'creations' in this magical world, and I was very proud of it once it was complete.  I am happy with the design and decoration and it satisfies that part of me that needs to be creative.  But as ever, there is always more to this world than meets the eye.

I find I am at the Watchtower less now that I have progressed to other houses, but coming back to it is still great.  I thought, though, today I would get a different view of the place, and I thought I would share it with you.

Impressive, isn't it?  So I thought I would try these wings out and see how far they would take me. It was nice to know that these good ol' ratty looking Bat Wings really work!

Ahhh, it is such a great feeling to be flying on this magnificent evening.

See you round the Spiral!

Morgrim

Alia's Sightseeing through the Spiral - C

C is for Chess Board

Anyone for a game of Chess?

I thought this was wonderful when I first saw it, but very hard to get all the pieces.  I was slowly picking them up from the Bazaar when I saw them there.  I then found out that they could all be purchased in Marleybone, so the process became a whole lot faster :)