Terror's Hoard Pack Opening!

Hi everyone! I'm back today with a video of me opening a bunch of the new Terror's Hoard Pack!

The Terror's Hoard pack is a Darkmoor themed pack that contains very good armour/weapons, as well as spooky housing items for your house.

Here is the short video of my pack opening!

As you can see, I managed to open a load of housing items which are definitely going to be used in my death house above all others due to the fact that the items themes are very similar and work really well together. The housing items look great and I'm really happy to have gotten so many. However...

There was one stand-out item that I opened from these packs and that is the wand!

This beautiful looking wand has crit to rival my Hades' wand while still having a block to rival my Misty Mountain Mandolin! Pretty much, if I'm not specializing in tanking or hitting seriously hard, I'll be using this wand!

Thanks for reading/watching and hopefully you enjoyed!

Until next time!

- Blaze

Winterland Pack - Free Codes!

Alright, just a quick post to let you know (if you haven't heard) that there are free codes for Winterland Pack items over at mmorpg :)

Click the link to get yours!

http://www.mmorpg.com/giveaways.cfm/offer/582/Wizard101-Winterland-Pack-Giveaway.html

At the time of posting this, there were 17,000+ codes left.

Possible prizes include:

• Galloping Reindeer Rug
• Ninja Figgy Pudding
• Snowflake Rug
• Evil Snow Peas Seed
• Santa Hat
• Holiday Fireplace
• Snow Apples Seed
• Yuletide Christmas Music Scroll
• Maple Moose
• Winter Solstice Augury
• WinterGlide Skates (Permanent) **Rare
• Winterland pack itself **Rare

Me, I got the Holiday Fireplace...I'll let you know once they are all gone.

Good luck!

See you 'round the Spiral.

Morgrim

Pack Analysis: The Nightmare Pack

Pack Name:                      Nightmare Pack
Pack Type:                       Gear
Number of Cards:             7
Total Number of Items:     215
Cost:                                299 Crowns
Availability:                      Currently in Crowns Shop during Halloween

Description

Make no mistake, this is a big pack!  There is a huge variety of items available from this pack and some of the most diverse gear out of all the packs.  It is a heavily themed pack and the gear is designed to change the look of your character dramatically.

Pets - 20

Out of these 20 pets, there are at least 7 that are worth getting, and 3 that are worthy of special mention.  Of the 7, I'll run through the things that I like about them:

1. Nightmare:  This little horse with the fiery mane has a great attribute that is often sought after by Wizards that like to hunt as a pack.  At teen, this 1st Generation Pet will always get May Cast Unicorn.  A very good bonus for people starting on the Pet journey.

2. Death Treant:  This big guy has some really good stats (240, 215, 225, 240, 200) at 1st Generation. With good talents available and a handy card for a Life Wiz, this is a nice starter pet.

3. Gob-O-Lantern:  Wow, this is one strange looking pet.  No wonder it is in the Nightmare pack, this Pet is a thing you would see in your Nightmares.  Looking like a pumpkin with arms and legs, this greedy little sucker is constantly focused on keeping himself looking round!

4. Ianthine Spectre: Great stats for a 1st Generation Pet starting with (190, 250, 200, 240, 250).  This pet also looks great, although apparently it is quite hard to receive as a drop.

5. Ghost Dragon:  This is not to be confused with the Penumbra Drake, although they do look very similar to each other.  This little guy has awesome 1st Generation stats of (250, 225, 250, 240, 250). He is very handy drop for anyone trying to breed up the stats of their preferred Pet.

6. Red Ghost:  This is a really special drop if you are a Death Wiz.  With the Death bubble, Doom-and-Gloom being a great asset, if Death want to have that extra attack boost, it simply doesn't exist - unless you have the Red Ghost.  With the Red Ghost, you get a Red Ghost card to play.  When you play it, it will raise a bubble (that has no name - at least, not that I am aware of).  The bubble looks like Doom-and-Gloom, but actually it adds 25% to Death damage.  Very nice.

7. Penumbra Drake:  This is another great pet for death...if not the best pet for death. It starts with the same stats as the Ghost Dragon, and it keeps getting better.  It starts with Death Trap at Baby, then a special Death Scarab, when used, leaves behind a different type of Death Trap, and finally, at Epic, the Red Ghost.  Casting the Red Ghost, the Scarab and then the Trap gives some impressive boost to your next Death spell!  And yes, Miss Callie is a Penumbra Drake.

Other than these guys, the other pets are pretty typical, and as I always say, you can hatch to get a pet, do you need to buy a Pack?

Mounts - 9 Permanent, 5 Temporary

Of the Permanent mounts, my personal favourites are the "Bat Wings" and the "Shadowsteed". These mounts are consistent with Morgrim and I do enjoy floating around the Spiral on my Bat Wings. Many of the others are either broomsticks or flying horses that don't really appeal to me.

I don't have the Shadowsteed yet, and will be buying a few more packs this Halloween in order to try to get one!!

The Temporary mounts are mostly broomsticks with the Bat Wings and Black Stallion thrown into the mix, just to mix it up a bit.

Snacks - 37

There are a lot of snacks in this pack, and as you would expect, most are pretty low level.  Nonetheless, there are 8 decent snacks with 3 rank 7 and 5 rank 8 snacks.  These are a nice little pickup if you are not an avid gardener...

Treasure Cards - 46

Yep, there are 46 TCs in this pack.  You'd find almost all of these in the Bazaar.  Lord Nightshade rates a special mention though, as he exists as both an attack spell and a minion, depending on which TC you happen to draw.

Seeds - 4

There are only 4 seeds in this pack, and it includes that nightmare of a seed, the Deadly Ninja Fig.  It might have a chance of dropping Amber at Elder, but it takes so long and the % of drops seems so low, I would never plant it.  As for the other 3, the pick of the pack would have to be the DHE or Deadly Helephant Ears, as it will drop a mega-snack at it final Elder harvest.  The other two though are not great, with Dead Beets and the Deadly Fly Trap rounding out the 4 seeds included.

Reagents 13

Ok, yes, there are 13 reagents in this pack, but they are certainly not that rare.  If that is what you are going for, I guess it might be a fun lucky-dip, but I like to spend my Crowns in other places.  For me, this is not a driver in any way.

Clothing

The gear is this pack is split into two types, the Darkwraith clothing and the Dragon clothing.  There are 4 different Darkwraith sets, and 3 different Dragon sets.

The Darkwraith sets match the Wands of the same set name: Atonement, Compelling, Penance and Umbral.

The Compelling and Penance gear are both very similar from a stats perspective, and both very balanced in terms of attack and defense, with attack slightly higher.  The best combination for attack would be the Compelling Hat and Boots with the Penance Robes.

Between the Umbral and the Atonement gear, again, it is quite similar with the additional critical coming with the Atonement Robe.

The Darkwraith gear is solid gear to get.  It does give some well rounded stats, and while I wouldn't wear all of the items, it can be worthwhile to mix it in with some of your regular gear.

The Hats also have a great spooky look, and I know a number of Wizards who have come to adopt that look as their regular look all year around.

Then there is the Dragon gear.  This is very different!  In these sets, there is the Dragon's Eye, Dragontooth and Dragonbone gear.

Dragon's Eye: The Hat come with big Critical for Life and a solid Life Spell, while the Plate does the same for Myth.  Finally, the Boots follow up with Death Critical and card.

Dragonbone: Here, the Hat has a universal Critical and nice pierce, the Robes have a moderate Critical and a nice Damage bonus, and the Boots Critical Block is OK, also supported by a pierce.

DragonTooth:  This is the Elemental set, with the Hat coming with a solid Fire Critical, the Robes with a nice Storm Critical and OK universal Resist, with the Boots carrying an Ice Critical.

Again, as with the Darkwraith gear, depending on your current setup, these items are probably best used to integrate with, not replace, your existing gear.

Wands - 4

There are 4 different wands you get can with this pack and each are just subtly different.  They are all Scythes, so the look between the weapons is really just a factor of colour.

In a similar way to the armour, The Scythe of Penance and the Compelling Scythe are both pretty balanced with similar levels of Critical and Critical Block.

The Umbral Scythe is more a defensive weapon with a significant emphasis on Critical Block and just a token Critical, while the Atonement Scythe has forgotten all about Blocking and just gone in hard on the Critical and thrown in Piercing.  That said, the Critical on this weapon is much less than a lot of Critical Wands around in the game today.

Housing Items - 48

There are quite a number of Housing Items available in this pack.  Most of them you can get in the Bazaar, but definitely not all.  In fact, if you know anything about Gardening, the Bubbling Cauldron can make this drop worthwhile.  There are a couple of other fun items, like the Pilloried Skeleton and the different Doodle Stands if you are into that kind of thing.

All in all, the Housing Items are fun, but after you have purchased a few packs, they can get a little repetitive.

Specials - 8

In this pack, there is something a little different.  Themed Gear with zero stats, able to be worn by anyone.  There is 1 Robe, 1 Hat, 2 Masks (that count as Hats), 1 set of Boots, 2 Wands and 1 Mount.

This is the fun of the pack, and I do like the Robe, quite a lot.  These items just get your character in the Halloween mood.  The looks is quite good and I am guessing a real driver for some people to purchase this Pack.

Morgrim's Verdict

So, where did we end up with this one?  It is hard to say I guess.  There isn't really a compelling reason to buy this pack, but...this one is a lot of fun, and although it is aging a little, I am guessing it would be a pretty good seller for Wizards of all ranks and ages, just to get into the Halloween spirit.

Low Level Wizards

There is some nice gear in here for low level Wizards and some of the Snacks and Housing items are worthwhile as a new Wizard will not have seen too much of this kind of thing.  I'd say, get one or two and see how you go.

High Level Wizard

This is a much harder call.  I think you need to review the specific thing that you are looking for.  If there is something specific (for me, it is the Shadowsteed mount), then buy until you get that item, otherwise, probably give this one a miss.

Let me know if you agree with my Verdict!

See you 'round the Spiral.

Morgrim

Pack Analysis: The Harrowing Nightmare Pack

Pack Name:                       Harrowing Nightmare Pack
Pack Type:                        Gear
Number of Cards:              7
Total Number of Items:     142
Cost:                                  299 Crowns
Availability:                       Currently in Crowns Shop during Halloween

Description

This pack is pretty new (as at the time of writing) and is another Halloween themed pack.  There are some very nice features to this pack, but this pack's appeal is definitely targeted.  I figured I had better get to this one before Halloween arrives!

There are some quite unique items in this pack, and I know that I purchased a LOT of them before I got what it was that I was after.  I think you'll find that if you check Tabitha's post, you'll see she did the same, but for a very different item!!

With the relatively low number of items in this pack, chances to pick up the item you are after are not bad.

But enough about what we have been doing or have done.  Hopefully this analysis will help you when you are trying to figure out what the best thing is to do with your own stash of Crowns.

Pets - 7

This pack only has one new pet, the Harrowed Bones.  He is a cool looking character and has some nice abilities, even at 1st generation.

Other than that, these are pets we have seen before, in fact, many of them are from the original Nightmare pack.  With the Penumbra Drake (the first pet with cards that change with age) and the sought after Deer Knight in the team, there are some really good options here.  Even the Ghost Hound is a great 1st generation Pet.

If you are unlucky, you might find yourself with a Black Cat or Pale Maiden or even a Grim Scarab, but pretty much everything else is a solid pet.

Mounts - 3 Permanent, 9 Temporary
Well, this is what Tabitha loved.  In fact, so much, she kept buying packs until she got her permanent
Harro-"wings".

The Harrowings mounts look amazing and there is nothing like them in the game.  They hold you in quite a unique way and have a haunting kind of look to them.   That said, they are not 'Morgrim' wings, so I won't be buying this pack in order to get one of these.

There are also a couple of temporary broomsticks, and some of the retired Bat Wings mount (which most definitely are Morgrim wings and I do have a permanent set of these).

If you like the Harrowings, you'll be hooked on this pack.

Snacks - 28

The array of Snacks are just a few of the little pack-fillers. There are no real stand-outs here, but there are a few Rank 7 Snacks, which are also nice to have.

Treasure Cards - 32

The treasure cards are not the reason to buy this pack. There is a bunch of typically Death based TCs here, but again, other than a few useful ones like Hex (that you can buy at the Bazaar...) I cannot see TCs as a reason to want these packs.

Seeds - 1

The Deadly Ninja Fig is the only one in this pack (that has been discovered so far!) and let me tell you, this seed is a trap.  With an unbelievably long growth cycle, I don't care what they drop, these seeds are a real no-no for me, and will ALL find their way down the throat of my nearest pet!!

If you really must grow these plants, the only cool thing is watching the little ninja pigs that grow inside this plant, snatching the seeds off the tree and hiding again :)

Reagents - 9

Nothing really special here, and all can be acquired without spending your hard-earned Crowns on a pack.

Clothing - 9

There are 3 different outfits in this pack, and each hat, robe and set of boots can drop separately.  It is when you get the full set that it transforms you into a creepy creature of Halloween.

The visuals on this gear is great.  I really like the way the hat and robes work together, and the boots finish the job nicely.

As usual, each set has a different focus.

Nightfall Torment - This gear re-introduces Stun Block and, at level 100, you can get a massive 61%. Along with that is a handy 22% piercing but the Damage, Critical and Critical Block all range between different, individual schools.  Not really that useful to a single Wizard school.

NightTide Torment - This gear has zero Stun Block, but tidy amounts of Defense, with a total of 30% universal Defense at Level 100.  There is also 34% universal Damage and 12% universal Accuracy. Again the Critical and Critical Block is split between different, individual schools.  I cannot quite see the reason for this yet, and I'd be interested in your opinion.

Midnight Torment - This gear is pretty much all out attack, with Accuracy, Critical and Damage as the theme.  The trouble is, again, the Hat has a Fire focus, the Robe has a Life focus (this I can understand as many Fireys carry Life Amulets) but then the boots are Ice?!?

As an additional summary, the stats are OK and the Health bonus on some gear is good, but the boosts are less than what I have with some of my crafted gear!

So, other than the look, I am pretty confused about the boosts that come with this gear.

Wands - 7

Now this is where things really get interesting.  This is the reason I bought a heap of these packs.

These wands have the biggest Critical in the game! To recap on my previous post:

     -- At Level 100 --

• Storm:    223
• Fire:       209
• Balance: 195
• Myth:     195
• Death:    195
• Life:       181
• Ice:        165

This is serious Critical.  I lost track of how many packs I bought, but that much Critical was too much to pass up.  That said, as soon as I got it, I stitched it.  I don't know what it is with those guitar wands, but they just do not work for me...especially the way they cast.

Even the low level wands, while their might not be a Critical boost (starts at Level 40+), the healing boosts can come in very handy!

The other very interesting thing about this wand is that the Wand spell (we call them 'jabs' lol) come from 2 different schools.  This gives you a lot of flexibility when trying to get rid of those annoying debuffs, like Weakness, without losing all of your school buffs, yet when you want to, you can then boost your school jab and do some serious damage for zero pips.

Housing Items - 37

Anyone who has been in the Wizard world for a while will have seen pretty much all of these items. They are nicely themed and most of them are worth considering to spook up your house.

As there are only 37, this means they won't be the heavy distraction that you find in some of the other packs.

Morgrim's Verdict

Low Level Wizards
This isn't the best pack for you, it just depends what you are looking for.  The look of the gear is nice

and the Harrowings really appeal to some.  Also, the wands are OK.

All in all though, I don't know that this is the best value for money - but if it is a cool Halloween look, maybe that would be your motivator.

High Level Wizard
I guess I have to look to my own reaction.  If you have any attacking bone in your body - buy this pack...at least until you get your Wand.  After that, for me at least, it was all over, although all those Temporary mounts were a little annoying, just filling up backpack slots.

There really isn't anything else in this pack that would appeal to me at a practical level.

That said, many higher level Wizards do enjoy the themes of the game and it is one of the reasons they keep coming back, so perhaps the look of the gear also has some merit, certainly, I cannot understand the stats on the gear, and I wouldn't waste my money getting it for that purpose.

So, there we have it for another pack - let me know if you agree with my Verdict!

See you 'round the Spiral.

Morgrim

(This post is accurate as of October 2014)

Free Harrowing Nightmare Pack Codes

Hi everyone,

I just dropped into the Keep to let you know that there are still plenty of free codes left over at MMORPG.COM - check this out:

Obviously, it is hard to say how long these codes will last, but it is also worth checking it out to see if you can land one!

Soon I'll do an analysis of this pack - I just want to get to play with it a little first.

-- Late Edit - These wands smash the biggest critical bonus in the game!  Good luck! --

     -- At Level 100 --

• Storm:    223
• Fire:       209
• Balance: 195
• Myth:     195
• Death:    195
• Life:       181
• Ice:        165

If you missed it before - just click HERE.

***  ALL THE CODES ARE GONE NOW - DID YOU GET SOMETHING GOOD? ***

See you 'round the Spiral!

Morgrim

The 'Lazy' Packs - (a.k.a. Reagent Packs)

I have kinda been dreading writing this one.  I wanted to be able to do one post per pack, but this one will cover the 7 packs that I refer to as "the Lazy packs".

Really, I guess they should be called "the really, really, seriously useful packs", but I can't bring myself to doing that.  I know I am a high level wizard now, but even as a low level...?

In fact, it is a little disappointing.  I know that some of these reagents can be a challenge to get, but isn't that part of the game?  The challenge?  I can remember the number of times I did the 'realm switching trick' in order to get the reagents I needed to craft.  Tracking them down, switching realms...and once, I was racing another Wizard who was doing the same thing...

...but isn't that part of the fun of it all?

Well, that is my opinion anyway.

But - to the review...

Pack Name:                      100 Ore or Cat Tail or Deep Mushroom or Mist Wood or Red Mandrake or Scrap Iron or Stone Block Bundle(s)
Pack Type:                        Lazy
Number of Cards:            0 - instead it is 100 of the purchased Reagent
Total Number of Items:   100
Cost:                                   499 Crowns
Availability:                       Currently in Crowns Shop

Description
Well...um...you get 100 of the Reagents that you purchase.

Understandably, there is no Gold option for these packs.  Why do I say 'understandably'?  I guess I always thought that there should be a Gold option for these, but then again, you can buy them all in the Bazaar (if you are patient enough) - for Gold.

Maybe that is the method in the madness?  If you are too impatient to wait or to find them yourself, perhaps you should be paying for your impatience in Crowns!! LOL!

Morgrim's Verdict
Low Level Wizards
OK, if you really need to, and you have the Crowns to waste...why not?

High Level Wizards
Please NO!  Tell me you won't!

Anyway, I'm sure there is a reason these packs are here...but for now I'm still confused!

Let me know if you agree with my Verdict (or if you know why they might be there)!

See you 'round the Spiral.

Morgrim

(This post is accurate as of October 2014)

Pack Analysis: The "Wyvern's Hoard" Pack

Pack Name:                      Wyvern's Hoard
Pack Type:                       Gear
Number of Cards:            7
Total Number of Items:   143
Cost:                                   399 Crowns, on special from time to time and up to 50% off
Availability:                       Currently in Crowns Shop

Description

Now this one, for me, is pretty special.  While I got my robe from the Raven's Hoard pack, I got my mount from this one.  I love my big, beautiful Cloud Wyvern.  He was brutish to ride at first, and got me into no end of trouble in Dragonspyre, but once you master the sway of the beast, it really is a great mount.

Then, of course, is the Energy.  I consider this pack the "Energy Pack" as it has the best drops to send your Energy into overdrive - but more about that later - or just read my eBooks, click on the links on the side of this blog if you haven't read them,

This is predominantly a Life focused pack, but it really does have something for everyone.

OK - Let's check this pack out and see what wonders it contains...

Pets - 6
Given the age of this pack, there are a couple of good pets in here.  Out of the six pets, two of them, the Earth Walker and the Pixie Queen are both high stat, high pedigree 1st Generation pets.

The Pixie Queen that comes with this pack is an incredibly rare drop.  You can tell the difference between this pet and the normal Fairy Queen, as it is a pedigree 57 pet with a Fairy card.

!!Update!! Thanks to our good friend Scarlet Frogslinger, I have been informed that the Pixie Queen can now be purchased from the pet vendor, Kellen ForestTail, in Khrysalis for 10,000 Gold.  It seems that she just won't be that rare anymore!!!

Mounts - 11
Ahhh, the mounts.  There are five wyvern mounts in this pack, and I have four of them  The Night Wyvern still escapes me.  My favourite two are the Cloud Wyvern and the Night Wyvern, so I can see that I'll be buying a few more of these packs as time goes on!

Other than that, there are some pretty Fairy Wings...not really my thing, but a lot of people do like them.  There are 3 different types of these wings, and they in both Permanent and 1-Day options.

The mounts are a big part of this lucky dip, and you never know what you are going to come up with...

Snacks - 0
OK, probably best to know that if you are after Snacks, don't buy this pack!!

Treasure Cards - 18
The Treasure Cards that come with this pack are top notch.  From Baby Sunbirds to Rebirth, from the Massive Pest Zapper to Satyr, the only poor card is Leprechaun.  Not bad when there are 18 cards to potentially drop!

Seeds - 21
Now for the seeds.  When you take out the ones that you can buy from the various gardeners, there are 9 seeds left, slightly less than half.  It is when you see what seeds they are that it is pretty impressive.

My favourite seed, the Couch Potato, is in there, as is the Evil Magma Pea - considered by some as
the best seed in the game.  There is the King Parsley - useful in large numbers for Amber, and Key Limes, the best seed to level up quickly in Gardening (just ask Tabitha!).  I often call these two "the gifts that keep on giving" as they multiply rapidly, but can be used to level up your pet if you feed your surplus to it.

There is even the DHE or Deadly Helephant Ears, and the (potentially buggy) Silver Trumpet Vine.

An amazing array of high quality seeds in a single pack.

Reagents - 7
Every pack has its weakness.  For the Wyvern's Hoard pack, that weakness is the Reagents.  You really don't want to get these after spending your hard earned Crowns.  Probably the less said about these the better!

Clothing - 9
This pack was one of the 'transitional' packs where the different items started to be grouped together. In this case, it is the "Brilliant", "Energetic" and "Peaceful" sets of Greenwarden's clothing.

There are some upsides and some downsides with this clothing as there often is with any item.  The main downside is that it looks terrible unless you are a tree!  Also, given it is an older pack, some of the critical / block combinations are a little different.

Greenwarden's Brilliant Gear - This gear is pretty balanced.  It is a good generic set of gear.

Greenwarden's Peaceful Gear - This gear is not bad, a little bit of Energy, and some attack, some defense, some accuracy.

Greenwarden's Energetic Gear -  Now this is the good stuff.  The real gold. I don't know how many packs I purchased for this.  It is *easily* the best Energy gear in the game.  At level 100, this gear adds a mighty 69 points of Energy to your total.  Amazing stuff.  With the extra emphasis on Energy for Fishing, this is even more valuable now!

Wands - 11
The wands continue the naming trend and are all pretty similar.  The Brilliant Wand ends up with a nice big Block, while both the Energetic and Peaceful have both Critical and Block, with the Energetic with a bit more Critical and the Peaceful with a bit more Block...as you would expect.

Housing Items - 60
The housing items are largely focused on trees.  There are lots of them!  Most of these you can get from the Bazaar, along with many of these housing items.  That said, there are even great housing items in this pack! The Porters drop pretty regularly and it certainly saves crafting or buying them in the Porter Pack.  Great when you start to have a few houses!

Morgrim's Verdict

Low Level Wizards
Buy this pack! The pets can give useful cards for low level Wizards, the mounts are impressive and the gear is excellent.  The treasure cards are powerful, and even the potential seed drops are first class.

As an all-rounders pack, this is arguably the best.  A low level life Wiz casting a Rebirth is always great fun - especially if it is their first time!

High Level Wizard
If you need Energy, buy this pack!  It is just amazing the difference it can make to your overall energy.  Mega-snacks, this pack can ensure you have a never-ending supply! Graceful mounts? Yep. Even looking for a rare pet? ...got that too.

You may have guessed by now, I am really impressed with this pack, but that is because it drops the things that I value.  What do you think?  Are these things useful to you too?

Let me know if you agree with my Verdict!

See you 'round the Spiral.

Morgrim

(This post is accurate as of September 2014)

Pack Analysis: The "Raven's Hoard" Pack

Pack Name:                    Raven's Hoards

Pack Type:                     Gear

Number of Cards:           7

Total Number of Items:  166

Cost:                              399 Crowns, on special from time to time and up to 50% off
Availability:                    Currently in Crowns Shop

Description

Ahh, the Raven't Hoard pack.  Often thought of as an Ice themed pack.  As a low level Wizard this was undoubtedly my favourite pack. Interestingly, it was also the pack that set up my 'look'.  It was the one bit of gear that had exactly the right look for me, once I saw the Armor of Many Winters...at level 91, I'm still stitching that one!

It was also the first time the previously rare bow wand was available and I carted it everywhere. After a while, it became more common and became a wall feature for me.

BTW - many of the items from this pack can be obtained as drops in Winterbane Hall. (the biggest issue here for me is more people running around with my armour on!! lol)

Pets - 12
Out of the pets on offer, I guess the Dark Crow is the pick if you are Death, or perhaps the Icebat if you are Ice.  If you are Storm, then Storm Bird would be drop for you.

Probably nothing really special here.

Mounts - 2 x Permanent, 0 x Temporary
The Raven mount is a great looking mount. Blaze got one with his first ever pack! Me? I have never gotten one :)  The only challenge with it (and all flying mounts) is that your view is a little obstructed.  It is a one person mount.

The Blood Raven looks amazing.  It is a 2-person mount and the tinge of red really does look great.


Snacks - 27
Some nice Level 8 snacks in this pack, 8 different types as well as a range of Level 7 and below. These are always handy, but I still prefer to farm for my snacks - more certainty that way.

Treasure Cards - 24
The original Treasure Cards have been beefed up with the Woolly Mammoth, but for me, I have always loved the Thunderbird, and being Fire, I will make this spell - love the look of it.  Other than that, most can be obtained in the Bazaar.

Seeds - 6
Ah, one of my favourite seeds is available in this pack.  The WTL or White Tiger Lily.  While it doesn't replenish itself, it is the seed with the greatest chance of dropping Amber.  There is also the beautiful Moon Flower seed, which I have a few on Second Spring.

Other than that, most of the seeds are pretty stock standard.

Reagents - 3
For the junior wizard, Diamonds can be handy, but you don't buy this pack for the reagents :)

Clothing - 9
When reviewing these packs, especially the older ones, the stats are kind of scattered in a different way to the newer gear.  This is where (for me) the Manual of Mastery is very handy as I can see how these combinations might come together with other gear (like crafted stuff).

There are basically 3 different 'sets', but not really in the way we think of sets nowadays.  The names are different, but you can see the intent of what they are trying to achieve, mostly by the complimentary design.

The first two sets are a little unclear, although one tends to lean towards attack, and the other leans towards defense.  The third one, however, is very interesting.  Where else can you get 50% Stun Block in gear at Level 70?  A combo of the Ravenking's Battle Story Armor, the Thought and Memory Helm and the Boots of Whispered Flight will give you exactly that.

For me, despite the unusual stats, the real thing for this Gear is the look - this pack is worth it for that reason alone!

Wands - 9
The wands range mostly carry Critical and Block, with a 65/65 and a 50/95 being the pick of the bunch.

Again, the look here is pretty impressive.
Housing Items - 74
Lots of housing.  Some of it is OK, but for me, I tend to 'select' the housing items that I want. There is a lot of it in this pack and it can be a fun lucky dip. You can expect to get a few of these with every purchase.

Morgrim's Verdict
This pack is a tricky one.  I really like the look of the gear, and if you are into Stun Block, it is quite an interesting option.

The mounts are good, and both are permanent.

The wands aren't bad and there is always the White Tiger Lily.  

The trouble is the fact it is fairly heavy weighting towards the Housing Items.

It is still a BUY recommendation from me.  It is still a great generic pack to purchase with a good chance of getting something worth your while.

Low Level Wizards
When I first got my Armor of Many Winters at Level 15, that Kraken card just swept away most of the bad guys.  The variety of the lucky dip was also useful when you are just starting out and you don't know a lot of about what is available and where from.

I would still say BUY for a Low Level Wizard.

High Level Wizard
My personal belief is that, unless there is something specific you are looking for, either in how the Gear looks or stats, then perhaps other packs are a better way to spend your hard earned Crowns.

Let me know if you agree with my Verdict!

See you 'round the Spiral.

Morgrim

Pack Analysis: The "Build-a-Castle Medieval Set" pack

Pack Name:           Build-a-Castle Medieval Set
Pack Type:            Housing
Number of Cards:  7
Cost:                      249 Crowns, 225 on special during House-a-Palooza

Description
Well, wouldn't you know it?  As soon as I write a post about Packs, a new Pack comes out this week with the latest House-a-Paloosa.  The "Build-a-Castle Medieval Set" pack.  That, and another 2 Aquarium packs, brings the total Pack count to 58!

This pack is a pretty logical follow up on the 'build it yourself' theme that Kings Isle have been promoting lately.  It gives (according to the hover over) 7 cards from the Build-a-Castle Medieval Set.  The pack contains all the different blocks needed to build your Castle.

Given that I have purchased all of the recipes from Lloyd FallingWater in the Shopping District, I was curious to find out whether these items were new ones or whether they were existing ones - if they are, that would mean I didn't need to actually craft Castle pieces.

Let's see, I got 5 common items (to be expected, they are "common" after all!) and 2 rare.

A quick review of my recipes and it was a little disappointing, although fully expected, to note that all of these items, even the rare ones, were listed in my recipe list.  Basically, this meant that I had spent Crowns where I could have spent gold.

While I haven't been able to find a complete listing of what is contained in this pack, it is pretty clear that this pack is to help people with building their own castles, and because of that, it is a useful pack, especially for new wizards who have the creative flair needed in order to construct their own wonderful castle creation.

Morgrim's Verdict:  
High Level Wizards:  If you can craft, craft.  For me, Crowns are too hard to come by and are kept for the lucky dip of items you cannot find, buy or craft that can only be found in other packs and Crowns Shop categories.

Low Level Wizards:  If you love to build and create, this isn't a bad pack to buy.  It will take a lot of time to obtain the gold needed to buy the recipes and a lot more time finding all of the reagents needed to craft the items.  Although it is random, this should be a great start for your Castle Creating Career!

Let me know if you agree with my verdict :)

See you 'round the Spiral!

Morgrim

Pack, Pack, Pack, what Pack is that?

Over the years of playing Wizard101, I have purchased a number of packs.  The reasons for the ones that I purchase are many and varied, but "what is the best pack to buy" is a question we are often asked, and it is something I found I couldn't answer without knowing more about the person asking the question.  So, instead of that, as it can take some time, I thought I might compile some stats on the packs and the rules that I follow to help you go through your own process to select and buy a pack.

An interesting starting stat.  Do you know how many packs there are?  I know I didn't know!  After a little research, here is how I see them:

• 7 Lazy Packs
• 15 Furniture Packs
• 6 Housing Packs
• 3 Aquarium Packs
• 15 Gear Packs and
• 9  Miscellaneous Packs

That makes, as of mid-July 2014, a total of 55 different types of packs!  Wow!

I never realised there were actually that many!!

OK, I know I have broken these up into my own kinds of categories, but when I realised just how many there were, I knew I had to get some sense of order for them so I could put something together that made some kind of sense!

Let me try to explain my thinking here:

1. Lazy Packs:  These are packs with just lots of reagents (100) that are pretty common around the Spiral.  You might think that, just because they are common, they should be easy to pick up at the Bazaar, but that isn't quite how it works.  These reagents are the basis of Reagent Recipes.  If you want to get some of the more challenging reagents, you can craft them, and they need these simple reagents as a basis for that recipe.  That makes these seemingly common reagents actually a bit tricky to get a hold of...so...perhaps the next time you see that Cat Tail or Mist Wood, perhaps you should just pick it up?
2. Furniture Packs:  The packs that just focus on Spiral World themed furniture.  Used effectively, this stuff can be awesome.
3. Housing Packs: The packs that just contain generic housing items that aren't really themed.  These are more things to support your house and will support a variety of different decorations.
4. Aquarium Packs:  These packs have a set of 3 of each type of aquarium.  A nice easy way to do it if you can afford the 750 Crowns.
   
5. Gear Packs:  These are the the real lucky dip.  You can get some truly awesome stuff in these packs and it is usually worth the effort to roll the dice.  That being said, some are definitely better value than others.
6. Miscellaneous Packs:  These packs don't really fit into the other categories (in my way of thinking!) but are interesting to play with from time to time.

So, to that end, I might write a post or two about the different packs.

I can remember when I was first trying to figure out what pack to buy, just reading the description in the Crowns shop was something that I found difficult to understand.  Hopefully it will make it a little easier for those young Wizards looking to buy their first pack.

See you 'round the Spiral!

Morgrim

The Lucky Wizard?

My fellow Wizards here at the Keep think I am one of the luckier ones when it comes to pack purchases and Bazaar purchases. And with my latest pack purchase, I'm guessing they will be thinking the same thing again. After reading Morgrims' Pack a Palooza post, I knew that the  pack of choice for me too was the Wyvern's Hoard Pack. I needed energy gear, as I am ever keen to add to my gardening.
So I brought some.
I did OK. Actually I was really happy to get a bunch of sunflowers from those packs. When I do the post on my Myth house, you'll see how I have used them. You also get some really nice trees and some gardening treasure cards - very useful. And some permanent mounts - like these Orange Fairy Wings or Golden Wyvern that I also picked up in the packs (both permanent)!

You may remember that Morgrim was after the Greenwarden's Energetic gear. There is a good energy boost from that gear - I wanted it too. Being the 'lucky' wizard that I am, I had previously scored the robe and the boots. But I didn't have the hat. Last night I decided on a quick and very random pack purchase - of course the pack of choice was the Wyvern's Hoard pack..... with bated breath I clicked on Buy and waited for those little boxes to appear.
I could hardly believe it - there it was.... Greenwarden's Energetic Mask! I had the gear! Of course I re-stitched that Mask straight away - it is quite a look, one that is definitely not for me!

The great news is that my energy levels are now up to 119 - I know they can go higher, but for now I am definitely happy with the result! As you can see I have two stacked gardens now:

I have sorted out all the likes for both sides apart from a constant pixie for the right. That is on-going, but I expect it to be there by the end of the week. Luckily Couch Potatoes get them very easily, so the temporary one is in place.

So with all this gardening going on, I guess it is no surprise that I am now a rank 16 Legendary Gardener........ catching you up Morgrim!!

I'm gradually building those pet snacks again too. Be ready to do some more hatching to improve the impressive start I have with Patch.

Until Next Time,

Tabitha.

Grub Guardian - A Beginner's Overview

One of the things that Blaze has often enjoyed was Grub Guardian.  He would constantly work on us to get over there and play it with him.  For me, this was always a challenge of benefit versus time spent.  Honestly, Wizard101 takes a lot of my free time, I just didn't know how much time I would have left to play this thing called Grub Guardian.

Well, now I am a convert, and I admit, I do play Grub Guardian on a semi-regular basis.  Why? What changed my mind?  Two things - First: free Energy Elixirs, Second: Unique housing items!

Some of these are very unique. I thought I had every rug in the game...boy was I wrong!  There are at least 7 unique rugs available.  Add to that packs, elixirs ... the list goes on.  This is a treasure trove of Wizard101 items.  For a reasonable list of what is available, click here to go to Wizard101 Central.  From experience I have found that it is not 100% accurate, but it is a great start.

So what is it really?  At its heart, Grub Guardian is a classic TDG - A Tower Defense Game.  This means, you have something you need to protect ("Grub for your Pet", or "10 items of Pet food") from the numerous waves of bad guys who want to eat your pet's grub all for themselves.  The way you protect them is with your Pet (yes, your actual pet from the Wizard101 game), and a series of Towers that each represent a different school.  Each Tower has its own unique ability that can be used to defend your bowl of Grub.

Normal Towers
These are the normal Towers in the game that everyone can use.  Not all Towers are available to be used in every Map.  On the map in this image, the Myth Tower cannot be used, much to many people's annoyance!

• Myth - A cheap, fast, single shot at a time Tower.  Quite effective upgraded to Level 5 with a Life Tower boost.  A useful Tower in almost all occasions.
• Fire - A burning flame to keep up the pain for the hoards over time.  Can attack multiple targets simultaneously, but takes time to deliver the full impact of the blow.
• Ice - A freeze Tower specifically designed to slow the approaching hoards.
• Storm - A lightening bolt designed to take out anything in its path.  Can be quite useful, but fire rate is a little slow.
• Death - A very handy Tower that can instantly kill a bad guy.  Very useful in numbers!
• Life - A boost Tower.  All Towers within range of the Life Tower will have increased fire rates.
• Balance - A great multi-hit Tower that can also 'chain' the attack to all bad guys in the immediate vicinity, even if they are beyond the actual range of the Tower. Can be very helpful against large numbers of low level targets.

Crowns Towers
There are few Crowns Towers to choose from.  These include:

• Star Guardian - If you want to spend Crowns on a Tower it is hard to go past this one!
• Sun Guardian - Opens a crater that burns and slows the enemy when they pass through it.
• Moon Guardian - Generates extra cash if bad guys are killed near it.
• Avalon Guardian - A chain attack that uses lightening, fun and effective.

Each Tower can be upgraded during normal game play.  Just click on a Tower and the following will appear (unless it is full upgraded!)

From the image here, you can see that there is useful information about upgrades and what they will do for you.  To upgrade, simply click on the bar at the top (with the images in it).

There is one word of caution though.  If you have two Towers, one in the square directly below another, it is easy to accidentally sell the Tower at the top.  You think you are switching to the Tower at the bottom, when actually you click on the Sell coin!  Poof!  There goes your Tower!!

Pets
When selecting your pet, your choice will make a huge difference on your game!  Choosing your highest level Pet is a definite advantage as it adds to both its ability to help you, but also the Tower value, calculated at the end of the game and one of the factors in calculating your total Score.  I use a Mega Coldfire Dragon.  Miss Ellie can hit and burn bad guys from almost anywhere on the screen, making her a deadly weapon against the waves of lower level enemies that will try to distract your other Towers.

How to Play Grub Guardian in Simple Terms

When you first start playing Grub, it will ask you to sign into Wizard101.  This will allow the game to know who you are, what pets you have and how much Energy you have available.  You can now select your Pet, and then, once you are at the first map, decide whether you want to use your Energy to actually train your Pet (yep, you can train your Wizard101 pet in Grub) or whether you want to play for prizes.  For me, it is easy, prizes EVERY time!

To actually play Grub Guardian is pretty straightforward.  Milo will take you through the basics at the start.  Unicorn Way is a nice simple map to get you started.  You really only need one Tower to complete it, depending on the type of pet you have.  I'll overview that for now, and Blaze might post a few of the trickier maps in some later posts.

For Unicorn Way, place your Pet somewhere central, then place a Fire Tower as per the image below:

Before you click on GO, select your Fire Tower and upgrade it.  It will turn into a Spiral.  Now click on GO.

You can upgrade your Tower once more when you have the available funds.  That should be enough for you to survive Unicorn Way and come away with a Gold Medal!  If you do not, it will be your choice of Pet.  Upgrade your Tower again and you should cover it :)

Once you have collected a heap of prizes for the day, the game will tell you you have hit your limit.  Now it is time to enter the Wizard101 Spiral and claim your rewards!

One key point to note - you cannot be logged into Grub Guardian and Wizard101 at the same time.  You will be kicked out of one if you start playing the other.

I hope this has been helpful.  We'll start posting more blogs on Grub Guardian over time.  If there is any map in particular that you need help with, just leave us a comment.

See you 'round the Spiral!

Morgrim

Can you believe it?!?

You know, I have been working on getting the best Gardening gear I could for quite some time.  I have purchased packs, farmed Mirror Lake, and the best I could do was a Flameborne robe.  Hey, 5 Energy is better than 2, which is what I had before.

Then came the Pack-a-Palooza and I put together a post on what I thought my best options were for buying packs.

Tabitha got herself some boots.  This was a great start.

...but guess what?  I actually followed my own advice and 4 packs later ...I GOT MY ROBE!!  WOOOHOOO!!!

That is 145 Energy for me now.  Aaahhhh...makes life so much easier!


Now I can think about running 3 large gardens at the same time.  It will also help with the 50+ White Tiger Lilies I have been collecting.

I know I also got a LOT of housing and gardening stuff, but it really was all worthwhile.  I don't mind wading through those extras and selling them at the Bazaar if the result is the one thing I am really looking for.

You know, I thought I would have to stitch it straight away, but then I found I didn't mind it that much after all.  I probably will stitch it, but for now, I am kinda happy.

What do you think?  To Stitch or not to Stitch?  Let me know!

Just the Night Wyvern to go!  Wish me luck!!

See you 'round the Spiral!

Morgrim

Keep an Eye Out

You know, I'm glad that Pack-a-Palooza is back in town. These are good days for doing yet more stalking down at the Bazaar. If you don't already spend too much time down there already, that is!! Sadly I do,

 but this also means I get to pick up some awesome items, or say 21 snow globes. Actually now I have 23, but I think I need to curb the obsession at 11,250 gold each!

Pack-a-Palooza inevitably means that more packs are being bought. Some of those items are useful to you.... some are not. So more Wizards are selling at the Bazaar. More items are being  sold.... and some of those items may be a little rare. Take for instance the humble Snow Globe. Although fairly rare, they could be found at the Bazaar. As you can see from my posts about it, I managed to acquire 21 without too much fuss. However, very soon after they became pretty much extinct. They were never at the Bazaar - I would know, I always check... even now.

Well that has changed! The Snow Globes can be found with much more success at the Bazaar, thanks to all the Wizards buying the Yuletide pack again. And there are plenty of other items that have become available.

For instance, Alia has a pretty dresser with pink flowers on it. I have never seen it at the Bazaar, then low and behold it was there yesterday and I managed to pick one up. Here it is in situ at my new house! A few more items I have been trying to hold of are also in better supply, but I need them - so they will have to stay my little secret for now!

Thanks to Morgrim's detailed post of choosing the right pack I chose to buy a couple of Wyvern's Hoard packs. This is because I want the High Energy gear, so I can garden even more!! Oh and still have enough energy left over to pet train sometimes too.

So I am now the proud owner of Greenwarden's Energetic Boots... they don't look too bad with the rest of my gardening gear either, but the extra energy is awesome! An additional 12 is 10 more than I had, and in the energy stakes that is pretty good in my book.

I also got a new a shiny new mount as you can see. A bit too purple for me, but I do like the wings so you could see me whizzing around the spiral with these on! I reckon I will be buying a few more while Pack-a-Palooza is running. And then you'll find me hanging out at the Bazaar looking to buy those rare items other Wizards don't need!

Until next time,
Tabitha.