I have been playing Wizard101 since the day it launched. At the time, I was working for another site and the game cropped up on my radar largely due to the fact that my daughter had finally hit six years old and was becoming interested in computer games. Of course, this wasn’t one of those times when I let her run into a game of which I knew nothing. Being a dutiful mom, I played Wizard101 for several days while she watched. Then, once I was secure that I understood both the game and the parental controls, I let her start a character under my watchful eye.
What I found out surprised me: I missed playing my character! It really was no fun to watch her play knowing that Abigail was waiting for me. Still, those days were important because, at six, the ins and outs of game play were beyond her without my help. It wasn’t long before she was playing well on her own, probably better than I did at a commensurate level. Typical 21st century kid, huh?
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Pretty soon we were playing together and eventually even coaxed Dad to come play as well. The three of us started on our journey through the Spiral and have spent a lot of terrific time gaming together. What’s been even more fantastic is the conversation that Wizard101 has generated with our daughter as she’s grown and become less communicative at times. It’s never difficult to get her to talk about Wizard101 and her Life School character.
Wizard101 really is a game for all ages. KingsIsle is, at least in my mind, the preeminent developer of quality family games that are equally entertaining for kids and their parents. Many kids’ games tend to be yawners for adults but not Wizard101. Sure, there are times and places that are a bit slow but it doesn’t last forever and fun is never too far gone.
The best part about Wizard101 is the fact that, at four years old, the game is still going strong. Many people opined that W101 would be placed on the back burner at KingsIsle when Pirate101 came out. But that simply hasn’t and won’t happen. KingsIsle is committed to its flagship title, so much so, in fact, that two full worlds were added this year among other smaller features and enhancements.
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We plan to spend a column every month talking about Wizard101 and want to know what you, our readers, want to know about. Maybe you’d like to get some inside tips on the best ways to play W101. Maybe you’d like to see some developer interviews or exclusive reveals of new features. Maybe you’d even like to talk about the things you wished you had known when you first started playing Wizard101. Whatever it is, let us know and trust that we’ll pass your thoughts and ideas along to KingsIsle. These guys are always listening and they do respond to their community.
So what have we managed to extract from Professor Greyrose already? Check it out:
Some quick things that a player could figure out just by playing are:
Did you know that the speed boost boots like the Boots of the Slipstream and Boots of the Comet stack with the speed boost of a mount? That’s right 8% boots with a 40% mount means a travel speed of 48% faster than normal running.
Did you know there are secret hidden trainers and shops in many worlds? We’ll give you a couple of hints – search the area around Mindy PixieCrown in Colossus Boulevard, and then look for the special obelisks in Krokotopia that open a sigil at certain time intervals.
Did you know you can form a Group with friends and quest together while using your own Group chat channel?
Did you know you can use the FriendFinder to invite your current Wizard101 friends to join you in Pirate101, and friends you meet in Pirate101 can meet up with you again in Wizard101?
So there you have it! You've gotten some quick tips from the Professor herself, sure to get you going a bit faster and more securely than before. Check back next month to read more exclusive material from KingsIsle and MMORPG.com!
- Find out about the latest world to be added, Azteca
- Read more about the world of Avalon
- Peruse our official Wizard101 Review
