With the ringing of the new year this past month, many eyes are on the next year, and what is to come for their favorite games. While there are no real clues as to what may be coming for Wizard101 in the new decade, there are a few aspects of the game that could use some fine-tuning and some improving. Today, we’ll be going over a few of those potential changes coming in the new decade!
First up, let’s talk about everyone’s favorite competitive wizard fighting - PvP in Wizard101. There was a time where PvP was highly competitive and heavily active, but throughout the years and various additions to the game, PvP has become more of a luckfest rather than an arena to show your true skill and understanding into the mechanics of your chosen school. On top of that problem, there is also the difficult problem of toxicity within the arena. For some time now, there has been an escalating rate of toxic behaviors within the PvP arena. This type of behavior can off-put others from even trying out PvP, let alone being active within the duel arena.
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While there already have been some changes implemented into the game, I believe they can go several steps further. A good starting point that most PvPers would agree on is the removal of shadow hits, or a nerf in some capacity. When these spells were introduced to the PvP game, it completely turned PvP on it’s head. Everyone now had the tools to kill their opponents way too quickly, so the aggro game took off at record pace. There are some other trouble spots (ice school, I’m looking at you) - but I have faith that over the next year, PvP will become a competitive mode again!
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On a different note, let’s talk about microtransactions, or more specifically, pack releases. When a new pack releases, players are excited to see what stats the new gear has, the looks of the new pets, mounts, and gear - and the overall level of usefulness of packs. There is one glaring problem with this model, however. More times than not, when a new pack is released - it contains a piece or set of gear that is considered “the best” for the max level at that time. This creates a “pay-to-compete” business model that begins anew when a new pack is released. This is frustrating for players who may not be able to obtain the specific piece of gear they need for their set, or for those players who simply cannot purchase packs in the crown shop.
In the new year, and moving forward, I hope that this can change for the better. One change would be to decrease the power level of pack gear, and put emphasis on the best gear being obtainable simply by putting time and energy into farming a certain area of a boss (in this case - as of this post, The Catacombs). Another solution would be to provide alternate methods to obtain this gear. For example - after a few months of being out, run a weekend special where a certain boss or area drops this gear. That way, the ones that can’t afford packs still have a chance to obtain the gear, but still give first priority to those who can.
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Finally, let’s talk about fishing in Wizard101. At its start, fishing was a hit within the spiral, as it was brand new and the rewards were mostly a mystery. In present day, fishing is a heavy time commitment, and more times than not, not worth the time of effort. The rewards from fishing, aside from being able to display your catches, are far and few between. There are some unique housing items sprinkled in chests, and the chance to obtain bundle specific gear in the corresponding house is a nice touch, however, there lies a problem with this as well. In the case of the housing items, there simply isn’t much information out there as to what house contains possible new items. While I personally enjoy collecting fish in the spiral, I know for many others it’s a side activity they will never get into due to the complexity, time commitment, and the rewards being tied behind chance.
While the spiral has a lot going for it, there still are some major sour spots that need worked on. These are just some of my ideas as to what could be done to make some of these struggling aspects of Wizard101 shine brighter! I would love to hear your wishlist of changes coming into the new decade - so make sure to leave a comment down below!
