Wizard101 10th Anniversary: A Community Perspective

September may be halfway over, but Wizard101's decaversary celebration is still in full swing. If you haven't already, be sure to chat with Gamma to pick up a very special birthday-themed quest called "Time Has Come." When you complete it, you'll receive an anniversary statue that mirrors the one in The Commons. Speaking of, I think it's pretty crazy that after all these years; The Commons is still "the" community hotspot to hang out and make friends. Some things never change ... and sometimes that's a good thing.

My last 10th anniversary post was an interview with the KingsIsle devs reflecting on the game's history and what's coming up. Although that was amazing to do, KingsIsle themselves aren't the only ones responsible for the game lasting a decade. The other half is you - the community. So, before we get hyped up about that new 3-year story arc that will be taking place after Empyrea Part Two, I wanted to do a community focused post. It's time for your moment in the spotlight.

10 Years of Stats

The infographic below came straight from KingsIsle. It's filled with a bunch of interesting statistics. Take a look!

Click to enlarge

Looks like Shadow has absolutely dominated the pet naming game (well, except for 2011. You go Midnight!) And a huge shout-out to the wizard who has caught a whopping 10,492 Mainstream Dekoi. You deserve a badge of your own, my friend!

Community Insight

To get the community directly involved in this milestone, I created a Wizard101 survey. I shared the survey's link on social media and the message boards, and you guys certainly followed through! Over 100 people replied to the survey on relatively short notice. Thanks for that! Without further ado, here are the results!

Favorite School?

Exact Percentages:

• Death: 24.5%
• Storm: 19.6%
• Life: 17.6%
• Fire: 13.7%
• Balance: 10.8%
• Ice: 7.8%
• Myth: 5.9%

With 24.5%, Death seems to be the community's favorite school. Storm comes in second with 19.6% and Life follows with 17.6%. Unsurprisingly, Myth comes in last with a measly 5.9%. Interesting to note that two of the three most popular schools from the infographic (storm and death) are among the top 3 favorite schools from the survey.

Favorite World?

Exact Percentages:

• Avalon: 19.6%
• Polaris: 10.8%
• Khrysalis: 9.8%
• Marleybone: 7.8%
• Mooshu: 7.8%
• Dragonspyre: 7.8%
• Wizard City: 6.9%
• Mirage: 5.9%
• Empyrea: 5.9%
• Celestia: 5.9%
• Krokotopia: 3.9%
• Wysteria: 3.9%
• Azteca: 2%
• Grizzleheim: 1%
• Zafaria: 1%

Glad to see a lot of players share my love for Avalon. Poor Grizzleheim and Zafaria with only 1% though. I guess people are definitely still scarred by those Greyhorn Mercenaries and Fire Lion Ravagers.

Favorite Storyline Arc?

Exact Percentages:

• Arc 3 (Polaris - Empyrea): 40.2%
• Arc 1 (Wizard City - Dragonspyre): 37.3%
• Arc 2 (Celestia - Khrysalis): 22.5%

This one I was a bit surprised by. I would've put my money on Arc 1 for the nostalgia, but Arc 3 narrowly took the win! The newer worlds have definitely been a blast to play through (not to mention visually stunning), so I can see why a lot of people fell in love with them.

Favorite School Teacher?

Exact Percentages:

• Professor Drake: 21.6%
• Dworgyn: 21.6%
• Professor Falmea: 16.7%
• Professor Balestrom: 15.7%
• Professor Wu: 9.8%
• Alhazred: 7.8%
• Professor Greyrose: 6.9%

Professor Drake and Dworgyn ended up tying for first. It appears even Professor Drake's "tough love" can't stop the players from appreciating him. Despite her low percentage, I still think Professor Greyrose is the most chill professor around.

Favorite Arcanum Scholar?

Exact Percentages:

• Baba Yaga: 29.4%
• Zander: 23.5%
• Jaki Whisperwind: 11.8%
• Ione Virga: 8.8%
• Velma Von Venkman: 7.8%
• Ignus Ferric: 6.9%
• Tarrack Hadfield: 4.9%
• Qismah Shasa: 3.9%
• Qyburn Stellargaze: 2.9%

Baba Yaga has been most intertwined with the Arc 3 story so I'm not completely shocked that she comes out on top. Zander is just adorable (and his name is super easy to remember compared to the others). I personally think Qyburn Stellargaze is underappreciated. I mean, he's the only trainer you can get Epic from. And I know that's a spell ALL you max level wizards use!

The Community Speaks

I purposely included a few open-ended questions on the survey so I could share some community quotes! Here's what the community had to say in response to the following questions ...

What is your favorite in-game memory?

• "Meeting many others from the community while waiting for KI Live to start." - Tara Dawnbreaker
• "Staying up until 4am to finish Mirage Test Realm and then recording the new spell quest before going to sleep. Crazy day." - BlazeLifehammer
• "Not being able to get out of Ravenwood when you used to start in your dorm room" - Noodle
• "Using Immolate in a 1v1 to kill myself and my opponent" - TEAM ELITE Aziux
• "Defeating Malistaire for the first time. He was 100K life back then and it was BEYOND scary to tackle him. We were jubilant." - Chrissy The Blesser
• "Getting my first Character to Max level." - Michael Wildflame
• "When I first downloaded the game, I was 12 years old; I got stuck in the tutorial tower for like half an hour while I awaited the files to download.. Unknown to me however that they *needed* to download. So I thought I broke the game since I was unable to exit the tower and proceeded to uninstall & reinstall the game 3 or 4 times until I figured out what was going on." - TheWizOwl
• "Dragonspyre, back when it was hard. There was an in-game community event where groups of us were farming bosses for gear. Not only because of the amazing community turn out (It was like 2-3 days of nonstop farming) but also because it was when I first met the woman that I'd end up being in a relationship with....and still am 8 years later." - Alric Ravensinger
• "There's way too many. Probably completing darkmoor" - Noah DarkRider
• "Selena Gomez <3 <3 <3" - Niam Reagan
• "If I had to pick one then it would probably have to be finally beating the Golem Tower on my first wizard after so many failed attempts to do so." - Flash33
• "Fighting new cheat bosses" - Katherine Light
• "Meeting my future bride. Happily married for 3 years now :)" - Intrepidatius

What is your favorite part about being in the Wizard101 Community?

• "This place is pretty welcoming to new people; we've always made sure to make people feel happy for joining us on the fun. It was my first long-term mmo that I ever done. Over time it shaped me to be who I am and I'm grateful for it." - MikeFirehammer
• "I love seeing everybody's art creations; they motivate me to create more content." - Zanzidia
• "Just how we forge a community together with everyone. This resolves around about how we all put special things together such as events, gatherings, or even nice little meet and greets to people and newcomers to the game. Just the general vicinity of positive vibes from all over is enough that I stick around." - Carlos Winterhunter
• "I met my boyfriend who I’m now engaged to through Wizard101 <3" - Songibal
• "Having tons of nice and supportive people to fall to when you need them." - AussieThorn
• "My favorite part of being in the wizard101 community is people accept you for who you are, and I've always had like confidence issues and I'm extremely shy. So being welcomed just like your normal family would makes it feel all the more like a friendly and helpful environment to be around and enjoy your day with." - Aly996
• "THE PEOPLE. THE LOVE. THE CO-OPERATION BETWEEN EVERYONE." - isaiah_hexrider
• "Becoming friends with people who I wouldn't have met otherwise." - Bryce/Cedric Young/TheProudPirate
• "The enormous amount of information and discoveries made every day. I'm always learning something new by interacting with the Wizard101 community, and it's great when I can apply something I never thought about to the game even after all these years. It's also very helpful when you're looking for something specific in the game and you don't have anyone to ask in person." - Blue Sparx (or Allison DeathWielder)
• "There is such an interesting dynamic of people in the Wizard101 Community. It shows that no matter what classifications someone lives under whether that is more than just race, sexuality, or gender... We all add value to this community in some sort of way. For the most part, we all get along and that is a dynamic that is not seen normally." - Sophia Lifecaster
• "Being able to look up the help I need in finding gear and fighting bosses on the various fansites. Thanks for all your hard work guys!" - RandomlyMars

Who is your favorite villain and why?

• "Morganthe at the end of Khrysalis. I just like how each Morganthe is a different school of magic, and has different battling tactics. (i.e. support, tank, etc.)" - caitlyn1983
• "Malistaire was very cool because over time you meet him again and again and learn a little more each time." - TheArtOfWarlord
• "Old Cob because I found the story arc with him and his children very interesting to me" - Blocksman
• "Rasputin is my favorite because he is intelligent and plans out everything he does. His boss fight was very fun to do." - Gregory Thomas
• "(Spoiler) Duncan Grimwater. Did not see that coming!" - Ellie IceRiver
• "Spirit of Intolerance in Mirage because it has the funniest spell cast." - Pebble Wizard
• "Big Salgio in The Chancel. The way he speaks and his voice, I always laugh." - Jacob Night
• "Meowiarty, because I love cats, and I love the play on the name of the real character in Sherlock Holmes, Moriarty." - Lovelylad543
• "Randolf Spellshine: He has a funny personality." - JackHammerTime
• "Grandmother Raven because I understand what she is trying to do. She wants to destroy the spiral because if we do and make a new spiral no evil will exist. Old Cob is essential for the current Spiral to exist. I understand what she is trying to do and the way that she planning on how she wants to get it done. Plus, she is extremely powerful and mysterious and she is a Raven. I love Ravens." - Kevin RavenHaven
• "Hmm. Morganthe is pretty cool. The entire story of her intrigued me." - Star Edward
• "Mithraya because she looks really cool. The animation is insane!!" - Connor Legend

If you could say something to KingsIsle, what would it be?

• "I’m hoping for at least a dozen story arcs. Here’s to 10+ more years!" - Kestrel DragonHeart
• "Thank you for everything you have done. Wizard101 is one of my favorite games, and I am proud to say I have played it the last 8 years without question about it. Thank you for the magical experience of a lifetime, all the memories I have made, the spells I have casted, the quests I have completed, the bosses I have defeated, the people I have met, all of the other features and more made this game an all time favor. Keep doing what you are doing Kingsisle!" - WhiteTiger93
• "I love the fact that there are voice-overs for literally every line of dialogue in the game, especially in the later worlds. It gives the game another layer of immersion I don't find in many other MMORPG games. Since I've been so spoiled with this from Wizard101, I can't bring myself to play other story-driven games that don't have voiced over dialogue. Keep up the good work :)" - uwujai
• "I want more monstrology! But in all seriousness, just want to say thank you for being there and keeping the games we have come to know and love alive! Thank you for every little thing you do, every teaser, every update, every bug fix, every member benefit and so on! Just one big thank you to show my appreciation for building an environment where a community like this is possible!" - Cody RavenTamer
• "Thanks for all the hours of fun!" - Moira Stormheart
• "Be more open with your players. You have a wonderful community you shouldn't be afraid to be honest with." - Ravino
• "Don’t stop!" - Oz
• "Keep the good work up! I can't wait to see what the next 10 years has to offer!" - Austin Stars
• "Thank you for helping me through the worst years of my life" - Addison Brownhill
• "Thank you! I hope these great games continue." - Prince of Shadows
• "Honestly, I would say that the support team at Kingsisle has been VERY helpful in solving every issue I have and I am proud to have said that I have played this game for 10 years now. I'd also like to thank every member at Kingsisle for keeping Wizard101 fresh with new updates, whether big or small. Every update is a boon to us players and we'd all like to thank you. I'm a frequent poster on the Wizard101 message boards and I also really like how helpful the community is and how fast my messages get approved on there by the Kingsisle Moderators. So, with that being said, keep up the amazing work, everyone at Kingsisle, and I want to wish all of you a HAPPY DECAVERSARY! Thank you for an AWESOME ten years!" - Crimson Reaper 5
• "Thank you so much for the fun, the escape and most importantly, the friends." - Sheldon
• "Thanks for making a wonderful game :) (Also, it'd be absolutely amazing if y'all could give Morganthe a redemption arc, just sayin)" - Okidenshi

Thank you to everyone who participated in the survey, KingsIsle, and the community as a whole. Be sure to take advantage of the birthday festivities before September ends!