There’s been some buzz lately about a rare Goblin Shark being captured (and released) off of the Gulf of Mexico, but Pirate101 fans are already aware of the rare species as Witchdoctors will be gaining a new Crewmate modeled after a Goblin Shark in the Spring 2014 update, which is scheduled to launch soon.

According to an article on CNN, the goblin shark was caught last month by a fisherman named Carl Moore, who snapped this now famous picture, and it was all thanks to his 3-year old son! Moore began carrying a camera with him on-the-job because he wanted to show pictures of his profession to him.

A real-life Goblin Shark sighting isn’t something you’d see every day, but soon you’ll be able to capture tons of screenshots of “Carcarius Grimtooth” the Goblin Shark Witchdoctor in Pirate101. In fact, now you can be like Carl Moore to your family by sharing your screenshots (and your knowledge of Goblin Sharks) with them!

David Beau Paul, one of the writers for Pirate101, was the employee who made the call to model “Carcarius Grimtooth” after a Goblin Shark. Although he jokingly admitted his initial reasons were based around a funny Internet meme, Paul stated that sharks are serious business on Skull Island.

“We had been wanting to explore new sharks for Skull Island–not that I don’t love the Cutthroats, bless ‘em–but we wanted to mix it up a bit,” said Paul. “At the same time we wanted to drop some new, class-based companions into the game. “

He continued, “I remember a bell ringing in my head because the ‘goblin’ term has a great supernatural feel and what a great natural fit it made for a witchdoctor shark character . . . so he kind of took out two birds with one goblin-y stone.”

In fact, according to this article on National Geographic’s website about the recent Goblin Shark sighting, these sharks do spend a “Life in the Dark” some 2,000 feet below the surface of the Ocean. Very mysterious indeed!

Although no absolute launch date has been announced for releasing the Spring 2014 Update to Pirate101, signs point to our Grimtooth friend making an appearance in game well before the end of Spring. Set your browsers to www.pirate101.com, download the game, and advance to around level 4 as a Witchdoctor, then a Goblin Shark of your own could be joining your crew too!

Did you know it’s World Turtle Day? Yes or no, it’s time to bring out your tortoise friends, because we’re celebrating with all things turtle today! This yearly holiday was started in 2000 by the American Tortoise Rescue non-profit organization to increase awareness and respect for turtles and tortoises.

In our games, we’re celebrating with some pretty awesome turtle sales and new turtle mounts… but on the KingsIsle blog we thought today would be a great day to learn some cool facts about turtles and tortoises! Did you know…

• Turtles are one of the earth’s oldest animals and have been around for more than 200 million years!
• A turtle’s shell is actually made up of 60 different bones connected together
• You can find a turtle on every continent except Antarctica
• Turtles can live to be over one hundred years old
• An Indian Ocean Giant Tortoise was documented to live to approximately 202 years old!
• Leatherback Sea Turtles are the largest turtle and can weigh over 2000 pounds

• Many turtle species are endangered and need our protection
• Turtles are reptiles and cold blooded
• Turtles have good eyesight and an excellent sense of smell

Turtle facts sourced from Drs. Foster & Smith Education

We hope you have a turtle-rific day today!

Now it’s your turn to tell us what you think — Do you have a favorite turtle or tortoise from Wizard101, Pirate101 or real life? Let us know in the comments below!

You may have read previously about our involvement in Texas game-related conventions, but in case you haven’t, here’s another reminder that KingsIsle loves to join in the fun and pitch-in on panels with useful information at our local conventions! In fact, we just participated a couple of days ago in Comicpalooza, which is a huge four-day International Comic Book Convention started in 2008, right here in Texas.

For our Wizard101 players, the name “Comicpalooza” might sound familiar since we run several sales events throughout the year like Pet-a-palooza, Mount-a-palooza, House-a-palooza, and more. I guess great minds must think alike! At the heart of Comicpalooza is a big emphasis on Comic Books with many for sale in the Dealer’s Room and get this, Stan Lee, the legendary comic book writer and Chairman of Marvel Comics, was even in attendance!

It’s more than just comics though — involvement in a big convention like Comicpalooza means you’ll also see fans dressed up as their favorite sci-fi, fantasy, comics and anime characters. Participants can also join in fun concerts and events; and if they’re a KingsIsle fan, attend our panels and discussions.

We talked a lot about several topics over four different panels which included family friendly board games (everything from Ticket to Ride to Munchin), Wizard101 and Pirate101 in general, voice acting, and how to get into the game industry. For those in attendance, we also passed out some Crowns codes and posters!

One of our avid KingsIsle fans, Deborah Kent, and her family attended Comicpalooza this year and even volunteered for the event. She later commented in an email to us:

“I loved watching all the interesting science fiction, fantasy, and gaming costumes and characters at Comicpalooza over the Memorial Day Weekend.  Comicpalooza is a great place to meet like-minded people who love to dress up as your favorite characters.  It was also wonderful to meet some of the staff behind Pirate101 and learn about how to become a creator of content for both Pirate101 and Wizard101.  After the panel, I got to talk a bit to the content designer–the person behind some of the stories in Pirate101, and to One-Eyed Jack.  He’s a rather slippery fellow, but still a very nice rabbit. Thank you for the crowns you gave out to everyone at Comicpalooza.”

Indeed, Comicpalooza was a great way to meet with our fans one-on-one and in a smaller setting while sharing insights and having a lot of fun. If you’re in the Texas area, we certainly hope you join us next time KingsIsle goes to a convention.

Time for another Throwback Thursday to one of great Wizard101 articles printed in the Beckett Massive Online Gamer magazine.  Originally printed in the February 2010 issue, this article focuses on one of our favorite aspects of Wizard101 – school housing!

Ever since the update that introduced housing to Wizard101, people have been fascinated with making their very own personal home in game. KingsIsle has done one better, and in mid-December they introduced school specific houses. These homes (like most things in Wizard101) consist of two payment options. You can pay with gold or Crowns. The ability to pay for homes in either gold or Crowns is a great one, if you’re reluctant to spend Crowns on an item you can always save up your gold. The amount of space in these is amazing, and the layout of each home is exciting and unique to its Wizard school.

Another great feature is that you’ll be able to tour each home before deciding on whether you want to purchase it. These homes are sold in the Crown Shop, under the ‘Housing Items’ category. On the right hand side you will see a magnifying glass with a plus sign in it, clicking on that will allow you to port to the viewing version of this home. Once you enter, Myrella Windspar will be waiting to guide you around. She will act as your realtor, showing you each of the unique aspects to the home. By the time you’re done exploring you’ll probably have a new home in your bags, she’s just that good! Let’s see what each home is about.

Myth School House

Want to live on the shoulders of a giant Cyclops? Well, now you can. This home is multi-level, and when you first stand in front of it you can’t help but just gasp in awe. Rushing water pours out of your very own water fall, and butterflies flutter all over, not to mention you have an amazing view of a rainbow way up above. When you walk up the front steps you’ll come face to face with your very own swimming pool! Now you can have your friends over for that summer event (or winter, when you’re trying to get away from the cold!). The myth school house also comes with a large expanse of green grass, perfect for putting down those outdoor items. You’ll also get a pavilion with an incredible view; a path leads up to it. To reach the actual home, you’ll have to take a portal located on the right side of the yard and it will bring you to the upper levels. This home is really one of a kind; it even comes with an outdoor balcony complete with a rainbow bridge to walk across. Watch your footing!

The inside of the house is just as exciting; with music that really fits the atmosphere. Want an atrium? Now you have one. This house may remind you of a museum, with little nooks and crannies to store all of your precious treasures. Myrella Windspar will talk to you as you enter each room, and even give you ideas of what theme you may want in a particular room. AS with regular homes, the school specific ones each come with a bank to use.

Balance School House

Amazing statues grace the entrance to this home, old relics of ancient days that are still in fantastic condition. There’s a statue buried right in the center of it, which really gives the house a lot of character. There’s a guest house (or cottage if you prefer) on the left as you enter, it’s a bit of a fixer-upper but still fantastic for when you have friends over. You’ll have to head down a slope to get into the main house; it’s a bit tucked away.

As soon as you enter the main house, you’ll find yourself standing on a precarious edge, looking out at your vast home. It is fantastic; a number of rooms joined by swinging bridges, while a balance figure stands in the center with water rushing over portions of the statue. Myrella Windspar compares the home to an ‘open-air underground villa’ and she is right on.

Fire School House

Myrella Windspar is quick to mention that this house is a ‘red hot deal!’ – and she wasn’t kidding. The flames look like they should scorch anyone who walks into it, but thankfully you’ll remain unharmed. This home is a single tower on an island a safety feature for those Wizards dealing with fire magic. There are scorch marks along the ground, and flames lick every available space – the mark of a truly great fire Wizard! This home involves lots of ramps leading to each of the rooms, so be prepared to wear your walking shoes! This home also two entrances, one on the main floor or the ground floor below. Flame covered pillars hold up walk ways, and the raging inferno can be heard no matter where you stand. One of the most amazing rooms is known as the inferno room, with three walls of windows that are beneath the flames from outside. A portal in the room will take you to the attic space.

Ice School House

This house is frozen all year round, and sits on top of a giant glacier. There are ice flows and the whole atmosphere just makes you shiver in your seat. You can hear the window blowing as you walk along the ice bridges that connect the islands to the home. The inside of the house is made up of ice crystals, an ice fortress that is cold and frosty year round. The snow and ice glimmers and sparkles, not to mention who doesn’t want a house where it snows inside? There’s even an ice cavern outside, when the sun shines and reflects off all of the snow it lights up wonderfully. Like each of the other school homes, this one comes with a bank for you to use.

Storm School House

This is the only home located in an ocean, the clouds roll overhead and you can hear the anger of the storm that is all around. The home gives off the aura of a submarine, but with a few house items you can have it nice and cozy in no time! One of the best features? The house goes under water, and you get some amazing views in your very own aquarium. You even get your own lighthouse, and caves to sit and watch as storms roll by. Out of all the new school houses, storm is by far my favorite. The attention to detail with this house is just astounding.

Life School House

Ever wanted to live in a giant tree house? Well, now you have your chance. This house is nestled in the branches of an amazing tree, and the property itself is absolutely beautiful. It comes complete with water falls, and its own wading pond. Being able to live inside of a living tree is something that you’ll surely want to tell your friends about! There are even mushrooms and grass growing inside, as the sun shines through and covers everything with an amazing glow. Don’t forget to check out the amazing balconies, they give you a view that really can’t be beat. Everything is so tranquil and serene.

Death School House

Unlike the life school house, this house is dark and scary, candles light the path leading up to the front door, and a swimming pool with a broken diving board can be found along the left side. The house is mansion sized, with a huge staircase in the main room and even a dungeon where you can find a furnace working away. The music leaves players feeling as though a ghoul or goblin may jump out at any minute, and you may be scared to venture into the rooms all alone! Magnificent balconies will let you look out over the main hall, and the entire house has a very elegant haunted feel to it. Now just watch out for cobwebs!

Each home has a completely different feel to it that matches its school of choice perfectly. You’re not restricted to which type of house you buy, so even if you’re a death Wizard who loves the storm house, you can purchase it without any problems. Maybe you’re a life Wizard who secretly enjoys the bright flames of the fire school house. It doesn’t matter which house you choose (maybe you’ll want to own them all!) you will surely love the incredible attention to detail that comes with each one. Players are also allowed to own as many houses as they want, you equip them (activate them basically) from your inventory much like you do with pets, decks, and gear. Now, to figure out which one of these amazing houses I want!

By Stephanie Morrow

This article originally appeared in Beckett Massive Online Gamer Issue 18 on May/June 2009 and has been reprinted with permission from Engaged Enthusiast Media by Beckett.

What about you Wizards… which school house is your favorite?

Recently on FreeKI Games, we launched a new trivia system!  Many Wizard101 and Pirate101 players rejoiced because of the prize associated with passing a trivia quiz… Crowns!

Here at KingsIsle, we were excited about the implementation of trivia for many different reasons. We thought it would give players a chance to stretch their brains and perhaps learn about new topics. Doesn’t everyone have a niche field that they know a lot about? As trivia continues to grow and we add more and more quizzes, we hope that every player can login to FreeKI Games and see a trivia topic that makes them go, “Oh! I know a lot about that!”

Plus let’s be honest… we knew that our players would be really excited about earning Crowns! With every trivia quiz that you pass with a 75% score or higher, KingsIsle will award 10 Crowns directly to your account. There is a limit of 10 trivia quizzes you can take per day, which means that if you pass all your quizzes you could earn 100 Crowns a day!

We love how this gives our players an additional opportunity to get access to Crowns, especially knowing that it can be hard for many young Wizards or Pirates to gain access to premium areas of the game or purchase some Crown Shop items otherwise.

Hopefully you’re enjoying FreeKI Games Trivia as much as we have enjoyed creating it! If you haven’t checked out trivia before, head on over to FreeKI Games to try it out. All you have to do is login with your KingsIsle account and start taking quizzes!

What we’d like to know from you all today is what kind of quizzes are your favorite? Are there certain topics you’d like to see more of within FreeKI Games Trivia? Tell us in the comments section below!

Time for another Throwback Thursday, to showcase one of great Wizard101 articles printed in the Beckett Massive Online Gamer magazine.  Originally printed in the Mar/April 2011 issue, this article focuses on Wizarding with a green thumb… gardening!

Wizard Mary, Quite Contrary, How Does Your Garden Grow?

That’s right!  I fyou haven’t guessed it, the students of the Ravenwood School of Magical Arts are now using magic outside the battle c ircle and inside their houses to grow outrageous plants with unique personalities where harvesting bountiful rewards is just a click of hte “X” key away.  Can you dig it?

It all starts at level 12 when Moolinda Wu, the Life Professor, requests Wizards pay her a visit to begin ascending the path to mastering all 10 levels of gardening (Novice to Grandmaster).  Tending to plants and eventually harvesting them earns Wizards gardening experience (and loot) in this new, alternate way of progressing through Wizard101.

One of the first things you’ll notice as you begin to explore the new gardening system is a number of new vendors who sell gardening-related spells and give gardening quests.  Look for the primary gardening trainer (Farley) tending to the lawn around Golem Court as you begin your new classes in Gardening.

Gardening 101

The basics of the system involve all the basics of real gardening: seeds, soil, tending to plants’ needs… and blasting the bugs that infest them with a Meteor Strike!  Now that’s how Wizards take care of business.

Let’s break down the basics of gardening in the Spiral:

Step 1

Obtain seeds through drops, vendors, crafting, or through the Crown Shop. Those seeds determine the difficulty and type of plant you’re going to grow and the reward they’ll possibly return to you.

Step 2

Prepare a spot of soil outside your player housing or prepare a batch o soil in a pot for an indoor plant.  This preparation involves casting a magic spell that doesn’t use mana from your blue globe but rather energy from your green and yellow globes.  This is the same energy you use when training your pet.

Step 3

Plant your seeds and watch them grow! Plants grow at different rates, determined by the type of plant you have and the envrionmental conditions in which you are planting it. For example, if a seedling has a natural affinity for the plants that surround it, it may mature more quickly.

Step 4

Tend to your plants with magic.  You can cast both permanetnly trainable spells and one-use treasure cards to fulfill your plants’ needs.  AGain, you’ll find these spells from trainers, quests, drops, or through the Crown Shop.  Although there isn’t an equivalent to the Mega-Snack pack for gardening to make yoru platns gro waster, there is a new special pack of cards that helps save you time by casting a global-effect spell to take care oftthe neesd of all your plants with a single action.

Step 5

Reap the rewards!  Plants start as seedlings, grow to adolescence and then eventually become “elder” plants. Plants rward character sthroughout their life cycles.  For example, one of hte first plants you encounter in the new gardneing system is the Baby Carrot (sold by the Wizrad City vendor).  The rward a Baby Carrot plantgives is… a lot of different carrots! Throughout the carrot plant’s life cycle, Wizards have a chance to collect all the carrot pet snacks as rewards : the Flaming Carrot, the Diamond Carrot, and even the small chance of harvesting the Baby Carrot Mega-Snack Pack for your pets.  All of those rewards are in addition to a small amount of gold that you receive as well from all plants.

Eventually, you harvest your plant one final time at the end of its life cycle. You know a plant has entered its elder phase because it begins to glow.  At this final level of maturity, you can harvest your plant for a much bigger reward.

Step 6

Do it again! After your plant has been harvested at the elder level, it says good-bye and you can start the process all over again with a new seed.

By Tom Purdue

This article originally appeared in Beckett Massive Online Gamer Vol 6 No.2 on Mar/April 2011 and has been reprinted with permission from Engaged Enthusiast Media by Beckett.

What do you think Wizards, are you a fan of gardening?

Grab your fishing pole Wizards, it’s time to hit the open water and find your prize. We’ve wanted to include fishing in Wizard101 since before its launch almost six years ago, and now it’s finally here!

What makes fishing different in the Spiral? Magic of course! Wizards cast a magical lure into open waters to create a truly unique fish. Don’t expect any boring ol’ Salmon or Marlin in the Spiral… instead we have rare species like the Deathacuda and the (potentially tasty) Fish Sandwich. If you love hearing about the new and exciting kinds of fish you can catch, make sure to check out the Fishapedia created by Mercenaries for Hire.

These dedicated Wizards have taken the time to catch, identify, and record each type of fish in the Spiral! Have you caught them all yet?

If you’re new to fishing or having trouble getting that prized catch, check out another one of our great fan sites. Duelist101 has created a Wizard101 Fishing Guide that will turn any junior angler into the Old Man and the Sea! This great guide covers everything from fishing basics to badges you can earn from your triumphs. It’s a must read for anyone who’s ready to dive into a world of magical lures.

Not a huge fan of fish? Well, that’s outrig-ragious (outrig… outriggers… get it?). That’s okay, even if fish alone aren’t your thing fishing can add great value to your Wizard. Sometimes instead of a fish, your Wizard can catch an elusive treasure chest. These chests are filled with cool items ranging from gold to Crowns items!

In the real world, one of the largest fish ever caught weighed in at nearly 1500 pounds! We’re not sure there are fish that big in Wizard101, but they definitely are going to be a lot more magical!  What’s better is that you can show off your best fish in new fishtanks that will look awesome in your house. Look at this amazing “wall of fishtanks” that Paige Moonshade has created:

Let us know what you think of this new update, and what kind of fish you are looking forward to catching!  Plus… think of the amazing aquariums you could build with all of these new, exotic fish!

There’s been a lot of talk about FreeKI Games trivia lately, and with the ability to earn up to 100 Crowns per day… why wouldn’t there be? Even though we love the trivia system and creating more quizzes for you, there is more to FreeKI Games than just answering quizzes for Crowns!

Have you spent any time looking at the great selection of free games online at FreeKI Games? We definitely have some of your old favorites like Sorcery Stones and Dueling Diego, where you can play for Wizard101 and Pirate101 free game codes. In addition to that, there are tons of other free games to play!

These online mini games range from quick, addicting puzzles like Factory Balls 3 or Sweety Mahjong to epic adventures with tons of game levels like Mr Bree Returning Home and Drake and the Wizards 2. There’s something for everyone with a huge variety of different gaming categories!

Each time we add a new mini game to FreeKI Games, we take time to make sure these additions hold up to our standards of quality and content. Just like any KingsIsle games, FreeKI Games are family friendly and we fun to play for all ages.

We truly want FreeKI Games to be a fun and safe portal for you to play mini games at, earn Crowns through trivia or game codes through KingsIsle Games… or just hang out! So we ask you players – what mini games are you currently enjoying on FreeKI Games? Are there certain types of games you’d like to see in the future?

Share your voice and tell us what you think in the comments. We’d love to hear your feedback!

Wizard101 has been around for nearly six years now, with over 40 million Wizards having visited the Spiral. Though many players have been here consistently since the beginning, others may have taken a break from the game. As a returning player, you may have been away for months or even years… but now there are so many new and exciting things to explore that you should definitely hop back in!

If you’ve been away for a while, you might be a little rusty when you return. Here are 5 tips to help make returning to Wizard101 easy and fun!

1) Read the update notes
Even if you’ve been away for a while, the Spiral keeps turning. The Wizard101 update notes are a great resource to keep you up-to-date on what’s been happening since you’ve been gone. There may be new worlds to explore, or entirely new systems to learn, like the recent Magical Fishing update. Just have a peek, and you’ll be ready to explore in no time!

2) Clean out your backpack and check your spell deck
If you’ve been away for a while, you may have left your backpack in disarray. Visit a vendor and sell any of those extra items. You’ll want the space for new items once you start questing again. It also might be a good time to check on your bank and shared bank to make sure you have space available. Before you head into battle, open up your spell deck, take a look of what spells you have equipped and re-familiarize yourself with them. You can even name your deck, by clicking the icon in the top left corner! This can be very helpful when keeping multiple decks for questing or PVP.

3) Get back on track with your quests
Remembering where things are and what quest you left off with may be a challenge. You can randomly choose to continue with any quest in your log, but if you’d like to make sure you are focusing on your main storyline quest, the wiki at Wizard101 Central can be a big help. Just choose a quest that you have in your quest log, visit the wiki and search by that quest name. Once you’ve found it, the page with information about that quest will tell you if it is a storyline quest or a side quest. You can also visit the Quests page of the wiki and explore all available quests for an area. There is a wealth of information available to help you there.

The Quest Finder is another wonderful tool to help you find a new quest to pursue in game. Just click the Quest Finder button on the last page of your quest log and it will direct you to the nearest available quest.

Your fellow players are another amazing resource when you need help with quests. Just ask around in game or on our forums and they may be able to help point you in the right direction.

If you are still stuck, unable to progress or find your proper quest, a quick email to support@wizard101.com will connect you with our customer service team and they will help you get back on track.

4) Try something new
There is such a great variety of activities to master in Wizard101 that returning to the game is a good time to try something new. Maybe you’d like to try out pet training for the first time, or level up a new pet. Head over to the Pet Pavilion and choose a game to play. You could even match your pet up with others to race in a Pet Derby.

If you’d like to test your Wizard’s green thumb, try out Gardening. Your Wizard must be level 12, and then you will be given a quest from Moolinda Wu who will teach you the art of growing and caring for plants on your home.

Magical Fishing is new to the Spiral, so if you are returning, you might try your hand at casting a line. If your Wizard is level 7 or higher, Lucky Hookline will call you with a quest to teach you how.

Want an intense challenge, why not try out PVP? Tournaments now provide a shorter match experience with a ladder mechanic.

5) Catch up with old friends and meet new ones
One of the best things about the Spiral is the friends that we make in game. When you return to Wizard101, catch up with your old friends or make new ones by grouping up to complete quests. If you are going to take on a dungeon, try the new Team Up feature to find players who want to try the same dungeon. It’s a great way to get help, and meet new Wizards!

No matter how short or how long you’ve been away, returning to Wizard101 can be just as fun as the first time you played. Hop in and see what’s new in the Spiral! There may be a lot to learn, but remember to have fun and play at your own pace. You’ll catch up and soon be on the path to becoming an Exalted Wizard!

What tips do you have for players who are returning to Wizard101?

Yarrr, Pirates! Have you ever wondered about the makings of the Pirate101 puppet shows? They’re one of our favorite aspects of the game, and today artist and animator Robert Lovelett is here to share the makings of puppet shows.

My name is Robert Lovelett (Donkey Hotay in the forums) and I am the lead artist and animator for the puppet shows in Pirate101. I am thrilled when fans tell me that the puppet shows are one of their favorite things about the game. I hope that they inspire people to use animation to tell their own stories.

The first stage is called pre-production. Writers create a script, and I meet with them to offer my input. After we agree on a script, the puppet show goes to sound to record the rough audio, which I then put in the animatic. An animatic is an animated storyboard. It helps me figure out what works visually for the puppet shows, from scene composition to the rhythm and timing of the animation. I use a program called Adobe Flash to create the puppet shows.

After I get feedback and approval on the animatic from the writers and art director, I move on to the production stage. Production involves cleaning up my initial sketches with final lines and adding color. The production stage can be very tedious, but it pays off in the end. It is very rewarding to see an idea go from script to a refined, moving illustration.

The last stage is polish. By this point, I get the final audio from sound with the official voice actor combined with sound effects and music. If necessary, I tweak the animation’s timing to match the final audio and make minor visual changes. The key thing about the polish stage is that it is optional, but can really add to the quality of the animation. One of the biggest examples where polish paid off is the Armada puppet show. Initially, it had a saturated color palette, but after consideration, it was changed to a palette that shifted to grey and monochromatic, to match with the shift in tone from humorous to grim.

I hope this gives you a glimpse into how the puppet shows for Pirate101 are made. You would be amazed how many resources are available on the Internet to learn animation. If you have an interest, I urge you to explore these resources to learn as much as possible about animation!

Tom Purdue, our Community Communication and Public Relations Manager, was able to visit a group of professional gamers known as the Syndicate Guild to catch them up on all things KingsIsle. Read on for more information about his experience at Syndcon.

Two weeks ago it was my pleasure to meet with the Syndicate Guild for their annual Syndcon convention in Orlando, Florida. What’s the Syndicate Guild? Only the longest running Guild in existence! That’s right, they were there at the dawn of the term MMO, and they’re still going strong!

The Syndicate loves the games they play, whether it’s Ultima Online, World of Warcraft, or even Wizard101 and Pirate101. Members of the Syndicate understand what makes an MMO tick and provide valuable feedback to members of the gaming industry.

On hand at the convention were a few industry professionals, including myself, to present the state of their games and discuss the futures of their companies. I was truly honored to be among such a wealth of videogame history and knowledge. KingsIsle was there to do two things, 1- Provide awesome Pirate101 and Wizard101 posters and Crowns Codes for the Syndicate’s annual charity raffle and 2- Catch the Syndicate up on the state of KingsIsle.

Outside of casual conversation with the guild members throughout the conference, I gave a presentation that talked about the past two years of Wizard101 and Pirate101 and even gave a live demonstration of Fishing in Wizard101! (I’m happy to demonstrate my fishing skills of catching Frost Dekoi whenever I have a captive audience ;).) I also mentioned some of our other games that are still in development – but not by name and not with specifics – as we’re not quite ready to reveal too much about these projects just yet. The good news for us is that members of The Syndicate are interested in helping us test our new projects when the time comes! (When it comes time to test new games, we rely heavily on our friends, family, professional gamers like the Syndicate, and our stalwart fans.)

The Syndicate Guild has been a valuable partner with KingsIsle for testing Wizard101 and Pirate101 in the past, and we’re excited to have them numbered among our players. Speaking of which, it was great to see so many people enjoying Wizard101 and Pirate101 alongside other games in their Alienware-filled game room that was constantly running videogames all day long, every day of the convention. (Now that’s my kind of convention!)

A good time was had by all, and thanks to the Syndicate for inviting us to Syndcon 2014! LLTS!

I’ve played Wizard101 since the beginning, and it’s been a lot of fun seeing how things have changed and evolved over time. Specifically for this blog post, I was asked to answer the question, “What were my favorite highlights each year?” That’s actually not as easy a thing to answer as it seems! I’ll break my favorites down by year, and hope I can give a little explanation to all my choices

2008
Wizard101 was brand new in 2008 and we were all busy running around The Spiral – on foot . . . without a mount! For me, this year was a time of discovery and I couldn’t have been happier finishing off the original final boss of Wizard101, the Jade Oni in MooShu. The Spiral was so brand new that we saw Halloween decorations for the first time in October and a then a Yuletide Tree in December. I think these festive touches were my favorite updates in 2008. There’s nothing quite as fun as seeing the world you know suddenly transformed with spooky or festive cheer.

2009
This is where it starts to get hard to choose just one update as my favorite. 2009 gave us Dragonspyre, followed by housing, then Open Chat, then Grizzleheim, then mounts, and finally school housing! How do you choose! I suppose looking back if I just had to choose one, I’d pick Dragonspyre. The epic conclusion of the first story arc was amazing. There is nothing like a new world to explore, and Dragonspyre specifically still holds a special place in my heart. I couldn’t be happier crushing Malistaire in his Great Spyre, and feel like I know the place like the back of my hand. It was an awesome feeling to know you saved the Spiral!

2010
This is also a hard year to choose a winner, but I’m going to have to say the introduction of Advanced Pets really changed the face of the game. Building the perfect pet is still a huge craze and racing pets was a favorite pastime of mine – I still wear my 1st age pet warlord badge with pride! We all waited for Celestia for a long time, but Advanced Pets changed the game forever.

2011
While I liked Zafaria and leveling my wizard, I really fell in love with the world of Wysteria, which would be my favorite update of 2011. I really liked the idea of a magic school competition and unraveling the mystery of this new world was a lot of fun. Exploring the strange schools of magic and meeting the off-the-wall professors that taught in Wysteria was a particular highlight. Zafaria would definitely be a very, very close second however.

2012
My life changed in 2012 as I transitioned from Wizard101 fan site owner to employee at KingsIsle, and while you can’t technically say the release of Pirate101 was an expansion to Wizard101 . . . it was just as important to me. Pirate101 took a universe I loved and gave it new depth. With Pirate101, I was seeing the game from the outside in, and it added so much richness to the Wizard101 mythology. That’s not to say that Avalon wasn’t one of the most awesome expansions Wizard101 ever had in my opinion, and I suppose if I strictly had to choose a Wizard101 update, Avalon would be it. I still have nightmares about the creepy house with Spider Legs!

2013
For me, my favorite update in 2013 was the new Halloween Quest with possessed vegetables and the hilariously spooky Nosferabbit. The Halloween quests really hadn’t changed since 2008 and their addition was a really welcome treat. In fact, I can’t wait to see these quests resurface in 2014!

2014
I have to give it up for fishing this year . . . even though the end of Story Arc 2 is about the most amazing thing ever. I just love the new fishing update! I love all the new hilarious fish, the stackable aquariums, and the fun way to spend my energy when I’m not gardening. Fishing brought new depth to an already incredible game and it was something that players have wanted for a long, long time.

Thanks for taking this look back with me throughout the years! While my favorite choices certainly may not be yours, I’m happy I was able to share them with you. Happy Birthday Wizard101!

What were some of your favorite updates from the past six years?

Ahoy, mateys!

Arrrgust was quite the month, don’t you think? We celebrated Shark Week, gave away lots of prizes with our fan site contests, introduced new Aquila furniture in the Crown shop, and held the Design Your Own Eyepatch contest. With so many clever and creative members of the Pirate101 community, we received over 1,100 designs for this contest. Narrowing down the entries for our judges to vote was a challenge! Once we’d narrowed the entries to only the best of the best, our team of KingsIsle judges, including members of the Pirate101 development team, voted on their favorite designs. After all of the votes were tallied, we determined our Grand Prize Winner, 5 Runners Up and 5 Honorable Mentions. We even had a tie on the 5th Honorable Mention, so one additional lucky Pirate got a prize!

And the winners are… (Drumroll please)

In a landslide, our judges’ favorite and Grand Prize winner is Dead-Eye Hunter’s octopus eyepatch!

Following closely behind are our 5 Runners Up:

• William Kidd’s Troggy tongue eyepatch
• Reckless Rebecca’s blue mask eyepatch
• Inky Keilani’s skeleton hand eyepatch
• Cowardly A. Devereaux’s shell eyepatch
• Autumn’s spiral and feather eyepatch

And last, but not least, are our Honorable Mentions:

• Clever Cori Mitchell’s green branches eyepatch
• Salty Flynn Gerald’s corn collage eyepatch
• Merciless Angel’s dragon eye eyepatch
• Alexandra Devereaux’s dragon gem eyepatch
• Christina’s feather eyepatch
• Sarah’s dragon face eyepatch

Congratulations to all of our winners and a big thank you to everyone who submitted eyepatch designs!

-Bonnie Anne

This month we are celebrating the 6^th anniversary of Wizard101 and it just so happens, my 5^th anniversary as a Wizard101 player. So many things have changed since the early days of my adventure in the Spiral, and it has been quite the journey to watch it all unfold. In looking back over the years, I thought I’d highlight a year that was a favorite and one of the most formative for me as a Wizard101 player.

When I began as a newbie Death Wizard in 2009, the level cap was 50. I took my time exploring the various worlds of the Spiral and finally reached that elusive Grandmaster title in March of 2010. The journey was an exciting one and I’ll never forget how proud I was to finally get that last “ding!” with the help of my friends in the Spiral.

Shortly thereafter, the pet system in Wizard101 got the amazing overhaul known as the advanced pet system. What a game changer this was! Can you even remember back when pets were just decoration, rather than valuable assets in combat and skilled racers in the derby? Hatching pets was such a deep and involving system to learn, it launched its very own fan site in the Petnome Project.

That summer we began to get hints that a new world would be coming to the game with the early Celestia preview quests. The excitement and energy in the community was palpable! With each new peek at this underwater world, I anticipated its arrival even more. And that June, I got the special honor of being able to visit the KingsIsle studio and get my very first look at Celestia and the new villain Morganthe. Having the opportunity to bring that back with me to Ravenwood Radio and share with everyone all the exciting tidbits I’d learned was a blast!

Later that fall, when Celestia was released, I dived right in (pun intended)! Not only were the new areas beautiful and unlike anything else that I’d seen in Wizard101, the new Astral schools of magic and addition of Critical and Block were more game changers. Trying new strategies and using the Sun and Star school spells to defeat these new challenges was a learning experience to say the least!

Finally, in December of 2010, another new activity came to Wizard101 in Gardening. This added a whole new way to interact with your house, and with so many cute and funny plants to grow, it was delightful.

2010 was a big year for Wizard101 and a big year for me as a player as well. I will always think fondly of this time of my adventures in the Spiral. It’s hard to believe that Wizard101 has been with us for 6 years now and I can’t wait to see what the future holds!

Tell us your favorite year of Wizard101 and you could win 60,000 Crowns!  To celebrate our Birthday, we’re having a 6th Birthday Celebration blog post contest.  Any entry published to the KingsIsle Blog will be a winner, and you can view contest details and enter at Wizard101.com.  * REMEMBER * You can only enter by viewing the contest page and e-mailing your entry.  Entries submitted via the KingsIsle Blog comments will not be considered.

Today we have our first winner of the Birthday Celebration Blog Contest! Andrew WildSword, level 91 Fire Wizard, tells us about his favorite year of Wizard101 – 2013!

2014 has been an amazing year for Wizard101. We’ve seen new features in Dungeon Recall and Team Up, an unforgettable ending of a saga, and a new concept of Fishing!

But, 2014 is just one of the awesome years of Wizard101. My favorite year of Wizard101 is 2013. In 2013, we saw content that took Spiral life to a new level. Let’s take a look!

April – Hairstyles and Unstitching!

Hairstyle made personalization of your wizard more fun. It gave us more freedom with how we want our wizards to look, because you have to dress to impress! Along with this update, we were given an unstitching update also. So, if you stitched your favorite hat to a hairstyle you’re bored with, just unstitch! Other updates to Wizard101 were PvP rating systems, PvP spectating, furniture sets and more. But, we couldn’t fit all of that into one blog. Let’s move on!

June – Tournaments!

Tournaments were a great addition with moving onto the second age of PvP. It enabled us to compete for prizes with or even against our friends and the fiercest competitors in the arena! It ushered us into new, more formal and powerful matches, in which it’s crucial to win. PvP was changed forever!

August – Aquila and Minions!

Aquila is one of my favorite updates in Wizard101 history. It introduced the legendary Gods and Goddesses, mysterious and powerful. First is Zeus, who isn’t going to use all his power on a mortal, but is still powerful and wise. He won’t let you win, but the rewards are worth it!

Second is the feared Poseidon, who won’t hold back – much. As a level 70 wizard who has transcended many forces in the Spiral, you should be able to take on almost anything, right? You’ll just have to see, testing your might against the force of the sea!

And, lastly, you face THREE powerful Gods. Yes, all of the sons of Cronus have banded together in the ultimate challenge. Sounds hard, right? Well, it’s not just them. You must go through the Death Satyr, the ever-feared Death Minotaur, the trial of Stheno, and Cerberus, a vicious guard dog. Oh, and the one I haven’t mentioned? Hades, the final son of Cronus. Hades is within the heart of Tartarus, and he isn’t one you defeat with ease. But, the rewards? The rewards are of unimaginable greatness and provide some of the best statistics in the game. Oh, and one more thing – Minons were added to help you in Aquila along with other updates, but let’s move on!

November – Khrysalis and Shadow Magic!

Khrysalis was a fantastic beginning to the end of the Morganthe saga! We immediately saw a new spell in the storyline in King Artorius, just one of many things we didn’t expect! Instantly, you see exciting things that everyone had been long awaiting. We were revealed the members of the Council of Light, who are on a quest to defeat the Umbra Queen before it’s too late. And, their greatest asset? You!

Shadow Magic was an update that would change battlel forever. There are pros and cons to Shadow Magic, each spell with its own. Shadow Shrike, feared by all you may face, along with Shadow Sentinel, and Shadow Seraph, useful for tanking hits and healing. Of course, there is the con of Backlash to these spells as well as their own cons, but that’s the risk of the forbidden magic.

So, you never know what to expect in the Spiral, and 2013 was that exactly. Perhaps we should be thinking the same of 2014, hmm?

It’s our second winner of the Birthday Celebration Blog Contest!  Kenneth IceBlade, level 81 Ice Wizard, tells us all about his favorite year… 2010!

I’ve played Wizard101 for over 5 years now, and my favorite year in Wizard101 history was 2010. So many new features and were added and it was totally awesome! 2010 added so many things to make the game even more fun, and here’s why!

First off, one of the best updates of 2010 was PETS! Wizards from all around the Spiral get to meet up in Wizard City with their best and most beloved pets and make something new and adorable by hatching with another person! They became more than just cute little animals who followed you around. They became talented, extraordinary creatures to assist you. The talents system is REALLY useful, and I love it when my pets cast healing spells for me, especially when I’m in a jam with a tough boss. I love my pets so much! And of course, let’s not forget training them. The games in the Pet Pavilion were super relaxing, and gave us Wizards something to do other than study in Ravenwood or go off battling monsters in Grizzleheim. The whole Pet Pavilion is pure fun!

Another huge release: the lost, faraway world of Celestia! I was so excited about getting to be the first to fight through the new bosses and experience the new storyline and everyone couldn’t wait! Not only that, but Selena Gomez made a stop in Wizard City, and it was cool seeing a celebrity from real-life being in the Spiral.

The release of Celestia also gave three brand-new, phenomenal surprises, known as the Astral Schools. These schools are extremely useful to all the wizards of the Spiral and have definitely given us an extra power boost to our spells! But none of us forgot our original schools though; our professors caught our attention with new Rank 8 spells for all Ravenwood schools, an awesome new spell for a powerful, legendary wizard!

And the last major release of the year was Gardening, another great hobby that wizards still do and love today. I always love harvesting my plants and getting some nice reagents to help me craft some good gear. And there was nothing wrong with a little showing-off of your exotic plants from all over the spiral in your garden.

2010 wasn’t just about the releases and content for me, though. I made some of my best friends in 2010, and I still talk to most of them even after the four years that I met them. It was even more epic when we got to battle our way through the Trial of the Spheres and defeat Mithraya together. 2010 was an awesome year for me and I hope I get another year like this in 2015.

Overall, the new content was amazing, especially the release of hobbies in the game, giving wizards something to do in their free time and relax, to just chill out like an Ice Wizard. Let’s not give too much attention to just 2010, though. The years before and the years after both gave Wizard101 amazing parts of the game that made the Wizard101 experience one-of-a-kind. I look forward to the new releases of 2015, and I hope you do too. Thanks for reading!

Time for the third winner of the Birthday Celebration Blog Contest!  Today Anna IronBlade, level 75 Myth Wizard, writes about spending quality time with her son playing Wizard101 in 2008.

My son Jon came to me wanting to play a game he had heard about called Wizard101 in 2008. He was only 8 years old, and I was seriously reluctant to allow him to be part of an MMO where he could have interactions with people from anywhere – and what those interactions would be. I relented after much begging (on his part) with the provision that I would also create a wizard and follow him around. We went to the website and took the test, carefully considering the answer to each question, weighing what was important to us and what made us happy. Headmaster Ambrose assessed our responses and sorted us into our schools. Jon’s wizard was Balance, mine was Myth.

I was amazed. I don’t know what I expected, but the characters were entertaining and the people I met were fun and helpful. Some were even parents like me. Unlike the Pokémon battles I was strong-armed into, it was wonderful together time with my young son that we both enjoyed. I loved wry, sarcastic Professor Cyrus. Jon learned spells from every school, begging for crowns to buy back training points more than once.

Wizard101 made him learn to spell, because if he couldn’t spell it he couldn’t say it. We did math, how much health did the monster have, and what spell was best? If we put our spells together, how many rounds? He learned how to be polite, take turns and to be a good sport when he didn’t get to kill the boss. Nice hit, good job. It was a team effort after all. Comparing our new spells, debating who was more powerful, teaming up for boss fights, we finally worked our way to the end of Dragonspyre and the biggest boss fight there was… Malistaire. Ten thousand health. Minions. A maze to work through before the final epic fight. We were Grandmasters. We had the coolest spells and pets available. It was like standing on top of the world.

Now Grandmaster is a small step on the way through many exciting and interesting worlds. We have mounts to run faster, our pets actually help us. We have quest helper to point the way. If you love someone’s pet, you can ask them to hatch and have one of your own. You can grow and care for plants in your home and are rewarded. You can even go fishing and spend some introspective time in the spiral. The game has grown and changed. I wouldn’t say I don’t enjoy it as much now as I did then, but there was something magical about that first year that I will cherish always. 2008, when we learned we could be Wizards.

Today our Birthday Blog Celebration Contest winner has a unique way of telling her favorite year!  Morgan Stormleaf, level 31 Storm Wizard, tells us her favorite year of Wizard101 with a poem!

One year, two years, three.
They were great, don’t you agree?
But four years, five years, six,
Childhood of magic and tricks.

Which one was my fave, you wonder?
The question hits me like a thunder.
I would say I don’t know, for real,
But I’ll have to think, we’ll make a deal.

Bringing back memories into my mind,
Wizard 101’s best year is what I’m trying to find.
But they were all so great, that’s the case,
Because the Spiral is such a wonderful place.

Such fun I’ve had with my friends,
Exploring more of those magical lands,
Completing our quests and leveling up,
Oh, Wizard 101, we’ll never give up.

“The sixth year” I finally say,
My answer coming with such a delay,
It was the best one so far, I decide,
It was the year of most fun, I can’t hide.

The sixth year. “And why?” you demand,
But the reasons are many, and grand.
First things first, I would start,
“I love Wizard 101″ and it comes from my heart.

The sixth year was a year of updates,
The year of new activities that Kingsisle non-stop creates.
Fishing, new dungeons, new clothing and more,
So much more to explore.

I did learn some more about astral spells too,
After battling for Wysteria and waiting for MooShu.
In 2014, I started Aquila as well,
Going there with deck full of Tempest, my favorite spell.

I started to like fishing,
Trying to catch the fish that I’m missing,
The power of storm, the power of life,
The power of ice, the power of fire.

And last, but not least, I made new friends,
We have fun together, and the fun never ends,
I met so many powerful wizards, from all schools of magic,
We shared some quests, and it was fantastic.

One year, two years, three,
Wizard 101 is the key,
But four years, five years, six,
Years of fun and no conflicts.

HAPPY BIRTHDAY, Wizard 101. Thank you for those amazing 6 years of fun and entertainment! Thank you for the interesting opportunities of meeting players from different countries, and completing quests with them! And mostly, thank you for the amazing year of 2014, which was personally, my favorite. See you in the game, everyone! :)

Another day, another blog winner for our Birthday Blog Celebration Contest!  Today Kevin FireBlame, level 84 death Wizard, tells us about his favorite year of Wizard101 so far – 2012!

Wizard101 made a lot of awesome updates, like the pet updates, the new spell updates, the world, quests and a lot more updates, they were all awesome, but we all have a specific update that we like most, in my opinion 2012 had some of those updates that I really liked most, let’s start!

May:-Avalon, new spells and pets.
First of all we have the medieval, fantasy world, Avalon! it’s the world where Merle Ambrose came from, I got really excited when this world was added and actually this world is the best world I have ever experienced; because I loved that it was somewhat like the medieval age where knights, giants, goblins and a lot more were in. and I liked the part when we went to the past to stop Malory from slaying King Artorius, and when I fought Young Morganthe with my friend. Of course new utility spells were added which were really useful, but the most useful one was Mass Prism in my opinion, and of course the new lvl78 pets! They had some very cool shapes and hybrids! Let’s move on.

August:-Mega Pets and new Elixirs!
This update made me so happy! Finally another level to pets! This means every pet now can get one more talent which was very useful to me, this update made predicting the talents easier, and it helped me balance my pet’s talents, damage with resist and healing. And I think this also helped others a lot. Then the new Elixirs! The most one I loved between them was the addition castle space elixir. This made me have more than three castles at once, so I can finally have different school castles. The second elixir I loved was Purreau’s potion #9; this made me hatch more than once a day so it was easier for me to create the best death pet. Moving on!

November:-Azteca and a lot of new Spells!
This month gave us the new, long believed to have been lost, Azteca! This world was my second most loved one; because I love dinosaurs a lot, and I also love meteors. And both of them were mixed in with the best game I ever played. Made this world very awesome! Plus the last boss, i don’t want to spoil it to anyone. And that wasn’t enough but now I get to use a dinosaur spell! New world means new spells! The rank 10, I am a death so The Avenging Fossil is the one I will get it! Still didn’t reach it but I still loved it before I even own it. Plus all the other star, sun and moon spells. The most three I would like to own are the enchants for blades and traps, plus the damage boost star spell. I hope to own them all because all those are really awesome!

2012 was just one of the years that I really loved, there are still more years that are as awesome as this, and of course we won’t forget 2014 that ended Morganthe’s Storyline plus the new fishing system. If Kingsile has already reached this far in 2014, then can you imagine what will they do in the next years? I can’t wait to see them! So let’s wait and let Kingsile Surprise us!

Today we have a great entry from our Birthday Blog Celebration Contest.  Blaze AshBlade, Level 27 Wizard tells us all about his favorite year of Wizard101 – 2014!

I have been playing for only a couple of months and have yet to see a game like Wizard101. The game has suspense, twists and turns. Right from when you defeat the draconians in Golem tower to when you beat Morganthe, the game has been absolutely, positively brilliant.

To answer the question that which year was your favourite, I cannot say. Amazing content has been released all the way from 2008 till 2014. But I think 2014 has been the pinnacle of Wizard101. So let’s go back and take a look to what 2014 has brought!

MARCH- DUNGEON RECALL, FIRE WIZARD’S HEALTH AND FIRE ELF
I had started playing in March and only a few days after I started playing, I noticed something or rather some things which had changed. My health. It had increased a bit. But that “bit” has saved my life quite a few times. Fire Elf. Mob battles were now extremely easy.

But now for the biggest one. Wait for it… DUNGEON RECALL! I am pretty sure you will not find a single wizard to whom dungeon recall is not helpful. I got stuck on a boss and was defeated and suddenly getting defeated wasn’t as depressing as it was. I would keep praising dungeon recall but that would take up hours so let’s look at the next wonderful month.

APRIL-KHRYSALIS PART 2, LEVEL HUNDRED, PETS AND SO MUCH MORE CONTENT
Khrysalis became my favourite world. I teleported there to one of my friends who was in Crescent Beach and even the music there speaks of the grand world of Khrysalis. Part 2 has so much stuff from Blue Razors to Morgantheherself that I could write a book about it but April had a lot of other stuff too which I massively and “Massively” enjoyed.

The coolest pets I had ever seen came in and they were tremendous. I spent all my gold on hatching and those pets, particularly the Sun Serpent, have been simply amazing both in talents and looks. Shadow spells, immensely powerful and dangerous too. People might even say it’s overpowered and should not be allowed in PVP.

And how can I forget castle games especially food fight. I think that castle games were one of the best ways I made friends and definitely it was one of the best updates.

JULY-FISHING
So if you have finished the game or want an easy way to earn gold or craft tapestries, fishing is for you. I loved fishing it was simply amazing, the Gobbler fish and Warhammerhead Shark were awesome and elixirs came with fishing too. Fishing was one of the most enjoyable updates and a good way to spend time when I had nothing to do.

AND FINALLY SEPTEMPER-BIRTHDAY!
Gobbler fish, free rewards and decorations. It’s all festive in the spiral so I, for one really enjoyed the birthday and put my energy gear on and went to fish and what’s this? A free fishing elixir. And they brought back the lost pages event which is awesome. Overall a ten out of ten rating from me. And finally to end it here’s a bit of poetry:

In March came dungeon recall
So that dead wizards don’t feel small
Then Khrysalis Part Two came out
With Morganthe’s battle came happiness
From East ,North ,West and South
Shadow Magic was for sore eyes a sight
And Fishing was more than alright
So now I and the World, we say
Wizard101 and KingsIsle
HAPPY BIRTHDAY!