I've been waiting for some time to post this top ten, but I wanted it to include not just my opinions, but those of other wizards around the spiral. With this in mind, I set up a poll asking users what their favorite instance was and why. I wanted to survey at least 100 wizards, and I just made my goal: 104! So here they are, the top ten instances!
Number 10... The Chancel!
The Chancel is a part of Celestia. With various original names including the Solar District, the Chancel has now been around for some time. The Chancel, which could originally be done for approximately 23,000 and then 10,000 experience, was a popular place for low level players, and even mid to high level players, to teleport in for multiple levels, and then repeat for that same experience. Later, you could only get the full experience once, then it was divided in half, and then no experience, like other instances. Even later, you had to be a certain level to receive the quest. The instance is an amazing place to farm, resulting in about 1 thousand gold per minute spent on average, oftentimes more, sometimes less. The place is great for Sandstone and Sunstone drops, plus amulets worth about 10,000 gold a piece. Besides being a great farming spot and good experience area, it also includes some newer creatures and offers more of a challenge than Dragonspyre instances - it's fun to run. The Chancel also includes a vital part of the Morganthe arc - our first encounter with Morganthe. Morganthe's teleporting signs are Death, which reveals her school. "Why are all of the major bad guys Death?" I thought all of the most power wizards were Death characters? Hehe... Anyway, we begin to realize Morganthe's hatred for the Celestians because she could not have their magic. With the recent picture releases, we know that she has retreated to the another world where she probably resides in the Elephant Graveyard. This area is included in the top ten because of its fantastic experience rewards, its history, its good drops and gold rate, its designs, and its essential part in the Morganthe storyline. Besides that, it's just fun!
Number 9... The Warehouse!
The Warehouse comes in at number nine for a number of reasons. Obviously its drops are decent, as its a high level tower. While it was decided that the tower would not be required to enter Celestia, it still offered the Wayfinder Gear, which was big for Myth because Ninja Pig was oftentimes an effective card and came with the hat. This was before Celestia and Wintertusk. The Warehouse was the latest excitement for Grandmasters for some time. It included several cheating bosses and a puzzle that were extremely fun. Originally, the firs boss could be killed simply by beguiling the Storm minion, who would then interrupt and repeatedly Storm Lord his own team until they were dead, leaving only him to finish. (And yes, I just used Storm Lord as a verb) The final bosses were plenty of fun, too, and people found a variety of ways to beat them. While the instance was only worth about 1425 experience, it was the latest excitement of its time and still remains a fun instance.
Number 8... Big Ben!
You might ask why a lower level instance is ahead of instances like the Chancel and the Warehouse. Not only did Big Ben receive more votes where popularity was concerned, it also remains a very clever instance with opportunities for an extra boss and badge if the user wishes. Upon first completing the full instance, spilling all the milk, and defeating Spike the Crusher, you will receive two badges in one instance. The size has been reduced from what it was originally. It contains several floors of regular enemies, an NPC floor or two, a puzzle, and more. Your first time through you'll get a quest to open three chests are varying degrees of rewards. These simply add to the already decent drops from the instance. There are also wisp floors and such, and Big Ben is home to the final Stray Cat, which means another training point. This instance also plays an important role in the Malistaire storyline. Marleybone has all lead up to the confrontation of Meowiarty, who helped Malistaire escape with the Krokonomicon (is that right?). We see Malistaire before we dispose of yet another of his minions in the process of bringing the Dragon Titan to life. From here, we go to Moo Shu and perform what appear to be a number of useless tasks simply to gain the Emperor's trust and get a key to Dragonspyre, but that's beside the point. Big Ben's final room is also well-decorated and in the direct center, you will be shifted up into the air using a glitch that seems to have stuck around. You can also find a History Book here.
Number 7... Malistaire's Lair!
You didn't think you'd see this until later, did you? Well it's coming in at number seven, and it definitely has its reasons for being on the top ten. At the time of its release, it was part of the first world to be released after all of the initial game and worlds themselves. The Lair is wonderfully decorated with all kinds of different uninhabited areas, beautiful "lava-falls," and Malistaire himself. The Lair offered all of the best drops at the time which could not be traded if I recall correctly, which meant that you had to win them individually on each character. With times battles and all sorts of encounters before actually reaching Malistaire, fighting him was a rare opportunity, and he has a number of rare possible drops, plus a chest afterwards. It also includes one of the first cutscenes in Wizard101, and it's pretty cool when Malistaire brings the Dragon Titan partially to life. Anymore, it's moved down to number seven, probably because Celestia brought new instances and bosses to master. There once was an enchanted Malistaire that had 100,000 health and once summoned a 50 health Sylvia who actually helped you during the battle unless you killed her. That never made it to the live realm. Still today, Malistaire's Lair is a favorite among players and now has the ability to be soloed because all of the times aspects were changed.
Number 6... Nastrond!
I was sure that I'd see this one on here. Nastrond is another creatively created area under Grandmother Raven's perch that leads you to the final bosses of Celestia which had some of the best drops of all time! You start out with small battles, but run into several battles with bosses that really have some valuable drops. When you face the next-to-last bosses, you get to have some fun against what are like unskilled versions of other characters, which made the battle interesting. When you finally defeating these four, you got to enter and get your look at the second Titan - the Ice Titan, Ymir. You get a mini-cutscene of the ravens preparing to awake the Titan. You have to defeat the deceiving sons of Ymir in battle where they use all sorts of cheats to try and stop you! The kicker is that they drop level 58 gear, as well as the Baconator set, the Lifeforce Blade, and two amulets that cannot be auctioned that are some of the best around. These outstanding drops make the instance worth it, and it's also easier than the Waterworks and has some great drops. There are also mana and health wisps within the instance. Because of this and the fact that you get a view of another Titan, Nastrond comes in at number six! Maybe we'll see the Storm Titan next!
Number 5... Tower of the Helephant!
The Tower of the Helephant is an interesting instance. It offers some new bosses, and one right off the bat, to test level 60 characters' skills! This is currently one of the hits because its considered one of the toughest towers in game and has some good drops, too. You have the chance to get a special ring and athame, though I prefer the crafted ones from Wintertusk. The instance also includes a creative puzzle. Throughout the instance, there are three bosses, which makes this instance one of the few challenging places for top level players in the game. This makes the Tower of the Helephant number 5!
Number 4... Trial of Spheres!
This final instance of Celestia is a huge hit - it contains the Celestia version of the level 58 gear, which offers a variety of thing, including some of the best resistance in the game to Ice characters. You can also get rare Celestian pets, such as the Sea Dragon, plus all sorts of other valuable drops. The instance starts out with a really nice looking area with four puzzles to solve, already testing your mind. It'll then be time to test your dueling skills. After facing the first boss, you have four fights before continuing on to the next boss, and then more puzzles and more potential battles before advancing to the final area with Mithraya. I was disappointed that we didn't see more Morganthe involvement here, but the instance is probably the most fascinating place in Celestia. That compared with the cheating bosses (3) and the great drops alone are enough to make the Trial of Spheres number four in the top ten instances.
Number 3... Tree of Life!
This is an obvious favorite. As well as it being a short instance for easy experience, it also has several great bosses for any level of players and good drops, too. Besides the three usual bosses, there are two hidden bosses and lots of potential pet drops here. There are also several badges to be earned based on what bosses you defeat and this is the final stage in Moo Shu before defeating the Jade Oni and advancing to Dragonspyre, so it's an important step in your journey to Malistaire's Lair. Besides all the bosses, drops, and titles to be earn, the instance is just flat-out fun! It also usually contains many reagents including Black Lotus, which can be replenished simply by restarting the instance. There are also common chests to be found, and Oakheart will keep you on your way with quests in this instance. There just so much to do here for all levels, and that makes the Tree of Life number three on the list of top ten instances!
Number 2... Halloween Tower!
The Halloween Tower is another instance great for all levels... and pays accordingly! There are three levels of towers, which means just about anyone who has completed the quest can go in and make it through. Pick a lower level that's easier or a harder level to try for some real goodies! This tower has some of the best drops - a variety of items that come around only once a year, and otherwise good Dragonspyre-level drops. These towers can make for quick money and great drops, but it's only available once a year, which makes it so exciting for players. The great money, potential crown drops, varying levels of difficulty, and rare appearance make the Halloween Tower number two on the top ten instances!
And Number 1 is... The Waterworks!
You figured you'd have seen it sooner, but the Waterworks comes in as number one on the list of top ten instances! The Waterworks is considered by many to be the toughest area of the game. The instance is located in Crab Alley and you need to be level 60 to get in. The instance is really well designed. You have four doors to visit. The first two battles are simple creatures, then you're faced with a rather interesting puzzle. I've done it with two people before, but it can be difficult. You then get to fight your first boss. If you're only in need of your level 60 hat, probably the most popular hat in the game, then this is the boss to fight. Originally, he also dropped Mega Snacks, but I believe that these have been removed. The drops from this boss alone are still worthwhile, and it's only the third battle into the instance assuming that you successfully completed the puzzle. There are a few wisps in the instance. You then fight several other battles before what could be one of the toughest bosses around. If you know his cheats, and his two boss-minions' cheats, it isn't too hard. The drops here are incredible - you have a chance to get your robe or boots, plus other rare items including pets. The recently introduced pets are included in drops, too, or at least I assume so after the Pink Jellyfish was confirmed a drop. Another pet, the Boar Knight, is only available through this final boss, too. While the instance is definitely only for top-notch players, it's super fun and the drops are some of the best around. If your farming for specific things, you can go only to the first boss. Due to all of these resources and reasons, and this being the instance that offers what's probably the best gear available, the Waterworks has been named the number one instance in our list of the top ten!
Halloween is almost over - on October 30th, Spooky Bob and his friends will be leaving the Spiral. This also means that all incomplete Halloween quests will disappear and the bosses who have Halloween drops will no longer have those drops. Get things while you can! Luckily enough, I've come across and entire Halloween outfit through farming and Nightmare Packs. Speaking of Nightmare Packs, the pack is retiring on November 6th, so get it while you can! According to Kingsisle, it's "leaving the crown shop" and is available "for a limited time." They never technically said "retiring," so the pack will likely be around next year during October, but those who have their Nightmare mounts and Dark Wraith Gear will get to show it off for an entire year before anyone gets another chance at it. Even then, it'll still be rare. Make sure to take advantage of the limited time offer, but also keep in mind that these packs are only a chance at what you truly want, but you'll usually get something interesting in a pack. If you're in need of more crowns, they're on sale $60 for 60,000 crowns, double the rate when purchased in intervals of five or ten dollars. The sale ends Sunday, so act quickly.
Another blogger reminded me tonight that I'd been doing a lot of bits of informational pieces, so I'd like to share a bit more of my adventures. While you can be sure that you'll hear all about them when new content is released, for now I'll be sharing pet stores, and I have quite a few! Stay tuned for my "Pet Post" coming in early November and expect a Halloween Special to be posted the morning of Halloween. That also reminds me - if you're planning to enter the "Design your own gear" contest, be sure to send in your work by October 31st!
And now, here's a little bit about an ongoing competition between Wizard101 and Free Realms. Massively asks, Which unicorn do you like better? The vote is currently 455 (22%) Free Realms Unicorns, and 1615 (78%) Wizard101 Unicorns! Visit THIS LINK to vote for your favorite!
Now for the end bit. Should I start putting this in a large, red box, or just make it an image to insert each time? I'll try that...
Number 10... The Chancel!
The Chancel is a part of Celestia. With various original names including the Solar District, the Chancel has now been around for some time. The Chancel, which could originally be done for approximately 23,000 and then 10,000 experience, was a popular place for low level players, and even mid to high level players, to teleport in for multiple levels, and then repeat for that same experience. Later, you could only get the full experience once, then it was divided in half, and then no experience, like other instances. Even later, you had to be a certain level to receive the quest. The instance is an amazing place to farm, resulting in about 1 thousand gold per minute spent on average, oftentimes more, sometimes less. The place is great for Sandstone and Sunstone drops, plus amulets worth about 10,000 gold a piece. Besides being a great farming spot and good experience area, it also includes some newer creatures and offers more of a challenge than Dragonspyre instances - it's fun to run. The Chancel also includes a vital part of the Morganthe arc - our first encounter with Morganthe. Morganthe's teleporting signs are Death, which reveals her school. "Why are all of the major bad guys Death?" I thought all of the most power wizards were Death characters? Hehe... Anyway, we begin to realize Morganthe's hatred for the Celestians because she could not have their magic. With the recent picture releases, we know that she has retreated to the another world where she probably resides in the Elephant Graveyard. This area is included in the top ten because of its fantastic experience rewards, its history, its good drops and gold rate, its designs, and its essential part in the Morganthe storyline. Besides that, it's just fun!Number 9... The Warehouse!
The Warehouse comes in at number nine for a number of reasons. Obviously its drops are decent, as its a high level tower. While it was decided that the tower would not be required to enter Celestia, it still offered the Wayfinder Gear, which was big for Myth because Ninja Pig was oftentimes an effective card and came with the hat. This was before Celestia and Wintertusk. The Warehouse was the latest excitement for Grandmasters for some time. It included several cheating bosses and a puzzle that were extremely fun. Originally, the firs boss could be killed simply by beguiling the Storm minion, who would then interrupt and repeatedly Storm Lord his own team until they were dead, leaving only him to finish. (And yes, I just used Storm Lord as a verb) The final bosses were plenty of fun, too, and people found a variety of ways to beat them. While the instance was only worth about 1425 experience, it was the latest excitement of its time and still remains a fun instance.
Number 8... Big Ben!You might ask why a lower level instance is ahead of instances like the Chancel and the Warehouse. Not only did Big Ben receive more votes where popularity was concerned, it also remains a very clever instance with opportunities for an extra boss and badge if the user wishes. Upon first completing the full instance, spilling all the milk, and defeating Spike the Crusher, you will receive two badges in one instance. The size has been reduced from what it was originally. It contains several floors of regular enemies, an NPC floor or two, a puzzle, and more. Your first time through you'll get a quest to open three chests are varying degrees of rewards. These simply add to the already decent drops from the instance. There are also wisp floors and such, and Big Ben is home to the final Stray Cat, which means another training point. This instance also plays an important role in the Malistaire storyline. Marleybone has all lead up to the confrontation of Meowiarty, who helped Malistaire escape with the Krokonomicon (is that right?). We see Malistaire before we dispose of yet another of his minions in the process of bringing the Dragon Titan to life. From here, we go to Moo Shu and perform what appear to be a number of useless tasks simply to gain the Emperor's trust and get a key to Dragonspyre, but that's beside the point. Big Ben's final room is also well-decorated and in the direct center, you will be shifted up into the air using a glitch that seems to have stuck around. You can also find a History Book here.
Number 7... Malistaire's Lair!
You didn't think you'd see this until later, did you? Well it's coming in at number seven, and it definitely has its reasons for being on the top ten. At the time of its release, it was part of the first world to be released after all of the initial game and worlds themselves. The Lair is wonderfully decorated with all kinds of different uninhabited areas, beautiful "lava-falls," and Malistaire himself. The Lair offered all of the best drops at the time which could not be traded if I recall correctly, which meant that you had to win them individually on each character. With times battles and all sorts of encounters before actually reaching Malistaire, fighting him was a rare opportunity, and he has a number of rare possible drops, plus a chest afterwards. It also includes one of the first cutscenes in Wizard101, and it's pretty cool when Malistaire brings the Dragon Titan partially to life. Anymore, it's moved down to number seven, probably because Celestia brought new instances and bosses to master. There once was an enchanted Malistaire that had 100,000 health and once summoned a 50 health Sylvia who actually helped you during the battle unless you killed her. That never made it to the live realm. Still today, Malistaire's Lair is a favorite among players and now has the ability to be soloed because all of the times aspects were changed.Number 6... Nastrond!
I was sure that I'd see this one on here. Nastrond is another creatively created area under Grandmother Raven's perch that leads you to the final bosses of Celestia which had some of the best drops of all time! You start out with small battles, but run into several battles with bosses that really have some valuable drops. When you face the next-to-last bosses, you get to have some fun against what are like unskilled versions of other characters, which made the battle interesting. When you finally defeating these four, you got to enter and get your look at the second Titan - the Ice Titan, Ymir. You get a mini-cutscene of the ravens preparing to awake the Titan. You have to defeat the deceiving sons of Ymir in battle where they use all sorts of cheats to try and stop you! The kicker is that they drop level 58 gear, as well as the Baconator set, the Lifeforce Blade, and two amulets that cannot be auctioned that are some of the best around. These outstanding drops make the instance worth it, and it's also easier than the Waterworks and has some great drops. There are also mana and health wisps within the instance. Because of this and the fact that you get a view of another Titan, Nastrond comes in at number six! Maybe we'll see the Storm Titan next!Number 5... Tower of the Helephant!
The Tower of the Helephant is an interesting instance. It offers some new bosses, and one right off the bat, to test level 60 characters' skills! This is currently one of the hits because its considered one of the toughest towers in game and has some good drops, too. You have the chance to get a special ring and athame, though I prefer the crafted ones from Wintertusk. The instance also includes a creative puzzle. Throughout the instance, there are three bosses, which makes this instance one of the few challenging places for top level players in the game. This makes the Tower of the Helephant number 5!Number 4... Trial of Spheres!
This final instance of Celestia is a huge hit - it contains the Celestia version of the level 58 gear, which offers a variety of thing, including some of the best resistance in the game to Ice characters. You can also get rare Celestian pets, such as the Sea Dragon, plus all sorts of other valuable drops. The instance starts out with a really nice looking area with four puzzles to solve, already testing your mind. It'll then be time to test your dueling skills. After facing the first boss, you have four fights before continuing on to the next boss, and then more puzzles and more potential battles before advancing to the final area with Mithraya. I was disappointed that we didn't see more Morganthe involvement here, but the instance is probably the most fascinating place in Celestia. That compared with the cheating bosses (3) and the great drops alone are enough to make the Trial of Spheres number four in the top ten instances.Number 3... Tree of Life!
This is an obvious favorite. As well as it being a short instance for easy experience, it also has several great bosses for any level of players and good drops, too. Besides the three usual bosses, there are two hidden bosses and lots of potential pet drops here. There are also several badges to be earned based on what bosses you defeat and this is the final stage in Moo Shu before defeating the Jade Oni and advancing to Dragonspyre, so it's an important step in your journey to Malistaire's Lair. Besides all the bosses, drops, and titles to be earn, the instance is just flat-out fun! It also usually contains many reagents including Black Lotus, which can be replenished simply by restarting the instance. There are also common chests to be found, and Oakheart will keep you on your way with quests in this instance. There just so much to do here for all levels, and that makes the Tree of Life number three on the list of top ten instances!Number 2... Halloween Tower!
And Number 1 is... The Waterworks!
Halloween is almost over - on October 30th, Spooky Bob and his friends will be leaving the Spiral. This also means that all incomplete Halloween quests will disappear and the bosses who have Halloween drops will no longer have those drops. Get things while you can! Luckily enough, I've come across and entire Halloween outfit through farming and Nightmare Packs. Speaking of Nightmare Packs, the pack is retiring on November 6th, so get it while you can! According to Kingsisle, it's "leaving the crown shop" and is available "for a limited time." They never technically said "retiring," so the pack will likely be around next year during October, but those who have their Nightmare mounts and Dark Wraith Gear will get to show it off for an entire year before anyone gets another chance at it. Even then, it'll still be rare. Make sure to take advantage of the limited time offer, but also keep in mind that these packs are only a chance at what you truly want, but you'll usually get something interesting in a pack. If you're in need of more crowns, they're on sale $60 for 60,000 crowns, double the rate when purchased in intervals of five or ten dollars. The sale ends Sunday, so act quickly.
Another blogger reminded me tonight that I'd been doing a lot of bits of informational pieces, so I'd like to share a bit more of my adventures. While you can be sure that you'll hear all about them when new content is released, for now I'll be sharing pet stores, and I have quite a few! Stay tuned for my "Pet Post" coming in early November and expect a Halloween Special to be posted the morning of Halloween. That also reminds me - if you're planning to enter the "Design your own gear" contest, be sure to send in your work by October 31st!
And now, here's a little bit about an ongoing competition between Wizard101 and Free Realms. Massively asks, Which unicorn do you like better? The vote is currently 455 (22%) Free Realms Unicorns, and 1615 (78%) Wizard101 Unicorns! Visit THIS LINK to vote for your favorite!
Now for the end bit. Should I start putting this in a large, red box, or just make it an image to insert each time? I'll try that...
I should have done this a long time ago...
Whoa. Now THAT's what I call instant exp. in words. Thanks!
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