Analyzing the Level 68 Spells, Plant-A-Palooza, and December Newsletter

After posting "Zafaria Pt. 5" about the Test Realm updates, it quickly became the most popular post, and so I assume that readers are interested in that topic. As part of the second ever combined PvP Talk and Question of the Week, we'll be analyzing the newest spells - how they affect the game, PvP, questing, and how they change each school.

Let's start with Storm - Sirens. Sirens was the only spell that wasn't shown in the initial trailer for Zafaria, so it certainly left Storm wizards wondering what to expect. Before long, Misty, a Central user, had the spell and had pictures and a video. The problem was that he assumed that the odd new signs here were stun! Who could blame him, however, all of the new spells had odd new, unidentifiable signs. I quickly realized the correct meaning, and posted it there, but it apparently was skipped over. He later opened a new thread saying that this effect, whatever it was, wasn't showing up. In fact, the effect was that it broke two blades, which would explain why you might not see it at first. Traditionally, mermaids, sirens, and similar creatures sing to confuse sailors and sink ships. In Homer's The Odyssey, Odysseus encountered these on his ten year trip home. He placed wax in his shipmates ears, but had himself tied to the mast to listen to the song. These stories probably inspired Siren's high damage - originally over 900, plus breaking two blades, adding a -50% accuracy charm, and reducing the threat on the caster! Quite a set of effects. Many screamed "overpowered," but in all reality, Sirens was perfectly powered. The damage was all in one piece, and in 4v4 PvP, where it would likely most commonly be used, enemies almost always had a shield on some sort, often an individual Storm one. Therefore, the damage could be easily avoided. While the breaking of two blades was damaging, it couldn't be done before what I called the "initial attacks," which occur immediately on the turn that the team gets seven to eight pips. The accuracy was also temporary, and could be removed with these cast of a spell without any lasting effects, and may even not work at all. The "sooth" portion of the spell really only aided Storm wizards in PvE, which helped them in general, as they typically have low health.

Fire received Rain of Fire. It was a spectacular animation with a little Water Mole village under which a volcano erupted, but many were glad that it wasn't simply called "Volcano." It did 300+800 damage over three rounds to all enemies! As opposed to Fire Dragon, the bulk of the damage was moved to the "over-turn" bit of the spell, making it harder to avoid unless the whole team had a triage handy. Even then, they still had to suffer from it's initial and first hit! The spell still costs nine pips, but makes for a nice shield-breaker and attack both in PvP and PvE. Fire wizards needn't complain here, they snagged yet another great spell!

Ice got Woolly Mammoth. It's initial downside was the fact that the hit wasn't definite. It could be anywhere from 800-900, but this was still a considerable amount for Ice. It also stunned the opponent, making this a nice spell for Ice in PvP, and a decent one-hit to power up in PvE. With the correct amount of blades, a Woolly Mammoth and Colossus of Frostbite could be an interesting combination in the arena. While Ice didn't run away with the biggest loot, the spell was in line with what the school needed, and certainly an excellent variation to traditional spells. I have an Ice wizard, and I'm certainly satisfied!

Death received the spell Dr. Von's Monster. Despite it's Storm-like appearance, it is a steal spell. It does 820 damage to one enemy and converts half of that to health. It then adds a -25% healing charm to the enemy. I have a Death character, and was pretty pleased with the spell. If you were low on health, it meant a quick restoration, plus damage on the opponent. That wasn't mentioning that they would be slightly downgraded in healing ability. The charm also stacked with a regular Infection, so if you were preparing for two good hits, and Infection-Dr. Von's Monster-Insert Spell Here combination could be quite effective, especially on someone who relies heavily on healing and only has single, large heals in their deck. In PvE, it's only yet another chance for Death wizards to plaster on a few Feints and Curses, maybe a couple of blades, and now even a Dark Pact or two for some massive damage and healing that ought to take out any boss.

Myth came out on top again with this spell. After it's last installation of Shatter - a three pip defense destroyer, and Talos, a stunning, earthquaking, wizard-like minion, the school had been one of the dominant ones in PvP, and now they've got one more trick up their sleeves. Their 325+825 Myth damage over three rounds became their first DoT spell. As if you didn't have to worry about double hits, Earthquakes and Shatters removing all of your defenses and blades, and stuns, you now have to shield extra, for they've got a DoT! And did I mention that it stuns? This makes it impossible to removed anything but the final hit with a Triage, making any enemy susceptible to its capabilities. With a quick couple of blades, an Earthquake/Minotaur-Basilisk combo is almost certainly deadly and leaves your opponent free of all shields and blades!

Life didn't do too badly at all this time around with Gnomes! No, not Gnomes, Gnomes! Besides having what is probably the neatest animation, Gnomes! does a solid 780-880 damage to one enemy plus adds two Life dispels. These dispels do stack with regular ones, but the two along will keep your opponent busy, even if he or she does have an active Spritely pet! This will be great for oponents who heal quickly and often, especially if they aren't Life, because they'll have to plow through two dispels before trying to regain any health lost. Repeatedly using these and shield could leave your opponent completely entangled and unable to heal. It also offers Life a better shot at being able to power up one big hit in PvE.

Finally, Balance received Chimera. Originally, it did 90 total less damage, but if was increased in the Test Realm - you'll learn more about that later. While it does do more than a typical Judgement at these pips, it still has the ability to be blocked by shields. Then again, that's this spell's strong point. If their opponent has a Tower or two, and a Balance character wan'ts to burn pips, get rid of it, or use blades effectively, here's a way to do it! With the three heads and three individual hits, it'll work wonders for those who forgot their creative shield breakers for cheating bosses, plus it's got a great animation! In the long run, it helps Balance in PvE, but PvP wise, I think they'll be sticking to Judgement and other low level spells... at least I will!

Now not all of these spells were just like this when they were released! In fact, three were different.

Chimera started out doing only 310 damage per head. It was later increased, but only slightly.

Originally, Sirens did a bit more damage! Yes, it was actually decreased over the course of the Test Realm's running due to complaints. I personally never thought that it was overpowered, but Kingsisle listened to a majority of their players.

Dr. Von's Monster was originally named "Katzenstein's Monster." Not only was it harder to refer to because of its difficult spelling in game, but the name also hardly fit on the card! It was changed to Dr. Von's Monster and a minor Infection was added.

Whew! That, in a nutshell, was your Question of the Week, PvP Talk, spell analysis, etc. Hope you enjoyed!

Wizard101 is planning a Plant-A-Palooza this December, where all seeds are up to 50% off, and two new and retired seeds are being (re)introduced into the Crown Shop! Take advantage of this sale while you can!

They've also released the December Newsletter with everything you should watch for this month, including giveaways on Wizard101 Central. You can find that link on the sidebar. To read the full newsletter, visit https://www.wizard101.com/game/community/newsletter/december2011! 

Thanks for reading!