"Happy First Birthday, Wizard101 UK" and a New Video!

Happy Birthday, Wizard101 UK! Wizard101 UK is turning one, and to celebrate, you're getting an inside look at what's different in Wizard101 UK. You'll see pictures, learn new facts, and more! And in addition, there are crazy prizes for both the US and UK! Read all about it in this special post!

Introduction

To get more familiar with Wizard101 UK, I needed to log on myself, and see what it was really like, and how it was different from the US's version. I logged on and created a character, who ended up being Balance, and set forth on my journey to find the differences in the game. I quickly learned that with only TWO realms, a lot of the members know each other, and it's a close community! "We stick together," Talon Dragonflame said.

Questing in the UK

No matter where you're playing Wizard101, you're sure to make memories, it both questing and friendships. Starting out in the UK was exciting, even though I've leveled a Balance character before. While the Commons are all decorated for Christmas, they also sport fancy banners and stands for the birthday party!

That picture above is me summoning Judgement for my level seven spell, Precision!

I've revisited the basics of the Balance class, and learned from different school repetitiveness how each school seemed to be the best when Bartleby's children waged war and tore the Spiral apart.

I've already met some interesting people, and made many memories!

"[The best part is] me and my friends helping each other," Autumn Moonheart told me. "They've actually helped for the last FIVE levels - 55-60!"

I've found that one of my favorite spots as a nonmember here is the Kraken - decent gold, and an interesting, different location. It got me to thinking. What if the next world had a central boss area, with several different winding paths. One went down a hill, one in a cave, one in a forest, one down a path, etc, or maybe all of the sigils lined up at the edge of a cliff requiring certain glyphs to be activated... anyway, we could have a bunch of bosses that might cheat or have special rules that are all in one place. You'd have to do certain quests and sidequests that might possibly extend beyond the current world, and each sigil took you to a boss is a differently designed, interesting area. And maybe it would simply be a bunch of portals, with open areas like the Kraken!

Playing in the UK

As you can see with the Kraken, having no one around to fight him 24/7, and on the busiest realm, too, is quite refreshing! You can quest on your own. It can, however, be a hindrance if you need someone to step in and help quickly, but I suppose that's what those close friends are for.

Wizard101 UK's smaller community definitely seems to stand out the most!

Visiting the Crown Shop

One of the things I was excited about was the Crown Shop - I'd hear that it was different, and while it contained many similar items, it also has some new ones!

This first thing I noticed was not a wooden platform, but linked wooden platforms, like you build to navigate to the secret boss in Katz's Lab!

You could also buy the Ancient Spear for level 50 and up from the shop, which was nice considering the fact that the UK didn't get pre-paid cards! My Symmetrical Wand is still the best, right?

The Birthday Celebration

There were all kinds of plans for celebrations! Wizard101 UK player and blogger Mason Swiftblade teamed up with Diary of a Wizard for a variety of parties and giveaways! "I haven't just paired up with Diary of a Wizard," Mason adds. "I'm also pairing up with IcyWiz (Christina Icedreamer) to bring a special event to StormyWiz's Worldwide Party! Upcoming events on the anniversary can be found on the Facebook event page at http://www.facebook.com/events/272032262844755/. Upcoming events include a contest with Diary of a Wizard, where you can win some magnificent prizes! Also, parties on the US server and UK! The Wizard101 UK Party can be found on www.board.wizard101.co.uk in the General Discussions section where it is a sticky thread. The Wizard101 UK celebration in the US is going to be held at StormyWiz's worldwide party! All details can be found on the Wizard101 UK Anniversary Bundle page!"

Today the official party was held in the commons, and they took pictures for Wizard101 UK's Facebook page! Thanks to my expert time-zone conversion skills and tight schedule, I missed the get-together, but I'm sure it was great fun, and there's still more to come - free membership and members benefits for everyone for the next two days!

Conclusion

While Wizard101 UK shares many of the same attributes as the US's version, it has a few different Crown Shop items, and can really play out differently. You have to do some work here, because when a new world comes out, it isn't exactly swamped with people... at least not near as badly as the US, after all, the UK only has two realms! That makes the players even closer, though, and you have a chance to get to know many fun people! If you ever get the chance - give Wizard101 UK a try!

If you haven't seen it yet, Wizard101 has released a new video! You can see both Friendly and Paige in there!

Remember, today is the last day to submit your ideas on the top five rarest treasure cards before the post tomorrow! Thanks for reading!