February Character Update

We all know that February was the month we were hoping for a new test realm - and we got one, too, just not quite what we were expecting. But this month, despite not having having much news in terms of content, was actually full of discovery and memorable moments, both in Wizard101 and Pirate101.

To See the Future, One Must Look to the Past

It's a slogan used a lot around Ravenwood, and it's exactly what I did this month in terms of major Wizard101 posts. I started February with a pretty interesting side quest feature on Avalon's tapestries HERE, which is accompanied by some great graphics to tell the story of that world.

Later into the month, I talked about bundles and the potential they have. I even tied it into Khrysalis as the special effects used there. You can read that article HERE. One of the slightly more in-depth pieces followed closely after, covering the missing pieces of each school and discussing whether or not those holes should be filled, and if they should, exactly how that should be accomplished - HERE. The month ended with the announcement of the Wizard101 Test Realm opening and another Khrysalis Part 2 Teaser HERE.

My own adventures inside Wizard have been somewhat limited, though I've been pursuing several interesting things. First, I noticed Alex Lionheart wearing a robe above that I really like. You can dye it, too.

Turns out it's part of the Sultan's gear from the Mega Bundle, and while it's similar to a Krokotopian robe, its additions and changes make all the difference. Unfortunately, it's no longer available. I'd never noticed it before because the set as a whole isn't appealing, but it matches perfectly with Alex's outfit here (and would even better, perhaps, if he dyed it blue).

I've also been overloaded on Mega Snacks from my EMP gardens, so my plots and pots are taking a short break, while I'm spending some snacks leveling pets, specifically a Life one, to Mega for Grub Guardian and hatching purposes.

You know you have too many snacks when it's quicker to fail the dance gear and feed the pet snacks than to worry about playing it for four extra points.

Unique Boss Gear Guide Initiative

I recently started a guide to unique boss gear dropped in Pirate101 on Pirate101 Central HERE. I'm still missing several images and items, so take a look. That has been my entire month in-game on Pirate101 - farming for unique boss gear. And let me tell you, it's been a crazy ride.

I've actually been after several totems that are unique to the bosses that drop them for the most part, but don't necessary show up on your character. The first is the Orthrus' Sinister Eyepatch from the Orthrus in Aquila. Is gives an Assassin's Strike card for Musketeers, which is perfect for my melee combination setup. I received it while farming with Shy Samantha.

Not long after, I decided to do one Hydra run. There's one rule for the Hydra - never do it alone. Plus, taking friends makes it more enjoyable, and allows them to share in the loot. And there was certainly loot to be had. Destiny Devereaux joined me for my run, and we received the Igneous Fangs, giving the Stygian Chorus power along with a few nice universal stat boosts.

One of the highlights of my gear farming was also completing English Bill's (the Duck of Death) gear set. Not all bosses drop hat, outfit, boots, and a weapon. He's one of the few. I farmed him for a long time at Boot Hill previously, and finally received the last piece that I needed - his hat - from him on the Silver Stallion after farming with Nathaniel Everhart (though he was not with me when I finally received the hat).

Marco Pollo and Associated Theorycrafting

For Pirate101, it's been a rather active months for posts - not in number, but in quality. My first post (HERE) discussed an interesting issue with the Blades of Shade that involved quite a bit of in-game testing with Duncan Stormthief. It wasn't but a few days later that my Privateer was discovered by none other than Alric Ravensinger, the head Privateer himself. You can read about my adventures on that character HERE.

My big one was called "Pollo's Crew and the Quest for El Dorado." The graphics alone in this one took upwards of six hours, not including the over four thousand words written for this expanded article. It's definitely worth the read, though. Check it out HERE.I finished things up with some coverage of One-Eyed Jack's new Avery Courtcam and some of the items associated with it. That might be worth checking out HERE.

I also started this new little Friday tradition. I cover as many blogs as possible that did posts that week in an overview for those who missed out. I haven't done one this week yet - I'll probably do it tomorrow. To keep up on these overviews, follow Swordroll's Blog on Twitter HERE.

I'm definitely looking forward to continue working to obtain as many unique items as possible this next month - and that's just what's going to start off March in terms of new posts, so stay tuned!

Thanks for reading and see you in the Spiral! Credits: Thanks to Alex Lionheart for showing me his robe. Published with his permission. Thanks to the Bloggers' Night In group for throwing around ideas and offering feedback!