Wizard101 Level 98 Shadow Spell Guide and Analysis

Wizard101's release of Khrysalis Part 2 brought with it three new sets of spells. The first was a set of Shifts (HERE),  then globals (HERE), and the third is three new shadow spells! While my original prediction that the first set of shadow spells would be related to the Moon school, the next the Sun school, and the last the Star school was incorrect, these new shadow spells are definitely an adequate substitute. Let's give them a look.

Darkness is Upon Us (Where Do I Get the Darkness!?)

These new spells are similar to the old ones, but have some major differences. For one, these cost two shadow pips each (though evidence suggests they were originally going to cost only one). That means that once we train these new spells, we'll have the potential to gain an additional shadow pip. They also have a shadow icon where the spell type is listed, which our current shadow spells do not have. At least two of the old shadow spells have these symbols, and all of them probably will eventually.

The most major difference is that these do damage instead of increasing our stats. Instead of polymorphing into a shadow creature, one crawls out as a shadow behind us, watching for three rounds before it makes its attack. I'll explain that in detail in just a moment. First, you're going to want to run and pick these up! Doing so will take you from Initiate Shadowmancer or Journeyman Shadowmancer. Once you've hit level 98, and progressed far enough into the story to rescue Elana Darksun in the Solar Arc in the Kondha Desert, you'll be able to learn one new Shadow Creature spell for free based on your school.

How These New Shadow Spells Work

Each one of these new spells is an attack. You choose a target and then a shadow crawls out behind you. Now you have three rounds before it attacks. Like previous shadow spells, you can either please it or upset it. Not only will this affect backlash, but it will also grant bonus effects.

Dark Nova	Dark Fiend	Dark Shepherd
400-1600 Shadow damage Please it on Round 1, and receive a +40% Shadow damage blade. Please it on Round 2, and receive a +10% Shadow piercing blade. Please it on Round 3, and it will cast a universal +25% damage trap.	580-945 Shadow damage to all enemies Please it on Round 1, and receive a +40% Shadow damage blade. Please it on Round 2, and receive a +10% Shadow piercing blade. Please it on Round 3, and it will pierce an enemy shield.	300-750 Shadow damage to all enemies, swap half to health Please it on Round 1, and receive a +40% Shadow damage blade. Please it on Round 2, and receive a +10% Shadow piercing blade. Please it on Round 3, and it will place a +25% incoming healing trap on you.

Each of the three likes and dislikes different things, as explained below. Each one corresponds with an old shadow spell - Dark Nova with Shadow Shrike, Dark Fiend with Shadow Sentinel, and Dark Shepherd with Shadow Seraph. It likes similar things, sometimes including its matching shadow form!

Dark Nova	Dark Fiend	Dark Shepherd
Dark Nova favors high amounts of damage. Increase your damage output to keep him happy. Preventing damage will displease him. Likes: Blades, traps, buffing, etc. Dislikes: Shields, negative wards, defenses, etc.	Dark Fiend likes all obstacles removed from hitting his targets. He will attack the entire enemy team. Likes: Attacks, steals (Steal Ward), Shatter, etc. Dislikes: Shields, negative wards, defenses, etc.	Dark Shepherd likes to steal health and keep her caster healthy. Don't bother adjusting how much damage you can do. Likes: Heals, Guiding Light, Guardian Spirit, etc. Dislikes: Blades, traps, buffing, etc.

At the end of three rounds, the shadow behind you will take form and attack. The attack ranges are pretty big, meaning it could be a lot of damage or a more average amount of damage, but for two pips that you really can't utilize otherwise, this is pretty great.

Come to the Dark Side

These shadow spells have a lot of advantages. Think of it simply as a one-round attack that you use and move on. You have to use it in such a way that the spells that follow will be based on what the shadow likes. However, they can like things like attacks and steals, heals, and blades and traps. Simply decide what you're getting ready to do, and cast the corresponding shadow to match. You'll get an above-average-damage attack for pips you can't really use otherwise for essentially nothing, if you play it right.

Nothing except... backlash. Like all Shadow spells, these new ones have backlash, and it can be as small as a few hundred damage or as large as a few thousand damage. You'll see bosses use these spells in Khrysalis Part 2, and their backlash is usually much higher. Players can manage theirs much easier.

Dark Nova

Dark Nova does 400-1600 Shadow damage. For only two Shadow pips that couldn't be utilized elsewhere, that's pretty powerful, but it's also a big range. That's another drawback to this type of Shadow magic. With the initial spells, you were taking some damage for increased stats (and the occasional boost). With the newest spells, you're getting higher damage output at the cost of taking some damage, while also having to deal with high damage ranges, but having the benefit of added buffs and bonuses with your chosen shadow.

Dark Nova is all about maximum damage output to a single enemy, dealing up to 1600 damage naturally. While there's no Shadow damage boost, natural boosts very likely apply, just as universal resistance applies to Moon damage, though it doesn't show on your stats page. It's not hard to have very good stats and end up with about 50% universal damage. That's a 600 base for two shadow pips at minimum, and up to 2400 on the upper end. Definitely something to both utilize and watch out for.

Dark Fiend

Dark Fiend does 580-945 Shadow damage to all enemies. That's a pretty powerful spell all by itself, but add in those blades and buffs from pleasing it, and you could be in for some big damage. Dark Fiend has a smaller damage range, but also can't do as much damage naturally, which is generally true of AoEs. The compromised damage amount for a smaller range doesn't mean you can forget about backlash and bonuses from pleasing the shadow. This particular one is useful, as its third-round effect is potentially piercing an enemy shield, and effect that can add to any big-damage hit. And it doesn't require you giving up blades or casting the spell yourself and wasting that turn.

Dark Fiend is perfect for a pre-hit setup. It likes damage and steals and shield-clearing in general. If you're preparing for the shadow, you're probably "wanding" off shields and using small attacks to prepare as it is. The boosts for Shadow damage only you'll get from pleasing it will be all the setup you need with this output damage.

Dark Shepherd

Dark Shepherd does 300-750 damage to all enemies and swaps half to health. With healing included, that's 450-1125 health offset with that single spell with Shadow pips with no use otherwise. And that's just one enemy. As you get more, it translates to more damage and more health, like with Dark Fiend. It has the middle damage range (450) - larger than Dark Fiend's 365, but smaller than Dark Nova's 1200.

Dark Shepherd is great for Life wizards and the healers in the group. If they're already going to be using Guiding Lights and healing spells, throwing this shadow up beforehand will really pack a punch while you're reviving teammates - and that's one of the coolest parts of these spells. If incorporated properly into your usual routine, they can set up for themselves and deal major damage.

The Real Backlash

With the first set of Shadow spells, KingsIsle took a lot of heat, particularly from disgruntled PvP players who were complaining about Shrike. There are certainly times that it pays to speak up and voice concerns for the betterment of the game. I decided to observe some of these myself, and while they did seem to be, in part, additions to "Crit Monster" setups, Shrike can essentially be negated with a shield. And let's be realistic - how many attacks can you throw out one after another that really do effective damage in three rounds? Maybe three - if the opponent sat and did nothing in response.

The new spells don't normally get tested very thoroughly until they hit the live realm, and I do hope KingsIsle realizes that in deciding whether or not they need changed. I often feel like any change is reluctant and once something goes live, it's tough to correct. Hopefully, players will find that these spells are at least somewhat balanced in PvP, though one major issue I'm seeing is the huge damage output with only one shield available, which is going to start making certain spells a necessity. We'll see where it leads, though, and hope for the best.

What are your thoughts? Let me know by commenting!

Thanks for reading and see you in the Spiral! Thanks to Seffers and Alex Lionheart for information on the function of these spells.