Wizard101 Polaris Test Realm Bugs, Feedback, and Suggestions

Wizard101 has released Polaris, and with it some new features, spells, and updates to old systems. Having run through the world and paid close attention, I've noted several bugs and potential improvements here. This is one of my favorite updates to the game yet, and I share this list in hopes that it goes live as spotless as possible.

Polaris Storyline / World

• The bears at the end of the Sea Chicken do not have to be fought and overlap each other
• Leaving the Sea Chicken does not properly allow re-entry and so if the crates are not dumped, the whole instance has to be started over. Then, loading the crates downstairs counts as dumping them.
• It is extraordinarily frustrating that several instances are counted as gauntlets and cannot be teleported in to.
• If you leave the theater and return to dance, Bearyshnakov will be in his old position on stage.
• I do not understand why basic boss rooms and instances cannot be teleported into. This is entirely inconvenient.
• One of Warden Vissarovich's cheat phrases reads "TBD."
• The Flag Tower is one or two levels too long.
• Ivan's name appears too large in the Imperial Palace.
• Battles are not showing what henchmen are choosing.
• When fleeing, your henchmen flee with you. They should stay for the remaining people in battle.
• Clicking the quick sell icon on the left notification area simply brings up the dialogue about how a particular item was placed in your backpack instead of the interface.
• Every time I switch zones in Polaris, I lose all passengers on multi-person mounts.
• The combat theme in Forlorn Taig is playing too quietly or not at all.
• Many storyline quests are not automatically being picked up. Instead, you must again press "x" to start the next quest.
• The Snow Treants have a natural attack with a rock, but the rock is not properly lined up with them.
• There are no wisps in Walruskberg or throughout Polaris.
• Detolli the Destroyer's dungeon only shows the dialogue to the first person to enter each room.
• Dual-boxing Polaris is infuriating. Every step of the way, there's a quest to miss and dungeons do not seem to save your progress at all if you exit them. Both with dumping the crates and finding Baba Yaga, I had to repeat the whole dungeons because the goal registered on one and not the other.
• Overall, the ending to the revolution bit of the story is a little battle-heavy, and we fight a lot of guard bears over and over.
• Sometimes, Baba Yaga's final minion does not join even after attacking.
• Baba Yaga's "Learn that at Ravenwood? How quaint." shield-stealing cheat seems to work only sometimes.
• The badge for Baba Yaga reads 1/1 Baba Yaga but displays no title.
• Captain Zubkov's dialogue is only shown for the first person to enter the room.
• There are too many mob fights with the penguin revolution, but you could place some of them among quests in the River of Frozen Tears and Urville Station.
• Pit Boss Minok's lair only shows the dialogue only to the first person to enter.
• The docks dungeon in Frigid Maw only shows the initial dialogue and camera angle to the first person to enter.
• I am really thrown off by the bosses where you must collect a chest for the drop like you do Aphrodite. Sometimes these chests are not as visible and are missed. It would be nice if there was a notification or some dialogue indicating that it appeared.
• Character and pet shadows appear grey instead of black in Frigid Maw.
• Ofiera Chillvencom must be soloed, as anyone who is not the first person in will not load the location.
• The battle with Cyrio Cassini has no combat music.
• Our level 108 spell quest seems too short and too simple.
• The Kataba Iceblock entry camera angles and dialogue only appears for the first person in.
• Ivan and Mellori only show up for the first person in the Kataba Iceblock dungeon. This also means that only the first person receives the benefits in combat.
• Ivan and Mellori have no swimming animation, only an idle one.
• After Mellori animates one of the golems, the "Congratulations, little witch..." bit of dialogue falls under Mellori's name and image, but in context seems like it should be Rasputin's.
• Inside the first chamber with Ivan the Greater, the dialogue says "Voice of Ivan." It shows the golem's picture. This seems like it doesn't belong.
• Only the first person into the Titan Forge gets the dialogue.
• Ivan is supposed to sit the Ygor battle out, but still provides a bonus in some cases.
• One of the badges reads 1/1 Ygor but has no title.
• The Borealis Peaks mountain layers will shift in front of and behind each other as you change angles.
• The Jeweled Slopes only show the first bit of dialogue to the first person to enter. Likewise, only the first person will receive the assistants.
• The fog on the Borealis Peaks is a little bit too thick.
• One of the badges reads 1/1 Warlord Minok but has no title.
• There is an odd bug with Rasputin in the Horizon Hold where the dialogue is interrupted, you're pulled into battle, but Rasputin doesn't join as he's still in his old form, so the dungeon must be restarted.
• I really like the fact that we get to see the cutscene into each time we enter the Horizon Hold. I also like the trend of putting end-world bosses in single rooms instead of lengthy dungeons.
• The ending with Old Cob has me a little turned off. Previously, Wizard has always surprised us with what world we were visiting, now not only are the worlds laid out for at least 60% of the arc, but so are some of the major villains. I always got a vibe from Old Cob that he was interested in something beyond just destroying the Spiral, but it seems that is his and his children's end goal. I hope there is something else to it or the arc will essentially be Morganthe's on a grander scale.
• Polaris ends too abruptly. I don't expect a resolution with Bartleby or the Auroracle yet, as they may still be sick, but it would have been nice to report to Ambrose and met Ivan in the inn for stroganoff at least.
• I think there's a lot of potential to flesh out the story in all areas after Forlorn Taig. Specifically, there are some mobs that we don't fight at all such as the snow treants and sea lions in Urville Station. Both could be used for a main quest.
• The overall difficulty of Polaris was refreshing and fun, a welcome change after the stress of the Galleries. This world really brings back the magic to Wizard101.
• Polaris, overall, tops Avalon as my new favorite world. The story, the arc, the camera angles, the dialogue... all fantastic.
• A special note on the music - I am not usually a fan of combat themes, but I love the one used in the Borealis Peaks. I also really like the Arcanum theme. The music is really well done here.
• Polaris is the first world which, for me, achieves an overall feel to it that goes beyond individual quests and goals. What I mean by that is that I sense a direction of the story, not just in Polaris, but in this arc, and the music and environment and dialogue create this feel. 
• Polaris is also the first world in Wizard101 in which I was truly blown away. Exploring he Arcanum is now my most memorable moment in the game.
• (11/2) I took two wizards into the Rasputin dungeon and one got Mellori and her effects and one got both Ivan and Mellori and their effects.
• The same wizard who got both assistants and both battle effects also had Ivan follow them after handing in the quest to defeat Rasputin. He is supposed to go back to the Inn.
• The Borealis Relic of Resolution has a stag as an icon in homes. 
• I cannot place wands on the wooden castle blocks.
• Rasputin is not displaying a cheat phrase for all of his summons.

Voiceover Bugs

• Red Rosa's voiceover for the following dialogue does not match: "Take the side entrance into the palace. Defeat the Seals, and we can arrest the Empress. Then it's her turn to experience the Basstille!
• Duchess Carwalina is missing a voiceover for the following line: "Ooooo! You there! Stop whatever is it you're doing and come over here this instant!"
• Mellori's voiceover for the following dialogue does not match: "Well, you found her house all right, but the witch isn't home. She's probably in her garden, but I wouldn't disturb her. She's not very nice."
• Ione Virga's voiceover for the following dialogue does not match: "Take the World Door to Avalon and join Velma von Venkman in Caliburn. I feel at least slightly hopeful you two can put an end to this scourge."
• Captain Winters's voiceover for the following dialogue does not match: "All right. When you're ready to deploy, climb aboard the dinghy. That'll take us to the main ship, and then we're on our way."
• Captain Winters's voiceover for the following dialogue does not match: "That's no Ice Cube. It's a floating fortress. Rasputin may have a despicable demeanor and terrible hair, but you have to admire his brilliance."
• Lieutenant Snow is missing a voiceover for the following line: "Hm. I've seen my share of Underwater Access Grates before, but I've never seen anything as advanced as this. It's sealed on tight."
• Lieutenant Snow is missing a voiceover for the following line: "I can blast the grate, but I'm going to need Methane Clathrate for the detonation. Sorry, the less technical term is Fire Ice."
• Mellori is missing a voiceover for the following line: "Fine, fine. Let's just get it over with. Ivan, you may want to take a look at the grate. The Wizard and I can handle this."
• Mellori is missing a voiceover for the following line: "We're right behind you. Wizard, you can bring up the rear this time."
• Ivan the Greater's voiceover for the following dialogue does not match: "Did I hear correctly? You need help opening the vault door? I will open it for you. Perhaps this will get my father to speak to me again."
• Ivan the Greater is missing a voiceover for the following line: "Wait, Father. Let me explain. Please, no...!" 
• The capitalization of "father" is inconsistent in these bits of dialogue.
• Mellori's voiceover for the following dialogue does not match: "According the schematics, the golems are just a prototype for what he's building in that chamber over there. It's called the Titan Forge."
• Rasputin is missing a voiceover for the following line: "Ygor will see to your demise. Oh yes, that reminds me, as a parting gift, Ygor, take my Grimoire. I don't need it, and it may prove useful."
• Ivan is missing a voiceover for the following line: "No, fish-man. Ivan and Wizard like it just fine on here on deck. It is you who will go overboard, back into sea, where you belong."
• Boris the Boarder is missing a voiceover for the following line: "Guess you won't be swimming with the fishes after all. Pyuh! Fine, you stay above water, we stay below. Better that way anyhow!"
• Captain Jack Coosto is missing a voiceover for the following line: "Impressive. Your skills in magic are a fascinating phenomenon. If you lived under the sea, I would study you."
• Captain Jack Coosto is missing a voiceover for the following line: "Ah, but now our voyage nears its end. The Borealis Peaks are in sight. You must simply go below deck and apply the brakes to the Wheel Box."
• Captain Jack Coosto's voiceover for the following dialogue does not match: "Well done, Wizard. We are slowing down just in time to reach the Borealis Peaks. Come back up onto the Deck."
• This text is italicized and none of this character's other dialogue is.

Texture Quality

The following textures appear pixelated or blurry and are in need of refinement:

• The front of the graduation gown is pixelated.
• Many of the polar bear guard jackets are pixelated.
• Some of Zoot's fur appears pixelated around the edges.
• Ivan and Rasputin appear pixelated in some of the close-ups in the mine.
• Many elements of Rasputin's shadow form are pixelated.
• The moon in Winged Sorrow and Wings of Fate appears pixelated.
• Elements of Rusalka appear pixelated.
• The layered robe with the cape appears pixelated.
• The textures on the back of the cape seem to be overlapping and causing some odd flashing.
• some of the supports for the overhangs in Forlorn Taig do not properly blend together.
• I think the Horizon Hold may previously have had a center ramp, but it no longer does. The cracks in the ground around the Sky Anchor still go up in the air now as if it were there after the battle.
• Some of the cracks meet the anchor in an odd way and overlap.
• The broken Horizon Hold glass does not appear transparent, but instead as a solid piece with stars behind it. The problem with this is that the sky effects do not show through and it looks solid rather than like it's supposed to.
• The tall hats do not follow the head properly when riding the White-Striped Ziger.

New Spells

• Rusalka's Wrath does not enchant properly. 
• The accuracy on Rusalka's Wrath is only 65%.
• Nested Fury is too powerful in relation to other Balance spells and other shadow spells.
• Snowball Barrage needs an additional effect
• Witch's Housecall is too powerful.
• Winged Sorrow's Beguile effect should be changed to something else.
• (See Texture Quality section for additional comments)

Fishing / Other

• I'm excited that we can finally fish in houses!
• It seems that some fish have been missing. The Merle Ambrose fish was known, but that's because we had nothing in the Massive Fantasy Palace. The Catch of the Day showed a Grendel Doodlefish, but no one can find this fish. Are there other new ones that haven't been added yet?
• Catch of the Day is a clever, if somewhat confusing, idea. The calculations for the gold bonus could be communicated a bit more clearly.
• The bread crumbs interface and connecting various bread crumbs is confusing. There is no distinction between then making it next to impossible to select the one you want from the interface. It is also difficult to understand all the options.
• I will reserve all comments on the critical and block update until it's appearing correctly on the Test Realm, save for this: Updating only part of the system at once is going to be tricky, because those two groups of players are certainly going to interact and overlap in PvP up until the whole system can be overhauled.

Have you noticed any bugs in the test realm? What would you change?

Thanks for reading and see you in the Spiral!