Wizard101's latest pack addition is the Road Warrior's Hoard. With a series of innovations in the last several packs, including the Witch's Hoard and Terror's Hoard, there was a lot for our Road Warrior items to live up to. As usual, I'll be taking a look at what's inside this pack and how it stacks up against the competition.
The Road Warrior's Hoard Pack
The newest game pack has some pretty awesome items and it's game page is surely one of the more enticing of the pack advertisements. Wizards everywhere flocked to the Crown Shop for Wizard101's latest addition, but was it money well spent?
Road Warrior's Chopper Mount
The highlight of any hoard pack is the mount. The Road Warrior's Chopper is no exception. With its fairly intricate model design and unique textures reminiscent of Ghost Rider, it by itself would be enough to draw this Necromancer to the Road Warrior's Hoard Pack.
However, there's something special about this mount. KingsIsle has answered the long-time call of players for a faster mount. Instead of the stats we've been seeing on a few of the more recent mounts, this one gives a 50% speed bonus, 10% more than the usual 40%. Combine this with your speed boots and start riding on some ice and you may scarcely be able to control where you're going.
I have to award the mount an A+. Understand that while I haven't been doing these reviews for every pack, no other pack mount has received this grade. Too often the mounts are unique but the stats are old or are not unique at all. This mount is the best of both worlds.
Mount Grade: A+
Road Hog Pet
This new pet is the perfect companion for any biker. With talents such as Lively, Fuel, and Armor Breaker, the Road Hog is more than just looks. It starts out with an impressive pedigree of 61 and a Fuel card. Its looks are just an added bonus.
Pet Grade: B
Biker Gear and Wands
While there have been some complaints about the recurring theme of helmets not being very feminine, the general consensus has been that the look of the latest gear sets is pretty cool. As much as wizards may love the looks, though, the stats aren't quite up to par. Competing with some of the stronger gear in the game requires universal resistance at least, but it is not unusual that pack gear does not meet this need.
The wands have stood out as another reason to purchase these packs. Formerly, the Terror's Hoard Pack wands surpassed (or at least came very close) to the Malistaire wands. Now the Road Warrior's Hoard Pack wands surpass those as the new best wands in the game, but not just for their stats. This pack is paving the way for future wands by introducing sockets to the wand items. Formerly, no wand has had sockets, and these now allow the affixing of one square jewel. Besides that, they are some of the cooler-looking wands.
Gear and Wand Grade: B+
House NPCs and Furniture
In addition to some new trends in gear and mounts, the Road Warrior's Hoard Pack continues a trend started in the Witch's Hoard Pack: housing NPCs. This is a really exciting mechanic because it means houses are much more dynamic and it may evolve into small quests, rewards, or even housing shops. Imagine how popular those would be in packs.
It seems now that we're working our way backwards from Polaris in the Witch's Hoard Pack to Khrysalis and Azteca in this pack, so it's safe to assume we'll at least get Avalon in the next pack, which could be very cool, and possibly Zafaria.
The other items of interest in this pack are new furniture, including fancy floor glyphs, Marleybone stands, and more.
Housing Item Grade: B
Treasure Cards and Other Items
Normally the extra items are not particularly interesting. The Road Warrior's Hoard Pack is an exception. We have new treasure cards in this pack, and not just the same old thing with a slightly varied description. There are actually new minions for each school available, along with a fuel (triple trap) spell for each school.
Measuring Up
This pack is pretty unique, but how does it stack up against the others? What makes the Road Warrior's Hoard Pack better than any other pack?
What's New
In this pack, we have a faster mount than any before it, wands with sockets, some gear with an appealing appearance, new house NPCs, and some furniture items. Most of those are completely new concepts, and some are new versions of older concepts. This is pretty impressive for a pack when compared with all of the other packs that are significantly less innovative. Even when compared to the newer packs that contain new kinds of items, it isn't looking too bad.
The Verdict
This is one of the first packs where the filler items might actually be something you want. Not only that, but it's most coveted items are executed particularly well.
Overall Pack Grade: A
Compare to:
Winter Wonder Pack (B+) | Gloomthorn Nightmare Pack (A) | Immortal's Lore Pack (C+) | Witch's Hoard Pack (B-) | Terror's Hoard Pack (A-) | Harrowing Hoard Pack (B-)
Thanks for reading and see you in the Spiral! Credits: Thanks to Iridian for pictures of several of the treasure cards and to Jennifer for pictures of other treasure cards and her gear.
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