Category Archives: Community
Barbaric Beast Contest!
A new Grizzly Beast “hoard pack” just came to Pirate101, and it brings lots of Grizzleheim-themed items! If you didn’t see Pirates in the Sky’s guest post on Destiny’s Travels, check it out here! Also, check out Destiny’s post on our blog, here! Grizzleheim is likely to come to Pirate101, so we wanted to brainstorm some ideas for the world! In the Barbaric Beast Contest, you can create your own companion or quest (or quest-line!) for Grizzleheim!
(Also, enter our giveaway for three Grizzly Beast packs on Twitter here before September 19! You’ll need a parent’s permission to get a Pirate101 Twitter account if you are under 13.)
If you’re choosing to enter the Create-a-Barbaric-Companion Contest, follow these rules!
You must:
- Include the class or classes (you can pick All Classes) that receive the companion
- Include the level the companion is recruited at, or what point in the storyline (beginning, middle, end) of Grizzleheim they are recruited at
- Include how many levels above the pirate the companion is when they are recruited (0, 1, 2, or 3 usually)
- Include the class of the companion
- Include the epics the companion starts with and can train
You should, but it is not required to:
- Include a picture (drawn, edited, or screenshot from Wizard101 or Pirate101)
- Include a promotion storyline
- Include levels the companion promotes
- Include title(s) for the companion (i.e. Mouse Swashbuckler, Mouse Corsair)
If you’re choosing to enter the Create-a-Grizzleheim-Quest Contest, follow these rules!
You must:
- Include a reference to Grizzleheim or make part (or all) of the quest take place in Grizzleheim
- Include a unique title for the quest
- Include at least three quest goals
- Include at least one “talk to an NPC” goal, and at least one “defeat a creature” goal
- Include dialogue (including, but not limited to: NPCs, companions, and creatures)
You should, but it is not required to:
- Include a prequest/post-quest: you can be as detailed as you want with these quests
- Include a background story as to why this quest is happening
- Include new NPCs that the player must talk to/creatures that the player must defeat
- Include images of each quest goal (for example, click here)
- Include images of all new NPCs or creatures (drawn, edited, or screenshot from Wizard101 or Pirate101)
Email your entries to 
before September 28 at 11:59 PM Central Standard Time! If you win, you will receive an email in reply with your prize code and a short message of congratulation!
Grand Prize (1, either contest) 5,000 Crowns
1st place (1 per contest) 2,000 Crowns
2nd place (2, either contest) Random Springtime Pet
3rd place (1, either contest) 1,000 Crowns
Honorable Mention (1 per contest) x1 Grizzly Beast Pack
Good luck!
New and Nefarious
Though players have been itching for a new world, it may be held off even longer due to new structures found in-game. A “nefarious tower” was found by players in the Spring Update Test Realm, and then was pointed out by developers in the most recent newsletters.
Along with teasing with a video (here) KI has also revealed a screenshot. Moo Manchu likely is in charge of this “nefarious” tower, and is seeking revenge on the player. Moo Manchu obviously is more well prepared in the screenshot than before, with heavier armor and an enhanced weapon.
Moo Manchu, in the absence of MooShu’s emperor, sent ninja pig assassins to the meeting of the Celestial Congress, the annual meeting of MooShu’s governors. Moo Manchu is trying to wreak havoc among the government so that he can take cover and perform other evil work. Moo Manchu is trying to fulfill the Prophecy of Tso Wa, where stone soldiers would destroy the world. Moo Manchu is trying to reincarnate them and make them alive. A truly nefarious plot, is it not?
After the Pirate defeats Moo Manchu, he vows for revenge.
Note: If you have not yet encountered Moo Manchu, seek out this quest from Lord Chagatai once you have unlocked Subata Skyway in Mooshu.
Ever since May 2011, wizards in Wizard101 that are level 60 or higher have ventured into the underwater Crab Alley to farm the Waterworks, a quite “nefarious” dungeon where wizards must defeat enemies en route to pull four pressure safety levers which will stop the magic from being taken away from Triton Avenue. Several of these enemies, however, are enhanced and do not act like regular bosses. They force wizards to play certain ways, otherwise the wizards are attacked very forcefully.
So far, Ratbeard has told us that:
- It is not part of the storyline
- Enemies will be more difficult than regular enemies in the storyline
- There is more than one boss
From that, we can infer:
- It is likely a continuation of the Moo Manchu side storyline
- Enemies will cheat
- Several floors of the tower will have bosses
The Nefarious Tower will, almost certainly, be the Waterworks of Pirate101.
What gear will be dropped from the Nefarious Tower? Wizard101 had an interesting setup: Hats were dropped from the first major boss, on the fourth “floor,” then robes and boots were dropped from the final bosses, on the ninth and final “floor.” There was only one gear set. The Nefarious Tower also has nine floors on the outside, so the inside will likely be the same amount.
I am slightly worried that this gear will be overpowered, as the gear in Wizard101 was used for almost 30 levels after, universally. Pirate’s gear has always been different, but some items are still standard for certain classes. Especially with the new Crowns weapons, the best weapons for any class, this gear might have such good stats and powers that you would be at a huge disadvantage without it.
I am hoping that there are at least 3 sets of gear for every class, like in Tartarus in Wizard101, but with diverse powers and stat boosts so that there will still be diversity in Pirates’ gear. Hopefully, there will be a Moo Manchu set (styled like the old Moo Manchu gear, or his new armor) and one or more other sets with completely new designs.
Even if the layout (on the inside) is similar to the Waterworks, with the same amount of floors, and likely bosses/puzzles, I know that Pirate101 will make this a very unique and exciting continuation of the Moo Manchu storyline!
Guest Post by D.S. Devereaux: Why Grizzleheim is P101’s Next Big Priority
“We’ll have more to discuss soon, and I don’t want to Boar anyone with details, so let me just wish you the best of summer fun and offer a few words of guidance for the coming months: temperatures can sometimes be a Bear as summer moves along…”
Jay Gordon
Boar and Bear. These are two of the terms of note in the producer’s letter inconspicuously laden with words like it, perhaps hinting at summer updates. With the Advanced Pets/Companions changes in tow, it would be surprising to see any major changes soon, but players suspect that there is still something to come this summer. Hey, I don’t want to Boar anyone, either – let’s take a look at what these two words could denote.
Happy 2nd Blogaversary! (Contest)
Pirates in the Sky is now 2 years old! I can’t believe that time has gone by this fast and it has been two whole years since Pirate101 was announced and I published this blog!
Celebration!
Pirates in the Sky (and its social media profiles) have been updated with a new look! Please enjoy this new theme with new buttons in the sidebar.
Also to celebrate the Blogaversary, there will be a contest! The goal of this contest is to make your own Springtime Bundle.
Rules
You must:
- include a Witchdoctor Lab or a housing item that works like it
- include a current springtime pet or create your own springtime pet
- include a springtime companion
- work by yourself
- make a $29 or $39 bundle (look at the Empire Bundle and Hoodoo Bundle for examples)
- finish by May 14th, 2014 at 12:00 noon Central time.
- email your finished bundle/entry to piratesinthesky (at) gmail (dot) com
Suggestions:
- include a diverse number of items that are unique to this bundle
- think of a type of Springtime candy (Springtime Pet)
- think of a small area you would like to enter in your house (Witchdoctor Lab item)
- use the Shermlock font – it’s the one used in the picture above (have a parent help you download this if you are under 13)
Prizes
1st: Ninja Pig Companion + Featured on Site
2nd: Witchdoctor Lab + Featured on Site
3rd and 4th: Springtime Pet + Featured on Site
Most Creative and Most Realistic: Featured on Site
How To: Increase Your Drop Rate!
I am bringing back the “How To” series! Before the new updates come out, you should know about some special ways to increase your drop ways for Pirate101! I’m going to list the ones that have worked best for me.
Strategy 1: Asking Nicely
KingsIsle is a very kind company, and very kind companies compensate if you ask them nicely. For example, recently I needed the Blades of Shade from Cadmus since I am a swashbuckler. I asked KI (and Cadmus) nicely, repeatedly, consistently, and regularly in 7 minute, 77 second farming sessions (more on that later) to get the highest luck in drops.
He said yes.
Strategy 2: Specific Farming
Your farming for gear must be peerlessly precise to perceive the perfect paraphernalia in your pack. Particularly, each battle should take 7 minutes and 77 seconds. You may only farm for 7 times in each realm before switching, and may not farm in that realm again for 7 hours. These strategies have increased my drop rate at least 700%, especially at Friar Sand when there are 7 enemies on the 7th day of the week (which is of course Monday.)
Strategy 3: The Nurse Quinn Effect
This is the most successful strategy I have tried to date. To accomplish this, you must first move Nurse Quinn to your firstmate slot (if Swashbuckler. If Witchdoctor, Batacuda. If Buccaneer, MQ Crossbowman. If Privateer, Nanu Nanu. If Musketeer, Romba.) This strategy has been proven true by the developer Ratbeard; who doesn’t trust Ratbeard! You know, that talking rat that tried to steal our gold, our piece of the map, and betrayed us countless times…
Following your crew order switch, enter the battle you wish to receive your item from. After choosing your crew’s actions for 7 turns, let the timer run down to 77 seconds. Rub your stomach counter-clockwise while patting your head. Let the timer run out. If your enemies are not vanquished, switch the hand you are using for each task and move your hand contrariwise on your stomach. Best results found in Cool Ranch.
Results from extensive testing
Asking Nicely: Cadmus x17: 7 Blades of Shade, 3 Eagle Shade’s Quiver, 6 Blades of Light, 1 Glowing Eye
Specific Farming: Friar Sand x77: 7 Friar Sand’s Unyielding Hiragana, 7 FS’s Gourd, 7 FS’s Medallion, 7 sets of 7 pieces of Class Gear
The Nurse Quinn Effect: Captain Blood x7: Captain Blood’s Hat, CB’s Outfit, CB’s Boots, CB’s Hook, Blood’s Reaver, CB’s Eyepatch, Blood’s Amulet, Ring of CB
Conclusion
You can’t get the Captain Blood’s Eyepatch, Blood’s Amulet, Ring of Captain Blood, Glowing Eye, or Blades of Light without these strategies. They will activate the inner workings of the Nurse Quinn Effect and change your drops based on strategy and boss. Good “luck” farming! Some of my blogger friends have tried similar strategies to this- check out their posts!
Destiny’s Travels – D.S. Devereaux | Swordroll’s Blog – Jack Teach
Wizards Unite – Ian Sharp | Adventures of the Spiral – Sneaky Kevin
The Simple Swashbuckler – Beatriz Abbott
The Metal “Eye”Patch
Click to enlarge
The Metal Eye Patch is a reward for entering a code received from one of “Avery’s CourtCam” events. These are announced on Pirate101’s Twitter the day of the event and only last for about 15 minutes. Friendly Thomas, also known as The Friendly Necromancer or One-Eyed Jack will give out a code related to a camera (Cam and Camera have been the two codes as of 2/24) that redeems for an eyepatch.
Those that are there at the predetermined time are recorded using the KingsIsle flyover and posted on Pirate101’s vine account then tweeted.
These types of giveaways are a step in the right direction for KingsIsle! They can keep players entertained while preparing new content updates! Make sure to keep checking Twitter if you want an eyepatch- good luck!
What to do While Waiting for Test Realm
Well, we have all been expecting Test Realm to be released for about 2 months, but it still hasn’t come. Here are some things that you can do while you’re waiting for the test realm, but have reached level 65.
1. Farm for Gold
What pirate doesn’t need some extra gold? I recommend farming for gold at Friar Sand because he not only drops a hefty amount of gold (and sometimes good gear!), you only have to defeat one enemy but get drops from all! You can also get more gold while you’re farming for gear; more on that later.
If you’re not going to buy 200,000 gold housing items like me, shown above, I would certainly suggest purchasing some companion Training Tomes from a Professor in a tavern. It is ideal to train all of your companions to level 65 before the new update comes out, and what’s a better time to do it?
2. Farm for Gear
Whether you are going to PvP or if you just need some extra powers, new gear can get that for you! There are several guides on Pirate101 Central that can get you the gear you need. Hopefully sometime in the future it can all be one guide. Here are the guides: Original: Levels 1-40, MooShu: Levels 40-45, Marleybone: Levels 50-55, Aquila: Levels 55-60.
There is also a new guide published by Swordroll that covers boss’ gear drops that look the same as the boss’ clothing! These are very unique so be sure to look at the Illustrated Guide to Unique Boss Gear.
Be cautious: There is lots of gear to pick from, and it may take many fights to obtain. Get a list of what powers you want, then consult all of the guides.
3. PvP
Some of us have had bad experience in Wizard101 PvP, but so far Pirate101 PvP is much better. I might stay away from overly crowded realms with random matching. I recommend setting up matches privately with other players.
It’s lots of fun, but make sure you have farmed for gold and gear before doing this! Duelist101 has some good strategies for PvP pirates.
4. Housing
You’ll also need some gold for this one! Buy a house from the Crown Shop, there are ones for every class and some that are Skull Island themed! (You could also get one from the Empire Bundle or Cutthroat Bundle- both $39 at GameStop.)
Housing is a little hard to find, but there is at least 1 vendor in every world, and you can get items from the bazaar or Crown Shop! Paige’s Page has a lot of information about housing, and showcases some houses for you to get ideas from!
5. Side Quests
Even though some side quests don’t seem like much fun, they often have very interesting storylines, great rewards, or both! For example, Zeena is unlocked from a side quest, and can be trained with Burst Fire 3, and has Rain of Fire arrow attacks. The Aquilan Pegasus mount is unlocked from a side quest. To find out more about these, visit the Pirate101 wiki to search for side quests you may not have completed!
While some of these may or may not seem like very much fun, I’m sure you can find something you like to do while you’re waiting for test realm to be released. Don’t forget, you can also make new characters!
Dueling Diego: The Start of Pirate101 Prizes
Earlier this week, Pirate101 posted on their Twitter account, announcing the release of Pirate101 Prizes on their gaming website, “FreeKIGames.”
Links: Follow Pirate101; #Pirate101; freekigames.com/dueling-diego; Reply to this Tweet; Retweet; Favorite this Tweet
Dueling Diego was previously a Wizard101 game, but now it has switched genres. What does this mean for Pirate101?
Dueling Diego is a cartoony game with easy to learn controls. It progressively gets harder and you win a prize based on your score. You have three lives and have to jump over barrels and fight various types of monsters. Prizes are based in a tier-ranked system, but it is currently unknown exactly how tiers are determined. When you complete a game, if your score is high enough, a valid Pirate101 game code and a “Redeem Code” link will appear below your score. Click it, and you will be taken to the Pirate101 website to redeem your code!
PART I: THE GAME & GUIDE
There are four levels in Dueling Diego.
On level 1, your enemies will consist of Blood Bats and Gobblers. It has an abundance of obstacles (barrels) and has a 5-heart Gobbler Pirate boss at the end. Think you can take it on?
Blood Bat
1 health, 100 points. Must hit at same level as blood bat.
Gobbler
3 health, 80 points. Hit the Gobbler before he hits you!
Gobbler Pirate
5 health, 1000 points. Must hit quickly after he raises his sword.
After you’ve left the ship’s hold, there are still barrels rolling around, and you encounter some new enemies. Fight the Fire Elves and the Shield Gobblers to get to the next Gobbler Pirate.
Fire Elf
1 health, 120 points. Jump over his arrows until you can get close enough to hit him with a low attack.
Gobbler (shield)
3 health, 150 points. When you see him, remember where his shield is. Hit that area when you get to him, then switch the place you hit, then switch again.
Gobbler Pirate
See above.
You’ve swam to the shore of Skull Island, but the natives are acting strangely. Get ready to meet 3 new enemies!
Fire Elf
See above. (120 points)
Nose Goblin
3 health, 200 points. Similar to Fire Elf, just be more cautious of the spears. You can hit with any attack.
Snake
3 health, 200 points. Hit it with the low attack with the right timing, and you won’t be hurt.
Nose Goblin Shaman
5 health, 1000 points. Like a Nose Goblin with more health, and can dodge (move away from) your attacks.
Hint: Once you defeat the Nose Goblin Shaman, don’t go into the cave right away. Stay outside and wait until you have 3 hearts restored.
You’ve cleared the shore, but behind the shaman was a mysterious cave. Francesca is probably in there!
Snake
See above.
Ghoul
4 health, 500 points. Watch out, the ghouls move very fast and can hit you unexpectedly.
Blood Bat (cave)
1 health, 200 points. See above, but moves significantly faster.
Skeleton
3 health, 600 points. Pretty much like the Fire Elf, but you can hit him with any attack. Relatively easy approach- jump over two projectiles he throws then strike. (Repeat, but only jump over one)
Roberto
Unknown health (appears as 1,) 2000 points. He will not be affected by your attacks. Dodge his attacks and let a spike fall on his head.
Falling Stalactite
Watch out for these on the ceiling. They hurt!
PART II: ANALYSIS
Wizard101 has had online minigames (and an app!) for quite a while, starting with KI Free Games and moving to FreeKI Games this October. Doodle Dug, Dueling Diego, and Sorcery Stones started the online code-giving minigame sequence, with WizardBlox, a game like Sorcery Stones, as a mobile app. Later, a revolutionary idea (especially in Wizard101) was released as an app and minigame on KI Free Games which many players joined in. You could train your in-game pets while not having to do tedious, repetitive training games, or while not at the computer! Dueling Diego is a step in the right direction, and would be even more amazing if it were released as an app.
We may see other popular minigames from Pirate101 launched onto FreeKIGames.com such as Pirate’s Pub or Windjammer, because so far Dueling Diego is a hit.
Dueling Diego gives unique prizes, some that have never been seen before. So far we know you can get furniture, ship equipment, training tomes, or rental mounts.
From left to right: Small Candle, 2x Pineapple Jug, Wicker Basket, Monkey King Piece, Armor Media
So this means that we may be getting even more new equipment with the coming updates to Pirate101! Test Realm should be coming out soon- we never know what we’ll get!
Sources: For the information Dueling Diego used to be a Wizard101 minigame: “Free Online Games|Dueling Diego” Proof of other prizes: “Twitter / Pirate101” More evidence of other types of prizes: “Message Board post by One-Eyed Jack“
Recent Drawings
Lately I’ve been interested in drawing, so here are a few of mine. Please do not use them without my permission.
Inspiration pictures
Drawings
Pirate101 Test Realm Opens!
While we’re preparing Pirate101 for a much larger update coming in the future, we still felt there were a few pressing items we could no longer wait to introduce . . . things like major bug fixes, Buccaneer class improvements, improved Kraken Skulls Tavern companions, simplification of ship combat, new holiday items and some all new Skull Island themed gear! Read on to get all the details of this latest update to Pirate101.
Awesome! View the update notes by clicking here!
NOTE:
- This Test Realm is available to Members with an Active Membership.
- This Test Realm is also available to Crowns Players who have made a purchase of $6 or more in the last 30 days.
- This Test Realm is NOT available to Free to Play Players.
For more information, please see the official Test Realm page here:http://www.home.p101/free_game/test_realm
Once you mark the checkbox to agree to the conditions and rules of the Test Realm, the download link will become available.
Pirates in the Sky 
