Category Archives: Introduction
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!
A Thirteenth Book? (Part 2)
A war story for book 13…
-Blind Mew
If you haven’t read his quote before, check out part 1. I want to start out this post with a section of the previous quote;
Book 13 is going to be a bit darker than what we’ve done before, and it’s definitely a war story.
Maybe I’m over-thinking this, but it seems that this may also fit Marleybone. Marleybone has been to go to war, and we could possibly see a darker side to the realm as we did with MooShu.
Another subject that Blind Mew mentioned was Marco Pollo’s photograph. He sent his attached to a letter to Merle Ambrose. Here’s what Blind Mew said about it:
It’s a good bet that all the people in that photograph will be showing up at one point or other (at least, those that are still alive).
So we may be visiting any of these fellows. And anywhere. (hint hint)
KingsIsle has left traces of Marleybone heritage throughout our travels, and something that many pirates are talking about is an open stormgate in MooShu. Even One-Eyed Jack has talked about this. He made a quick comment: “There are many mysteries in The Spiral! This is one of them.”
Also, we’ve all noticed the Marleybonian Galleon in the crowns shop? Perhaps it means more than you think.
A character named “Rooke” in the storyline (for those of you that do not know) has also mentioned going off to Marleybone. With all these references it’s pretty hard to ignore.
Again, maybe I’m over-thinking this whole message, but I believe there is some truth under the sand. As we still do not know what this world may be, only time can tell.
A Thirteenth Book? (Part 1)
A war story for book 13…
-Blind Mew
I’m not going to overtly hint about upcoming content, but one thing I can say, though, is that Book 13 is going to be a bit darker that what we’ve done before, and it’s definitely a war story.
As for more story insights, it’s tough to simply extemporize – I do better with specific questions. Making the Pirate101 story has definitely been a learning experience, and very rewarding. I hope to someday assemble a post mortem/dissertation on what we did and how we did it, but i may need to wait till our first main story is finished – we have a long way to go!
So now that we’ve already skyrocketed through four amazing worlds, it seems we’re in for a dark surprise! Even through this short message, you can tell a lot of things. Maybe the book 13 (as in an unlucky number) has to do with a lot of this. I myself have not finished the current storyline, but I look forward to seeing how the threads of fate can be twisted in the next world.
We could be heading anywhere, but the cards seem to be played just right to land us pirates, and maybe even wizards, in the mysterious world of Darkmoor. KingsIsle is continuously bringing up Darkmoor, with it appearing from tall tales to in our very travels.
Madame Vadima also has a strong heritage of Darkmoor, many believe. I’ve also written about Darkmoor, with Darkmoor ship duels in the sun-set skies of Cool Ranch.
Blind Mew also continues,
I must admit though, I am continually tempted to post on the Easter Egg threads. It’s awesome to see so many obscure references appreciated, but there are even more out there…
So even as there are many references to this world, that may be Darkmoor, there are quite a few that we are missing?
I have to leave with a question, as this puzzle remains without a piece, (or without a few pieces as Blind Mew states), but will soon be followed with the answer. I’m very interested to see how this all turns out, and if Darkmoor is actually the world that has been rumored to be released. Also, we do not yet know how a “war story” will be tied into this already interesting chapter to the storyline.
-Thank you to Cass Lifeblossom for informing me of this topic.
Launch Day!
Visit the party! It’s over, it was… okay… in Avery’s Court and the shops area. It will go until 9PM EST. It’s in realm Morgan LaFitte. Come and have fun!
Pirate101 has been officially launched, and it’s nice and meaty. 😉 There’s a new trailer, and I expect to be seeing it on TV, as it’s only about 30 seconds! Here you go!
It looks great! If you’re new to the game, be sure to check back on this blog often, and search through my posts labeled with Tips. These will hopefully help you out in your gameplay and let you know what to expect! Download the Pirate101 game here, or sign up here! Just be sure to enjoy the game. Not much to read in this post, I want you to go out and enjoy Pirate101! It really is great, the graphics are amazing too. Have fun!
It is Decided! (Also, Feature on MooShu!)
I have finally decided for my posts that I will try to do guides, updates to the Pirate101 game, or the Pirate101 website on the weekdays since I will not usually have access to Pirate101 until the weekends. But during the weekends I will try to write as many gameplay posts as I can and shoot lots of videos to post on the blog! Today’s post is: Spotlight on MooShu!
This post will be relatively brief, since many of you will have received a notice email from KingsIsle that said they added a MooShu section to the P101 site. Since I haven’t quested to MooShu in-game, I’ll have to tell you what I’ve heard of it. (…And of course what KI tells us! 🙂 )
After you’ve flown into the beautiful docks of MooShu, the last world in the current Pirate101 game, you’ll see the setting sun, the rose skies, and mountains galore. This
world has been re-elaborated at KingsIsle, and it is brilliant.
MooShu is ruled by the Emperor, who is considered the Child of the Spirit of the Sun, and is served by legions of loyal Samoorai. The Cows of MooShu form the ruling class made up warriors, princes and master artisans. They are attended by Goat bureaucrats and ministers, while the Sheep and Pig peasants humbly work the land. The people of MooShu are notoriously secretive and suspicious of outsiders; foreign ships are only allowed to dock in one port, the resplendent city of Hamamitsu, without special permission, and only the mysterious Wizards have ever walked in the Imperial Skyway or visited the Imperial Palace.
MooShu is filled with spiritual action, down to the Moodha itself. But once the Emperor was cursed with dark magic, the entire realm has fallen into havoc. The bandits lying around the edges of the world began to thrive, taking prey on the poor townsfolk. The Samoorai try their hardest to protect the defenseless, but the Ninja Pigs and Yazookas seem to be getting stronger and stronger, and the outlook of the world overall and the emperor is getting worse and worse. Pirates are adventuring this world in its damaged state to gain profit from the damaged land.
BETA BETA BETA!
It’s out! BETA IS HERE! The official press release on the Pirate101 website was just released today! I’m soooooooo happy! Thank you KingsIsle for finally doing this! 🙂 The only bad thing is, that I can’t post images, even if I get in. I think I can tell you, but I’m not sure. Time will tell. The press release is here, or below.
PLANO, TEXAS (August 3rd, 2012) – Avast me hearties! KingsIsle Entertainment is pleased to announce the Beta for Pirate101 is officially underway. The first round of Beta invitation emails has gone out to testers, and a variety of additional Beta key giveaways are planned over the next several weeks.
“The start of our closed Beta testing marks a massive step forward for Pirate101,” said J. Todd Coleman, vice president and creative director at KingsIsle Entertainment. “Design, art, technology, story—our teams have worked tirelessly to craft this fantastic new online experience for families. I cannot wait for our testers to get in and experience the new world we have created for them.”
In Pirate101, players take the helm of their very own pirate ship as they pursue an epic storyline of grand swashbuckling adventure. Intended to entertain a broad and cross-generational family audience, Pirate101 is accessible and simple to play for casual gamers, yet simultaneously offers systems with great depth and complexity for more sophisticated audiences.
Access to Beta:
Pirate101 is currently in closed Beta testing and will launch later this year. To be considered for closed Beta access, please sign up at http://www.home.p101. As part of KingsIsle’s partnership with AMD’s Gaming Evolved program, AMD will be giving away a limited number of Pirate101 Beta keys. More information about this exclusive chance at early Beta access is available at blogs.amd.com/play/2012/08/03/pirate101. Finally, ongoing updates regarding Beta access promotions can be found at http://www.home.p101/free_game/closed_beta_keys.
Also, a few new images have been released on J Todd Coleman’s and Pirate101 Central’s Facebook pages. Voila!
Zeke’s in Pirate101 too! Yay! I’ll have to see if I get into beta… That’s all for this week! Since beta is out, I may be posting more with updates from around the Spiral or around the Internet. 😛
Community
This post will be about what’s going on right now in the Pirate101 community. I might include some small updates about pirate101.com. Also, some other blogs might be referenced. Thanks for reading this post! (Sorry that I keep delaying my posts- I’m gonna try and do at least 3/4 a week now)
The pirate101 community is already off to an awesome start, and will just get better and better. Great blogs and fansites have already been set up, and more will just keep showing up.
If you were into the wizard101 community, you would know about the Friendly Necromancer. Well Friendly here just got a job at KingsIsle as Pirate101’s community manager. He’ll decide what to do, and if there’ll be “Featured Blogs” or anything. Pirate101 has really started up some great stuff, and we’ll have to see what happens about Pirate101’s community page. EDIT: Official Fan Sites and Blogs have appeared on the Community page!!!
Friendly’s blog is here. He’s also going to have a Pirate101 blog, The Friendly Witchdoctor!
Pirate101 Central- This is a great fansite, if you ask me. It was quickly set up almost immediately after Pirate101’s announcement, an is a great way for players to voice their opinion and ask questions on almost any topic. People have already got things in the swing there, and I’d you want to join, there’s almost step-by-step on the website! Just hit Register on P101C. Again, this fansite hit the ground running and is a really great one. I recommend you check it out.
Swordroll’s Pirate101 Blog- This blog, like TFN, also has a Wizard101 blog- Swordroll’s blog. I’m not sure if he’ll keep SP101B going, or will just transfer over to SB. Other than that, this is a really nice and aesthetically pleasing blog. It has some pretty cool information, and is a good one to look at if you’re trying to start a new Pirate101, or even Wizard101, blog. The link to his blog is here.
The Siren’s Call- This is a very laid-back blog, and is a great one if you like fun facts as well. It’s author also owned a previous blog, Homework in a Graveyard. This blog was very popular, and so is TSC. Check it out here!
Pirate101 Central Hosted Blogs- Since P101C is so awesome, they even let people post their own blogs on their website. Go check it out for yourself, there’s got to be something you like there. Get to them here. Guess what? They even have a place for you to put your own blogs! Check out new and old pirate blogs here.
Pirates of the Spiral- I just realized how close the name of this blog is to mine. Oh well. Johnny is well-known from Central (both) and decided to take up a blog. I think this one is really good, and has a ton of facts about Pirate101. Again, I really like it, and you can go to it here.
I’ve listed only a couple of the Pirate101 blogs springing up all over the place. There’s going to be official fansites on Pirate101.com soon, actually everything is set up but blogs, and I hope to earn a spot! Again, check out Pirate101 Central linked blogs to find many more of them. If you want your blog posted specifically above, comment on this post (and leave a link) and I’ll check it out and put it up there as soon as possible! Thanks for your support on my blog!
Pirate101 Announced!
Today, Pirate101 was announced to the public, and you can sign up for a raffle-type entry to the closed beta. The website Pirate101.com has been opened, with a beautiful release video. Sections of the site explain the different parts of the game, and I will try to explain as much as I can (without quoting too much) in the first post.
One of the first things you notice when you enter the site is the BLAM! BIG SIGN UP BUTTON! (Or “get info” for that matter.) But if you venture into the website more, you can find out just what this game is about. The story that’s already been listed is magnificent.
It is a wondrous time of exploration and adventure, when tall ships fly the endless skies and brave the Stormgates of the Spiral. Not long ago, a generation of explorers led by the great Marco Pollo opened and mapped dozens of connections between the various realms. Trade and commerce sprang up all over the Spiral, and many nations learned that the size and strength of their fleets were the key to their destiny. Marleybone, Valencia, Monquista, and Polaris emerged as the dominant powers of the era, forming colonies and forging trade routes that made them wealthy and powerful. Grizzleheim and many other realms, tried to stay neutral, trading with all and claiming no empire.
The next parts of the “Background Story” article are about how pirates and piracy arose from conflict that was created. They took their ride on ships and rode about the Spiral thick with theft. The pirates took control of Skyways, which led them the path to all of the worlds. This happened after a great war between all of the factions. The different species will battle once more, as many more Skyways are being tamed.
The Armada, one of the growing races, sent a classified letter that was soon intercepted. It looked exactly like this: (Click image to enlarge)
That letter clearly indicates that they aren’t gonna be doing any funny buisness… Hehehe…
The 8 main characters are next.
First, in the top left, Boochbeard. Ah, poor Boochbeard. He’s a well-known pirate that has done everything, been everywhere, done everything a man can do, except win. Boochbeard hasn’t missed a single pirate-related activity, just the only problem is when he’s just a hair away from victory, he is thwarted once again. Even though he can’t succeed, he tries and tries again, and is still feared by many in the Spiral. Stories in Marleybone are told about “Old Whitebeard.” After you’re in the Spiral, after not too long you’ll be hearing stories about him too.
The person… er… monkey… to Boochbeard’s left (our right) is Mr. Gandry. He has served as a captain the Monquistan Navy, and he left after a conflict with the Polarians and joined the Marleybone Royal Navy. This ended quickly with a mutiny and he was independent for a while before joining forces with Boochbeard. He is very revered by pirates all-around, and is often thought to be the brains behind Boochbeard’s operations.
On Gandry’s right is Captain Avery. His full name is Horace Avery. He is one of the only pirates able to successfully retire with both his life and fortune in tact. He gained most of his loot from the Polarian Wars, raising enemy ships. After he retired, he took control of Skull Island from the Marleybonians and turned it into the greatest pirate haven. Ever. There isn’t much else to say about Avery, other than he has a parrot. 🙂
To Avery’s right, (not the shark) is “…the very model of a Marleybonian admiral – a commander’s commander, who has forgotten more about tactics and naval strategy than most people will ever learn.” He is normally referred to as ‘The Commodore’ though. (No one knows his real name).
On the bottom left is Ol’ Fish Eye. When he was young, the pelican ran away from Skull Island and set out to be a musketeer in the Marleybonian army and trained himself. During the Polarian Wars, however, he left and manned a ship of his own. “He sailed with a number of infamous pirates, including Catbeard, Erica the Red, and Captain Avery” before settling down on Skull Island as Musketeer trainer.
Morgan LaFitte is next to Fish Eye. Some believe that she was born into royalty, but ran away to Valencia. There she lived a double life as a burglar and Countess. “Trained by some of the finest fencers in Valenica, Morgan’s skill with a blade has few equals. Morgan fled Valencia when her secret was finally uncovered, keeping a step ahead of the Armada and finally settling in Skull Island.”
The Hammerhead Shark next to Morgan is Mordekai. Ring a bell? Baron Mordecai was the boss of the Master Hallowe’en tower. Back to Mordekai- he is a master of the sword, one of the most feared in the Spiral. After Captain Avery feed him from a Moniquistan prison, he has served as Avery’s chief bodyguard since.
The last main character in Pirate101 is Madame Vadima the Witchdoctor leader. She came to Skull Island from a very far away island called Darkmoor. One of the tales about her is that she went to Pigswick Academy, but was expelled for using dark magic. Vadima is a master of fortune telling, her fortunes are almost always correct- although sometimes they are confusing.
All of these characters are the head of classes that you will be able to play in in Pirate101. I will explain factions and classes in the next post.
Pirates in the Sky 
