Blog Archives
What If: Introduction
Welcome to the start of another new series! (You can tell I like these. How To, Tradewinds Tribune) In these posts, I’ll be talking about things that haven’t really happened in Pirate101, and never will happen. What? I’ll be talking about what might have happened if the storyline was different. For example, take a look at what my first post will be; What if the Water Moles got away with Ratbeard?
We all remember that fight, right? What if our companions and us were having a Yum party in the Hole-in-the-Wall Tavern? What would have happened to Ratbeard? How would it have changed the storyline?
So that’s mostly what my “What If?” series will be about, with some elaboration and possible other quests. I hope you like them!
P.S. A very big thank-you to Destiny SoulTamer for this post-series idea! 🙂
Yo Ho Ho Ho!
Christmas in the Spiral is here! I’m ready for the holiday season on my blog, with a yuletide design! The official blogs will have lots of contests soon, as it is the time for giving!
I hope to host a contest, giveaway, whathaveyou myself. ‘Tis the season to be jolly! Or – Yo ho ho and a bottle of egg-nog-flavored-Yum!, in pirate lingo.
That calls for a poll! (Huh? How does that work?) This one will be on what new content needs to be added or changed on this blog! I really appreciate your votes!
PS- Pirate Claus says yo ho ho ho! 😉
PPS- Longer posts coming up!
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!
Booch. Beard. Bundle.
I think KI has gone CRAZYYYY! They are really promoting this bundle, but then again, it is totally epic. (I’m not saying that from a Pirate101 fan point of view… 😛 ) They released this video on YouTube not so long ago. Sorry for the slow update, but I hope you enjoy!
That’s pretty much all for this “News” update, I’ll probably have another really soon! See you in the Beta Spiral!
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. 😛
Ye Factions and Classes
In Pirate101, there have been 7 factions and 5 classes released. The Faction determines your character’s species, and the class is your style of fighting. Each of the factions and classes have unique traits and abilities. In this post I will explain each of the factions and classes. Keep an eye out for my next post, Gameplay! It will include the *rough* style of fighting, the world layouts, and the way(s) you can play the game. Enjoy!
I will start with factions, in ye alphabetical ord’a.
To start ye off, the Cutthroats aren’t a nice crew. Being sharks and all, they weren’t very happy when the Moniquistans invaded their home of Skull Island. After years o’ battles, all of the shark clans died off except the Cutthroats. “Though they no longer have the numbers to raid other realms, the Cutthroats remain a threat in Skull Island, where Monquista and Marleybone remain unable to completely eradicate them.”
This secret organization of pirates export Yum fruit from MooShu, and is lead by the Frogfather. His entire crew is infamous and specializes in rare spices, Yum, and other delicacies. The Frogfather’s home is the Gullet, and controls almost all of the smuggling in Skull Island, and across the Spiral.
Marleybone ships are stout and tough, and the Dogs are masters of tactics and gunnery.
With colonies in Skull Island, Darkmoor, and Krokotopia and trade agreements nearly everywhere else, protecting the flow of ships between colonies and especially through Stormgates is Marleybone’s highest priority. Marleybone may not have the biggest fleet in the Spiral, but the Royal Navy is blessed with brilliant officers like Captain Gordon, The Commodore, and Admiral Nelson – their military genius more than makes up for any numerical disadvantage.
The Monquistadors are still relatively small in size, but the Monquistan Navy is growing steadily. Their ships can go very far, but are hard to find in large numbers. They are very high quality, but the army lacks the experience of other realms. Find more information on Monquista here.
Not much is known about this band of crabs. They were once feared by merchants from Valencia all the way to MooShu, but they have faced hard times. Their largest ship was destroyed by the Marleybonians. Now they’re stuck on Skull Island, where they have taken up a life as bandits.
The Water Moles were seen in Wizard101- in Celestia’s Floating Land and the Rain of Fire spell. They have divided into two tribes, the Nui (Floating Land) and the Waponi (Rain of Fire). The Nui are friendly and peaceful, and trade with everyone. They are friends with merchants as well as pirates. The Waponi are a lot more fierce than the Nui, they worship a fire god and have turned against everyone that they think is an intruder. They are silver-haired and are hostile to almost everyone.
The Isle of Scrimshaw is home to the Wharf Rats, a loose affiliation of criminal gangs and crews including such infamous villains as the Bilge Rats, the Rats of Nim, and the Rat Pack.
Bands of Rat Pirates roam the Skyways, raiding and stealing, but they rarely move in great numbers – the Rats are notoriously disorganized, and more likely to turn on each other than unite against a common foe. Every now and then a gang will make a power play, but for the most part the Wharf Rats remain an annoyance instead of a major threat, and have yet to wield much influence.
*EDIT 5/3/12: The colors of all of the classes have changed. I will leave both posted below. The old image will be posted first.*
The classes are the same for everyone, no matter what faction you are. They include Buccaneers, Musketeers, Privateers, Swashbucklers, and Witchdoctors.
Buccaneers are the strongest of the five classes, and they use a heavy sword and rely on brute strength. They do not have very much elegance, but make up for it with courage and power. As a buccaneer, you will be able to use Blade Storm, which gives your pirate an extra attack. They are led by the Hammerhead Shark Mordekai.
Musketeers are led by Ol’ Fish Eye, who is a master at creating traps that slow down enemies. They are experts at sniping their enemies, and damage their enemies at long range. Musketeer’s signature move is the Rain of Mortarshells which covers an large area with mines!
The leader of the Privateers is The Commodore. This is the only healing pirate class, and they are natural born leaders. Their Reinforce action can heal all of their allies. Privateers can get more Companions than any other class.
The cunning class of Swashbucklers is lead by the raccoon Morgan LaFitte. They rely on elegance and speed in combat, acting as assassins. Their most notable power is Dance of Steel, where they can attack every single enemy around them at the same time.
Witchdoctors are known for their arcane magic powers, and using hoodoo to predict change the outcome of combat. They master dark arts and are lead by Madame Vadima.
I hope you liked this post, and be sure to check out my next post, “Gameplay!”
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 
