Monday, January 26, 2015

Tips for an up and coming Necromancer? (Ding 100)

Just opened an email from a new necromancer!

"So,I was wondering, I just started a new Necromancer named Valdus Silverdust

I was wondering,Any tips as I move along?"


Hey Valdus,

Honestly, since the time I first started leveling Thomas, it's been over six years . . . and . . . I just hit 100 last night! WOOT!


During the first part of my journey to level 100, I spent the majority of my time at level cap as they happened.

  • When I dinged level 43 in 2008, I had finished the story content in MooShu and was waiting for Dragonspyre to come out.
  • I dinged 50 less than a month after Dragonspyre was released.
  • Level 60 happened in November 2010 after that long wait for Celestia to be released.
  • Thomas dinged level 70 in December 2011.
  • Level 80 for Thomas happened in July 2012. This is when things started to shift for me. Instead of finishing Avalon right after it was released, it took me a few months to get through it . . . That's because Pirate101 had just been revealed and my life was turned upside down as I took a job at KingsIsle.
  • Level 90 and Azteca was wrapped up by Thomas in May 2013.
  • . . . and as I said, I *finally* just dinged level 100 last night! Woot!


Reading back through that, it appears the best tips I could give are patience and make friends! Life as a necromancer can be a bit daunting when you solo, and nothing makes Wizard101 more fun (nor easier) than when you play with another person.

1-50 is a breeze. You won't find much trouble soloing anything outside of Malistaire and a few key dungeons here and there. Standard tips apply here: Start your deck light with as few spells as possible so Wizard101 doesn't become a "discard" game trying to find that perfect card -- instead, carry only what you need. Load your treasure cards up smartly with the perfect defensive or utility spell for when you need it. Look at the mob you face before you blindly run in and see what class it is, chances are this will guide which shield you should load into your deck (although most 1-50 fights don't require heavy shielding). If you're soloing, your drain spells are your best bet -- they'll heal you to max and prepare you for the next fight. Learn to cast a death shield on yourself and empower or sacrifice off of it.

Level 50-60 is a gear check. You should start going to the Bazaar every few levels and see what's available for you. You'll most likely start seeing why shields, universal resist, and crit block are so valuable here.

Level 70, take some time out to do waterworks. It's not needed, but most of us at level cap did this, and I would bet Avalon was designed thinking everyone was wearing Waterworks gear and using Sun Magic, so . . . using waterworks gear and using Sun Magic would be a good idea. ;) It's not 100 percent needed, but those universal resists sure help.

Level 80+ -- Find a partner if possible and take a support role to them. You'll discover you're quite handy in a group. Debuffs, blades, sacrifices . . . you've got quite a bit of support power. Spend time getting a good pet to help you with resists and healing. Anyone can fill any role in Wizard101 (tank, dps, support) with the right combination of gear and cards -- just some do it much better. Pick a role and be the best you can be at it.

**READERS! If you have any great tips, please share them in the comments!**

So . . . best of luck, Valdus! Thanks for reading and for your question. Hope to see you at the gates of Darkmoor soon!

Happy Dueling

Sunday, January 18, 2015

KI Live 15 January 2015

Our Fifth Livecast! I can hardly believe it!

It was a lot of fun running through the BOXES event with Leala on KI Live this month:



. . . Decius stole the show . . .

Happy Dueling!