Embracing Your Inner Noob in The Skyways

When KingsIsle hosted “Look-Alike Day” I needed to start a brand new (noob) baby pirate and I had a blast going through the tutorial again. I hadn’t seen these wonderful scenes since Pirate101 started two and a half years ago.

So many times I hear the word "Noob" used as a great insult not only to someone they deem clueless but anyone a bully does not like or loses to and starts trying to hurt feelings by calling someone a "Noob". I personally wish to change this attitude. Being a noob is not a bad thing. Just like ignorance is not a reflection on someone's intelligence, just what they have or have not yet learned. A noob is just someone who is new to the game, a newbie.

I think some of my best times in games are when I am very new to it. There is nothing like that rush of excitement you feel when you enter a new world for the first time and you begin the process of exploration as you learn the new rules and tricks to succeed there.

A lot of time and effort from some very talented individuals went into the tutorial, which is the first thing a new pirate will see to introduce them to the great and beautiful skyways of the Spiral. I decided to bring you along with me as I shift into noob mode and re-experience, (with a bit of artistic license added just for fun.) the joys of discovering how to be an Armada thumping, noble Pirate with a heart of gold.

What a dramatically delightful way to begin a new journey. This makes the excitement palpable.

My journey begins with hearing Boochbeard and Gandry talking each other as they are searching for a very special pirate. Any wizard that has completed the B.O.X.E.S. event will know that The Professor himself gave them the mission to find this special pirate ”that would someday defeat the Armada”.

I get to go through the fun of selecting what kind of pirate I will be and what my ship’s flag will look like, along with what colors it will fly. This color and pattern will also be the standard others will see on the mainsail of all ships you will be sailing. This color business is important as it will be the colors my crew will wear throughout the game. One important decision is how my parents die as that will determine which companion I will receive at the end of my Presidio quest.

 I am also presented with the first of the game’s many delightful Puppet Shows that explain so many things and give subtle clues to Pirate101 lore that are hidden in them.

  Choosing how I got into trouble with the Armada matters as my pirate will receive a boost that can be very helpful depending on which class I am going to have my pirate learn.

  The first time I went through this I had no clue what meant what and made some silly choices but now I am not so clueless as to the cause and effect of my decisions.  It is why it is a good idea to read up a bit on any game you begin so that you will have enough knowledge to make the right startup choices. I (hopefully) pick all the right options and a new Swashbuckler is born.

  I try to make my gamer characters’ names mean something and connection to literature is one of my favorite ways.  I was going for the Jellicle Cats from T.S. Eliot’s Old Possum’s Book of Practical Cats and this was pretty close. The flag icon seals the deal. :D

 

Now that I am a real pirate it is time for Boochbeard and Gandry to pull off a miracle and “Get Me Outta Here!”  

Before they can figure out how to bust me out, a cannon ball from their ship’s crew does the job for them and the back of my cell is blasted away. Talk about making an entrance er...exit. :D

The newly freed noob pirate has a “but first let’s take a selfie” moment with her rescuers before setting off to check out the ship.  

Exploring was something I didn’t do the other times through this tutorial and there are some neat things down here. I mean, how often will I get the chance to examine the inner workings of an Armada vessel?

After poking around some more I discover another prisoner and am artfully coached by the game how to rescue him and I am rewarded with my very first crewmate. As I am a Swashbuckler my new first First Mate is Subodai a very tough looking Horse Barbarian.

 



Subodai very politely introduced himself and as he spoke his name I realized that I had really been butchering it’s pronunciation for years lol.  He graciously informed me that it is pronounced “Sue-Bo-Dye”. I practiced enunciating it several times and hopefully the phonics lesson will stick.

  More explosions ensue and Boochbeard declares that  we must get going NOW and he rushes from below decks with a command to follow. As they had just rescued us, it DOES seem the logical thing to do. We dash up the stairs and straight into the clutches of the dreaded Armada Elite Deacon!

“Ruffian”?  That’s the best you could come up with?

  Hmmm Deacon called me “his prize”. I wonder if there is some merit to this “Chosen One” thing?  At least Deacon, Boochbeard and Gandry seem to think so. We shall see how things play out.

  
After a volley of pleasantries (Imagine a sarcastic font here), Deacon calls down his Battle Angels to take us back into custody and I get to experience, first hand, what battling pirate style is all about.

Cool looking robot angel or not they will learn that I will not be re-taken so easily

 

One of the best things about Pirate battles is that your companions or crew join in and you have help to take on your enemies. Subodai shows right away that he is a force to be reckoned with.

Me, being a Swashbuckler does what Swashbucklers do best and dodges much of the enemies fire.









Sure enough, we prevail and I get to experience my first celebratory victory leap.

  My joy was short lived though.







Deacon always has a plan B and before we knew it, a squad of Armada Dragoons came rising out of the lower hold.

 




 Knowing the fierce reputation of said Dragoons I thought I was soon to be back in that horrible cage. What I hadn't counted on was that Boochbeard was a crafty old fellow and had a plan C to counter Deacon’s plan B. He dramatically shoots up a flare and BOOM!  A well shot Naptha bomb from Boochbeard’s crew sails into them and the Dragoons were reduced to a fiery ball of gears.

Subodai and I did a thorough check to make sure that no Armada Dragoon nor Battle Angel survived the fiery inferno.

Such a wondrous fire surely calls for some marshmallows……...Right?

  
This did not bode well with Deacon and with clicks and whirs of his gears he took out his rage on Boochbeard with a quicker than a snake bite draw and firing of his pistol as he makes his escape to the near by Armada fleet.

  

  

Poor Boochbeard takes a direct hit and the spark shooter throws him backwards several feet and he really got his clock cleaned (yeah, pun intended).





This unexpected turn of events leaves Boochbeard feeling far too weak to continue leading our escape. Knowing that his ship is now without a Captain Boochbeard instructs Gandry to tell his crew that I am to captain his ship for our getaway.  From death row prisoner to Captain in such a short time can test the mettle of any young pirate.

 

Subodai and I do a quick check of the Armada ship and supervise some well placed Naptha barrels.

 

We gather up all the loot and beat a hasty retreat to Boochbeard’s ship just in time to see the Armada ship blow up in glorious fashion.

  We set sail for the only shelter in site, Skull Island. The only problem is that there is an Armada fleet between us and our sanctuary.   Boochbeard does some fine coaching and I am soon, with energetic assistance from a nearby Storm Lord, blasting my way through the Armada ships in fine piratey style.

  

The Armada may be the scourge of the Skyways but they are no fools and soon give up the chase with shouted vows to enact their revenge on me some other day. This I can deal with and make my own vows about converting clockworks into harmless timepieces.

 

We tack towards Skull Island and the safety of Captain Avery’s legendary, fiercely loyal band of piratical instructors.

And so one adventure ends yet the biggest one begins. This noob pirate has accomplished a lot in a short time and arranging an accord with such an old Captain like Avery will be a piece of cake…………...Right?

Embracing Your Inner Noob in The Spiral

 
 When KingsIsle had it’s Look-Alike Day I had to start a brand new account to make my new wizard as my classroom has been full for 6 years. I was beyond enchanted revisiting the old stomping grounds of becoming a noob wizard. (My thanks to Kevin The Noob for stopping by to help illustrate my point).

  The very first time I went through the tutorial I was in sensory overload and at that point, I didn’t have a clue how to take a screenshot to keep some memories of all the beautiful works of art the artists at KingsIsle have created for us to introduce us to the wonders of the Spiral.

  When I created my other five wizards, I am sure that you were the same in that, I was in a hurry to get my new class going and just blew through the tutorial just to get done.  The wonderful developers of this fine game put a LOT of time and effort into the first thing a new wizard sees and learns and I thought it would be a fun idea to luxuriously enjoy the whole process and give it the attention it is due.

The memories came flooding back the 

second I saw this long forgotten scene

 
That wonderful feeling hearing the Headmaster of such a prestigious school say that I was the one they were looking for and that mysterious excitement when I first approached that life changing Book of Secrets.

 

  


Then the joys of all the choices of how my new wizard was going to look in her “Jammies” as I like to call them since it will always be your look when you are an older wizard and you take all your equipment off.  A brand new wizard with so many adventures ahead of her.

Introducing…….

  

Now the excitement begins as my charming little noob gets to see Wizard City for the very first time.

  Newest student ‘eh?  Ya can’t get any nooobier than this lol. I have a nice visit with the Headmaster and he can’t resist showing off just a bit.

Ohhh, SHINIES!  When do I get to learn to do that?

  In the midst of all these pleasantries something happened that I had completely forgotten about….Rain in Wizard City.  The Commons land of eternal sunshine is hit with an earthquake and the storm clouds descend.

Even in it’s scariness the lighting and beauty of the rain is just stunning.

Poor Gamma does his best to usher me
inside the tower to what is perceived safety.

We get our first glimpse of a
foe that will become very familiar to us.

I rush after Headmaster Ambrose and meet, for the first time, the wicked Malistaire. What a delightfully villainous looking wizard. He gave me those kind of butterflies you get at the top of the hill of a great rollercoaster.  He is such a rude fellow too.  I wonder if it runs in his family :D.

I settle down to watch a good wizard’s duel as I anticipate the Headmaster stepping in and taking care of things for me.  Well Ambrose had other ideas.

You want me to do WHAT?  I don’t even have a wand!

  There is nothing like that feeling of stepping into that magical circle for the very first time.  Even if it is the tutorial and you know you are perfectly safe, it is still quite a rush.

There is nothing so magical as your very first spell.

  At this point another forgotten tidbit surfaced as the Headmaster asks me to call him a fool.  I will have to consider if this is a rhetorical question or not.  I don’t want to wind up in detention the very first day I am here although Kevin The Noob assures me that it is quite nice in the detention dungeon.

  

My worries are set to rest as Malistaire steps in and does the dirty work for me. He seems quite good at rude snarkiness. Perhaps another family trait?

  

Chrissy Dawn Singer gets her first taste of Wizard Life (Pun totally intended)

The battle goes back and forth and I feel quite over matched as there are two of them attacking me and my life numbers are going down fast.  Then it happens, Ambrose gives me my very first healing spell.  

The way these screenshots caught the spell casting without a wand I am feeling a bit like I Dream Of Jeannie here :D

Oh DEAR! I do hope this isn’t going to become a pattern.

With the help of a healing unicorn, the battle is won and Headmaster Ambrose asks me to go to his office to complete my enrollment. Seems simple enough. Just sign some papers, right?  Um……..Not quite.

  

I accept his request for help and step outside his office to the beautiful Wizard city Commons.

 

It was really weird to see all the gates barred and I was such a noob that I wasn’t allowed ANYWHERE, lol.  Then I spotted another long forgotten part of this journey.  Along the sidewalk were magically sliding arrows that would show any noob wizard exactly where she needed to go.

  

I turned around in the now very sunny Wizard City and spied my first side quest. Good ol Zeke.

Being a card carrying questaholic I always pick up every quest I come across. Besides, Zeke’s quests give those very valuable training points and it is really fun trying to find where the developers hide them.  I just love running around, poking my nose into off the beaten path nooks and crannies to see what surprises may be waiting for me. In no time at all I have my first Smith located and Chrissy Dawn Singer hears that wonderful horn for the first time.

  




I then follow the sliding arrows and approach a very grumpy looking guard and give him my letter with Ambrose’s wax seal on it and I unlock my first gate.

I enter Unicorn Way and collect my first quest. It seems I need to defeat some Lost souls.

It is a scary moment for a little noob to approach her first bad guy all on her own.

  The battle begins with a lurch that throws my heart into my throat and I cast my very first Balance spell.

I have a real wand now so no more I Dream Of Jeannie stuff for this little noob.

  

Well, well, it seems that this Balance Noob can totally pack a wallop in spite of all the horror stories Kevin The Noob has been telling me about Unicorn Way. :D

  There is NOTHING quite like that first victory dance. I think I am gonna like this Wizard stuff.

A kindly Stork notifies me of my goals as I level up. Things look really fun and exciting from this point on.

I can DO this!   Next…………………………..

The adventures of the newest noob in the Spiral has begun. It is a lot of fun going through places I haven’t done quests in for ages and I am really looking forward to seeing what kind of shenanigans THIS Chrissy can get into. Come join me in the areas awash with noobs and we can revisit the good ol days together.

~Chrissy The Blesser



Thank you to Chrissy The Blesser for writing this guest blog post! There will be another one in the future! :D