Seven Days of KI (Day 2): A Wizards First Spell

April 20, 2017 Blaze Shadowhorn 4 Comments



Everyone has a story when it comes to how they first entered the Spiral. For me? The first time I saw Wizard101, I didn't really think it was the game for me... Boy was I wrong.

Sixth Grade was an exciting year as we had all just gotten our brand new laptops. Icy Tower, N+ and Pocket Tanks were all the craze and I could play them for hours on end. After all, we hadn't really been exposed to much of the online world yet. 

May 4th, 2009
I had just come over to my friend, Evan's house and we were snacking on some pringles like the good  little 12 year olds we were. He started telling me that he found this new game with magical spells and quests you go on and complete. You guessed it, he was talking about Everquest Wizard101.

He pulled out his laptop and loaded it up. If I remember correctly, he was a Storm Wizard and was questing in Unicorn Way. With his Wand of the Novice in hand, an array of cool spells that looked like fire cats to snakes, beetles and bats were cast. However, the one spell to this day that I most vividly remember him casting was a spell called, Frost Beetle. A weaker spell, but a spell nonetheless. As it went to hit the frail Skeletal Pirate, I was mesmerized by the blue and white aesthetics that quite simply left me speachless. This was the first time I had seen graphics such as these in a game and it really caught my eye. However, I wasn't too fond of the questing and card system. There was so much going on with cards, and health and quests (keep in mind this was my first MMO) and it was just too much for my young 12 year old brain to handle. I decided I wasn't going to play it despite how cool it looked.


Later that night I was doing homework in my dad's office, typing away on my laptop as I kept thinking back to the cool spells I had seen earlier in the day. "It's too complicated," I thought. "Why would I download a game that would require so much effort and brain power? Why not just stick to Sonic Heroes on my GameCube? Then again, it did have pretty cool graphics and I could play with Evan!" At that moment, I took a quick detour from my homework and checked out wizard101.com. I then downloaded a game which in my wildest dreams I would have never thought would lead me to meeting so many amazing people and on e day work within the gaming industry at large.

On this day, Blaze Shadowhorn, a level 1 Thaumaturge enrolled at Ravenwood and started his journey through the vast Spiral. It has been an unforgettable memory ever since.


I hope you guys enjoyed that glimpse into the inception of Shadowhorn. I've wanted to do an article or video on this for a few years now but have never gotten around to making it happen. With KI just six days away, I figured this would be a great opportunity to share this memory with all of you. 

Relaunch Party Giveaway Winners
You thought I forgot, didn't you?
Thank you guys for welcoming me back with open arms, it truly meant the world to me. I wanted to give back to you and the Relaunch Party Giveaway allowed me to do just that. 

First off, I want to give a special shoutout to KI for sponsoring the Shinobi Bundle. Thanks guys!

And now, the moment you have all been waiting for... As old tv show ads used to say, "Many will enter, few will win" and Wizards, you best have your lucky wands equipped because here are your Relaunch Party Giveaway winners!

Tales of the Spiral's Re-Launch Giveaway!
Thank you to everyone who entered. Your support means a lot and stay tuned because I've got plenty more giveaways and contests coming your way! All winners have now been emailed and contacted to claim their prize.


Comment Time!
What specifically got you into Wizard101? Do you remember what was going through your head when you were creating your first Wizard? Comment below because I'd love to hear your stories!

See you in the Spiral!

4 comments:

  1. Nice story. I am hooked :D Congratulations to the winners. I DO hope you didn't totally ditch your homework that night though. :P

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    1. I'm glad you liked it! Don't worry, my parents would have had my head if I did :P

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  2. My son and daughter started playing (son=balance; daughter=ice). I grew up with turn based and card games so I tried to teach them how to strategize in combat, but they had a hard time. Personal things happened that had my kids live with their mother. The game say unplayed for a long while. So, I started a new wizard and found that myth was the misfits compared to the other schools and Logan Hawkblade was born. Followed by Devin Deathsword and the redone balance and ice wizards: Matthew Ghostsword and Emma Goldensword. Now, Anna Spritesword and Alexander Titansword now begin their journeys to achieve max status...eventually

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    1. That's amazing to hear how Wizard101 was a part of your family and how even after such a long time, you were able to come back to a game and find a new meaning with it.

      Hope you're enjoying your travels in the Spiral and thanks for sharing your story!

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Thanks for leaving a comment and for your support! I appreciate you taking the time to do that.

Best regards,
Shadowhorn

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