The End of the Beginning
Once a prestigious academy rivaling that of Ravenwood, Dragonspyre now lies in ruins from a man’s grief-stricken campaign to summon the Dragon Titan to revive his wife. Now, the young wizard must stop him to save the Spiral. The wizard’s journey consists of gathering information stolen by enemies, to learning the intricacies of combat from Dragonspyre’s old professors, and finally training your own dragon to carry you into battle against the Dragon Titan and Malistaire himself. Dragonspyre is a world that excellently wraps up the first arc of Wizard101.
My first playthrough of Wizard101 began when I was in middle school. During these years, I was rather fond of dragons. My reading material consisting of the Eragon series, my younger self attempting to draw by beginning with dragons, and my own character having “Dragonwhisper” as her last name. So naturally, this world was the most exciting for me to experience for the first time. I remember the old Wizard101 commercials that would air showing wizards fighting Malistaire before ending with the uncertainty they would win. This world is also an end the first arc and initial release that Wizard101 was. However, this was only the beginning of many challenges the Spiral had for the wizard. The game has evolved beyond the simplicity of the bosses found in Dragonspyre with small cheating bosses in Celestia and more difficult ones in Empyrea and Karamelle. The old strategy for blading and feinting for your hitter no longer applies. Now, new strategies need to be formed and perfected versus such foes.
With no surprise, my favorite quests would include crafting the Dragon Rider Staff, hatching a drake egg, and learning how to fly your own dragon. My younger self thought the cutscene of flying your young battledrake to The Great Spyre was such an amazing experience to have. A notable side questline that I recommend picking up are from Zarek Pickmaster located within The Crystal Grove. During these quests, you help Zarek find his lost spiderling Cinder. After looking around in multiple areas and using the drake whistle, the player is asked to visit the opposite side of the grove and search there. On a platform, you must defeat Vika Markmaker who kidnapped poor Cinder. After returning to Zarek, he and Cinder are reunited and thank the young wizard for rescuing the spider.
Fear not about Dragonspyre breaking the bank, as it is one of the cheapest worlds in the Spiral! The total cost for every zone would be 10,800 crowns, roughly $25 with 2,950 crowns to spare. If you only wish to purchase areas of interest in the Spiral for when your membership runs out, the Atheneum would be one of the top places to buy. Coupled with the Basilica and the Tower Archives, the Atheneum is one of the most popular places to farm because of Loremaster. She is a master of “lore spells,” learnable spells like Pigsie, Hammer of Thor, Ratatoskr’s Spin, and many more that are difficult to acquire. There is also holiday exclusive spells like Headless Horseman and Reindeer Knight that can be found here along with their treasure card counterparts.
My favorite NPC in Dragonspyre is the loving Ancient Matriarch who guides you through acquiring and hatching one of the last remaining drake eggs. Other notable mentions are Mother Warwing and Mother Flamestrike, who depart words of wisdom to both wizard and hatchling. Listening to those mesmerizing words bolster the spirit of not only your drake but yourself as you prepare to fight the final boss of the world and the arc made my nerdy 14-year-old-self excited. My favorite line is from the Ancient Matriarch herself, “The bond you share is for life, though your paths may split and you may be worlds apart.” My mind drifts to my grandmother who is the light of my existence. I know that wherever I am or whatever I am doing, if I need help, she will come flying to me and help me when I need her most.
Despite being ruins of its former glory, Dragonspyre still has reasons to shine in the world’s current state. Malistaire may have taken the innate beauty of the world, but the characters that reside within show what Dragonspyre is truly made of. The trio of loving matriarchs in the Drake Hatchery teach the wizard how to unfurl their wings to soar to greater heights. Zarek and Cinder remind the wizard that companionship is to be treasured and looked after in dark times. Loremaster, even if she is a simple farming boss with horrible drop rates, encourages determination to get the elusive spells a wizard dreams of achieving. Dragonspyre is one of my favorite worlds with the nostalgia of old memories from my first playthrough of Wizard101 and with the creation of new memories with every playthrough after.
best article ever!!! 💕💕
You seem to really like dragons there, Kat
a master piece