Wizard101
Developer Diaries

Hello Wizards,

I’m writing this brief letter to describe our developing ideas for Spellements and their role in the game. This is just a short introduction to the conversation which we will continue during a Roundtable focused on Spellements, set for Feb 17th and hosted by community member Ferric. If you’re interested in Spellements and want to join in on the conversation, then come by and hang out with us at the roundtable!

The Spellements system has grown from its original design to much more and very quickly. This resulted in today's implementation being a bit... wonky. Since last fall I've taken a stronger lead role in developing Spellements moving forward, so here are some things to expect from that in the coming months.

VISION FOR SPELLEMENTS

As I began reviewing Spellements as they were before, it was clear their role in the game needed to be clarified. It was evident that Spellements had great potential in being part of a Wizard’s progression, but we need to deepen its importance, broaden its application, and expand the ways that a player acquires them.

As Wizards adventure through the Spiral, Spellements give them the opportunity to guide the development of their spells. A Wizard may choose to increase the power of a spell, thereby making it useful in tougher combats, or they may choose to modify the nature of their spell either in response to spells the enemy is using or to synergize with other spells in their deck.

The possibilities are endless! This will be a topic of discussion over the coming months as we continue to explore this path of progression.

ADJUSTING SPELLEMENTS

For Spellements to be a normal part of a Wizard’s progression, we need to improve how we introduce the players to them. Players may have Spellements and either not know it or not know how to use them. We are working on a short quest that will introduce the player to Spellements and their place in the world.

Are Spellements worth it? Or are they worth too much?

Once players know what Spellements are and how to use them, then it's important that there is value in using them. It is important to audit each Spells’ progression to make sure it’s not worth too little, not worth too much, but to get it just right! As I mentioned earlier, the value may come in that the spell simply does what it did, but just does it better. The value may come from some additional effect whether that is a simple utility, to counter something the opponent is doing, or to compliment a friend’s spell (or your own). The options should be varied and valuable!

Where do I get Spellements?

Now that players know how Spellements work, and know that they have value, we need to do a better job letting players know where to get the ones they want. We’ll help guide players to the primary sources of the Spellements they want, but certainly won’t list out all of them (secrets can be fun!). This may be by defeating bosses of a specific world, playing Beastmoon events, competing in Ranked PvP, or through crafting!

How do I get Spellements?


I mentioned some places where Spellements could be found earlier which highlights the issue that there are too few places for some of them. We are planning to introduce new sources like the ones mentioned above.

Not all Spellements will come from all sources, so you may need to run a dungeon for one, play Beastmoon events for another, or even obtain one in a Spellement pack. However, at the moment, not only do players not know where to get a specific Spellement but often the sources are too restricted. We are working on improving all these areas.

Conclusion

This sums up pretty well the long-term plans and high-level direction we are planning to take Spellements and how we want to address the issues the system currently faces. We will roll out the changes in a phased way while engaging the community to make course corrections as needed.

If you want to learn more about our thoughts on Spellements, don’t forget the roundtable on February 17th. Since Spellements is an important addition to the adventuring side of Wizard101, expect more dev diaries, roundtables, and maybe a mention or two on KI Live in the future. I would also love to see your thoughts posted on our forums where we can respond to them.

Thanks community!

Artie “GraniteHeart” Rogers
Design Director

Dated: February 16, 2022