Wizard 101 goes live

Wizard 101 goes live!

KingsIsle Entertainment is very happy to announce the launch of our first title, Wizard101.
To celebrate, we are offering a 1-year subscription for only $60! That’s a 50% savings off the monthly subscription rate! This offer will only be available until Monday, Sept. 8th. Subscribing will also give you access to text chat, posting on the forums, getting more powerful equipment/clothing/pets, and teleporting anywhere to friends and family.
Subscriptions will be $9.95/month, $49.95/6 months, or $79.95/ year.

The instant teleport to anyone on your friends list, by the way, is one of the most important features of Wizard 101. You won’t be able to get very far in many of the harder instances alone. Being able to summon friends is the only way through these places.
Assuming no “miracle patch”, players can expect a fairly easy and fun game through the first world, Wizard City, ramping up to pretty much group-only fighting in the last world currently released, Moo Shu.
Although not mentioned in the brief announcement, it is said (WHERE do people find out these things?) you cannot finish the first world, Wizard City, without subscribing. I did log on and play this morning with my new Life (no longer Myth) wizard and no questions about billing were asked, so it still definitely remains free to try.
OH HERE’S SOME MORE INFO:

Hey folks, I wanted to drop a quick note about the pricing model before the game goes live. We’re going to be using a “hybrid model” for Wizard101, which means that the game will be available with limited content for Free (roughly half of Wizard City, and the PvP system which will be coming online shortly after launch.) Players can purchase unlimited access to all of Wizard101’s content in a couple of ways:
– Monthly Subscription. You can buy a recurring subscription for $9.95 per month that gives you full access to the game content, chat systems and other great benefits.
– Pre-paid subscription. You can buy a recurring subscription for 6 months or 12 months at a discounted price.
In addition, we are looking to bring other pricing options online shortly after launch:
– Time for Crowns. In addition, we’re going to allow you to buy pre-paid months using crowns. Initially crowns will be available online, and eventually (through some really cool programs that we haven’t talked about yet) we’ll provide other ways for players to get crowns, as well.
– Other pricing options that will be announced at a later date
We have a lot of exciting stuff coming down the pipe, but the first step is to get the game launched successfully … so to make that happen, we’re going to start with the traditional online game model of subscriptions and a cash shop. Stay tuned as we bring you more options post launch and, as always, enjoy the game!

17 thoughts on “Wizard 101 goes live”

  1. Hi Tipa
    I signed up for Wizard 101 a while back and play tested it with my nine year old daughter. I was impressed by the polish and colourful style of the game but I struggle to determine what market sector this game is aimed at.
    If it is aimed at kids then I suspect it will be an epic failure because I think that the combat and grouping requirements will deter under 10’s while the bright colourful style of the game will repulse teenagers.
    The game may appeal to adults who are old enough not to be embarrassed about playing a “kiddies game” but it won’t hold the attention of a serious gamer while the casual gamer by definition doesn’t stick with any game for long.

  2. Well, I dunno. Grouping is so easy here, the only trouble is finding a consistent group for some of the longer instances, where you may need people to stick with you for five or six boss battles. Given the small attention span of children, that would seem like a drawback. The kids I have played with were way more concerned about getting people to help them, than in forming a team and working on things together. Also, they tend to pop in and out without warning.
    But there are lots of adults playing, and you can usually depend upon them. Kids in my experience are welcome in adult groups, though they become at least partly a liability at higher levels, as they do not understand the strategy of deck building or how you support the other people in the group.
    I guess I am agreeing with you, actually — kids will probably do better in a game where you never need a group, but CAN group. The free portion of Wizard 101 will probably appeal to kids the most. The kids who posted to the beta forums with strategic concerns seemed to be mostly low-mid teens — skilled enough to know how to group, but not yet independent enough to pay for a subscription. I think it’s mid teens who are W101’s target market.
    I LOVE the card battle mechanic and will play through just for that, but I doubt I will go through the game a second time. I stopped near the beginning of Marleybone, so there’s still a lot of the game I haven’t seen, and there should be a fifth world available by the time I need it, for more fun.

  3. I really enjoyed Wizard101 during my time in beta, however, based on what you’ve said about battles being incredibly lengthy and occasionally boring at higher levels, I’m not sure that it will be worth $10 a month after the first 15-20 levels or so. Not that it’s your responsibility or anyone elses, but I think I would need some convincing to get me to pay for the subscription, or is it still worth playing for free?

  4. If you played past Wizard City in beta, you’ve seen all you will see playing free now that it’s live. The free part of the game is just a teaser.

  5. Long time no see Tipa and gang!!! 🙂
    After reading about your Wizard 101 adventures, I actually persuaded my wife to download it and give it a try. Well, I decided to give it a go with her. We love it so far. Totally easy to get right into the game for those times when we don’t have a lot of time to devote during an evening. But, we played for hours last weekend and had a great time. In fact, I think we’ll be online tonight (after we get home from work… about 8:30pm EST) for at least a few hours. I believe we are on the Wu server (though I know we can switch to any) and my wife’s character is named Ellie Dawnbreeze (a healer – theurgist I believe) and my character’s name is Valerian Death… something (I’m a death-ice focus).
    Anyway, if you want to drop us a note (and we should be on most of tomorrow too), please feel free.
    Hope everyone is doing well and it sounds like Nostalgia (both versions) are doing well. Miss you guys!
    Gnewt

  6. Gnewt! *hugs* I’ll look you up in W101. Life has been psychotically crazy for me last couple of weeks so I haven’t really done much game playing at all, but I do want to get all subscribed to W101 before the special offer ends.
    Still a gnome-shaped hole in Nostalgia — both version!

  7. *HUGS BACK!!!*
    I hear you. My new job is still cruisin’ by… so much to do! I’ve been traveling pretty much every other day while in the office, for an entire week for training, and now I’m getting ready to travel on Sun thru Wed this week and do it again the following couple of weeks! It’s been chaos!
    As soon as thing settle down a tad, I intend to see about hooking up with you guys again. I don’t know if I can ever make the EQ1 version again, but the EQ2 version is definitely a possibility. I need to create a ton of spells for my necro and all the mastercrafted armor for him for the rest of his levels (I have a tailor and a sage), but I don’t see why I couldn’t get him moved over! I miss everyone deeply and I really would like to become a part of that “feeling” again.
    Okay enough sappy stuff 🙂 We will be on as said above… and please say hello to everyone in Nostalgia 1.0 for me tonight!!! /wave 🙂

  8. hi why do you have to wait for wizard 101 to be availibal mine said wizrd101 not availibal wierd huh and i played it once and why do you have to pay to go to the places for our goals actually my computer had a virus so i had to start my computer over and it said like i said wizard101 not availibal can you fix that plz i like this game

  9. i love wizard 101 i play it every single day my name on wizard 101 is Marcus Anvilvalt i am level 28 and im a fire student

  10. Hey my name is jacob titanfist and im a lvl 40 ice wizard. I played for about 5 months until i got into mooshu. I then stopped because i couldnt get past fushiko by myself. I recently started playing again and read a lot of your guides and whatnot. I finally beat her and am determined on getting a sword since i just lvled to 40. I don’t know where to get the ice sword at? Could you help me? Thank you in advance.

  11. Hi, Jacob! The various bosses in Mooshu give out the level 40 swords. It’s the Plague Oni in the Shiritaki Temple instance who gives the Ice Sword.
    You can find out which Mooshu boss gives the best stuff for your school at the Mooshu Illustrated Boss thread at Wizard101Central.com!

  12. Thanks and also how do you respec? I’d like to be an ice/life wizard so i can be the very enemy of dragonspyre

    • You can respec by talking to Mr. Lincoln — the stork — in Golem Court. He’ll need crowns to reset your training points, or he did when I last spoke with him when I changed my Life/Fire wizard to a Life/Death wizard.

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