Wizard101 Idea: Arctic Bundle

One of my favorite parts of KingsIsle games is bundles. They're like mini-updates that come unannounced. People start to hear rumors of a particular pet and before long, someone shows up with the new card. You pay for then, just like any game expansion, but they come with some pretty epic items. So here's my idea for the Arctic Bundle!

I strongly encourage you to click on the images to view them at full size!

Cooling Off

The popular theory for the next world (the first of the third arc) is Polaris. This is something I initially predicated as the conclusion to arc 2 based on the textures in the first teaser image of Khrysalis, but though it didn't appear in Morganthe's storyline, it wouldn't be so unlikely to see it now.

The idea stems primarily from Old Cob's closing lines in arc 2, introducing five worlds, two of which are left vague, that would work well as a precursor to the third arc. To be clear, we've heard of Polaris before, on a number of occasions. We've even seen it in puppet shows and experienced some of its most prominent members in-game. The nature and details of this world, however, are still vague.

Oftentimes, KingsIsle hints at new worlds and areas through bundles. Most are themed off of a world or very closely themed off of one, and use textures and music from that world. The fact that the Olympian Bundle had new textures, new models, and new music was a huge hint that Aquila was coming to Wizard101. Similarly, past bundles have used items from worlds that would come after them. Beyond that, Polaris is just a very cool place (no pun intended).

House on a Hill

The best part of all bundles, to me, is the house. It's like a new game area to explore, except it doesn't have to follow any rules dictated by the world its in, the storyline, or anything other than the imagination of the Wizard101 team. With some of the more recent bundles, these have been swapped out for gauntlets and housing items and so forth.

This bundle would go back to the more traditional large-scale houses. The Mountain Citadel has four towers and other buildings surrounding a courtyard, and the entire structure overlooks a frozen lake. In my mind, the more vertical distance you can climb within a location, the bigger it feels (probably because that means it IS bigger).

Stylish Transport

We have lions and tigers, but no bear mounts come to mind, so why not kick things off with a Polar Bear? This perfect arctic companion would come at the standard 40% speed bonus and go great with outfits even beyond the set included in my bundle idea.

Originally, I planned on adding some other decorative elements to the bear, but they were removed primarily because it made the mount and the wizard together just a bit too busy, though that doesn't mean it couldn't work out on an actual model.

A New Look

Some of the characters in Polaris are inspired by Italy, but the architecture and culture overall seems to be largely influenced by Russia (which you see in the house design). Naturally, that'll show up in the gear. This is sort of a commander's uniform, which works well with the Citadel. The only other thing I might have done differently to compliment the set is call the mount a Polar Warbear.

The stats incorporate a fairly rare attribute that is never used in any significant amount on viable gear, so this is a little bit different, and will allow for more strategy around natural stun resistance.

As you can see, the set is Ice-based, but the stats are universal, so it's a great for any school. Since the minion is a may cast, it won't cost extra pips for non-Ice students and is a little bit different than your traditional may casts. Instead of a bonus attack or buff, you have a chance to summon a minion.

Preserved Pets

Bundles have a recent history of using pets that are all about the cuteness factor, often with a fun twist - the Toucan't, the Squirerel, and so forth. Keeping in line with that theme, the Arctic Bundle would include the Frozen Penguin pet.

While its arms and feet are free to move about during your dance games, most of its body is frozen solid in a block of ice. Sometimes you'll see the eyes move. The worst part, perhaps, is getting back up after falling over.

The pet stats are made to be impressive on purpose. Oftentimes pets are not a huge pull factor for bundles given that people can simply hatch for them, but if they start out with solid stats, having the first-generation form might be a little more interesting.

I didn't have any ideas in terms of what the petnome actually contains beyond pedigree, but I did attach an appropriate card to the Frozen Penguin.

Beyond the Bundle

While I hope you like the idea and the concept, this bundle was also a chance to try out the style of artwork KingsIsle does for their bundles. One big difference you'll notice is the lack of brush strokes here and that's because it's vector art, much like my Malistaire gear.

What do you think? Is this a bundle you'd be interested in?

Thanks for reading and see you in the Spiral! **Please note: The images in this post are illustrations and edits. They do not reflect actual KingsIsle content and do not have a KingsIsle logo. These are ideas only and are not available in the game and are not in the process of being created for the game, they are only my ideas.