MagiQuest at Great Wolf Lodge Colorado Springs (CO)

A note from Annacat: This is just a basic informational overview of the realm. Magi Lutra was kind enough to provide us with an in-depth review, which will be in the following post. All pictures in both posts were taken by her. So, on to the summary...

Location: Great Wolf Lodge Colorado Springs (Colorado Springs, Colorado)

https://www.greatwolf.com/colorado-springs

Physical Address: 9494 Federal Drive, Colorado Springs, CO 80921

Realm Type: Forest Realm

Chronicle: Guardians of the Realm Portals, Rise of the Totem Masters

Primary Landmarks: Howling Hills, Tangled Timbers, Cryptic Caverns, Whispering Woods, Coastal Cliffs, Dragon's Lair, Goblin's Lair, Pixie's Perch/Princess's Home

Magi Runes Available: Lightning, Enchant Creature, Portal, Distract, Ice Arrow, Protection, Freeze, Heal, Dazzle, Master Magi*

Magi Adventures Available: Red Dragon, Goblin, Pixie

*Note: In this realm, you must complete all three adventures (and, of course, earn all the other runes) before you can embark on the Master Magi Rune quest. This makes sense from a logical standpoint but is probably not the order most magi are used to completing our tasks in.

Totem Relics Available: 

Power Relics: Staff of Fireballs, Staff of Charlock's Vengeance, Scorching Wand, Hand Cannon, Caduceus Staff, Staff of Thorns, Wand of Bone, Unicorn Horn Wand, The Malaki Staff, Snowflake Wand, Staff of Ages, Ivan's Wand, Ruby Rod, Diamondhead Staff, Jasper Wand of Petrification, Staff of Sandstorms, Lightning Rod, Rod of Resonance, Rod of the Gathering Storm, Copper Wand

Weapon Relics: Charlock's Fang, Fire Brand, Steel Sword, Brazier of Eternal Fire, Sabrecat Fang, Mistletoe Dagger, Oak Stake, Wooden Club, Winterra's Fang, Ice Brand, Glass Dagger, Ancient Sword, Diamond Sword, Spiked Mace, Jewel Hilted Dagger, Rune Blade of Abjuration, Storm Brand, Bronze Bell, Laughing Jack's Cutlass, Hidden Blade

Shield Relics: Gauntlet of Justice, Wall of Flame, Ivarro's Iron Shield, Dragonscale Shield, Terrapin Shield, Gorgo's Gift, Shield of Bone/Hide/Horn, Lumina's Bracers, Mirror Shield, Prismatic Shield, Ice Wall, Ancient Shield, Spiked Shield, Diamond Shield, Runestone Shield, Stone Wall, Aegis of Illusion, Swash Buckler, Aegis of the Master Magi, Shield of Bandyshanks

Arcane Relics: Mana Drain Amulet, Amulet of Charlock, Amulet of Agonista, Ironskin Amulet, Scroll of Regeneration, Scroll of Barkskin, Scroll of Wild Growth, Scroll of Death and Decay, Sign of Inversion, Sign of Counterspell, Sign of the Blizzard, Elder Sign, Ring of Destruction, Dark Gem Ring, Mystic Gem Ring, Jasper Ring of Petrification, Aetherial Tome, Tome of the Master Magi, Tome of Breakhame, Tome of the Gathering Storm

I (Annacat) have not journeyed to this realm yet, but Lutra has. If you need any additional information about this location, please leave us a comment and we'll do our best to answer! :)

~Annacat

MagiQuest at Great Wolf Lodge Niagara Falls (Niagara Falls, ON)

Location: Great Wolf Lodge Niagara Falls (Niagara Falls, Ontario)

https://www.greatwolf.com/niagara

Physical Address: 3950 Victoria Avenue, Niagara Falls ON, Canada L2E 7M8

Note to magi unfamiliar with the region: There are two towns with the name "Niagara Falls" in close proximity to each other, Niagara Falls New York and Niagara Falls Ontario. This realm is in Niagara Falls Ontario, on the Canadian side of the Falls. Magi traveling from the United States should double check that they are carrying the necessary ID to cross the border into Canada.

Realm Type: Forest Realm

Chronicle: Runes of the Quest Master

Primary Landmarks: Enchanted Woods, Whispering Woods, Piney Path, Tangled Woods, Dragon's Lair, Pixie's Perch, Forgotten Hallway

Runes Available: Dazzle, Enchant Creature, Healing, Portal, Freezing, Ice Arrow, Protection, Celestial, Wolf, Master Magi

Adventures Available: Red Dragon, Pixie, Ursa Major, Silver Dragon

The exterior of the Lodge has a bright First Nations theme. (First Nations is the term for Canada's indigenous people.)

At this location, MagiQuest is played primarily on the upper two floors of the hotel, though a handful of quests will send you to the Forgotten Hallway on the floor below.

This realm is mostly pretty much identical in floor plan to Great Wolf Lodge Pocono Mountains, which I covered in more detail here.

The biggest layout difference is that the MagiQuest shop is not on the bottom floor as it is at many multi-storey lodges. It's actually at the back of the Trading Post, in a place called the Quest Cottage. This might lead to some congestion at peak times when both shops are really busy (my visit was in the off season, so it wasn't crowded,) but overall I think it's a good arrangement. It makes MagiQuest more prominent and makes it more clear to guests how to get started, and it would also be easier to get help from an employee if you had any problems.

Obviously the quests are not exactly identical between any two locations, but you will see some cool things that may remind you of other realms - for example, do you spot the Portal Star in this picture? Don't forget to enchant it five times, and then do so again. ;)

"Twinkle, twinkle, Portal Star,

How high above the realm you are..."

Unlike the Poconos, Niagara Falls does not have ShadowQuest or CompassQuest. As a result of having less content within the same basic area, there are a few spatial oddities, like the Forgotten Hallway being used in only a couple of quests and a weird stairway corner with a common game element in it - the fairy statue - that never gets used at all.

Seriously - you don't use this for any quest ever.

There's also a corner nook known as the "Training Room." No quests take you there, and as far as I can tell the staff never direct people there. Most realms have something like this, but in this particular realm it's sort of front and center right across from the Quest Stones, so it's noticeable but pretty much unused.

The decor relies more on enhanced photograph backgrounds rather than painted ones.

There are also a few uniquely Canadian touches, like this wrecked boat beneath a waterfall in the Dragon's Lair.

As with the other Great Wolf Lodge locations, is not necessary to be an overnight guest at the Lodge to play. Because Niagara Falls is such a popular tourist destination, there are loads and loads of hotels and motels nearby at various price points. During the off season, you can find very cheap accommodations within a short drive from the Lodge.

Overall summary: I had a fun visit. It was well worth the trip! The employees were (as always) friendly and helpful, the game elements were well maintained and in good working order, and this Lodge does a great job of accommodating non-Canadian guests.

If you need any additional information about this location, please leave a comment and I'll do my best to answer! :)

~Annacat

Princess Candice Scares Me

For the record, I do not mean by the title of this post that Candice Night the real person scares me. I very much enjoy her music, and she seems like a nice lady.

What I mean is that Princess Candice - the character she plays - is terrifying because she is by far the most powerful character we see in MagiQuest, and her powers could have some pretty devastating uses if the magi were to get on her bad side

Now, I know what you're probably thinking. Something along the lines of, "You're crazy, Annacat! Singing and creating stars is a nice, harmless power. Sweet, even."

But is it? What are the full implications of Princess Candice's gift? And if she is so powerful, why is she a princess rather than a queen, and why does she not actually appear to rule anything?

All will be explained in due time...

Journey to Save the Light: Part Two

This post picks up from where we left off in Part One of our series on Journey to Save the Light, also known as ShadowQuest. If you are just beginning your adventure, check out Part One for some tips on how to begin your journey. The current post will discuss the runes, storyline, and characters of the second half of the journey, beginning after you confront Malaki for the first time in the cairn.

As with the previous post, the discussion is based on playing ShadowQuest at the realm in the Poconos. There may be minor (or possibly even major) differences if you are playing at another realm.

Needless to say, there are some spoilers for the ending, though it shouldn't ruin any major surprises.

Journey to Save the Light: Part One

For this series of posts, we have returned to the Scotrun realm to bring you a closer look at ShadowQuest, a.k.a. The Journey to Save the Light.

This two-part post will discuss the gameplay (though it will not provide a step-by-step walkthrough, because that is really beyond the scope of this blog,) story, characters, and what we learn about the lore of Vellara on the ShadowQuest journey.

Fighting Dragons

Encounters with dragons are a cornerstone of a magi's journey. Typically, the magi will have to duel the dragon and prove their worth. This post will focus on two dragons in particular: the siblings Charlock and Winterra. Who are these dragons? What are their powers? How can a magi defeat them in a duel? And what legacy have they left for magi in the future?

Image from Magiquest.wikia.com

There's An App for That! (A Look at the Book of Wisdom App)

Updated info as of 2019: Unfortunately this app has been discontinued. :( If you already have it on your device, it will still work. However, it can no longer be downloaded and will not receive any further updates.

Original post:

The Realms of Vellara have entered the information age with the official Book of Wisdom app, available from Creative Kingdoms/GWL for Android and iOS!

Read on for some pros and cons of the app, my take on whether it's worth downloading, and then a basic guide to how the app works.


Pros:
High convenience factor
More eco-friendly as it saves paper waste
Easy to follow
Information is available about realms you have not yet visited
Free download with no ads

Cons:
Simplified quest instructions lack the charm of the original
Presentation of information can become repetitive
Not all realms represented
Some users have raised accuracy concerns

My Overall Take: Worth downloading! It's free, so you have nothing to lose, and there's some great information that will help you with your questing. The app is still getting updates, so content gaps will likely be addressed in the future. It's not a perfect app, but it's a great idea and a really good start.

How It Works:

First of all, download the app. You can select it wherever you normally get your apps - for most users this will be either Google Play or the Apple App Store/iTunes. You can find links here. It's not a very large download and doesn't take long to install.

All images are taken directly from the Book of Wisdom App as screenshots on my Galaxy S6.

When you open the app, you'll see a screen that looks like this:

Your first step is to select the realm you want information about. As you can see, not all the realms are represented yet. The New England Realm has been added since I took this screenshot, so currently this is available for four locations. For demo purposes, I selected Colorado Springs.

Once you have made your selection, the app will show you which chronicles are available for that realm. Runes of the Quest Master (Legacy MagiQuest) is not available at any of the realms currently in the app. The options are Guardians of the Realm Portals, Journey to Save the Light (ShadowQuest,) and Rise of the Totem Masters. Not all locations will have all of these, and some are listed as "coming soon."

You have the option of selecting general information if you need a basic overview of how the game works. At this point from any menu choice you can also find a guide to the realm's important locations.

Once you have selected a chronicle, you will be able to see what quests, adventures, runes, relics, etc. make up that journey. 

By clicking on Runes, you get list of those available and can select which quest you want to go on.

For demonstration purposes, I selected Enchant Creature.

Magi who are used to the traditional Ancient Books of Wisdom will immediately notice a major difference here. There are no clues hidden in riddles, and an utter lack of cheesy poetry. It's all very straightforward: what you are looking for, and where to find it. Your mileage may vary on whether this is a positive or negative change. Personally, I prefer the quaint quirkiness of the original style.

The app provides similar information about the adventures you will experience on your journey.

You also have the option of selecting information about toppers and their powers. Below is the Red Dragon topper as an example.

The information for Rise of the Totem Masters has the same basic layout. The first screen also presents the scenario and explains the purpose of what you are doing.

In case you're totally lost or unsure when you can progress, there's a list of character/combat encounters that occur and the level at which you can engage in them.

The app will also tell you some basic information about the different totems. In this screenshot I am sliding the page from Lickety Spit to Beraxus.

Additionally you can find information about the relics you are questing for, and how to retrieve each one. There are a lot of them!

This is by no means an exhaustive rundown of what's in the app. It's packed with information, and your best bet is to download it and explore it yourself. Consider this a preview, and a recommendation to give it a try!

~Annacat