Introducing the MagiQuest Adventures Photo Archive

We have a new feature here at MagiQuest Adventures: a photo archive! This will be a compilation of all of the photos from our travels to various realms.

https://imgur.com/user/MagiQuestAdventures/posts (or search for username MagiQuestAdventures)

In the past, I've been pretty selective about what images appeared on the blog. Images that didn't turn out very well, or seemed redundant, or didn't seem interesting enough, or simply would have made the post too image-heavy and overwhelmed the text just ended up stuck in my photo backups, never to see the light of day.

Until now.

I've had an increasing number of requests for photos that didn't quite make the grade to be posted on the blog. I'm always happy to dig those out and dust them off, but I thought it would be easier to just make those photos directly accessible to the public.

So, a few bits of housekeeping related to that:

All photos in the archive were taken by me (Annacat) or Lutra unless otherwise noted. Feel free to use them for reference and discussion purposes.

Photos will be sorted by realm, but at this time I don't plan to organize them further. Consider it a pictorial grab bag!

The whole point is to provide as much photographic coverage as possible, so unlike the blog, I am not evaluating for quality with this project. Some of the shots are not great from a photographic perspective, and I'm well aware of that. They may be weird, or blurry, or framed like I was falling down the stairs. That's okay! They may still be useful to someone out there.

In general, I do not plan to provide any commentary on the archive photos. That's what the blog entries are for. That said, if you have a specific question about anything, drop me a comment and I'll do my best to provide an answer!

Main archive page: https://imgur.com/user/MagiQuestAdventures/posts (or search for username MagiQuestAdventures)

Current content includes:

Adventure Trek (Lake George)

Colorado Springs

Downers Grove

East Hanover

Fitchburg

Niagara Falls

Poconos (MagiQuest and ShadowQuest)

Sandusky

I will be continuing to add to the archive as we visit new realms and return to familiar ones, so stay tuned for updates!

As always, may your adventures be magical! :)

~Annacat

Adventure Trek at Six Flags Great Escape Lodge (Queensbury, NY)

My goal with this blog has been to document the wonderful and the weird in the world of MagiQuest. 

Today we are taking a dive into the deep end of the weird.

Friends, I present to you... Adventure Trek!

Location: Six Flags Great Escape Lodge and Indoor Water Park (Queensbury, New York)

https://www.sixflagsgreatescapelodge.com/

Physical Address: 89 Six Flags Drive, Queensbury, NY 12804

Realm Type: Non-Standard

Chronicle: Quest of the Guardians

Primary Landmarks: Adventure Trek Clubhouse, Adirondack Heights, Lake George Waters, Old Queensbury Way, Deep Forest Paths

Adventures and Gameplay: The game structure of Adventure Trek is a little bit different. It is divided into three adventures, each of which consists of five missions followed by an encounter. For the most part you can do the Funzerker and Splashateer content in any order, however you must complete all five missions before attempting the associated encounter, and all of the content from these two adventures must be completed to unlock the Imaginaut Adventure. As with MagiQuest, only one mission or adventure can be active at a time. 

Funzerker Adventure: Boomerang in the Outback Mission, Cold Comet Needs Firing Up Mission, Condor Which Way Is Up Mission, Demon Won't Come Out to Play Mission, Sasquatch at the Dog Pound Mission

Splashateer Adventure: Tall Timber Treehouse Leaky Bucket Mission, Take-It-Eesi-Creek Ran Dry Mission, Avalanche Rafts Snowed-In Mission, Boogie Bear Lost the Beat Mission, A Muddy Mess Mission

Imaginaut Adventure: Find the Radeau Mission, The Four Forts Mission, Golden Treasure Mission, Iroquois Heritage Mission, Great Escape Excavation Mission

For each completed mission, you earn a badge. These badges have different functions that you must use during the encounters. They're basically runes with another name.

So, the question we've all been waiting to ask... what exactly is Adventure Trek?

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

MagiQuest at Adventure Realm (Downers Grove IL)

Update: This realm closed in May 2017 and is no longer available to visit.


Location: Adventure Realm (Downers Grove, Illinois)

This realm is sometimes referred to alternately to as MagiQuest Chicago, but is located in the suburbs.

http://advrealm.com/

Physical Address: 2011 63rd St. Downers Grove, IL 60516

Realm Type: Kingdom Realm

Chronicle: Runes of the Quest Master

Primary Landmarks: Enchanted Forest, Mountains, Cottage, Dungeon/Crypt, Twisted Woods, Piney Path, Dragon's Lair, Pixie's Perch

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

Grove Runes Available: Music

Master Magi Runes Available: Potion, Fire, Shield, Creativity, Courage, Compromise, Communication, Collaboration

Magi Adventures Available: Red Dragon, Pixie, Goblin, Silver Dragon

Master Magi Adventures Available: Ice Dragon

Grove Adventures Available: Duel Master

Other notes: Unfortunately, this realm will be closing on May 21st, 2017.

The outside of this place doesn't look like much; it appears to be just another storefront in an aging strip mall. On the inside, though, this realm is incredible. It's like a maze, making great use of their space and incorporating multiple different environment styles.

On arrival, I asked for an Ancient Book of Wisdom... and found out they don't use them at this location. Instead they have laminated sheets that have one quest on the front and one on the back - you're supposed to use them as needed and return them. On the plus side, this is definitely more eco friendly as a lot of people just throw their books away or leave them somewhere when they go. The downsides are that this isn't going to please germophobes (though personally I'm not one) and if there happened to be a birthday party group doing the same quest you were on, you sometimes had to wait for a paper.

They offered some alternative, simplified quests for very small children.

Unfortunately, there didn't seem to be subtitles available here for the dialog. This was challenging because there was so much background noise. Sometimes there were character speeches that I just couldn't catch.

One rather unique quest here was the Music Rune. A unicorn awards it.

Another set of runes worth noting is the Master Magi runes of Creativity, Courage, Compromise, Communication, and Collaboration. To earn the Creativity and Courage Runes, you read about real life historical and folkloric figures and answer questions about them to solve a puzzle. To earn the Compromise Rune, you learn about the Great Compromise of the Magi, what each clan gave up and what they gained. (Woodsy gave up weapon-making and gained intelligence. Warrior gave up invading other lands and gained understanding. Trixter gave up deception and gained humor. Shadow gave up night vision and gained insight. Majestic gave up their ability to rule and gained compassion.) For the Communication Rune, you learn about American Sign Language, Braille, and Morse Code, and translate words into each. For Collaboration, you assist another Magi to fight the Red Dragon. These runes were tricky but fun, the puzzles were fair, and there was some educational value.

Although there is no dueling of other magi at Adventure Realm, it seems like there may originally have been an intention to incorporate that feature at some point. There is an adventure where you assist the Gwendolyn the Duelmaster to recover the key to her potions chest, and she gives you some advice in exchange.

The realm has a restaurant/"tavern" on site called the Crooked Crossbow. I ate lunch there and it was pretty good, very basic fare.

This location also has themed laser tag and an arcade, though I didn't personally take part in either one.

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

~Annacat

MagiQuest at Great Wolf Lodge Sandusky (Sandusky, OH)

Location: Great Wolf Lodge Sandusky (Sandusky Ohio)

There are two Great Wolf Lodges in Ohio. The one described in this post is in Sandusky, close to Cleveland. The other one, in Mason, is nearer to Cincinnati. Be careful when you are planning your trip that you are choosing accommodations near the correct Lodge, as they are a significant distance apart. Great Wolf does make this distinction slightly clearer by referring to these two lodges primarily by the actual towns they are located in, rather than by region as with some other locations.

https://www.greatwolf.com/sandusky

Physical Address: 4600 Milan Rd, Sandusky, OH 44870

Realm Type: Forest Realm

Chronicle: Runes of the Quest Master

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

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

Adventures Available: Goblin King, Pixie, Red Dragon, Silver Dragon

Other notes:  One thing that's interesting about this location is that the Great Wolf Lodge building is right in the middle of the suburban sprawl, not set back from the road with a long driveway like the other ones we've been to. You didn't really notice that once you got inside, though.

This realm has the original version of MagiQuest and has not been changed to 2.0, but does appear to have had some extra maintenance and updating. The main indication of this is that a number of quests have more guidance about things like the order of casting to trigger an encounter, what is required for your quest, and the steps and timing for combat.

They do not have CompassQuest or ShadowQuest.

This realm has quest stones, not quest trees, even though it is a forest realm.

The layout of this realm is similar to the Lodge in the Poconos, but with the difference that the forest "paths" are along the balconies only and the gameplay spaces do not extend into the halls toward the rooms. This makes the forest areas smaller, but this realm makes more use of the downstairs space by having gameplay elements near the store and in a nearby corridor known as the Shopkeeper's Hallway. Overall the gameplay space is probably about the same, just with a slightly different layout.

Me (Magi Annacat) with my new friend Charlock Junior.

Earning that Master Magi title never gets old.

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 New England (Fitchburg, MA)

Location: Great Wolf Lodge New England (Fitchburg, Massachusetts)

This location is sometimes referred to alternately as Great Wolf Lodge Boston, but is a fairly significant travel distance from the city proper.

https://www.greatwolf.com/new-england

Physical Address: 150 Great Wolf Drive, Fitchburg, MA 01420

Due to a change in street address, some older GPS devices may have difficulty locating the Lodge using that information. If you are having this problem, please redirect your device to 150 Royal Plaza Drive, Fitchburg, MA 01420.

Realm Type: Forest Realm

Chronicle: Guardians of the Realm Portals

Primary Landmarks: Whispering Woods, Tangled Woods, Highforge Peaks, Tempest Islands, Dragon/Goblin Lair, Princess/Pixie Home, Forgotten Hallway

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

Adventures Available: Red Dragon, Pixie, Goblin

Magi who have completed the Runes of the Quest Master versions of these adventures will find some differences here. Pay careful attention to ensure you are doing what the Guardians of the Realm Portals versions require!

Personally, I found the quests and adventures here were shorter and did not take up as much time as they do at other locations. Your mileage may vary on that. If you complete everything - which is doable in one visit if you are efficient - you will earn a reward. See below for more details.

A couple of little oddities about this location: If you are not careful, you will run out of gold, as quite a few quests require it! Be sure you are collecting as many treasure chests as you can as you go along. (Updated to add: Stars and jewels give out gold too, so cast on them as often as you can!) If you find that you are short on the gold you need to advance, and are stuck as a result, don't worry - you can simply repeat a few quick lower level quests,since most of these give a gold reward. Also, even if you complete all the runes and adventures, including Master Magi, you still will have not gained enough XP to be officially recorded as a Master Magi in the computer system; if you want to make sure you are recognized as a Master Magi, repeat a few quests until you get the Master Magi scroll graphic on your quest screen.

At this venue, MagiQuest is played exclusively on the main level of the Lodge. There is a central area past the waterpark where you will find the Quest Stones, Whispering Woods, Tangled Woods, Pixie/Princess, and Dragon/Goblin. There are also some freestanding structures in the play area that you will need to visit, comprising the Tempest Islands and Highforge Peaks. Some quests will send you to the Forgotten Hallway, back past the waterpark and on the other side of the main lobby.

The MagiQuest Store (where you purchase magi equipment and set up your game time) is just off the main lobby. As one would expect, quests are given at the Quest Stones. It kind of feels like a hike from the store to the main MagiQuest gameplay area, which may cause some magi to think they have gotten lost. Nope, it's just a long way! :) There's really only one direction to head in, and once you pass the waterpark, you're almost there.

As with other Great Wolf Lodge locations, it is not necessary to be an overnight guest at the Lodge to play MagiQuest at GWL New England. There are other accommodations available within a reasonable driving distance.

My visit to this location happened to be during the month of October, and the Lodge was decorated for Halloween. The spiders, cobwebs, pumpkins, etc. are seasonal decorations and will not be present if you visit at a different time of year.

If you complete all the rune quests and all three adventures, be sure you go to the MagiQuest store and let them know. They will declare you a Knight of the Realm and will have a little knighting ceremony, during which you can select your MagiQuest clan. (I chose World Singers - they're similar to my Woodsy clan from Runes of the Quest Master.) 

You will also be given a free button declaring you are a Master Magi!

As you can see in the picture above, this location uses a booklet called the Guide Book - similar to ShadowQuest - instead of the Ancient Book of Wisdom that magi are probably used to. It's a little bit of an adjustment, but Guide is easy to follow and should still have all the information you need to complete your quests. (Updated to add: It seems that the Guide Book was just a temporary thing. On our return visit they had Ancient Books of Wisdom like the other locations. This is a newer location so the books may not have been ready yet the first time I went.)

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 the Funplex (East Hanover, NJ)

Update: This realm closed in September 2016 and is no longer available to visit.


Location: The Funplex (East Hanover, New Jersey)

http://funplexeasthanover.com/attractions/magiquest/

Physical Address: 182 Route 10 West, East Hanover, NJ 07936

Realm Type: Kingdom Realm

Chronicle: Runes of the Quest Master

This location also offers EduQuest for school groups. See the website for more information.

Primary Landmarks: Dark Forest, Enchanted Forest, Castle, Courtyard, Dungeon, Crypt, Silver Dragon Portal

Magi Runes Available: Lightning, Enchant Creature, Healing, Portal, Freezing, Dazzle, Ice Arrow, Distract, Protection, Reveal, Master Magi

There are also Heroic versions of all Magi Runes. These quests can be started after you have completed all the regular quests. Obtaining these runes is much harder, and and the quests have a lot less in the way of hints. Some Heroic quests are timed, and some require pretty clever and out-of-the-box thinking. If you can complete them, though, there's a very cool reward - see below.

Master Magi Runes Available: Potion, Fire, Shield

Magi Adventures Available: Red Dragon, Pixie, Goblin

Master Magi Adventures Available: Ice Dragon, Silver Dragon

At this location, MagiQuest is played in a designated area of The Funplex. Everything is on one level and there is no need to climb stairs. A handful of quests require the magi to venture out into other parts of the building, but play is primarily within the MagiQuest area. Quests are given at the Quest Stones, on the far left near the Dark Forest.

The footprint of the MagiQuest area at this venue is much smaller than those at the Great Wolf Lodges, but don't let that trick you into thinking there isn't as much to do. This location packs a ton of content into their square footage. Most Magi will probably need to make a return trip to complete all the quests; although wand rental is offered at this location, we strongly recommend buying a wand so your progress will be saved.

If you are able to complete absolutely everything - including obtaining all the runes, all the Master Magi Runes, all the Heroic versions, and finishing all five adventures - you will be rewarded with a certificate with your name on it (you can choose whether you want to use your real name or your MagiQuest name) and a free physical copy of the Master Magi Rune made of gold-colored metal. It is not necessary to complete all the requirements in one visit. You can return and work on your quests as many times as you like till you reach your goal.

Magi Lutra (left) and Magi Annacat (right) proudly showing off our achievement.

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

~Annacat