Pirate101 Monthly Newsletter

Happy New Year! We hope your 2015 was full of fun and surprises and that your 2016 will be equally wonderful.

December 2015 was a great month for making Pirate101 just a bit more festive. We hope you enjoyed the new, festive items, pets, and companion . . . and how about those new gift boxes and festive loading screens?! We also had a new season of PvP begin and received a fresh Producer’s letter for everyone to read. It was definitely a fun way to end the year.

Thanks for playing Pirate101! Let’s read on for a few features and a look back at last month.

If you haven’t made it into Aquila yet, you’re going to love your encounter with Hawkules. He’s a mighty companion who joins you on your journeys . . . and if we didn’t mention it, his father is Zeus! Here’s a bit more of the story behind this massive hero.

Subject: Hawkules
Home: Aquila
Weapon of Choice: Clubs, Trees, Boulders, Fists and nearby heavy objects.
Occupation: Hero

“Welcome to the Pirate101 Rogue’s Gallery. Subject, Hawkules.

Greatest Hero of Aquila, Hawkules, son of Immortal Zeus, was raised by his step-parents, a humble shepherd and a gentle weaver. On the night he was left with them he showed his heroic nature: two Ophidian brigands attacked the couple’s simple cottage only to be knocked out cold by the infant Hawkules. The old couple gaped at each other in disbelief. It was obvious their charge was no ordinary mortal.

In the years that followed Hawkules proved to be more than a little...boisterous. The time his stepfather found him juggling the entire flock was bad enough. When asked to dig a water trough, Hawkules dug a canal bigger than an aqueduct. A request to patch a fence resulted in a massive stone bulwark surrounding the entire village. Finally, the old shepherd sat down with his stepson.

“Son, you’re no shepherd. The sheep are terrified of you. The wolves are terrified of you. Even the MANTICORES are terrified of you. You were born to be a hero, so go do something heroic. Go to Nova Aquila and join up with a Legion.”

And so began Hawkules’ legendary military career. His prowess at besting the enemy grew so rapidly that soon Generals were fielding him instead of their other soldiers. Hawkules took on entire Legions by himself and his fame grew to the point where he became private army of his own, hiring out his talent to whichever general he thought could gain him the most glory.

As his legend continued to grow throughout Aquila he began to have more and more trouble finding work. Armies would often desert their posts the moment they heard Hawkules had been hired by their enemies. The hero was leaving untold Legions of unemployed soldiers behind him in every region he traveled through.

During the Trojan War, the opposing sides signed an “Aggression Pact” in which both sides agreed the other would not hire Hawkules, thus allowing themselves the luxury of fighting a proper war. It seemed Hawkules’ career as a soldier was over. So, he offered his services directly to the Emperor himself.

The Emperor was more frustrated than pleased. He tasked Hawkules with Ten Great (and impossible – or so the Emperor thought) Labors to keep him out of his feathers... but Hawkules made short work of the first five tasks and was about to undertake the rest when he was cajoled into the quest for the Golden Fleece. Little did he know that fateful journey would lead to his first step out of Aquila and into the myriad realms of The Spiral.

These pirates and more await you when you play for free at Pirate101.com.”

Last month was all about the holidays! We loved hearing your feedback and all the other wonderful things you shared with us. Here are a few interesting posts that caught our one-good-eye last month:

With every new PvP season in Pirate101 comes a different set of pets. If you’re trying to find information on the new Maxotaur pets, then join in the discussion!

We thought this discussion on the lack of humans was delectable!

A brand new item was introduced in Pirate101 that takes your creativity and features it inside the game. Have you seen the new Art Books? Check out these guides from Adventures of the Spiral and Secrets of the Spiral.

Here’s something you may not thought about before:Swordroll lists his Top Ten Spiritual Centers in Pirate101. Very interesting!

We’re really thankful for our official fan site Stars of the Spiral, who always shows off the latest things in Pirate101 like the new loading screens, Christmas ship and Christmas presents, but we were really blown away when Stars of the Spiral received top billing in this Massively Overpowered article where she thanked us -- Awesome!

We were happy to see you all enjoyed the extra festive plunder found in group chests last month.

Our new snow globes were a hit, and one player even made his own personal blizzard from them!

How about that Holly Jolly Roger companion?! He’s pretty amazing, but even more interesting was the new talent he could train.

We’re glad you all enjoyed the new gift boxes!

In general, it was really great to hear all the praise about our holiday update in Pirate101.

If you missed KI Live, make sure to catch the epic Yuletide Pet Sparring match between community managers on YouTube! Who will win, Friendly Thomas’s Ostrich in a Pear Tree or Dark Leesha’s Santa Claws? Find out here.

A lot of official Pirate101 fan sites were holding contests in December. Stay tuned to sites like Pirates of the Spiral for fun and prizes.

What if Wizard101’s Professor appeared in Pirate101? Inquiring players want to know!

While no new hybrids were discovered in December, at least one of you was very very close with a guess at the Spicy Clue found in last month’s newsletter. Keep up the hunt!

Last month saw the introduction of several new holiday pets, including the free Yuletide Banded Iguana pet we gave away as part of the 12 Days of the Spiral. We’re glad you enjoyed these new pets! See you over on the Circus Maximus message boards in 2016 when you’re sure to discover even more hybrids.

Boochbeard: “I believe I can fly!!” Gandry: “I don't!!!”
by Black Wolf Bowman

Who will caption the next Puppet Pirates? Stay tuned to our Facebook page to enter your caption on the next Puppet Pirates.

Ahh, Pirates! I see you come to Vadima once more in search of answers to your questions. Let us peer into my Crystal ball to see what we may see this month!

Captain Black WolfBowman asks, “Are there any name combinations that haven't been used by anyone, or any that are least popular among players?” Hmmm . . . there are SO MANY combinations for names in Pirate101 that the list is too long to read in my Crystal Ball, Captain. Hmmm . . . let me zoom out a bit. Ahh, yes. That’s easier to see in my crystal ball now. It’s amazing to behold! I see there are millions of name combinations possible in Pirate101 and only 22 percent of them have been used. If you’re looking for a truly unique name, you may want to head over to the KingsIsle Blog where last March we noted a fun list of seldom used names in Pirate101.

What is this?! HelenaQ has another question. Hmmm, it is good to see you asking more questions of Vadima. Have you ever considered being a soothsayer yourself Helena? Maybe a Witchdoctor? Yes? Good! Here is her question, “Is the Stephan the Krok/ Uber Krok task in Marleybone based on a song called Schnappi? The song itself is German about a crocodile from Egypt and the task has many German qualities (Dr. Schnippi, Uber Krok, Mein Krokogarten, German accent, etc) and I've been wondering if it is because I love love love German things and am so glad something is German.” Halt! This is not a question for Madame Vadima, but I must say you’ve piqued my interest. Let me see if my crystal ball can contact Blind Mew, Hawkules, and the mighty Thunder Snake (you know, all those writerly types for Pirate101). Ahh yes! Look here: I see them all in a row, and they are all nodding their heads . . . Yes!

OH NO! NOW THAT SONG IS IN MY HEAD! OFF CRYSTAL BALL! OFF!

Whew . . .

The visions fade . . . until next time my Pirate friends, thank you for visiting Vadima. I hope to see you asking me more mysterious questions for next month! Remember to say hello to Vadima when you can.