Pirate101 Monthly Newsletter

May is a wonderful month where the warmth of spring heads back to the Spiral. We’re having our Cinco De Mayo celebration this month and there might even be a few surprises along the way! Be sure to be following our Social Media sites for information as it becomes available.

Read on to learn a bit more about what happened the past month and for a few interesting articles all you hearty pirates may enjoy!

Last month we spotlighted Bishop from the Armada Elite; this month we’re headed away from the brains and into the brawn. Rooke is a powerful enemy that strikes fear in the heart of many pirates, but did you know how he came to be? Read on for the inside scoop:



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

While Kane is the Grand Admiral of the Armada, the Clockwork military falls under the direct command of his General, Rooke.

In the aftermath of the Napoleguinic War Kane quickly realized that a strong Valencian military presence would be necessary to achieve Valencia’s strategic ends. In the name of preserving stability and peace on the worlds so recently “liberated” by the Armada’s navy, he immediately increased production of Clockwork Marines and ships. Kane, however, wished to turn his attentions beyond purely military matters – to escape the burden of command, the Clockwork needed a subordinate who could be trusted with complete strategic command of the Armada. Thus Kane began designing the prototype Dragoon construct that would eventually become Rooke.

Once completed, Rooke immediately assumed control of all Armada forces, which he proceeded to deploy throughout the Spiral. Rooke’s forces seized control of a multitude of formerly disputed worlds in the name of “public safety,” though some said quietly that the campaigns were really a move to solidify Armada control throughout the former Polarian territories. From that day forward General Rooke became one of the most feared members of Kane’s Court, and was soon known as the “Sword of Kane”.

Rooke is widely considered to be one of the most powerful Armada constructs ever created in terms of raw power. Unlike the other members of the inner court, Rooke rarely utilizes subtlety or guile, relying heavily upon his excellent tactical sense and sheer brute strength. It is also said that unlike any other Inner court member Rooke rarely resorts to subtlety, acting instead with his own peculiar sense of honor. Nevertheless he remains a fearsome and powerful opponent.

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

Ahh, Pirate friends! We in Valencia love to create new and curious things. You will never find a finer land who embraces innovation than we. I have a wonderful book for you that’s sure to spark your curiosity this month.

If you're a fan of Pirate 101, you probably play computer games a lot. Have you ever thought about making your own? Hello App Inventor, by Paula Beer and Carl Simmons, is a book that will teach you how to use a free programming language called App Inventor to make games that people can play on an Android phone or tablet!

This is a good book for kids who want to learn to program and for kids who didn't think they would like programming, because with App Inventor programming is more like building with blocks of code than like typing a lot of lines of letters and numbers. Besides the book, you will need a computer, internet access, and a Google account. You'll also have to have a bit of patience and willingness to try new things. If you have all that, you'll be making your first game by the end of page 46!

Every professional game designer started out as a kid who liked games. Learning to program and making your own games is a great way to start becoming a game designer yourself.

Clever players of Pirate101 continue to discover all the mysteries of the spiral, but there are still a few amazing hybrids left to be discovered. Two more were unraveled by players last month, and we wanted to share them here in case you didn’t hear about their exciting discoveries!

• With the release of the Bunnicorn also came the new Monocorn hybrid, which was discovered soon after
• Like spiders as pets? If yes, then don’t miss the incredible Black Mambo hybrid.

Which hybrid will be found next? Keep trying those combinations, Pirates, and best of luck!

Congratulations go to Two-Faced Ann, our two-time winner of the Pirate101 Pillow Fight. If you’re looking for a full list of winners, please check our blog post from the event.

We have another event coming up in May that might be something perfect for our hybrid hunters . . . stay tuned!

"When ye said 'wanna box a chicken?', I thought ye meant fried!"
by Dark Calamity Dodger

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

Have you been keeping an eye on all the Pirate101 news from around the web? We have! Check out some of the amazing happenings we spied last month:

• The theme for April seemed to be “interesting questions!” Maybe you’d like to jump in to the discussion and add your two Doubloon’s worth on some of these:
  • What is boost fuel made of?
  • Why do islands float?
  • What’s the best summoned creature?
  • What obscure corners of Pirate101 do you like?
  • Who’s your least favorite enemy?
  • What’s your favorite legend?
• Looks like everyone had a lot of fun riding their Wonkey the Donkey from April Fool’s Day!
• Our very own Pirate101 Fan Fiction writer, Soultamer (D.S. Deveraux), wrote an excellent post about overcoming writer’s block for our KingsIsle Blog post on “Encourage a Young Writer Day.”
• Ditto stormed the wedding and upset General Tso in one of his latest let’s play videos for Pirate101.
• Here’s an interesting thought from Stars of the Spiral . . . what do you think about having Bounty Hunters in Pirate101?
• Adventures of the Spiral did some nice coverage of all the fun we had for Look Alike Day!
• Duelist101 continued their excellent series on what makes a good PVP Pet in Pirate101.
• Kv Experiences will be starting a new Swashbuckler series of Pirate101 Let’s Plays.
• Looking to talk like a Pirate? Yarr, check arrrr blog post!
• We partnered with MMORPG.com to give away a ton of Doubloons! Did you get yours yet?

Did you know that we celebrate all kinds of fun days and events on our Facebook and Twitter pages? Make sure you’re following us on Social Media to join in the fun! Here’s a few of our “days” we celebrated in April:

• 1 April – April Phule’s Day
• 10 April – 101st Day of the year
• 10 April – Encourage Young Writer’s Day
• 17 April – Bat Appreciation Day
• 20 April – Look Alike Day
• 22 April – Earth Day
• 24 April – Arbor Day
• 25 April – Frog Day

Hello, my Pirate friends. I see you have come to Vadima seeking rare and unusual treasures, and Cat25529, from our Pirate101 Message Boards, is one of these pirates. “Cat” proposed an interesting question, “What is the least owned item?” Peer into my crystal ball, and let us see if we can clear the fog and see clarity in its light.

Aha! I see two divisions of items. The left side of the Crystal Ball shows those items that are poor sellers at vendors and the right side shows expensive commodities from the Black Market.

On the left side I see three items that are all level 25+ that all come from Vendors, and that all have the statistic “+3 Magic Resist.” It appears each of these items have only ever been purchased once: The Lucky Locket, the Lucky Signet, and Van Fossen’s Spyglass. Perhaps pirates simply don’t value this statistic at this level or already have better items from their adventures? Indeed it appears there are not many witchdoctor threats in Port Regal outside of the Water Mole Witchdoctors that sail the Port Regal Skyway. Interesting.

On the right side I see three items that are costly and very new. I see the Master Smuggler’s Mail, the Large Porthole Room Divider, and the Single Bed Room Divider. It is surely a combination of time and the rarity of scrip that has made these items so unique! Keep sinking those ships and looking to the future my friends! Surely more scrip is yet to be found!

The vision fades . . . until next time, friends, and be sure to visit me on the message boards and leave your curious questions as well!