April 12, 2020 March 3, 2023
Wizard101
Gear Set Bonuses
Test Realm came online and with it, a feature for players who love optimizing their stats: gear set bonuses. This isn’t a foreign concept, in fact it’s a common motif in other MMOs. Even when players farmed for their (original) Malistaire robe, some daydreamed about the possibility of these bonuses. They asked, “What if wearing a full gearset gave me more than the sum of the individual parts?” This is exactly what a set bonus will do for you today!
How Do These Bonuses Work?
It’s simple! First, equip 2 or more pieces of the same set. Then you gain a stat bonus based on how many pieces of that set you’re wearing. These stats are given in addition to whatever benefits your equipment usually provides. Also, wearing more pieces of a certain set, activates more bonuses for your character!
How Do I See These Set Bonuses?
With the new item interface, you can see if an item is part of a set when you encounter the not-flashy-at-all purple letters plainly telling you the set’s name.
By clicking on the new Adjustment button on the left side, you can then see what bonuses that set currently grants you. Also included are the other bonuses you may unlock by equipping further pieces.
Which Gear Sets Have Bonuses So Far?
Being a new feature, only a few gear sets have bonus at this time. However, that number is sure to grow very soon. These are some of the more notable sets that will the use the set bonus feature when the test realm hits live.
Dragoon’s (Catacombs Gear)
Full set composed of Hat, Robe, Boots, Wand, Athame, Amulet and Ring
Road Warrior’s Hoard Pack
Set composed of Hat, Robe, Boots, Wand and Pet
Since the release of these bonuses, many more gear sets have received them. Including world gear (Krokotopia gear, Celestia gear), Pack gear (Primeval Hoard, Cerberus Master), and Bundle gear (Candied Isles, Arcane Express), with many more sure to come.
Are they worth it?
Although the sample size we’ve received is small, the feature appears that it will be a crucial factor in gear choice. Currently the most readily available set bonuses will, of course, be from the Dragoon’s gear. The 7 school specific Dragoon’s sets are already among the most popular pieces of gear in the current game due to their very pushed base stats. Furthermore, this gear is already a major contributor in PvP, so when the set bonuses come Live, expect to see this effect exacerbated.
Players only using 2-3 pieces will get to enjoy some sweet additional accuracy, damage, and pip chance. Those who take a step further might be tempted to strive for the 5-piece bonus where the +12% Power Pip Chance will help them compensate for the lack of pips on the ring and athame.
The Road Warrior sets, while not impressive at first sight, can also prove to be a simpler and equally formidable combo made of just 2 pieces: the popular pack wand with its matching pet, which enables a 3% Resist bonus. This may prove very useful for jade wizards looking to have universal immunity! 😉
Perhaps it would be in KI’s best interest to have a Throwback Thursday to the Road Warrior’s Hoard Pack around the time this update comes Live…
Gear Sets Moving Forward
According to Kingsisle, further set bonuses are going to be added over time as new equipment come out. It’s unclear whether they intend to review old gear and add set bonuses to them. However, developers have confirmed Darkmoor sets will not receive a set bonus.
Regarding what future set bonuses might look like, the possibilities for them are as vast as for the equipment that enables them. Set bonuses can manifest in a variety of ways, giving both cumulative stats (like our current set bonuses do) or alternating stats where each new tier gives a different benefit than the previous one.
Set bonuses can also provide anything equipment does, including cards and maycasts, making for a vast ocean of possibilities.
