November 22, 2019  February 23, 2023

The Beginner’s Guide to Spellwrighting

Wizard101’s Spellwrighting system is one the biggest updates that no one is talking about. This post will discuss the basics:

  1. How you access it
  2. What it currently offers
  3. Its potential uses down the line

See our Spellements Guide to see all acquisition sources.

What is Spellwrighting?

At its core, Spellwrighting allows wizards to earn new spells AND to upgrade their existing spells. Using new reagents called Spellements, one can learn a new spell entirely or upgrade already learned spells along a predetermined upgrade tree. Each upgrade tier costs more and more spellement as one proceeds. Some Spellwrighting tiers offer differing, independent branches for players to choose from. Thus, it offers wizards a choice as to which way they would like to upgrade their spells. For instance, players may have to decide between a path that upgrades raw damage output or a path that alters or enhances a spell’s utility.

Accessing Spellwrighting

The Spellwrighting system is unlocked as soon as you acquire any type of spellement. Currently, the best way to get spellement drops is from elites or bosses in the Wizard City Underground side area, worlds beyond Karamelle, or Skeleton Key bosses.  Once you successfully acquire a spellement, a tutorial tip from Gamma will appear on the UI and a new spellwrighting tab will open in your spellbook. Navigating to this tab will show you how many spellements for each spell you have acquired, show all available upgrade trees, and give you an option to learn or upgrade your spells if you meet the spellement requirements. You can also reset any spells you have upgraded for a crowns fee.

spellwrighting - spellementsWhat it Currently Offers

Two spells, Daybreaker and Nightbringer, are currently available in the spellwrighting system. One can acquire Spellements for these spells as drops from elites and bosses in the new Underground side area. In this way players can stockpile spellements while also farming for the new catacombs gear.

Potential Uses

This new system has the largest potential of any update added this fall. Utilizing this update, it is much easier for Wizards to earn spells on the correct wizard. Spellements are tradeable through the shared bank so something like farming Reindeeer Knight spellements on your Storm and using them to train Reindeer Knight on your low level Ice is entirely possible. In addition, virtually any spell can be upgraded in almost any way imaginable. We’ve already held a spellwrighting contest with excellent entries and winners. We have also had hints from the Developers that they will be considering player ideas. Judging from in game observations- it is likely that the Rank 1 mainline spells will be upgraded next. So if you have any ideas, post them on social media or the main boards!

spellwrighting - nightbringer

What do you think of Spellwrighting?
Let us know in the comments below

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Eric Stormbringer

A Wizard101 player since 2009, Eric has always enjoyed PvP at the level cap. Known for his contributions to Storm PvP, Eric is nonetheless knowledgeable about all max level schools, tactics and gameplay styles. Eric loves analyzing the nitty gritty of spell and game mechanics, particularly as they apply to 1v1 PvP and can often be found offering feedback and suggestions on a variety of platforms.

    28 COMMENTS

    • Sophie Reply

      Can I sell spellement cards?

      • Jennifer SoulStone Reply

        Spellement reagents cannot be sold but can be transferred to other characters via the shared bank. Treasure cards of spellemented-versions of spells can be sold and traded to other players.

    • Paul Reply

      As a returning wizard, I think spellwrighting is yet another very bad idea. I wish they would quit trying to add more stuff to get in the way of playing the game. Adding locations great, more hoops to go through very bad. The only bit of hoops they have that I don’t mind is crafting for items you can choose whether or not you want (like houses, gear, spells not at a school, ect. I just wish all spells were that way requiring said level to craft/use when not for your school of choice.)

    • Caroline StormHeart Reply

      I can collect hundreds of spellments but cannot use them until I reach level 130 and get into the catacombs and get a spellment drop from a boss there?? It appears that is a big waste of time to get an Imp that gives 10 more damage.

      • Cody RavenTamer Reply

        “The Spellwrighting system is unlocked as soon as you acquire any type of spellement.”… ^^^

    • Kim Elkins Reply

      Is there a cap on how many spells you can do?

      • Cody RavenTamer Reply

        What do you mean?

    • Clerzius Larken Reply

      Can you upgrade you from an other character? I’m a ice wizard but I have a lot of fire spell, can I create a other character and use them?

      • stormbreaker Reply

        Spellements are like reagents, you can trade them through shared bank and upgrade the spells on different characters.

    • GrampaT Reply

      Still confused. Are spellments used in PVP, PVE, both or only one? Do you cast them on attack cards similar to casting epic on, say, Storm lord to gain 300 more damage. Might they be called enchantment cards?

      • Cody RavenTamer Reply

        Both in PvP and PvE. Spellements are like reagents that once you collect enough of you can use to change / enhance a spell. Once you collect enough and apply them on a spell, the spell will be permanently change for your wizard (unless you reset it to original using crowns).

    • Melita Edmonds Reply

      Need more chances for drops of spellements this will make them more fun.

    • TJ Reply

      What happens if I reset the spellements? Do I still keep them?

      • Cody RavenTamer Reply

        You should be able to, yep!

    • sparkyflamefire Reply

      Now that christmas is over and the loremaster has stopped dropping reindeer knight and krampus, what other spellements (other than daybreaker/nightbringer, of course) are being dropped and by whom?

      • Eric Stormbringer Reply

        Once spellements become more widespread we will likely post a guide to locations.

      • Cody RavenTamer Reply

        Briefly you could obtain Ice Beetle spellements from the Ice Deckathalon. I think Snow Serpent as well, but never got any myself. Other than that it is just Daybreaker and Nightbringer.

    • jamesdreamcaster Reply

      I’d like to see an article that either explains or shows how daybringer and nightbringer work. I have seen one (only one) use in the game and that wasn’t really clear. What does the number of pips have to do with casting the spell? What are the mechanics of using these spells? How do they differ and which might be most useful in particular scenarios?

      Tracking the upgrades to the other spells seems straightforward — you have to make some choices, but their effect is clearly spelled (see what I did there?) out.

      • Matthew Reply

        I believe we’ll have someone on that when they have a chance to test the spells a bit more, but I’ll remind the team!

        • Samantha Dreamweaver Reply

          I am not a fan of spellements or the way in which you started targeting ice with reindeer knight There was no general warning given to players who are ice and depend on reindeer knight for their Pvp. On top of this the drop rates were so low that in farming 2-3 hrs almost every day from the start I still needed to buy packs which I couldn’t afford to get enough spellements for 1 character. It was also not made clear where the 2 pip spells would be farmed. Spellements have also made the time I spent on. Deckathalon events worthless as their decks will no longer be usable. I spent hrs again farming for enough tunes to make these decks. Ki in bringing this in has basically destroyed low level pvp I prefer doing journeyman pvp You have done nothing to restrict pet resistances yet you have made our spells weaker. I mean for max levels where they have big decks and can enchant in game this might be a great idea but you have destroyed it for lower levels. In doing so you kind of take the choice at where you do pvp away from the individual players. I know a lot of my friends have already started to leave wiz because of these changes. I have 5 accounts and 1 I have already stopped my membership on. I will give this a try but as I lose my friends etc and can’t pvp at the level I like I’m afraid my choice might be to leave wiz after being a faithful player since just out of beta. I really think the choice of the level you want to pvp should be individual

          • Matthew Reply

            Hi, I’m not a KI dev, just a staffer for this site. The previous exchange referred to a member of our team writing a piece on Day/Nightbringer after we have a chance to test them more. If you have feedback, it’s best to direct it to KI proper.

        • sparkyflamefire Reply

          Daybreaker: Enchant a spell with daybreaker and cast it. In addition to the normal casting cost of the spell, at level 1 daybreaker adds another 4 pip to the casting cost. The spell does not resolve at this point. Next turn, cast another spell. The spell you enchanted with daybreaker then resolves, immediately followed by the other spell. For example, enchant a blade with daybreaker and the following turn cast an attack spell. The blade resolves and then the attack spell. This prevents the enchanted spell from being stolen, destroyed, etc by the opponent/monster (as by a siren destroying blades, for example)

          Nightbringer is similar to daybreaker, except that the spell you enchanted resolves after the second spell. For example, enchant an attack spell with nightbringer and then the next round cast a blade. The blade resolves, and then the attack spell.

    • Christian Groff Reply

      This is a really great update to Wizard101, although currently the only spells I can upgrade are the two holiday spells, Frost Beetle and Leprechaun. I hope they add more spells soon. I would suggest basically making spellements to upgrade spells available at the level of the spell. For example, Dark Fairy and Ghoul spellements could be farmed from the undead bosses in Wizard City like Wurmguts and Bastilla Gravewynd, Spellements for all mid-rank spells of fire, ice and storm could be farmed from Krokotopia bosses in the respective area(Meteor Strike spellements could be farmed at the Pyramid of the Sun’s bosses, and higher level spells would require you to farm harder bosses like Efreet would need you to farm a high-level fire boss in Celestia and really powerful stuff like Glowbug Squall spellements would require you to farm the bosses in Darkmoor or in worlds past Khrysalis.

      For the record, I think that Shadow spells and Astral Spells should NOT be Spellwritten. These cards are powerful enough, they don’t need to be overpowered. Restrict spellwrighting to attack or healing spells.

      Another suggestion is making limited time events where you could get spellements of a certain school. The Deckathlons could drop spellements from the bosses in Endurance Mode of that type and you could program and design mini-dungeons where only wizards of that school could explore and be forced to fight enemies of the same school, but if they survive, they can get 10 spellements of a spell they choose each day for a short period of time. I know you have tons of events and it really takes a lot of work to make these, but it would give low-level wizards more things to do.

    • abigail dragonfist, master of strategy and tactics for theurgists, necromancers, pyromancers, diviners, sorcerers, thaumaturges Reply

      this is literally a idiotized version of a system I suggested years ago. system I suggested was upgrading of spells by “earning” experience with the spell via successful casting in successful combat (meaning you used it successfully in combat and won the combat). I suggested a xp bar of 1000 xp (1000 successful casts) which made it a not so easy to acquire for every spell. I suggested specific choices such making shields cast 3 shields on cast for addition of 2 pip cost, or single target shields aoe shield for +1 pip cost. or adding 10% of a blade’s power as additional penetration. ect. I suggested these effects be limited to LEARNED spells. and that you could reset effects chosen at penalty of having to regrind the 1000 xp. this would have added immense in-depth strategy to the game. this spellement system is just (word removed by editor) and has elitism and pay-2-win written all over it.

    • jade Reply

      This is something that has never been offered to me. I have been in the places you talk about but was never offered. Do I have a glitch. This is not the only thing that was never offered to me.

      • Eric Stormbringer Reply

        Hi there, in order to unlock the system you must get a spellement drop from bosses or elites in the Catacombs. I recommend choosing a boss to farm and eventually you will unlock this system. Good luck!

        • Joy Lapray Reply

          You can now get spellements from battling Loremaster in Dragonspyre.

    • Xer0o0_Hassan Chop Reply

      The bad thing that comes with Spellwriting is that you can’t tc enchant cards that can be Spellwriten and keep them in your side deck for later. For now, this will effect 1 pip card Spellements, so you can never keep tc enchanted 1 pip spells in your side forever [until KI decides to delete Spellements or change how they stack with tc enchants]. This will be even more horrible once Spellements reach 4+ pip spells, as this is basically the same as taking away tc enchants in PvP, like KI tried to do with deleting tc enchants altogether.

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