November 8, 2017 December 5, 2018
Empyrea Part 1 Expectations
This article will give you a general idea of what you can expect in Empyrea Part 1. Empyrea is a series of islands where the three great paradox chains lie. At their very center they seal the Shadow heart away from everyone, which is what the Cabal aims to undo with the unwilling help of Mellori. Now we’re aiming to somehow reach Empyrea through it’s violent storms, find Mellori, and as usual save the Spiral. No big whoop!
Some tips to keep in mind while questing in Empyrea would be:
- You are going to get overwhelmed with pet jewels such as school-specific dealers, givers and boons.
- Loads of seeds can be expected, but most of them might actually be useful.
- Do expect some creatures to chain stun. *cough* Monkey Spiders *cough*
- You will encounter several puzzles to solve throughout the main line quests.
- Mobs actually drop rare jewels like Spell-Proof and Spell-Defying.
Arcanum and literally everything else except for Bartelby
What happened to the great Tree? Did he remember? Will we find out later in questing? I found it quite odd that Mirage ended with Bartelby, but Empyrea started off with Fitzhume. On the other hand, we do get acquainted with 3 new amazing companions – Sparck, Beans, and Pork. This is where you’ll start noticing the obvious yet amazing references to a certain movie series. Enough said! You’ll start your journey to Empyrea with the help of our friends at the Arcanum, and you will finally get to fight to Shadow Trickster who made an earlier appearance then he was supposed to.
Aeriel Shores
The hub and very first area we reach in Empyrea… unintentionally! This area is quite compelling. There is a huge mix of NPCs who were stranded here from all over the Spiral, but the most intriguing would be the humans such as Sebastia. Right after Wizard City we don’t see many of them/us. Here you will find the Beastman Fight Club, Loligo with the crafted gear, and our inevitable friends Eloise and Zeke with their usual quests.
Aeriel Jungle
Beware the beasts! Need I say more?
This is basically the first area you’ll be questing in. It has a rather nice length and a good mix of different quests. The green vegetation add something that this world clearly needs, color! Don’t get me wrong, I’m not saying that it’s a dull world, but it has very dark and stormy environments which some players might not love.Moreover, when you’ll have reached the final parts of this area you will encounter a solo fight which is unlike most worlds who have solo fights only at the very beginning.
Zanadu
Describe it in one word… Dangerous! Which is why I love it! Not only this city’s streets are swarming with shadow creatures, but they have also infested the environment (just like how Gobblers sit on rooftops in Colossus Boulevard). The addition of shadow creatures to the environment was a wonderful idea in my opinion, as these creatures represent great artwork which shouldn’t only be visible in battles. Too bad the Alphois have to kick them out to regain their rightful city. On the other hand, the Alphois did do something right, the Leisure Dome! This left an impression on me.
The relaxation, the dancing, the music… I felt like staying for a while. Here you will encounter a dance game, just like the mini game in Pet Pavilion, but this time it’s part of the main quest line. Unlike the pet game, this won’t test your memory, but your agility. You have to be quick or go home! Successfully finishing this will award you the badge ‘Shiny Dancer‘ and finishing it without mistakes awards you ‘Lord of the Dance‘.
Not to forget the Sewers swarming with the malfunctioning Sani-Bots! You’ll see for yourself. I don’t recommend spending too much time down there.
Outer Athanor
Bring a coat… and some sun screen (for later)! This island is where the first paradox chain resides, and surprisingly enough chaos is spreading everywhere. Can you figure out why?
Here is the home of the Ice Dwarves where they live together forever separated from their counterparts below, the Fire Dwarves. The lore between these two goes far back, all the way back to a war which caused the separation to begin with. Not only that, but it also brought the Terror! After you quested in this area you’ll know what the capital ‘T’ is for. Surprisingly enough, both Dwarf races managed to live in harmony for years contributing to each other with water and steam without any communication. So, in these times of crisis, what could possibly go wrong?
Inner Athanor
This is where you’ll need the sun screen, although in reality there isn’t any sun. The home of the Fire Dwarves is in danger and it’s up to us to save it, but then again, what isn’t? This area was quite pleasant to quest in. At some point you will encounter a lava themed puzzle very similar to Shock-a-lock. I found the incorporation of these puzzles in the main quest line very interesting as it’s not just defeat and repeat anymore.
To conclude the area, you’ll visit the Temple of Light wherein lie some serious spoilers, so it’s time for me to shut up. Be prepared for some action, cut-scenes and shocking discoveries!
Sepidious
Prepare to spam the word ‘gross’ here, or maybe ‘cool’. It all really depends on the type of person you are. This is quite literally the belly of the beast, or more accurately the gigantic sky squid! But don’t bother asking how we got there, because that’s something that only Sparck can explain.
Additionally, you’ll be travelling all over this poor creature trying to chase off Cabal agents and rescue our dear friend Mellori. Something worthy of a mention is the diversity of all the different cabal agents. In final dungeons, Kingsisle has developed a habit of combining different types of creatures to oppose the wizard against whatever goal they’re trying to accomplish at the time. This can be observed in the Shadow Palace, the Sands of Time and a lot of other places. But, will you succeed this time?
I should warn you, a page from Mirage’s playbook was used in here, a betrayal shall take place! But, who?
To conclude this wonderful journey through the first part of Empyrea, I’m gonna leave you with some general thoughts and opinions of my own. First of all, I’d like to address the music. SUPERB! Big well done to anyone involved in it’s development at Kingsisle. I especially found the music quite pleasing in Zanadu and Outer Athanor. Highly recommend you go there and let your wizard spin just to listen. A wide range of the drops can be actually of use, from plants, to gear and jewels. The roaming bosses and some of the other bosses carrying a pet turtle are a great addition to this world. However, there have been reports of the pets’ drop rate being ridiculously low! Finally, I would like to say that questing through this world was enjoyable and I’m pretty sure you’ll get a kick out of all those movie references.
