The new Unicorn Way

The new update invites us to start a new wizard and try out changes in Unicorn Way.  Since I love starting new wizards I opened one of the two accounts I mostly use for starting and deleting new wizards, got rid of one and created a new.

I was wowed by the many changes and quickly realized I’d have to start several new ones to catch all the changes and update my guide to Unicorn Way both here on the blog and in my guide to the game.

First of all, after you either take or skip the tutorial offered upon entrance and get transported to Merle Ambrose, instead of getting your first quest and heading off on your own to Unicorn Way, upon receiving the quest you are instantly transported into Unicorn Way near Private Connelly.  You’ll immediately note Private Connelly and Ceren Nightchant have moved.

NPCs in new spots

You’re given a wand, but now instead of a zero pip wand from your school, everyone receives a wand with a 1 pip spell from each school plus 1 heal spell.  My strategy has always used the zero pip spells so I haven’t quite decided about this wand.

One nice thing, while most of the gear dropped or given in the early levels sells for amounts like 5 gold or 25 gold, the new wand sells for more like 1500 (forgot to write down what the one I sold went for exactly) so it’s much easier to buy nice gear when you get to level 5.

New Wand

I always advised: on the run from the headmaster to UW, stop to pick up your Prospector Zeke quest so you can get the UW Smith while you’re back at the Hedge Maze.  Now you not only by-pass Zeke by being planted in UW straight from the headmaster’s office, but you realize when you come out into the Commons, he’s not there.

You have to finish the main UW quests and then the one where you visit the schools (also changed, see below) before Zeke even shows up.  At this point you’ve already completed the Hedge Maze, so it’s an extra trip all the way back there to get the Smith.

No Prospector Zeke

UW has a different look too  You’ll note immediately it’s gloomier and there are some ugly black plants spread around and, in the “new” mode there’s a kind of misty atmosphere  As soon as you get to the first circle,where Lost Souls used to roam, the circle is empty and there are barricades

When you move farther in you see there are barricades at intervals across the street — makes it much easier to cross back and forth if you need to — wish they stayed and that we could have them all over the spiral!

Barricades

After the first, Lost Souls, quest you used to be able to stack quests from Connelly, Nightchant and Olivia Dawnwillow but now Connelly’s Private O’Ryan quest has both changed and doesn’t show up until later.

The game also has more instructions offered at many points instead of the multiple interruptions from various NPC’s showing up in circles on the right side of your screen.

When you finish Lady Oriel she no longer gives you your “Fairy” spell.  Instead you get it from Headmaster Ambrose after the intro to schools quest.  And now Rattlebones is the final main story quest in UW.  Connelly’s Private O’Ryan quest is now for Lady Blackhope, which has become a side quest instead of the final piece of UW that must be completed before Muldoon gives you the quests for the three other main areas.  O’Ryan is also now much closer to Lady Blackhope’s tower.

The skeletal pirate quest you used to get from O’Ryan now comes from Ceren–sort of– with instructions for stacking with Olivia’s skeletal pirate quest and you only have to defeat two to complete both quests at once.

Then the book quest you used to get from Olivia is now given by Ceren after you complete Rattlebones and has changed a bit — no exploding book any more!

Whew.

After Rattlebones, Ambrose sends you on the quest to learn about the schools and that has changed dramatically.  Instead of having to run around going in and out of every school, when you enter Ravenwood they’re all gathered in the entryway.

Mr. Lincoln has moved from Golem to the entrance of Ravenwood and when you’ve received the quest, all the heads of the schools are there next to him  and automatically run through blessedly brief descriptions of the schools..

All Schools at Once

When you finish Rattlebones, the gloom, barricades and creepy plants disappear and UW looks as before other than the NPC’s.

Creepy stuff

The new plan saves a bunch of running around in some places and adds a bunch more in others.  You also still get the Firecat Alley, Triton Ave. and Cyclops Lane all at once.  I kind of hoped they’d be meted out one at a time, though sometimes I enjoy making my own choice about which to do first.

When you head back to Ambrose after the school quest, a new NPC is there.  Next post about her.