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Favorite and least favorite world aesthetically and gameplay wise?

AuthorMessage
Ensign
Mar 31, 2012
6
What's your favorite and least favorite world that you go to in Pirate 101? You can rank them all from top to bottom or just list your most favorite and least favorite.

I'm honestly really curious as to what people think and to hear all their opinions on the subject!

For me I'd have to say Marleybone is my favorite world aesthetic wise (The war torn skyway with the dramatic music is just great as well as the rainy dark feel on the cities) and gameplay wise (Storming the beach head was great)

For my least favorite I'd have to say Monquista. I just find the whole aesthetic of it not as interesting as other worlds. The gameplay can also be a bit tedious with it's long dungeons. But it doesn't mean I hate Monquista it's just the most underwhelming in my opinion.

Anyway hope to hear what you guys thing!

Pirate Overlord
Mar 16, 2012
10631
FireDolphin2211 on Mar 8, 2021 wrote:
What's your favorite and least favorite world that you go to in Pirate 101? You can rank them all from top to bottom or just list your most favorite and least favorite.

I'm honestly really curious as to what people think and to hear all their opinions on the subject!

For me I'd have to say Marleybone is my favorite world aesthetic wise (The war torn skyway with the dramatic music is just great as well as the rainy dark feel on the cities) and gameplay wise (Storming the beach head was great)

For my least favorite I'd have to say Monquista. I just find the whole aesthetic of it not as interesting as other worlds. The gameplay can also be a bit tedious with it's long dungeons. But it doesn't mean I hate Monquista it's just the most underwhelming in my opinion.

Anyway hope to hear what you guys thing!
Marleybone, most definitely, it shows the best of Blind Mews writing and the nighttime skies show up the fights dramatically. I like the fog on the Isle of Dogs.
Cool Ranch is the worst; I think it's ugly (it shouldn't be all desert, the are spots of greenage in the USA west and vast prairies) the world has NOTHING to do with being a pirate! Plus it's way too long!

Ensign
May 07, 2010
3
my favorite world overall is cool ranch for sure! i know many dislike it because it runs so long, but i really love the wild-west theme. the music and environment alone are enough to keep me hooked all the way through, even during the tedious parts. and though many may not agree, i do love the story too.

marleybone, though, is a close second for its story alone. ill never forget going through its stormgate for the first time on my first pirate () and seeing the consequences of my actions... talk about impactful storytelling
its when i realized how good pirate is at making the us actually feel like we are directing our own story, whereas in wiz, it feels more to me like we just get strung along with no real personal drive. for that, pirate's marleybone will always be super memorable to me!

as for least favorite... i guess i'd say skull island aesthetic-wise and, honestly, aquila gameplay-wise. so much of aquila feels like Doing-Chores101 but i still loved seeing another side of aquila! heres to hoping we can now get more of that for other worlds in the future

Ensign
Nov 26, 2011
36
FireDolphin2211 on Mar 8, 2021 wrote:
What's your favorite and least favorite world that you go to in Pirate 101? You can rank them all from top to bottom or just list your most favorite and least favorite.

I'm honestly really curious as to what people think and to hear all their opinions on the subject!

For me I'd have to say Marleybone is my favorite world aesthetic wise (The war torn skyway with the dramatic music is just great as well as the rainy dark feel on the cities) and gameplay wise (Storming the beach head was great)

For my least favorite I'd have to say Monquista. I just find the whole aesthetic of it not as interesting as other worlds. The gameplay can also be a bit tedious with it's long dungeons. But it doesn't mean I hate Monquista it's just the most underwhelming in my opinion.

Anyway hope to hear what you guys thing!
Marleybone is by far my favorite world in Pirate101. Blind Mew took a world that didn't impress me much in Wizard101, and made it the best world across both games. He sold the Marleybone-Armada war perfectly (which is to say, Marleybone genuinely looked like it was making a last stand). And the atmosphere and music are just fantastic.

My least favorite world? The truth is I don't have one. Mooshu felt kind of dragged out (I at least loved the theme of Cool Ranch). I didn't particularly care for the architecture in Monquista, but we also didn't see nearly enough of the world for me to have a proper opinion on it (that battle theme was epic though).

Gunner's Mate
Sep 04, 2018
268
Aquilla is hands down my favorite, but I do like elements in Valancia part 2. I like the Kane fight and I love the level 65 ships, being able to choose the types that I want, and I really enjoy the ship battles in that world as the drops are really nice. Aquilla largely saved the game for me, it was pretty much a perfect world, and I really liked the gladiator fight.

My favorite dungeons and companion quests in other worlds were trashed and changed to dumb them down. I really miss the promotion quest that you had to actually escape to the end square in order to win and survive rather than defeating everything. It was different. So much of the stuff that was different and unique and offered variety in gameplay and how things could be done were changed and/or scrapped to dumb things down.

Captain
Dec 06, 2012
613
Favorite aesthetically is Skull Island cause it's nostalgic

Least favorite is Valencia part 2...something about it feels just...wrong. In a way that I can't describe.

Pirate Overlord
Mar 16, 2012
10631
Takhethis on Mar 11, 2021 wrote:
Aquilla is hands down my favorite, but I do like elements in Valancia part 2. I like the Kane fight and I love the level 65 ships, being able to choose the types that I want, and I really enjoy the ship battles in that world as the drops are really nice. Aquilla largely saved the game for me, it was pretty much a perfect world, and I really liked the gladiator fight.

My favorite dungeons and companion quests in other worlds were trashed and changed to dumb them down. I really miss the promotion quest that you had to actually escape to the end square in order to win and survive rather than defeating everything. It was different. So much of the stuff that was different and unique and offered variety in gameplay and how things could be done were changed and/or scrapped to dumb things down.
Yes, I agree that Bonnie Anne's second promotion (in the Monte Royale fight was "dumbed down"). It was exciting that we had to run to escape. Now we just have to "defeat all enemies" and they don't even drop chests!
Seems that some players ignored the battle requirements or didn't understand that it wasn't a standard fight.
I hope that KI may give us some non-standard fights in the future.

Commodore
Sep 20, 2009
989
darkmoordude on Mar 11, 2021 wrote:
Favorite aesthetically is Skull Island cause it's nostalgic

Least favorite is Valencia part 2...something about it feels just...wrong. In a way that I can't describe.
To me, Valencia part 2 had a weird empty feeling to it. As if it was only ever half-done.

I have trouble choosing a favourite world. I have to split favourite among, Marleybone, Valencia I, and Avernus.
I know Avernus is just a single skyway, with not much in it. But, I really enjoy just sailing through Avernus.
Marleybone is great, although it created many questions for me. (Why does the Marleybonean Navy seem like it's literal decades behind the Marleybonean Army in Wiz101?) I like the setting of Marleybone, the way we finally see some consequences to our actions, and also finally getting to see another world standing up to the Armada.
Valencia I. IRL, I'm a meteorologist, I just adore the stormy skies of Valencia I. The art department did some nice work with those storm clouds.

For least favourite world, yea, Valencia II. I like all the little critters that were added in, like the rabbits and mice and such. But it just feels empty and rushed. There's nothing in Valencia II that makes me want to go back to that world, for any reason.

Captain
Dec 06, 2012
613
CdeWinter on Mar 15, 2021 wrote:
To me, Valencia part 2 had a weird empty feeling to it. As if it was only ever half-done.

I have trouble choosing a favourite world. I have to split favourite among, Marleybone, Valencia I, and Avernus.
I know Avernus is just a single skyway, with not much in it. But, I really enjoy just sailing through Avernus.
Marleybone is great, although it created many questions for me. (Why does the Marleybonean Navy seem like it's literal decades behind the Marleybonean Army in Wiz101?) I like the setting of Marleybone, the way we finally see some consequences to our actions, and also finally getting to see another world standing up to the Armada.
Valencia I. IRL, I'm a meteorologist, I just adore the stormy skies of Valencia I. The art department did some nice work with those storm clouds.

For least favourite world, yea, Valencia II. I like all the little critters that were added in, like the rabbits and mice and such. But it just feels empty and rushed. There's nothing in Valencia II that makes me want to go back to that world, for any reason.
Not to mention like, half the islands in the giant skyway are either completely useless or really minor

Ensign
Apr 28, 2019
19
Cool ranch, hands down, is my favorite world. The long story line, the infinitely many fun npcs, the wild west vibe, not to mention the five people and whatever they were called. There's always a hint of tears in my eyes saying goodbye to good ol' Cool Ranch and the folks residing in there.

Ensign
Nov 22, 2012
1
Same as you man my least favorite is Monquista I just really dislike the aesthetic there but my most favorite is Marleybone I really like the night aesthetic.

Ensign
May 01, 2012
34
  1. Marleybone - definitely the most expanded upon ideas and going for a total shift in the urgency and tone of the game. Up until this point, it's been pretty cut and dry, but fighting a literal war in a country actively being ravaged by the Armada combined with excellent story-telling is just *chef's kiss* perfection.
  2. Cool Ranch - the first half of Cool Ranch is a little... underwhelming to say the least, and I think it gets a bad vibe because of just how long we are in a Western world in a Pirate Game. It has too many sidequests (and quests in general), but I think it picks up around the second arc that deals more directly with Captain Blood.
  3. Skull Island - nostalgic, classic and always true to the form of piracy. Wish we had more going on there, but Skull Island is still a solid 3rd place from me.
  4. Aquila - don't hate it, don't love it, had some pretty challenging and interesting battles, but the storyline seemed a bit contrived for me personally. Also, how come only Privies get Argos when he was on all our parent's crews? Some nonsense right there.
  5. Mooshu - great battles and encounters, but draws on waaaaaay too long, especially after the already incredibly long Cool Ranch.
  6. Valencia I - too short to really be anything crazy here, but a nice introduction to our foes and establishing a more tense theme to the game, as well as a pressing sense of urgency... which is ultimately squandered by going to Cool Ranch for the next twenty levels.
  7. Valencia II - devoid of soul and purpose, rushed and it definitely shows.
  8. Monquistia - massive skyway for tiny people with incredibly drab color scheme and annoying quests every time you have to revisit it... just sooooo boring. Final dungeon is nice, so points for that.

Ensign
Mar 18, 2013
7
1. Marleybone - Everyone loves this world, and it shows. The only part I thought was less than stellar was The Wreck of the Victory due to the amount of debris being quite annoying (makes sense story wise but doesn't make it any less annoying). Everyone else in this thread has already said why this world is nothing less than amazing.
2. Valencia 1 - While it is very short, it accomplishes everything it wants to do very well, sets the story up for a return to Valencia (more on that later), and gives us a great first look at the Armada's stronghold. It also sets up for the journey that is Cool Ranch quite well.
3. Cool Ranch - As if on cue, here is Cool Ranch! The length is a little much, I will say. But the world makes up for it with some stellar storytelling and great battles (although it does have its share of mistakes, cough cough Frogerale Compound). I love the Wild West theme.
4. MooShu - A very nice follow-up to Cool Ranch. The first bit in Khotan Skyway is far too repetitive for it's own good (IMO Khotan is the worst dungeon in the game by a longshot), but it picks up once Subata hits, as hunting for turtle balls is very fun.
5. Skull Island - The first world in the game. It does feel like you're truly pirating here, but some sections drag on for far too long, especially the three rats section.
6. Monquista - Big empty space with not much to do. The story is good here but the overall gameplay is very repetitive, but not the worst thing in the world. Very average.
7. Aquila - The first bit with Troy is the worst bit in any KI game. Afterwards, it does pick up but you do hit collect quests every 2 seconds, and it drags on for far too long.
8. Valencia 2 - Just plain awful, everything except for the Kane fight sucks and is way too much of a step-up in difficulty from MB and AQ, and it feels like the difficulty is purely built on stupidity. Clearly rushed. Story is good early on, but is absolutely awful after The Clock Works. I'd rather they rework the enemies and preferably (although unlikely) put Blind Mew's original story back.

First Mate
Dec 24, 2009
413
Aesthetically, I really enjoyed Mooshu. The colors felt a fair bit more vibrate and diverse(though that may simply be compared to spending 10 years of sailing Cool Ranch). Like, the world popped a lot more but it had a different air to it than the way it was presented in Wizard101. It's not my favorite gameplay wise, but the General Tso's boss fight is worth an honorable mention as well as the entirety of the Tower of Moo Manchu.
Also, how can you dislike a world with a giant robot vs Kaiju fight?

I'd also like to honorably mention Valencia(both parts) for some really sick battle themes. Music is awesome here, both in general combat and in boss fights.

Gameplay wise, I love Skull Island, though this is more game design than game play. I think it does an excellent job of introducing you to the mechanics of Pirate101 by including:
  1. Interacting with objects(blow up the Troggy slingshots).
  2. Letting you know that quests can give you companions(Bonnie Anne).
  3. Collecting treasure from chests(the room with the chest that gives you equipment lets you know to keep an eye out for chests in your journey).
  4. Boat mechanics(the bait-and-switch for the dingy does give you the idea that you'll be able to upgrade your boat later).
  5. Class specific companions(if you knew nothing about the game, then the Kraken Skulls would clue you in to the idea of class specific companions).
  6. MAKING CHARACTER CREATION CHOICES RELEVANT(Presidio companion, which will clue you in to the idea that those choices mattered and that you should check your stats).
  7. Serving as a hub with denizens of other worlds to tell a bit about the cosmology.
  8. Explaining the value in boss fights(Finn, the first proper boss, can drop some incredible equipment, telling the you that farming can be worth your while).

I could go on, but to keep a long story long, I think Skull Island is a great introduction to the game that introduces mechanics of the game as they become relevant in a minimally invasive way.

In terms of least favorite, I'd say Monquista takes it on both counts. The world feels overall bland to me:
  1. Hosting some of the more tedious quests in the game imo.
  2. Being extremely linear(most of your sailing is along that windlane that connects Monquista City to La Mancha, Diablo Cut, and St. Bonobo's Abbey) until around the end. I'd like qualify this by saying I mean a more literal linearity(literally sailing along an almost line) not a game design linearity.
  3. Only having one skyway(which contributes to the feeling of linearity)
  4. Having 1 prominent color pretty much the entire time(Cool Ranch adjusts for this with the Haunted skyway)

Now, this is not to say that I dislike Monquista. I think it's pretty good in some areas. It's home to memorable NPCs(Donkey Hotey is my favorite name in the game, bar none) and boasts some rather elegant ship designs. Also, the Opposition Champion badge is a feature unique to this world with no other badge doing something similar until Nefarious 6th(which you get in Mooshu ).