Pirate101 Ashes of the Armada Pack Review

With Pirate101 Packs, you can always expect an original structure. Each one has different types of items with different appeals. The Ashes of the Armada Pack is no exception, but there are a few things about this one that make it extra special.

Ashes of the Armada Pack: What's Inside

This pack is composed entirely of three elements: furniture, weapons, companions. This is kind of an interesting concept given the variety of items in past packs:

Tribal Crew Pack: Companions, Furniture, Mounts, Pets, Treasure, Training Points, Gear, Weapons 

Grizzly Beast Booster Pack: Companions, Pets, Treasure, Housing Items, Doubloons, Pet Gear, Pet Snacks, Gear 

Ashes of the Armada Pack: Companions, Weapons, Furniture

The Ashes of the Armada Pack has four companions up for grabs - Haywire Armada mobs, one for each class minus Witchdoctor. They start with one power card and one ability, then can learn six more, including several abilities up to the new ranks 4 and 5, making these an interesting new dynamic of PvP. Each one, upon its final promotion, ends up with some combination of three of these cards:

Companion Grade: B

The weapons included in the pack are from Wizard101, oftentimes doubled for two blades or combined with a Pirate101 weapon. There have been some particle effects added, and a lot of the weapons work pretty well for pirates. There are double Valor Swords, double Umbra Blades, and so forth.

Weapon Grade: A (These are Grade A Weapons, people)

The majority of the pack is furniture from Wizard101. Specifically, furniture from Krokotopia, Grizzleheim, and Dragonspyre. Perhaps this is an indicator of Pirate worlds to come? Blind Mew has confirmed that we'll see Krokotopia and Grizzleheim at some point, and we've traveled through a Dragonspyre skyway already.

Furniture Grade: D+

Pack Analysis

On one hand, this pack is very exciting. People have been asking for Armada companions since the beginning of the game. It's interesting that Blind Mew has constantly said there will never be Armada companions, yet here we are. The introduction of these new units brought many a player back to try their hand at the pack, with exciting weapons also being a draw. In that sense, this is a pretty great pack.

There are two sides to every coin, though. I have seen a couple of people actually cross their fingers for avoiding the Armada companions when purchasing the pack, falling in line with Blind Mew's original feelings. Others have complained that this pack is composed almost entirely of furniture. And it's definitely 90% recycled items, models, and so forth.

For decorators, this pack could be a dream. While there aren't many houses that will fit the furniture, one might still execute a theme in a different style of house. But there are a lot of pirates who aren't decorators. That means they want weapons and companions. With only four companions in the pack, and all of them being epic rolls, the odds aren't necessarily in your favor.

The weapons are a different story. Not only are these awesome-looking weapons common, there are a lot of them. If you're buying a PvP Champion weapon, you have five classes and five options, but not so here. There's just about every combination of weapon your heart could desire. 

The Verdict

This is a pack that everyone should try. There's too much potential for good items and units to pass it up. However, with how rare the companions are and how common the furniture is, I recommend you purchase these packs only until you receive a weapon you're wanting. After that, the odds of receiving something useful are slim.

At least with the other two packs, you can land treasure worth thousands of gold or useful pet snacks. I don't envision this being a pack that people will come back to very often given how little there is to gain. The furniture pieces were all set to sell for a default 15 gold, meaning it's even a poor Crowns to Gold exchange ratio.

Overall Pack Grade: C+

Will you be purchasing the Ashes of the Armada pack? Did you get anything good?

Thanks for reading and see you in the Spiral!