Wizard101: Empyrea Part 2 Expectations (Part A)

Empyrea Part 2 is on the horizon, and it's the big conclusion to the third arc - Wizard101's best yet. But what awaits us in this second part of the story? What enemies can we expect? What will happen in the story? I've got a lot of thoughts on this, so sit back and relax. We're diving in deep.

The Nimbari

Let's start out with what we know for sure is coming. Any Empyrean entities or creatures we haven't yet encountered are likely to show up in Part 2 - that means the Nimbari! The Nimbari are the race of creatures that Sparck and Ione belong to. They're sort of human like with blue skin and white hair. KingsIsle shared a teaser with one of them in it. Let's take a look.

This particular female character seems to be a fierce warrior wielding two swords. This makes one wonder - will the Nimbari be friends or foes? How with they respond to the return of Sparck and Ione, who left their home world? This will be one of the many questions answered in Empyrea Part 2.

We're not saying who it is yet. She's a Nimbari warrior, and we mentioned previously that the Nimbari we had seen before were more studious - so she's different. We wondered what she could be up to.

Valencian Ships

Okay, maybe not Valencian, but they sure do look the part. These airships are something that's fairly new for Wizard101, and bridges a little bit of the Pirate side of the Spiral. But beyond that, it means that some of the characters in Empyrea Part 2 may not be trapped at all. Unlike the residents of Nowhere, they can travel between islands and at least around Empyrea. Maybe we'll be traveling in style in one of these ships.

Mushroom Monsters

KingsIsle's latest teaser is what looks like some kind of evil plant, and resembles a mushroom is my view. This is a really polished concept they've released, and it's got people wondering exactly where this thing could come from and how we'll interact with it. Is it a mob? A boss? An NPC?

Last time around for Empyrea Part 1, the teasers included a general landscape and one mob. It would be a reasonable guess to say that we could be getting the same thing here, but only KingsIsle knows at this point.

Game Within a Game: The Aero Dwarves

In a video celebrating ten years of Wizard101, the design team shared their process in creating a mini-game that will be a part of the story in Empyrea Part 2. Unlike past quest elements which have been spin-offs of existing mini-games, this one will be entirely unique, and it'll be a multi-player game! KingsIsle stated that this one will be involved with the story of the Aero Dwarves, suggesting additional dwarf villages. Watch the video here.

Spider's True Form

Now we move more into the realm of speculation, but with some hints and assurances by KingsIsle that some of our questions will be answered in Part 2. Right now, we are dealing with two major First World (now written FirstWorld in the game, but I'll likely stick to the original) beings - Grandfather Spider (Old Cob), and Grandmother Raven (Lady Nightstar). But there's another being we musn't forget - Grandfather Tree (Bartleby).

Why is this relevant? For a few very important reasons. Number one, we've seen the "reduced" or standard forms of Spider and Raven. We've seen the full-fledged forms of Raven and Tree. We've never seen the full-fledged version of Spider or a smaller and moving version of Tree (maybe there isn't one in his case). I think it's a distinct possibility that we could see Grandfather Spider's true form in Empyrea Part 2.

The Eye of History

After the conclusion of Mirage, we have yet to deal much with Grandfather Spider in Empyrea. He's been busy on his own, undoubtedly working on his scheme to end the Spiral. But Mirage had some major consequences at the end. First, Mellori was captured, but that part of the story has been wrapped up in Part 1. Second, the Eye of History was returned to Bartleby. We have largely only heard one side of the story - Grandmother Raven's. If, like the history of the titans, there are conflicting viewpoints, Bartleby could remember something that gives us new information about the First World and the relationship between Raven and Spider.

Bartleby's Sickness

Since the beginning of the third arc, Bartleby seems to have come down with a cold. Returning the Eye of History didn't help that. There has been some speculation that Bartleby may die; could killing the roots that hold the Spiral together be part of Spider's back-up plan? Right now, Spider is fixated on reclaiming his heart. But remember, his intent is to destroy the Spiral, not just unleash chaos upon it.

A Third Ancient Being

Besides Spider, Raven, and Tree, there are other ancient beings that we've come across that have provided really valuable information in our questing through the third arc. The Auroricle and Chronicle have provided some valuable, if vague, insights into what to expect in the final chapter of the arc. Let's take a look back at some of the things they've said.

"That which was frozen in Time, and in our Hearts, flows again."

"After, it soon is only a matter of Time. When the Sand settles, the Spiral shall end as it began... with a broken Heart."

"Should the Moment rise, the Sundering shall be stopped, and the Hastening shall be slowed."

Let's look at all of these personified elements and break them down.

"That which was frozen in Time, and in our Hearts, flows again." This could refer to the Sands of Time and Grandfather Spider's attempts to reverse them and return the Spiral to its former glory as the First World. It also, however, references Hearts, which is less clear.

"After, it soon is only a matter of Time. When the Sand settles, the Spiral shall end as it began... with a broken Heart." This gives us a major hint as to what we can expect to be a key part of Empyrea Part 2. The Chaos Heart is essential to the Spiral's existence but can also be the source of its undoing. We'll explore that more in the future, but this line sets up a scenario in which the Spiral ends with the destruction of Spider's heart.

"Should the Moment rise, the Sundering shall be stopped, and the Hastening shall be slowed." We know that the Spiral will, at some point, end. It's inevitably doomed. We've established that so far in the third arc. We might assume that the Sundering is that of the land and sky in Polaris, but it could also refer to what is to come. The Hastenting refers to Grandfather Spider's attempts to hasten the Spiral's end.

I'd expect that somewhere in Empyrea, to round things off nicely, there will be a third ancient being that will provide a little more vague insight into our quest to stop the destruction of the Spiral, and maybe even into the fourth arc.

Paradox Chains & Dwarf Villages

We know after Empyrea Part 1 that three paradox chains hold the chaos heart. Unfortunately, Medulla destroyed the Fire and Ice Paradox Chain from the dwarf villages there. Medulla is dead now, so he won't be a problem. I suspect, however, that Spider, his children, and other agents of the Cabal will be working to destroy the two remaining Paradox Chains, which we'll get to in a moment. The other thing we could guess from Part 1 is that Paradox Chains are part of dwarf villages. We might see more of them in Part 2. The fact that Aero Dwarves are mentioned suggests that there appearance is almost certain but their ties of the paradox chains are still in question.

We know this for sure - Part 2 will have to pick up the pace given that we have two Paradox Chains and a showdown coming rather than just one. This led some people to suspect an Empyrea Part 3, but KingsIsle has confirmed that the two parts will conclude the third arc. That means that one of my wilder theories turned out to be correct.

The Storm & Myth Paradox Chain

One of the chains we have yet to encounter is the Storm & Myth Paradox chain. Or at least I suspect the remaining chains will be school-based, though they could lean more toward the elements given the nature of Fire & Ice. This means we'll encounter two environments which are somehow intertwined but relate to these schools of magic. For me, the Storm area would be perfect for the appearance of the Nimbari. What the Myth area could entail, I'm not sure. Maybe more of Medulla's kind? 

What I'd be most excited about if this were indeed the case is not just discovering these new races of creatures, but getting a whole new vibe surrounding the Paradox Chains. The dwarves were not fighters at all - they sure got angry at each other but couldn't keep Bat or Medulla away from the chain they were sworn to protect. The Nimbari could be completely opposite - warriors, ready to fight to the death over their chain. And they might have a good reason to, if their chain has anything to do with the Chaos Vortex and the storm engulfing all of Empyrea. But we'll get to that later.

With Medulla out of the picture, Spider eyes the remaining paradox chains...

The Life & Death Paradox Chain

That'd be a pretty fitting name, wouldn't it? The final chain could well be the difference between Life and Death in the Spiral. This is one chain, though, where I don't know what kind of areas we'd encounter. We haven't really gotten any hints about what this type of environment could be like, or what else Empyrea has in store. The Mushroom Monster character seems to fit well within this realm.

A Balance

If we do end up with the three Paradox chains resembling the six major schools of magic, it'd be make sense. But what about the seventh? I would doubt there's any kind of fourth chain having to do with Balance, but it's possible there's some other mechanism of protecting the Chaos Heart that involves the school of magic.

Note: The video and first image are my fan-made creations for Empyrea Part 2.

What are you excited for in Empyrea Part 2?

Stay tuned for additional theories. Thanks for reading and see you in the Spiral!

Click to Read Part B

Click to Read Part C