It’s just a few days away from my birthday and because I hadn’t posted in over a week, I felt I should do a fun topic. What better topic than to write about than my favorite game, one I reminisce about and still play on a near-daily basis? Many months ago, I stumbled upon @choopo ‘s channel on YouTube as he played through Wizard101 for the first time. On his alternate account, he released a video on his personal rankings regarding Wizard101’s many worlds. As I was watching, I thought to myself, why haven’t I written on this yet?
I’ve been playing Wizard101 since February 2011 (account creation), and while I took a massive break for several years (from between around 2015-2022), the return was worth it. The game had changed very little after so many years and I found myself quickly maxing out my first character to level 170. I followed it by taking another small break, but maxing two more wizards out. With work taking up a lot of time, I haven’t gotten the chance to play as much as I’d like, but I have the necessary knowledge to accurately rank the worlds.
It’s unfortunate to have to say this, but this entire article will be opinion-based. So please, keep in mind this is completely subjective and you might have a difference idea of what worlds are the best. Let’s get on with the rankings!
21. The Catacombs
The easiest choice for me, personally, the Catacombs is the most boring region of Wizard101. The Catacombs are located underneath Wizard City and is designed for level 130 wizards. When I first quested through every quest on my max fire wizard, I accidentally skipped over the Catacombs and I’m glad I did. There’s an extreme skill gap between Empyrea (130 world) and the Catacombs, and it shows in the bosses. While the normal mob battles are nothing to grow frightened over, it contains my least favorite boss in any world: The Devourer.
The Catacombs is the first ever world where I ever had to stop and really think about what was happening. This is not a world you can simply walk into by yourself. You need to find people, and believe me, it’s hard. No one likes the Catacombs and I think it’s evident based on how many people are showing up in TeamUp (none). The atmosphere of the Catacombs is nasty (literal trash mobs) and after fighting bigger and better villains, coming back to Wizard City’s sewer system feels like a massive downgrade. I genuinely have no positives for the Catacombs and am sad it’s a part of the game. Perhaps one day I’ll look back and laugh at how ridiculously difficult it is for even max wizards, but today’s not the day.
20. Karamelle
For being a major part of the main storyline, Karamelle seems like a poor attempt at comic-relief around every corner. The whole concept seems to have a better fit in a Wysteria-type setting, in a smaller capacity than a main world. I have no qualms about the boss fights – they’re quite entertaining, requiring a good bit of research, time, and skill – but it’s hard to stay focused when your boss fight is against a marshmallow. Speaking of which, why is one of the most powerful (canonically) wizards fighting against candies and animated foods? Keep in mind, in the previous arc, we just beat one of the most evil beings in the entire spiral. And now… well, marshmallows.
Karamelle itself, like other arc 4 worlds, is relatively short and can be done within a day’s grind. There’s a good mix of irritating and satisfying boss fights, but the world seems like a callout to reference as many real-world/fictional people as possible. The creativity in Wizard101’s worlds seems to be depleting, and Karamelle is a major victim of this fallout.
As much as I hate on Karamelle, I will give some positives that make it just above the worst. The spells are great and very entertaining, despite them being silly and “unwizard-like”. The world plays smoothly and while I’m not a huge fan of the story, it still makes relative sense compared to some other worlds. I think the “candy world” trope is overdone in fiction but Karamelle feels different to that generational trope.
19. Aquila
It feels mildly sinful to put Aquila in the world rankings, as it’s another “sub” world based out of Cyclops Lane in Wizard City. However, with the recent additions of new bosses, challenge modes, and spellements, I figured I should add it to the list. I will say, in brutal honesty, I didn’t know where else to put Aquila than here at 18th. The entire world consists of three dungeons and some side bosses. That’s it. I love the Greek mythology theming, but it’s just not enough to pull its weight.
It doesn’t really even have side quests, which give other side worlds (Grizzleheim, Wysteria) a boost in the rankings. There’s one main area and then the three dungeons. I really cannot emphasize how little content there is in Aquila for such a steep price. The dungeons require some skill and communication for success and the gear drops are decent. Other than that, I don’t have much else to say.
18. Mooshu
When I’m senile and thinking of Wizard101, I’ll be thinking solely of the neon green bamboo forests of Mooshu. If I was making this ranking list based off of nostalgia, Mooshu would be near the top. The story has prominence in finding and destroying Malistaire, the antagonist of arc 1. The main story runs relatively fast, as most of arc 1 does, but the abundance of side content helps aid it. I find Mooshu’s storyline very intriguing but I just can’t shake how bad the graphics look. I’m a sucker for older graphics, but if any world needs a revamping of graphics (as KingsIsle recently did with Krokotopia), it’s Mooshu. There’s some areas that are bearable but the majority of areas look like an indoor turf soccer field.
The major redeeming factors of Mooshu is the ease of combat, an engaging storyline, and who doesn’t love a samurai pig? I can withstand playing Mooshu during the day, but at night, that green background is horrendous. I’m putting Mooshu so low because of the graphics and lack of memorable characters. Mooshu gave life to the goddess Moolinda Wu, but other than that, I can’t remember anyone worth mentioning.
17. Empyrea
As discussed earlier, Empyrea sits on the main-story side of level 130. It produces some of the best crafted gear of the game, and especially for level 130s. My biggest gripe with Empyrea is that it’s broken up into two parts, and each part doesn’t even feel like they should be connected. If you’re new to the Wizard101 spiral, let me explain. You crash land in Aeriel Shores, Empyrea, and go to several disconnected areas that seemingly have no relation to one another. Somehow it has even more pop culture references than Karamelle. Don’t even get me started on the war crime that is Whirlyburly.
While I’m not a huge fan of the world, I do think it has the most memorable moments and characters from arc 3, which is a very memorable arc. Another small irritant with Empyrea as a whole is that it’s way too long, or feels that way because of the way it’s divided into two parts. Coming off of Polaris and Mirage, two worlds I consider to be perfect length, it’s a tough play. There’s tight connections with the Arcanum (which is not included in the rankings) and you learn a lot of characters names, most of which will not be seen again.
16. Marleybone
Another arc 1 world that will bring me to the edge of seat regarding nostalgia is Marleybone. I remember vividly wandering the rooftops of Marleybone, helping the dogs rid their streets of criminals. Taking a further glance out as I grew up, I realized that this is extremely symbolic to modern day gentrification, which could be an entire article on its own. Excluding that view of thinking, I can tolerate the darker graphics, making it a great world to play at night. The mobs aren’t overly difficult, especially since you don’t have an AOE (area of effect, targets all enemies) at that level. The bosses are also quite simple for a lower level, making it a smooth ride.
If I have such good things to say about Marleybone, why am I putting it so low? Overall, I think that the story is weaker than other worlds and the areas are very bland. I would’ve loved to venture around the streets of Marleybone, sneaking down alleyways. The world is designed based off of early 1900s London (quite obviously), yet we don’t get any of the charm of the time period and location. All the world is is rooftops and destroying mobs, who are just trying to make a living. I think every other world does a better job at producing a vibrant environment or gripping story, or both.
15. Celestia
As we exit Dragonspyre and the legendary battle between yourself and Malistaire, you’re sent to Celestia. While the main story with context is extremely engaging and thrilling, it took a Wikipedia search to find it. Inside of Wizard101 itself, the reasons for going to Celestia and liberating it from Morganthe’s army isn’t well-told. The world is placed underwater after the Storm Titan betrayed Celestians, and is now inhabited by Morganthe’s soldiers, including robots and wild creatures. If I had to describe Celestia in one word, it would be blue. Everything is covered in this dark shade of blue and it gets quite obnoxious after a while.
Dragonspyre is so story-rich and essential to the plot that Celestia seems like a major downgrade. It doesn’t help Celestia being right after Dragonspyre, but quite frankly, arc 2 is when the story becomes slightly less connected in comparison to arc 1. There are quite a few parts of Celestia I do enjoy, including the final dungeons and The Floating Land. However, there’s much more I dislike. The world takes what I would consider to be the second largest skill jump in the game (outside of Azteca). Let’s not even talk about the Crustacean Empire.
14. Wallaru
At first thoughts, I really thought Wallaru was something special, but after some time, I came to realize it was nothing special. I was just really craving a new world to play through. Wallaru is KingsIsle’s depiction of Australia and the Outback. The characters and setting are strongly representative of this and I enjoyed seeing pop culture references sprinkled throughout. It’s not overwhelming like in Empyrea or Karamelle.
For a world that sees the conclusion of arc 4, I thought it to be extremely underwhelming. End of arc worlds are supposed to be strong, emotional, and evoke some sense of care. But after beating the end boss (by spam casting elemental and spirit blade on the 4th slot), I felt no sense of pride. The ending of arc 4 doesn’t even take place in Wallaru but in Novus, the world before it. Therefore, I think Novus would serve better as an end of arc world than Wallaru. The last time you’ll step foot in Wallaru is most likely not for the story, but to grind the worst dungeon in the game (Nightmare). I really wanted to like Wallaru but it showed it wasn’t capable of being the world everyone wanted. In help of Wallaru, arc 4 is the worst arc by far in Wizard101.
13. Lemuria
Lemuria is another world in the chain of the weak arc 4. Let me get something clear for the rest of the worlds while we’re in Lemuria. While Marleybone and Mooshu struggle with backgrounds, being the same thing for every area, Lemuria has the opposite problem. Every single area in Lemuria is disconnected and unrelated to one another. For a good world, I want to see a general theme while not seeing the same background for every area. Is that too much to ask for? In Lemuria, the wizard must go to all of these different areas from a jungle to a desert to a temple to a city. It’s exhausting and the continuity is nonexistent.
When watching choopo’s video on Lemuria, I actually agreed with one of his points. Lemuria plays as if you should be able to choose which area to go to first to recruit people. Because the main story revolves around recruiting characters, the way you do it shouldn’t matter much. It would’ve been an interesting switch to KingsIsle’s normal formula of MMOs. I think Lemuria overall provides a good challenge to experienced players, and excluding the backgrounds, the mobs and bosses are all interesting and fitting. I just can’t help but groan over the continuity issues.
12. Novus
Rounding out the arc 4 worlds, we have Novus left over. Novus is a densely packed world in terms of story, but similarly to Novus, the continuity of areas suffers. At least, unlike Lemuria, it makes slightly more sense to be layered like that. Novus, for those new to Wizard101, is essentially European nations trying to split Africa for themselves. In this case, Novus acts as the newly found African nation. Characters from Marleybone and other worlds (not official worlds) attempt to take over Novus for themselves. Because of this tense story, I found myself engaged and intrigued to see what would happen. Although, if you’re a history-buff, there’s only one way it could end.
The side content has a huge skill jump but the main story should be relatively easy, excluding the big bosses. It plays more as a finale world than Wallaru, which is why it’s two spots above. Although, I just can’t wrap my head around arc 4 and the ridiculousness inside it. The other three arcs are so much more complete and while Novus tries to carry arc 4 to greatness, it falls flat. I really enjoyed going back to Mooshu and Catmandu, but I’m tired of playing ambassador for foreign nations.
11. Avalon
I used to be an Avalon hater, I’ll admit it. I’ve always been a bigger fan of different time periods in history; Feudal Japan, Pirates, Ancient China, etc.. I never really found myself enjoying medieval history. After playing through Avalon on now four different schooled wizards, I can say I feel slightly different. My original gripes with Avalon is that it was too long and played such little significance to the main story. Now after playing through it many times, I can say it feels faster than the number of quests to play indicates. It’s no Azteca or Khrysalis, but it’s no Polaris or Mirage either. I might still not be a huge fan of the main story, I have had fun with side content and bosses.
Avalon presents a decent enough skill gap for those who genuinely know what they’re doing and those getting by on sheer luck. Jabberwock is a prime example, which still haunts the 13 year old me. However, nowadays, I could solo Jabberwock with any of the seven schools. The lore of Avalon runs deep and helps it find the world just outside of the top ten.
10. Wysteria
Cracking into our top ten, I had to put Wysteria, the copycat of Wizard City (and Harry Potter). Since I didn’t read or watch Harry Potter until much later, I didn’t initially care about the references. I did, however, thoroughly enjoy the world regardless. It’s a side world, so the main story relevance is nonexistent. It provides an easy world that can be done in one brief sitting. All of the areas are connected to one another, following a general theme which is great. The mobs are fairly basic but the storyline underlying the Wysteria schools is fantastic. I never saw the surprise coming.
Wysteria helped introduce so many memorable characters like Belladonna Crisp, Randolph Spellshine, and Chester Droors. My only criticism of Wysteria is that it’s way too short. While many players might enjoy how quick it is, getting right back into story content, I cherished my time in Wysteria. I think a lot more can be milked out of Wysteria and the similarities/differences to Wizard City. I hope an expansion of Wysteria is in the near future.
9. Grizzleheim/Wintertusk
Is it criminal to group Grizzleheim and Wintertusk together? Probably, but I’m going to do it anyways. Grizzleheim, the first, main, section of the side content is often skipped by many players looking to barge through the main story. Similarly to Wysteria, I take every second I can to really enjoy Grizzleheim’s scenery and content. While it’s not the most rewarding in terms of experience, the story is engaging and explores a great real world similarity in history to vikings. While I really enjoy Grizzleheim, it runs fairly slowly because of the level you’re first granted access to it (level 20). I would probably place it lower on the list, but Wintertusk helps boost its’ rating.
Wintertusk is meant to be played after level 50 and after Grizzleheim’s main story is completed. Wintertusk grants access to some of the best crafted gear until level 100. The world itself is so important to the main story and the lore of the game that I’m surprised it’s only technically “side content”. You learn more about the Titans from Grandmother Raven (rip) herself and beat literal gods. What’s more satisfying than that? It’s also worth noting Nick Jonas composed the soundtrack for Wintertusk, just a fun fact for everyone.
8. Khrysalis
Now entering the top tiers of worlds, we see ourselves enter the end of arc 2, Khrysalis. Khysalis has some of the best writing out of any world and the world is divided into two parts, although they blend fairly nicely. This is the last time (for now) that we’ve seen Morganthe, as she attempts to command her shadow army to take over the Spiral. As we come to know, she fails, and you get a nice graduation celebration for saving the Spiral (however many times by now). The setting is dark, as it should be, but it’s comfortable to some extent.
There’s a couple of gripes I have with Khrysalis, which pertains mostly to the length. It is split up into two parts, but knowing how many quests are ahead of you can be daunting. It also comes right off of Azteca, one of the longest worlds in the game. The bosses are relatively difficult but nothing overtly insane. The skill gap is similar to that of Azteca’s so you might need to TeamUp every so often, but not for every boss fight. You should also be rocking max Darkmoor gear close to halfway through Khrysalis, giving an additional boost.
7. Zafaria
Every video game theme needs to have the “Africa” world, right? Well, Zafaria fits this exact specification and I don’t care about how culturally wrong it is, I loved it. The theming is spectacular, the mobs and bosses are all great, and arc 2 is just getting started. As unfortunate as it is to say, I don’t think I feared a boss more as a child than Belloq. I applaud KingsIsle for the world design, making each place distinct and making Zafaria a memorable ride overall.
My one main issue I had with Zafaria, keeping it from getting higher on this list, is that there’s no distinct villains outside of Belloq. No one was very scary, and outside of Belloq, it’s very easy to breeze through as a solo player. One aspect I sincerely appreciate from Wizard101 is the community, and I’ve met very few players wanting to quest together through this world. Thank god they fixed the drop rates for the DNC quests as well, which helped boost Zafaria up a few spots.
6. Mirage
This might be the most controversial pick of the list, but I think Mirage nails a lot of things on the head. First, let’s talk about the length. It’s hard to compete with a world like Polaris in terms of length. It’s relaxing, but keeps you on your toes every so often, needing to strategize or find help. Mirage is 115 quests long, which might sound long but it flies by. The theming is another great aspect of Mirage. While deserts can be extremely dry (pun intended) and boring, Mirage is a fun journey through oases, deserts, canyons, palaces, and more. The story, while not extremely relevant until the very end, is still goofy and presents some entertainment.
But don’t be fooled. Mirage’s story is essential for the ending of arc 3 in Empyrea, getting into a full swing of Grandfather Spider’s comeback. You face historical figures like Bort Shadowmane (Krokotopia), Shadowwock (Avalon), and Shadowbones (Wizard City). It has a great balance of current and nostalgia. For the negatives, there’s not too much. I wish there was an option to fast travel to the Thieves’ Den. Some bosses are ridiculously hard in the specified level range and you’re almost required to find help. However, there’s not too much holding it from the top. The five worlds above Mirage do earn their spot.
5. Wizard City
The classic, the godfather of all nostalgia, Wizard City. Everyone starts in Wizard City and makes daily runs through it to refill potions (before Arcanum), talk to Merle Ambrose, train new spells, or just hang out. The Commons, still all these years later, is the spot to be. Wizard City is the shortest world by far but it acts somewhat as a tutorial world for new wizards, so it doesn’t lose any credibility for that. Nothing much about Cyclops Lane, Firecat Alley, or Titan Avenue majorly affect the main story, but are all enjoyable for their respective theming. While Wizard City isn’t 100% story-driven, without it there would be no story, or Wizard101 in general.
The bosses aren’t very memorable outside of Wizard City, which would make sense since it’s a relatively “safe” world. Characters that you meet in Wizard City will stick out and come up at certain points later in the story, so it’s worth holding onto their names. As a kid, there’s a real sense of magic in the air, even though you’re playing a computer game. Nothing beat waking up early on the weekend to go to Ravenwood and see what new spell you unlocked. I try not to let nostalgia place Wizard City so high, but the kid still in me thinks five is an appropriate ranking.
4. Dragonspyre
Dragonspyre is arguably the most story-rich world in the entirety of the Spiral. Quite frankly, outside of Wizard City, there is no Wizard101 without Dragonspyre. It’s easily the second most important world in the entire game. It is the home of Malistaire Drake, the first antagonist of Wizard101. It was daunting as a kid coming into Dragonspyre knowing that this was it, this was the end game. This feat was even scarier at the time Malistaire was THE end game, and posed a threat unlike what the Spiral had previously seen with a rumored 100,000 health.
The world itself is pretty cool. It’s a ghost town inhabited by fallen soldiers and fighters of the Century War. The natives, Draconians, come in all shapes and sizes. Everything about the world itself is awesome, but the background is where Dragonspyre suffers. I can’t honestly say it would be higher up regardless as the other worlds are really just that much better, but like many arc 1 worlds, it suffers from the same backgrounds. Some areas are slightly different like Crystal Grove and The Drake Hatchery. But the story is so good, it deserves this spot.
3. Krokotopia
This might be the most controversial pick on this entire list, but I stand by my ranking. Krokotopia suffers a little bit of the same arc 1 blandness in backgrounds. I agree, it can be tiring running around pyramids and catacombs over and over. While writing this, I currently have a lower level character in Krokotopia and without AOEs, it’s incredibly tough to get through. Krokotopia falls as the second world, after Wizard City, and has the most expansions out of any world. These include Selenopolis, Kembaalung, Zigzag, and Tomb of Storms.
The story really begins to pick up pace in Krokotopia, and while it’s slow and obnoxious running around at such a low level, the story is worth it. Who doesn’t love Egyptian theming? With crocodiles? Sign me up, please. Without any of the additional worlds, I would actually have Krokotopia a little higher (possibly around 7-8 range). I think the additional content, with new backgrounds and enemies, is extremely important to Krokotopia’s development. Krokotopia instills a huge sense of nostalgia that can’t be replaced by anything else. For these reasons, Krokotopia cracks my top three.
2. Polaris
If you’ve ever taken a little walkabout of the Wizard101 Subreddit, you’ll have seen a user by the name of /u/DeathtoHeretics. Say it with me now: POLARIS BEST WORLD! There’s just so much that screams “peak” about the beginning of arc 3. If you’re a historical buff, you’ll quickly notice the similarities to the French Revolution and the Russian Revolution. While I’m not the biggest fan of pop culture references, I love historical references. Polaris nails it right on the head. The story is a little iffy in the beginning but rapidly falls into some of the best story-telling in the game. It concludes with your final confrontation of one of Grandfather Spider’s children, the Rat (Rasputin).
This is the first time we see an actual snowy world, and they nailed it. It felt eerie and comfortable at the same time, which is a difficult feat to accomplish. The mobs, the NPCs, the bosses, everything is just so amazing. Not to mention, it’s one of the shortest worlds, the shortest main story world, right after the longest. It feels like a breath of much-needed fresh air. Each area is proportionally paced so you don’t spend too much time in one area. I could literally go on and on about Polaris, but it falls to second place for my favorite world of all time.
1. Azteca
Azteca should be in a museum for everything. Storytelling, backgrounds, bosses, side quests, everything. Just put it all in the Louvre. Azteca is a prime example of a world of what happens when everything goes right (even if in the end, it goes all wrong). Azteca isn’t even an end world in terms of main story for Morganthe, but through other ways. Xibalba, the comet, is hurling towards Azteca and it’s up to you, the wizard, to help the dinosaurs in Azteca survive it. In the end, despite doing everything that you possibly can, it’s not enough. Azteca is a world destined for doom. As a kid, this was disheartening. For once, the good guys don’t win. The world isn’t saved. It’s a valuable lesson that Wizard101 teaches us before the conclusion of arc 2.
We meet with Malistaire again, this time, Malistaire the Undying. That name is so daunting to hear that when it comes up, you can’t help but remember the pain he brought upon you in Dragonspyre. Each area in Azteca is uniquely different and ties so perfectly to the whole of the world. Floating Mountains is one of the most beautiful areas in the entire game, and I won’t hear anyone else out. Even some of the worse looking areas, like Saltmeadow Swamp, are glorious in their own respects. Very quickly, I found myself having respect for the NPCs of Azteca and feeling their pain. Stuck in a doomed world, nothing can be done by acceptance.
The quest count is daunting and there’s a major skill jump from Avalon to Azteca, but it’s the best world by far. And thus concludes my Wizard101 World Rankings.