Wiisdom: Dark Blast Zone

Showing posts with label Dark Blast Zone. Show all posts

Monday, May 19, 2014

Blast Zone & Dark Blast Zone Upgrade Paths Skylanders SWAP Force

Blast Zone Base Upgrades (Top and Bottom)

Blast Zone Attack Damage Numbers

Blast Zone Ignition Upgrade Path (Top)

Blast Zone Reaction Satisfaction Upgrade Path (Top)

Blast Zone Fuel Injected Upgrade Path (Bottom)

Blast Zone Temperatures Rising Upgrade Path (Bottom)

Dark Blast Zone Fully Upgraded

Blast Zone is an absolute beast in box stock form. My Nephew loved being him in our Battle Tournaments because he could almost always win with just Bomb Throw, unless of course he was facing Dark Blast Zone!

I never understood why I didn't hear more chatter about him...I figured the Upgrade Paths must have been lackluster for him to be that ignored in chatter amongst Portal Masters.

However, after upgrading him I know that can not be the case. Blast Zone has some great Upgrade Paths.

Up top, I think the obvious choice for most people is the Ignition Path. This takes the already potent Bomb Throw and further enhances it. Only catch is you have to have a fire wall to throw through. This is the best choice for most people.

I prefer Reaction Satisfaction. It might actually be easier for rookie players to master as well. Flame Breath, his tertiary attack, was left untouched in the base upgrades. Reaction Satisfaction allows you to complete a circle and be rewarded with an explosion. Phase 2 of the path increases both damage and area. This to me is the best option not only because it does great damage, but because I felt it balanced him given how potent Bomb Throw was with just Power Bombs factored in...

On the bottom end I prefer Temperatures Rising. It is a path that generates a fiery aura after dashing that allows you to drift towards enemies you want to target and do additional damage past your other attacks. In other words, I feel it is a bit more precise than Fuel Injected.

Fuel Injected, however, hits much harder on the face value than Temperatures Rising. At the end of a dash you shoot off a fireball that does big damage to enemies. The only issue is the lack of control. You may want it to cascade towards a geargolem, but if a Greeble sneaks up from the side, it can auto-lock on the less than formidable enemy and fail to deliver like you had hoped. That said, it is a minor issue and I think most will prefer Fuel Injected.

That said, any upgrade path for Blast Zone is well done and easy to follow, I just personally prefer Reaction Satisfaction for the balance and Temperatures Rising for the control.

Tuesday, October 15, 2013

Skylanders SWAP Force Unboxing Dark Edition Starter Pack

What: Skylanders SWAP Force GameStop Exclusive Dark Edition Starter Pack
What Did it Cost: $99.99 plus tax
Where Did You Get It: GameStop
What Was Stock Like: Sold Out, Glad I Pre-Ordered
What Is Included: Game, Portal of Power, Mega Character Poster (Really Cool!), Dark Blast Zone, Dark Wash Buckler, Dark Slobber Tooth, Dark Stealth Elf, and Dark Spyro

Dark Edition Stater Pack, Front of Box 1:

Dark Edition Starter Pack, Front of Box 2:

Dark Edition Starter Pack, Back of the Box:

Dark Edition Starter Box, Back-Detail:

Dark Edition Starter Pack, Side of Box:

Dark Edition Exclusive

Mega Character Poster, Front Side

Poster Measures Roughly 29" x 52"

It is MASSIVE

Poster's Backside:

SSA Character List:

Giants Character List:

SWAP Force Character List:

Tuesday, August 13, 2013

Skylanders SWAP Force Dark Edition Starter Pack Exclusive at GameStop

Well, just as the post late, last night alluded to, we got our BIG news on the "Dark Secret" Skylanders Game had for us...

The big reveal you ask? The GameStop Exclusive, Dark Edition Starter Pack:

Let's cover the details:

As you can see, this is your standard Starter Pack amplified with darkness (and a dash or two of Awesome).

Rather than just offer up Wash Buckler, Blast Zone, and Ninja Stealth Elf in their dark forms, we got the addition of Dark Mega Ram Spyro, and Dark Lockjaw (or is that Slobber Tooth?) We also have what is dubbed the "Mega Character Poster." I would love to know more about this...Is it simply bigger, will it include all of the potential variants etc? More details would be nice, but a surprise would be just as cool.

The questions I have are pretty simple past that:

Is it Dark Lockjaw as indicated in the press release, or is Dark Slobber Tooth? We saw this character in leaks a few weeks ago, and more recently a box was revealed with Slobber Tooth. I'm inclined to believe this is Dark Slobber Tooth and that perhaps this release was crafted prior to the name change. However, it could be that Lockjaw is correct...maybe this character will have a standard form name (Slobber Tooth), and a different Dark form name...My money is still on Dark Slobber Tooth, but we will see.

Next up, is it Dark Spyro and Dark Stealth Elf, or Dark Mega Ram Spyro and Dark Ninja Stealth Elf? I, once again, lean more towards the adjectives being in place. We already have Dark Spyro. The S3 Skylanders (and S2 returnees from the original Giants cast) all have adjectives in front of their names. This will help fans, parents, and everyone really keep the figures straight. It only makes sense for this to apply here, thus creating Dark Mega Ram Spyro and Dark Ninja Stealth Elf.

I know many of you wonder about the available systems for this Starter Pack. I currently do not know if it will be available for PS4 or Xbox One. I don't see it being announced for the 3DS due to the differing line up in the Starter Pack...Plus, it already boasts Volcanic Eruptor, who follows in line with Dark Spyro and Punch Pop Fizz. If not for the different characters (Rattle Shake and Free Ranger).

That said, what we do get for sure is:
-SWAP Force Game
-SWAP Force Portal of Power
-Mega Character Poster
-5 Sticker Sheets with Secret Codes
-5 Trading Cards
-5 Skylanders
-Bragging rights, value, and a unique collection!

The Dark Edition Starter Pack is up for pre-order now and retails for $99.99.