Saving Variants and Prestige Items Coming This Fall
Hello Collectors!
We are excited to announce that our fall update will consist of the much-requested ability to save multiple variants of a single item, along with a new game mechanic: Prestige Items. Ever since Ben (WallaBee Founder) teased the idea of variants, the community has wanted to save them alongside the other items in their set… but how should that look? WallaBee Staff has been thinking about design and architecture changes necessary for this heavily-desired feature to become reality over the past few years and have made various changes to the user interface to accommodate saving variants. These features are still being created as we speak, but we are very excited to share some information with you now, to help better prepare you for the update.
Saving Variants
Let’s use the Keyring item as an example. Pretend you have a Green-haired keyring saved to your set. After this update, you will be able to save the other four colors: Blue, Yellow, Red, and White. Trying to save the same variant color that you already have saved will prompt a Swap Item popup, similar to how it currently works. Within your set, you will see the Green-haired keyring highlighted at the Set View level, along with the other items within The Arcade set. Tapping on the Keyring will allow you to view the item like normal, but will also allow you to scroll horizontally between all of your saved variants. You will have the option to highlight a different variant in your set by scrolling to the variant you would like to highlight and selecting it with a special button. You can remove any variant from your set at any time, just like other items, allowing you to trade them away as you wish.
Not final design. For illustration only. Subject to change.
Prestige Items
Have you completed all of your sets? Are you looking for something else to do with items instead of endlessly feeding Wishing Wells? Don’t you wish you could highlight your hard work in another way? Well, now you can! Prestige Items offer a new way to play WallaBee between new item releases, without the dreaded FOMO (fear of missing out).
So what are Prestige Items, anyway? We’re glad you asked! Prestige Items are an advanced option to continue your collection past just filling up a set and lower item numbers. Prestige Items can be created from already existing items, keeping their number intact, and will add a level and rarity to them. Upon becoming a Prestige Item, it will gain a new appearance, including a Level 1 title and an Uncommon rarity. Prestige levels can be increased by gaining XP from mixing other items of the same type with the Prestige Item, up to a maximum level of 100. The required XP to level up an item varies depending on which rarity it is. There are 5 rarities: Uncommon, Rare, Epic, Legendary, and (we’re keeping this a surprise).
Any set item can be changed into a Prestige Item by mixing it with an ‘enabler’ item or by spending Royal Jellies. Once an item becomes a Prestige Item, it will take on the above attributes of a Prestige Item and lose the ability to be mixed with anything else (i.e. a prestige blue egg cannot be mixed with a yellow egg to create a green egg). Prestige Items will be blocked from being sold in the market or from being recycled. This new feature will not work with any Collectibles (Exclusives, Uniques, Wallagraphics, etc.), but will work with all set items. Items made into Prestige Items will no longer have special mixes (i.e. Wishing Well, Job Lot, Perfume, Aftershave, etc.). Similarly to Prestige Items getting a visual upgrade, completed sets will showcase your efforts once all saved items are Prestige Items.
FAQ
- I have been leveling up a Prestige #5112 Bearded Lady and just traded for a #900 Bearded Lady! Can I transfer my progress from the #5112 to the #900?
- Yes, but it first requires changing the #900 Bearded Lady into a Prestige Item. Once it is a Prestige Item, you can mix both items together to swap Prestige Levels.
- I don’t have any Royal Jellies. Can I still prestige an item?
- Yes! There will be a special ‘enabler’ item released that will allow you to convert a normal item into a Prestige Item. This ‘enabler’ item will be available through multiple means, including the Item Stores.
- Will this be another mix chain feature like “Texas Music Legends” or “Heart Series”?
- No, this is completely new. The required number of items (XP) needed to increase a Prestige Item’s level changes depending on which rarity it is, so it will never get exponential. With over 4,000 different set items, we want this feature to be a fun, casual addition to the game, instead of very ‘grindy.’
- You mentioned that Prestige Items will no longer have special mixes. Does this mean my Perfume can’t become a Prestige Item?
- Your Perfume can become a Prestige Item, but it will not work as a normal Perfume anymore. Anything made into a Prestige Item loses normal mixing behaviors. I.E. A normal Wishing Well mixed with a Prestige Wishing Well will destroy the normal Wishing Well and add that XP to the Prestige Wishing Well.
SURPRISE
As if the above isn’t enough to be excited about, we would like to formally announce that David McCabe (Mizak) will be stepping into a larger role with the WallaBee team as a new staff member, starting now! David has helped on-and-off with our website since the switch over to V2 in 2016, helped test various features we’ve released as part of a test team of players, and more recently has been helping with backend improvements and bug fixes. David’s abilities with backend code and knowledge of the game are very helpful resources to our team, which we look forward to furthering in his new role as staff. Stay tuned as more WallaBee development becomes available.
Quick Bio
Mizak has been playing WallaBee since the beginning, gathering up as many lower numbered items he could, but that chapter of his playing style is coming to an end. He will no longer be participating in item releases in the typical sense moving forward, as his staff title will allow him information that is not readily available to other players. Mizak will keep his previous sets intact, continuing to trade for lower items, but will begin collecting a higher number moving forward, beginning with the Soapbox Derby set. More information on his new trading procedures can be found in his bio.