A new gardening system just debuted on the Wizard101 Test Realm, so we went straight to KingsIsle Entertainment to find out what this feature will add to the game.

ZAM: It almost sounds like a mini-game players can focus on when they're not leveling their character.

Howard: That's a great way to think about it. It's sort of a 3D environment game that players will be able to participate in and get rewards. As plants grow and level up they will give players loot, whether it's gold, potions or some Treasure Cards.

ZAM: Will players have to upkeep their plants regularly?

Conrad: Plants will have needs that must be met, which includes things like music, pollination and water. If you're not taking care of a plant, it will enter a wilted state. You'll have to invest a little more time and energy in reviving it. Even if you're left it for a very long time, there's the option to, for a certain amount of energy, revive the plant back to a seed and continue with it. That's the best part about gardening; if you tend your garden, you'll get experience. Your plants grow from seedlings into mature plants, and then finally into this ultimate stage of development called an elder plant. When your plant has reached the elder plant stage, you can harvest it one last time for a bigger than normal reward.

Also, it's interesting to see players come into their castle or dorm room and see plants with enormous amounts of personality. They have animations, they turn to face you, and they have sounds associated with them. It will be a brand new experience to go into your house and see your garden family.

ZAM: How many plants will there be when the system launches?

Howard: There will be 18 species of plants.

ZAM: You had mentioned there will be 10 levels of mastery. What are some of the perks of getting your mastery level all the way to the top?

Conrad: Like any part of Wizard101, as you progress through the ranks you gain access to higher level abilities. For example, there are pests in the game that you have to defeat in order for your plants to mature. As you go through the levels, you gain access to higher level pest-fighting spells. This is just one example. As you get higher, you go from having pest-prevention spells that defeat pests to spells that prevent them from ever coming around. Those are the kinds of perks you get by gaining mastery.

ZAM: How will players go about getting seeds? Will some be rarer than others?

Howard: There are definitely different levels of plants within the game. It follows a lot of our other systems. There will be seeds that are dropped in the game, and players will be able to buy seeds with gold. There will even be some very rare seeds that you can buy with Crowns or find as drops. There is a wide variety of ways to collect seeds.

ZAM: The gardening system is now available on the test server. Do you have an estimate of when it will launch in the live game?

Howard: It should go live pretty soon. We're hoping early December, but we want it to be completely polished and balanced and ready to go out. That's why we use the test server.

Conrad: One of the remarkable aspects of this update is it comes on the heels of the last huge update we launched for Wizard101, which is the new world of Celestia.

Howard: We're pretty proud of launching the system so quickly after we came out with Celestia, which is essentially our largest build ever. I think it shows how focused and dedicated we are to bringing new content to our players.

Darryl Gangloff, Editor-in-Chief