darkSpyro

I know I'm late to the craze and everything, but I'm thinking about starting to play. I work in the electronics department of a store where we sell a lot of Skylanders products, we even have an entire aisle just for them, and seeing the way the characters are looking and how TT is played kind of piqued my interest. More so, I never really had any characters appeal to me enough to say "I would drop fifteen bucks on this," until I found one guy named Fizz Frenzy Pop Fizz. He just seemed like a neat little guy and had a cool and cute design so I think I might pick him up. My first question, is that if I get him and just display him, would that ruin his functionality in the game, or do I need to save a code or something from him? I have a bunch more questions and if anyone can help I'd really appreciate it. Sorry about the text wall!

hi there and welcome to the forums

it will not ruin him if you display him. if you want him to work in the game (skylanders giants/swap force) you put him on the portal that comes wit the game... next questions?

Thanks for the speedy response! Also, thanks for the warm welcome.

Let's say down the line I end up picking up a portal, (I think that's what they're called,) It would be best to get a Trap Team since it is the newest one, Right? Would I miss out on any of the features from the old games? I mean like the character combining and Giants figures

Just something you should know about Fizzy Frenzy Pop Fizz: He's a repose, a series 3 of Pop Fizz to be exact. He will look different in game at first, but all reposes have a "Wow-Pow", where they get a cool new upgrade. F.F.P.F's is his ultimate beast form, which looks pretty cool. So if you buy any reposes and they look different when you first put them on the portal, don't panic, it's not a glitch
EDIT: the portal comes with the starter pack. You should buy the latest one if you want to play Trap Team and use the new figures (and use Pop Fizz's wow pow). Also, you won't miss out on anything because all the old figures will work on the new portal.

First of all, welcome to darkSpyro!

To answer your question, no, the characters don't require codes, as you must place them on the Portals (special platforms that come with the console Starter Packs), so you can play as them even if they are still inside their boxes.

Let me explain you a few things, about the figure you want to buy.

Fizzy Frenzy Pop Fizz is actually a repose, an old character with a different figure form, and an extra power his older version hasn't, but not only.

Reposes are divided by series.
So if a character came out in Spyro's Adventure (the first game of the series), and then got a repose in Giants (the second one), then that figure is a Series 2 (S2). If that same character was reposed again for SWAP Force (the third), then that figure is a S3, and so on.

However, if a character has NEVER been reposed before, since Spyro's Adventure, and actually get a repose, than it will be a S2, regardless the game it is released with.

Reposes also have the possibility to switch between the upgrade paths, unlike the "S1" characters.

Hope I haven't created confusion, in your mind...

Quote: Billiard_Ball

Thanks for the speedy response! Also, thanks for the warm welcome.

Let's say down the line I end up picking up a portal, (I think that's what they're called,) It would be best to get a Trap Team since it is the newest one, Right? Would I miss out on any of the features from the old games? I mean like the character combining and Giants figures

i think you should start with the first game and work your way up(every game have its special thing), that would be the most fun. just be aware of what figures work in each game. your popfizz is an s3 and will for example only work in skylanders giants, swap force and trap team.

Alright, everything you guys are saying is making sense. I did a bit of research on PF and his playstyle sounds cool. Is it feasable to play solely in beast or mega mode though? Seems like my kinda playstyle while the potion throwing regular form sounds like it would take some getting used to, (Mastering both will be a great boon though, I assume.)

If my friend likes a giant figure, could a giant and regular figure fit together? Would two giants?

Thanks everyone for the help, you seem like a pretty cool community!

Yup, 2 Giants both fit on a portal, not counting the smaller 3DS portals obviously.

As for playing solely in beast mode, that skill has a timer. Not sure if there's any upgrade for permanent beast mode.

So, now that I know I can fit a decent amount of characters on the portal, I have to ask the hard questions... Is it economicly a good idea to start playing, each character is just under twenty bucks and I am not a fan of spending too much on games. Would I be missing out on anything if I didn't get a bunch of characters, besides the diversity of course. Do I need a character of every element to get full enjoyment/ completion?

you need one of each element in ssa, in sg you need 1 giant and can reuse the 8 elements from ssa. in sf you need 8 swappers and can reuse the 8 elements from ssa or sg. in tt you need 8 trappers and 8 trap sculpts + kaos trap and can reuse the 8 elements from ssa,sg or sf.. also you may need the light/sun characters but not much info about these yet in tt...

Quote: Billiard_Ball

So, now that I know I can fit a decent amount of characters on the portal, I have to ask the hard questions... Is it economicly a good idea to start playing, each character is just under twenty bucks and I am not a fan of spending too much on games. Would I be missing out on anything if I didn't get a bunch of characters, besides the diversity of course. Do I need a character of every element to get full enjoyment/ completion?

For completion, you will need (for trap team):
One Trap Master of each element
One trap of each element including the Kaos trap
The adventure packs if you want more levels
---
The trap masters are the slightly bigger figures with huge crystal weapons you see in the big packaging with the clear wrap-around bubble shaped like a crystal, and they're $15. The traps are the tuny $6 crystals you trap villains in, and the Kaos trap is VERY rare, but it's included in the special Dark Edition pack (the one with the black and grey characters, they're just repaints), so I recommend getting the dark edition. The adventure packs are the $25 packs with a skylander, one big figure in the middle of the packaging, and two small magic items. The big middle figure unlocks a new level, and the magic items help heal you, speed you up, fight, etc.

EDIT: Also as Count Moneybone said, there are two new elements that will be released on a later date. While pictures and videos of them have been leaked, it's prbably gonna be a while until they're released, so for now you just have to worry about the 8 current elements: Water, Fire, Air, Earth, Magic, Undead, Tech, and Life.

My wallet is hurting just thinking about it...That is just for the completion I hope?

Could I borrow a friend's if need be?

You can borrow a friend's figure if you want. All of their stats are saved to the figure and will work in multiple copies of the game.

If I get it for the Wii U and he has an Xbox, can they still go back and forth? Also, since the 3ds is a cheaper portal package, is it any different besides size?

Quote: Billiard_Ball

If I get it for the Wii U and he has an Xbox, can they still go back and forth? Also, since the 3ds is a cheaper portal package, is it any different besides size?

you can use all figures on all platforms... xbox portal can only be used with xbox, 3ds portal is small and you cant fit two figurines on it. wii/wiiu/ps3 portal can be used for all...

Yup you could

So from the sounds of it I should stick with a home console portal then. If I get the STT portal pack, could I reuse the portal for the previous versions aside from the trap function? Or would I have to get the portal and game pack for each one?

Quote: Billiard_Ball

Alright, everything you guys are saying is making sense. I did a bit of research on PF and his playstyle sounds cool. Is it feasable to play solely in beast or mega mode though? Seems like my kinda playstyle while the potion throwing regular form sounds like it would take some getting used to, (Mastering both will be a great boon though, I assume.)

If my friend likes a giant figure, could a giant and regular figure fit together? Would two giants?

Thanks everyone for the help, you seem like a pretty cool community!

I don't know if Fizzy Frenzy Pop Fizz has an upgrade that makes the beast form lasts forever, but his normal version hasn't.

However, one of his paths you can choose lets you further improve it, instead of upgrading the potions, making it last longer, do more damages and giving it new attacks according to the potion you drunk to transform.

I would be fine with having to swap back and forth between forms. Kinda reminds me of Gnar from LoL a bit, haha. I'd definitely be going down that path though, just since close combat sounds cool in SKylanders. Also, I can't help but notice that besides Trigger Happy (I think that's his name), there don't seem to be any characters like him aesthetically. Are they the only ones of the same race? Or is it just a coincidence?

Quote: Billiard_Ball

I would be fine with having to swap back and forth between forms. Kinda reminds me of Gnar from LoL a bit, haha. I'd definitely be going down that path though, just since close combat sounds cool in SKylanders. Also, I can't help but notice that besides Trigger Happy (I think that's his name), there don't seem to be any characters like him aesthetically. Are they the only ones of the same race? Or is it just a coincidence?

Yes, they do are both the only gremlin Skylanders in the series, so far.
However Pop Fizz is a little different from the others, as a consequence to all the experiments he has done.

Quote: Billiard_Ball

I would be fine with having to swap back and forth between forms. Kinda reminds me of Gnar from LoL a bit, haha. I'd definitely be going down that path though, just since close combat sounds cool in SKylanders. Also, I can't help but notice that besides Trigger Happy (I think that's his name), there don't seem to be any characters like him aesthetically. Are they the only ones of the same race? Or is it just a coincidence?

Well, Trigger Happy is a gremlin (You got the name right)
And according to the backstory of Pop Fizz, he has no idea what the heck he is

Alright, sounds good! I think I'll pick him up and one other probably so that mu friend could play with me. He's a huge fan of treants/ ents. Arr there any guys like that? Or atleast big and bulky?

Quote: Billiard_Ball

Alright, sounds good! I think I'll pick him up and one other probably so that mu friend could play with me. He's a huge fan of treants/ ents. Arr there any guys like that? Or atleast big and bulky?

May I suggestion the Skylanders website where you can see all of the current Skylanders?

www.skylanders.com

There are several tree characters in the Life element. There are also many big and bulky characters. Tree Rex the Life Giant is probably the best bet, but unless you buy him second-hand, he's only available with the Giants game, either just the game and him (it's called either Portal Owner Pack or Booster Pack), or the game, a portal, and two smaller characters - Cynder (Series 2) and Jet-Vac (the normal Starter Pack).

So I had a look and Tree Rex does look like my best bet. There is also Barkley that looks the same. I guess it is a mini character? If I get TT and the portal owner pack, can I use the TT portal for the giants game?

Yes, all portals can be used on older games, just like all figures can be used on newer games. One of the wonders of Skylanders. But because of this, it's a bit of a bummer that Giants is the only game with a Portal Owner Pack. And yes, Barkley is the mini version of Tree Rex.

But Skylanders that appear in newer games aren't compatitable to the previous games, with the exception of their reposed versions.

Okay. I think I've got the way the portals work down. You guys have been huge helps so far! Thanks a bunch!

Could you explain how the mini figures work? Also, since Tree Rex is a giant, would his mini be a regular sized figure?

Quote: Billiard_Ball

Okay. I think I've got the way the portals work down. You guys have been huge helps so far! Thanks a bunch!

Could you explain how the mini figures work? Also, since Tree Rex is a giant, would his mini be a regular sized figure?

Mini Skylanders are simply smaller versions of certain Skylanders with the same abilities as their normal counterparts. They were originally Sidekicks that follow you around in previous games, but in Trap Team, the devs turned them into Mini Skylanders that actually fight.

Oh, okay. Is there anything I can't do with Barkley that I could with Tree Rex? Or any other mini/ character?

I only have one thing to add to that: The mini versions of Giants (Barkley, Mini-Jini, Thumpling and Eye-Small) are about the same size as the other minis, not normal-sized Skylanders.

EDIT: Minis have all the same moves and abilities (though different idle animations), but I'm fairly certain that Giant-specific interactions, such as lifting boulders in Kaos' Doom Challenge, are not possible with their mini versions.

Barkley is basically the same as Tree Rex in powers and word phrases in Trap Team, but only Tree Rex can lift up boulders, pull islands and jump down into caverns in the Skylanders: Giants game. The same goes between the Magic Giant, Ninjini, and her Mini version, Mini Jini.

Hmm. Okay, that all makes sense. Are the giant interactions that Nightmoon mentioned only in Skylanders Giants? Or are they in The newer ones too?

Yeah, all of the Giant interactions are exclusive only to Skylanders: Giants.

Minis can access special areas in the Trap Team hub.

Not sure if they can do anything else special.

Are the giants stronger than regular? Are the minis weaker? I think I might just get the STT portal pack with FFPF and Bakley then maybe get the portal pwner pack at a later date

Actually, there are boulders to lift in Kaos' Doom Challenge in Trap Team, that's why I mentioned them specifically - I don't know if the Mini-giants are able to lift them, since I don't have any, but I very much doubt it.

Giants are generally stronger than normal Skylanders, but minis are supposedly as strong as their normal counterparts, so the Mini-giants should be as strong as the Giants.

Huh, okay. Sorry, I didn't realise that Kaos' room was a TT thing. For the sake of making this easier, and lack of interest on my part, I won't really ask about Swap Force stuff.

Thanks dveryone for all your help. I really appreciate dverything!

No problem!

Just some little informations that may be helpful for your choices:

Barkley comes only in the 3DS Starter Pack of Trap Team, or in Life Mini Double Pack with Whisper Elf (Stealth Elf's Mini).
Unless you can find an orange based one online, that will work exactly as the red based.

No need to buy a Giants Portal Owner Pack, since the Trap Team Portal is backward compatible.
Just buy Tree Rex (if you want him) and the game on eBay.

But if I buy them on eBay, wouldn't they already be max level and everything? Would I be able to start with him at level 1? Sorry about all tge questions lol.

Drek, the Portal Owner Pack is exactly "Tree Rex (...) and the game", it would be unnecessary to buy them opened/separate on ebay. It's certainly an option if he doesn't care for Skylanders Giants, but otherwise, it's a great package option, considering it's unopened.

To answer Billiard, no, it's possible to reset figures to their factory setting in-game. It's as easy as going into the character menu ("select" or equivalent button), and selecting "Reset" from the options.

Again, no problem.
We are here to help others.

It may or it may not (normally aren't), but it doesn't really matter, since you can reset your figures everytime you want, mostly to change path, if you happen not to like it.

Quote: Nightmoon

Drek, the Portal Owner Pack is exactly "Tree Rex (...) and the game", it would be unnecessary to buy them opened/separate on ebay. It's certainly an option if he doesn't care for Skylanders Giants, but otherwise, it's a great package option, considering it's unopened.

To answer Billiard, no, it's possible to reset figures to their factory setting in-game. It's as easy as going into the character menu ("select" or equivalent button), and selecting "Reset" from the options.

Thanks, Nightmoon.

I'm an idiot, and I didn't know it...

That easy huh? Sounds like a good way to get some older figures then! Is it a good idea to develope a "main" Skylander to use most of the time? Or is it better to just use a bunch?

Quote: Billiard_Ball

That easy huh? Sounds like a good way to get some older figures then! Is it a good idea to develope a "main" Skylander to use most of the time? Or is it better to just use a bunch?

Well, it really depends on your playstyle.

If you find engaged with a Skylander, then you may want to fully upgrade him, and see him at his best.
However, since they are fundamentally an investment, as they will all be playable, in future games, I highly suggest you to upgrade them all.

It will also mak you enjoy the game more, and will increase the longevity of the title.

I would say it doesn't matter either way. I personally change my mind a lot in that specific area. Sometimes I play as a single characters for many levels, sometimes I have a team of 1 per element, and sometimes I change at random. One good thing about Skylanders is that they give you a lot of options, and none are more "right" than others, just play the way you want to play.

So how is the individuality of each character? Are they more or less the same? Different completely? Or the usual "They're all unique, but some more than others"? An example would be like in LoL two characters are designed around a pull that operates fairly similarly and then they stick to the enemy, but the way they do it is very different. Same idea but different execution

Aside from the minis they are all completely different.

Now this may be a stupid question, but a home console version is multiplayer, right?

Couch co-op. No online.