Skylanders questions...

psychobuck

psychobuck

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Hey all. Im looking to get a kid friendly game for my nephews for Christmas. Theyre into Pokemon. Skylanders, based on what little Ive seen, sort of reminds me of that. Is that a correct assumption?

Where would I start them off with Skylanders? Can I buy any "Starter Set"? Are they all compatible with one another? If I buy the original starter set, can i buy the newer "Swap" something figures to go with it?

Thanks in advance for the answers. Totally not my area of expertise.

 
The only similarity it shares with Pokemon is the collecting aspect. The gameplay is very different, but I would bet they'd still like it.

Older figures are always compatible with newer sets, but not vice versa. So a figure from Skylanders: Spyro's Adventure would work with Giants and Swap Force, and a figure from Giants will work with Swap Force, but characters new to Swap Force will only work with Swap Force. The only "sort-of" exception to this is that some characters in Giants/Swap Force packaging will work with the older games if that character already existed in that game, and the Giants/Swap Force packaging is just a reissue.

If in doubt, make sure to check the packaging, as that will let you know which ones work in the older games. As an example, a character introduced in Giants that was reissued for Swap Force would have a green compatibility check for Giants and Swap Force, and a red x for Spyro's Adventure.

The other thing to look at is the element the character represents. Certain gates in the game can only be unlocked by a certain element. If you're not looking to spend too much money, look for the elements on the package to avoid buying characters they won't necessarily need. There's eight elements total, and each starter set has three characters each of a different element, so the minimum of extra characters to buy to unlock every gate would be five. That's the basics of it without going into too much detail which might be confusing. It's important to note though, the entire main game story is able to be beaten with just the starter figures. You'll just miss some side stuff is all.

My personal recommendation would be to just pick up the newest game, Swap Force, since there really isn't much story continuation between them (I think), and that way you ensure that whatever character that gets bought will work with the game. Check Walmart for Swap Force. I picked it up on sale earlier this week for $37 as part of their pre-Black Friday sale. Had to price match at Target though, since Walmart was out of Xbox One copies. There's also going to be some figure sales this Friday. Toys R Us has a buy one, get one 70% off deal, and Amazon has B2G1 free.

Edit: Correction on the Amazon deal. It's Thursday, and starts at 3:10 PM PT, and is just for Swap Force figures.

 
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You're quite welcome. One other thing to keep in mind is that not all characters in the Swap Force packaging actually swap. The ones that do will be clearly marked. Similarly, not all characters in Giants packaging are actually the "giant" characters.

 
I just went through this myself as well.   We picked up Swap force for $37 at walmart and got the XB1 and 3DS versions.  

Nav posted a good summary up top but hopefully this will help as well. .  I spent a while figuring the system out and read a few guides with false information.

The characters in the Swap Force Starter set are the same no matter what the platform is except 3ds.   So if they have a 3ds and a console at home it may make sense to pick them both up so they have both games and the additional figures.

Swap force however also adds an extra layer of complexity. Older skylanders just have an element associated with them.  The new $15-$16.99 Swapable figures always have two word names (ie Blast Zone or Wash Buckler) and swap tops and bottoms have both an element and movement type.  Certain gates and mini games are only open to certain movement types or elements.  Adding to that there are at least a few things that require a Giant from the previous game.

Here is how I broke it down to unlock all doors and secrets with the fewest figures and expense:

Elements:

Water -  Wash Buckler  (In Console Starter Set)
Tech - Magna Charge
Air -  Free Ranger  (In 3DS Starter Set)
Fire -  Blast Zone (In Console Starter Set)                  Volcanic Eruptor (In the 3DS starter set but not a swapable figure)
Undead - Rattle Shake  (In 3DS Starter Set)
Magic - Hoot Loop 
Life - Stink Bomb (In Series 3 due out in December)               Ninja Stealth Elf  (In the Console Set but not a swapable figure)
Earth - Rumble Rouser  (In Series 3 due out in December)
 
Movement Types:
Climb - Wash Buckler (In Console Starter Set) 
Speed - Magna Charge
Spin - Free Ranger (In 3DS Starter Set)
Rocket - Blast Zone (In Console Starter Set) 
Bounce - Rattle Shake (In 3DS Starter Set)
Teleport - Hoot Loop
Sneak - Stink Bomb (In Series 3 due out in December) 
Dig - Rumble Rouser (In Series 3 due out in December)

How do I unlock all content?

If you have both Starter sets you need:

1. Hoot Loop

2. Magna Charge

3. Stink Bomb (out next month?)

4. Rumble Rouser (out next month?)

5. One Giant figure (Make sure its one of the big ones as some non giant figures are labeled with giant packages just like non swapables are labeled with swapforce)

If you have only the console starter set:

1. Hoot Loop

2. Magna Charge

3. Stink Bomb (out next month?)

4. Rumble Rouser (out next month?)

5. One Giant figure (Make sure its one of the big ones as some non giant figures are labeled with giant packages just like non swapables are labeled with swapforce)

6.  Free Ranger
7.  Rattle Shake
 
If you only have the 3DS Starter set:
1. Hoot Loop

2. Magna Charge

3. Stink Bomb (out next month?)

4. Rumble Rouser (out next month?)

5. One Giant figure (Make sure its one of the big ones as some non giant figures are labeled with giant packages just like non swapables are labeled with swapforce)

6.  Blast Zone
7.  Wash Buckler

 
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Another thing to consider (though I do think Skylanders is an excellent choice still) is that the game has built-in advertising for the additional Skylander figurines if you don't have the appropriate element for a certain area (as Navi points out, you'll need five additional elements to go with the starter pack three).

If you do go all out and get the additional element characters, then this won't be as much of an issue, but if you don't, this gift to your nephews may suddenly become your sister / sister-in-law / brother / brother-in-law's concern pretty quickly.  This isn't even including the prominent store displays at just about every retailer, with new figurines released regularly.

The game can become pretty pricey quickly to unaware parents, so I would talk to your nephews' parents first just to be on the safe side and explain the basics.  Maybe this is just a bit too cautious, but I know personally my sister didn't realize how expensive it can get before she introduced it to my nieces / nephews (of course she didn't ask me first though :)).

 
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Again, thanks for all the info. So, I picked up the Swap Starter kit today for the 360. They dont have 3DS systems. Anyway, it comes with 3 elements. If I were to buy 5 more figures of the other elements, they would have everything they need to complete the game? Am I understanding that correctly? 

Also, just to be sure, being I bought the newest starter set, I can buy any previously released figures and they will work?

 
psychobuck said:
Again, thanks for all the info. So, I picked up the Swap Starter kit today for the 360. They dont have 3DS systems. Anyway, it comes with 3 elements. If I were to buy 5 more figures of the other elements, they would have everything they need to complete the game? Am I understanding that correctly?

Also, just to be sure, being I bought the newest starter set, I can buy any previously released figures and they will work?
Click to expand...
Yes all figures will work.

No you need all elements and all movement types. See my post above.
 
From what I've seen so far in Swap Force though, you're not missing too much if you don't have all the movement types. I think the elements are more important.

 
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