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Sophie's Whim: Weapons From The Depths Of The Swamp


by stoicjohn

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Ever since she blasted Mayor Thumburt into a moquot and single-handedly put the town of Neovia back on the map, all of Neopia has been clamoring for more of Sophie the Swamp Witch, but she tends to keep to herself and not many pets are brave enough to venture into the swamplands to see her in person.

Thankfully, Stuff-A-Pet Inc. has stepped up to fill this need with some Official Sophie the Swamp Witch brand merchandise. You’ll have to look past the mess of Sophie plushies, rocking chairs, and even the top selling Sophie’s Stew video game to find the real Battledome treasures that are Sophies Elixir, Sophies Wooden Spoon, and Sophies Magic Hat.

Now they probably couldn’t do anything to stop Sophie from turning you into a stink beetle, but could they help you win a fight in the Battledome? Grab some glue and a Package of Assorted Vines, head down that creepy path past the edge of the Gypsy Camp, and let’s see if we can find some Battledome weapons on the track to Sophie’s shack.

Vile Swamp Water

Nobody knows who decided to put swamp water in a bottle and sell it, but what you really need to ask is “who would buy swamp water in a bottle?” Well, if you can tolerate the smell, it’s useful as a Battledome weapon. Throwing Vile Swamp Water in the Battledome will attack for six icons and it is multiple-use (meaning it won’t disappear after you use it once). Of course, you’re not going to make any friends by giving your opponent "Watery Eyes" which is something Vile Swamp Water is capable of doing... and they’ll know it was you that threw it because you’ll smell like this stuff for weeks. If you happen to get on the wrong side of some Vile Swamp Water, you can pick up some Onion Balm at the Pharmacy to clear it up, but it does nothing for the smell.

Sophies Elixir

So is this just a bottle of Vile Swamp Water with some vines glued to it? We may never know, but it does pack a few more icons than the plain old Vile Swamp Water; Sophies Elixir is multi-use and attacks with eight icons. Don’t tell Sophie, but that’s not worth buying, especially considering that these are kind of expensive. You can get some 9 icon weapons for at least half the price of this and they’ll do better icons; water and earth will just bounce off of everyone’s Leaf Shields. Good news, though; Sophie’s Elixir won’t give anyone Watery Eyes!

Vine Covered Club

Don’t get your hopes up that you’ve found a new weapon because you can’t actually buy one of these. The Vine Covered Club was used by the Savage Sycamores that attacked during the Tale of Woe, and isn’t available to the general Neopian public. These clubs packed a decent punch of 10 attack icons but anybody hiding behind a Leaf Shield was completely safe from harm. Now that Sophie has saved the citizens of Neovia and the trees are back where they belong, we may never see this weapon again.

Sophies Wooden Spoon

That’s not a spoon with a vine tied to it... no! That’s Sophies Wooden Spoon! The spoon can attack and defend at the same time; we call that a “combo weapon”. It attacks with six earth icons while defending you from five water icons; that doesn’t make it the greatest Battledome weapon, but it is an upgrade for anyone still using a Rustic Wooden Spoon, and it’s a must have item for anyone with a dinner utensil gallery. In the Battledome, the spoon loses a head-to-head fight versus the Ice Club, Stone Club, Golden Compass, and Makeshift Ships Hammer and just barely wins against Essence of Esophagor and Pike Pike, which are the typical weapons that you see at this price range.

Sophies Magic Hat

*We interrupt this Battledome article for a quick fashion update* Here’s your basic Patched Magic Hat (on the left) and an Edna Costume Hat (on the right); both are good examples of hats you would expect to see a witch wearing.

But remember that Sophie is not just an ordinary witch; she’s the Swamp Witch. It’s amazing how much cooler a hat becomes when someone glues some of those swamp vines to the top of it but alas, the Edna Costume Hat is wearable and Sophies Magic Hat is just an ordinary Battledome weapon... how could such a travesty have ever occurred? Despite not being wearable, Sophies Magic Hat does get extra points for looking awesome, and that is almost as important to a savvy Battledomer as knowing how many icons it can do, but let’s get back to the Battledome conversation and talk about those icons.

Sophies Magic Hat is a shield (meaning it’s only good for defence) but it’s a big shield. It’s going to block 14 icons, which puts it on par with the Leaf Shield and Patched Magic Hat, but it’s the type of icons that Sophie’s hat can defend that makes it special. It’s not on par with shields like Ghostkershield and Faerie Tabard that come from the Hidden Tower, but it can help you out when battling against weapons that are around its own price range. It blocks 14 icons which puts it on par with the Leaf Shield and Patched Magic Hat, but it’s the type of icons that Sophies Magic Hat can defend that makes it special; blocking 3 fire, 5 earth, 3 darkness, and 4 physical icons. Sophies Magic Hat eats the Sword of Apocalypse and Werelupe Claw Necklace for dinner and can even take a bite out of a Ghostkerbomb. Best of all, it blocks all but four of the icons from Ylanas Blaster. Eventually your pet will outgrow this and you’ll start dreaming of “full blockers” and 75% reflectors, but Sophies Magic Hat is one of the few pure shields that you should consider using.

“What are you doing with my hat?”

What?

*ZAP*

 
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