History VideoGame / Pirate101

* {{Mon}}: A heavily downplayed example compared to most {{Mon} games. While not exactly monsters, the variety of companions in the game certainly is enough to qualify.

* BonusBoss:
** Moo Manchu. He's the GreaterScopeVillain behind General Tso's rebellion in [=MooShu=], but the dungeon he resides in is designed for teams of top-level players and can only be accessed after completing a completely optional sidequest chain. Most players aren't going to be tough enough to challenge him until after they complete the game's main story.
** The game's most recent updates added "Nightmare Doors" leading to these. Once again, these optional bosses are designed to be challenging for teams of top-level players.

%%* TheWeirdWest: Cool Ranch.

* ForceAndFinesse: Buccaneer & Swashbuckler respectively.

%%* FragileSpeedster: The Swashbuckler class.

* WhipItGood: El Toro uses one for both attacking and to swing over obstacles. [[BeyondTheImpossible He can even latch onto thin air with it.]]

* PolarPenguins: Polarians are a bunch of French penguins. They are more dangerous than they sound. Had Valencia not created the clockworks, Napoleguin would have conquered the entire Spiral.

* PolarPenguins: Polarians are a bunch of French penguins. They are more dangerous than they sound. Had Valencia not created the clockworks, Napoleguin would have conquered the entire Spiral.
* {{Precursors}}:
** The Aztecosaurs, a race so old they lived on the first world alongside the titans before it was destroyed. Their empire had dwindled to only Azteca since the first world was shattered. Unfortunately, Azteca was destroyed when [[ColonyDrop a comet collided with it]] leaving only their ruins on different worlds of the Spiral. [[spoiler: Azteca is still around and it's denizens are still alive as well, at least at the moment...]]
** [[invoked]] The Celestians and citizens of El Dorado were two extremely powerful civilizations that developed magic and technology far beyond anything seen in the rest of the Spiral. El Dorado had such power that when its people died off the Celestians used their power to make its Stormgate vanish and reappear in a way that was almost impossible to predict to prevent anyone from accessing El Dorado and its magic. The Celestian civilization later met a similar fate when the [[ChaoticNeutral Storm Lord]] sank their civilization when they asked him for help in a war. It's rumored that there are powers in El Dorado that could destroy the Spiral, if awakened.

* EverythingIsBetterWithPenguins: Polarians are a bunch of French penguins. They are more dangerous than they sound. Had Valencia not created the clockworks, Napoleguin would have conquered the entire Spiral.

* DeathFromAbove: The Privateer abilities Gunnery, Artillery, and The Big Guns. They can attack any 3x3 square on the board.

* DefeatMeansPlayable: A couple of bosses that do not join the player's crew after being beaten can be unlocked in the crown shop. Depending on the player's class, they may join the player for free.

* ADogNamedDog: Usually played straight. For example, one of the possible crew mates is Lucky Jack Russel, an anthropomorphic Jack Russell terrier. Subverted and discussed with Froggo Villa, who is a salamander.

* EvenEvilHasStandards: Ratbeard might scam his crew out of their share of the treasure, but he'd never knowingly do anything to harm them.

* FantasticRacism: The Foxes of Albion are regarded as second-class citizens by the Dogs of Marleybone, and are only allowed to take the worst jobs. This eventually spurred a freedom movement that led to the formation of the Radicals.

* FlunkyBoss: Quite a few of these appear over the course of the game. Early on, there's [[ShoutOut Fin]] [[Creator/VinDiesel Dorsal]] who combines this with DamageSpongeBoss. Later, there's Commander Davis, who is also a damage sponge and has three waves of mooks accompanying him. And then there's [[ThatOneBoss Scylla]], who can quickly overwhelm the unwary with DemonicSpider minions that get free attacks anytime anyone dodges, can take a lot of punishment due to being [[MightyGlacier buccaneers]], overwhelm their foes with superior numbers, and have [[NightmareFace unbelievably creepy faces]] for a family game.

* FragileSpeedster: The Swashbuckler class.

* GenreBlind: Avery just doesn't seem to realize that Fin is a greedy, backstabbing traitor, despite being robbed by him multiple times.

* GoneHorriblyWrong: In his first promotion, Dead Mike asks for the captain's aid to bring him back to life so he would have more time to fulfil his promise to avenge the captain's murdered parents. Once all of the ingredients are gathered for the potion, Dead Mike takes a drink. To his horror, the potion has the opposite effect, leaving him ''more'' dead than he was before (turning him from a zombie to a revenant).

* GreaterScopeVillain: Moo Manchu, to General Tso. Though he's not relevant to the main storyline and doesn't appear in any notable capacity until after Tso's defeat, he refers to Tso as his minion and claims that Tso's rebellion would have ended with him becoming Emperor of [=MooShu=].

* HalfDressedCartoonAnimal: The Wharf Rat Squirts.

** [[spoiler:Phule]] is a [[AmbiguousSituation possible candidate]] as well.

* HiddenDepths: Ratbeard is the biggest pirate stereotype in the game, but he can read Monquistan for some reason.

* InTheirOwnImage: [[spoiler:Kane's ultimate goal for The Spiral]].

* LoopholeAbuse: [[spoiler:The reason Captain Blood is [[{{Immortality}} immortal]]. When he was about to lose his [[ChessWithDeath poker game with Death]], he left for the bathroom and never came back. Since the game is still considered ongoing, Death can't claim Blood, nor can he directly interfere with his life]].

* LuxuryPrisonSuite: Napoleguin's cell in Fort Elena looks rather cozy.
* MadScientist: Bishop.

* MightyGlacier: The Buccaneer class.

* MyGodWhatHaveIDone: Many of the companions reactions to seeing [[spoiler: Marleybone's skies transformed into a war zone filled with debris from Marleybonian and Armada ships as a result of the war the player started.]]

* NamesToRunAwayFromReallyFast: Captain Blood, one of the most evil Pirates to ever exist. Fortunately, they claim he met his end a few years ago. [[spoiler: [[HesJustHiding Yeah, right.]]]]
* TheNapoleon: Napoleguin, the ultimate [[TheChessMaster Chess Master]]. [[SmugSnake Or so he'd have you believe.]]

* NotThisOneThatOne: After finishing the first few missions, the player is rewarded with their very own ship from [[MagnificentBastard Avery's]] private fleet. The private dock the player is directed to is home to massive, magnificent CoolShip. This is promptly moved aside to reveal the player's [[TheAllegedCar broken-down raft]].

* {{Precursors}}: The Aztecosaurs, a race so old they lived on the first world alongside the titans before it was destroyed. Their empire had dwindled to only Azteca since the first world was shattered. Unfortunately, Azteca was destroyed when [[ColonyDrop a comet collided with it]] leaving only their ruins on different worlds of the Spiral. [[spoiler: Azteca is still around and it's denizens are still alive as well, at least at the moment...]]
** The Celestians and citizens of El Dorado were two extremely powerful civilizations that developed magic and technology far beyond anything seen in the rest of the Spiral. El Dorado had such power that when its people died off the Celestians used their power to make its Stormgate vanish and reappear in a way that was almost impossible to predict to prevent anyone from accessing El Dorado and its magic. The Celestian civilization later met a similar fate when the [[ChaoticNeutral Storm Lord]] sank their civilization when they asked him for help in a war. It's rumored that there are powers in El Dorado that could destroy the Spiral, if awakened.

* PuzzleBoss: Some fights require facing the boss with a different tactic than just attack everything. Sometimes there are time limits; other times, a specific character must be protected or objects must be interacted with to render the boss vulnerable.

* RetiredOutlaw: Sly Winkum used to be part of TheDreaded Captain Blood's crew, but during a fight between Blood and the original El Toro, Sly led a mutiny that resulted in the captain's death ([[spoiler:[[HesJustHiding except not really]]]]). He has since left his wicked days behind him and lives as a genuine law abiding citizen.

* RiddleForTheAges: How did Wyatt Chirp die? All that's known in-game is that some of the Magnificent 7 blame Duck Holliday for what happened to Wyatt and that Old Man Bronco says that Wyatt learned the hard way "what happens to heroes". [[WordOfGod According to]] [[https://www.pirate101.com/forum/the-tavern/wyatt-chirp-8ad6a41c3b6a6219013bb16f6ebe087f Blind Mew]], Wyatt died in the line of duty, but the precise circumstances are left hazy.

* RunningGag: A trumpet riff is heard almost every time someone says the name "''[[Film/TheLegendOfZorro El Toro]]''". At one point when he's not feeling all that confident, it ''[[LettingTheAirOutOfTheBand trails off]]''.

* SealedEvilInACan: El Toro (the first one) accidentally creates one when he buries [[spoiler: Captain Blood]]. At the time he didn't know that his opponent was [[BuriedAlive still alive]]. Judging by the broken clockworks surrounding the empty grave, the Armada got a ''very'' nasty surprise when they dug him up in search of a key.

* ShaggyDogStory: Your main purpose in Marleybone is to find out where Catbeard's piece of Marco Pollo's map is. Unfortunately, he's been imprisoned for starting the war between Marleybone and Valencia, and he won't reveal where it is unless you free him, only telling you that it's safe. You decide to [[LoopholeAbuse abuse the law a bit]] and try to get commissioned as a Captain in the Royal Navy (who can legally take any able-bodied sailor into their crew, even prisoners). After a lot of hard work involving a SuicideMission, a mutiny, radical anarchists, and ''changing the tide of the entire war,'' you finally gain the commission and free Catbeard. After he's freed, he reveals that [[spoiler:he lost his piece of the map to Captain Gunn. The piece you got from his treasure]]. [[ExactWords Hey, it was safe, wasn't it?]]

* SuicideMission: When the player tries to exploit a wartime decree and join the Marleybonian Navy in order to free another character from jail, the navy commanders send the player on one of these in order to destroy a massive Armada fortress. This is implied to be done out of desperation, rather than malice--Marleybone is losing the war and needs every possible advantage. In addition, suicide missions are apparently relatively common practice, and at least one commander has been on multiple suicide missions. Considering that the player has already made short work of a similar (albeit much smaller) fortress, the command truly expects to see the player survive. This doesn't stop Ratbeard from lampshading it, though.

* TheWeirdWest: Cool Ranch.
** Considering that the western outlaws could be considered a Western version of Pirates, this is a bit of FridgeBrilliance.

* UriahGambit: Proposed during [[spoiler: Catbeard]]'s trial by his ''own lawyer.'' According to an emergency wartime decree, the player can take him onto their crew on military parole to fight in a hopeless war against the Armada and face almost certain death. (And given that he would have certainly been convicted and sentenced to death otherwise, this is ''still'' the better option for him.)

* WelcomeBackTraitor: Ratbeard betrays the crew the player joins in search of Gunn's treasure. [[spoiler: When the player later saves his sorry hide he begs for forgiveness and asks to join the player's crew. One member of the player's crew makes an objection but goes on to accept Ratbeard as a fellow crew mate.]]

* YouGetWhatYouPayFor: After the player goes to a lot of trouble to do a favor for King Fernando of Monquista, the king repays them by trying to have them killed. The player replies in kind by freeing a number of political prisoners and whipping up a revolution [[spoiler:which eventually gets Fernando kicked off the throne]]. The pirate's new allies are more than happy to reward them for their aid, and as a result, receive a lot more help from the player farther down the line.

* YouKilledMyFather: A member of [[BigBad Kane's]] Court and Grand Marshal of the Armada, Rooke gives us a rare case of the villain saying this after the player [[spoiler: kills his "brother", Deacon]].

--> '''Ratbeard:''' Ahoy there, turkey! My name's Ratbeard. Ye killed me father! Prepare to die.[[note]]There is a mismatch between the audio and the dialogue box; on the dialogue box he also says "you killed me crew" after "ye killed me father".[[/note]]
* YourSizeMayVary: Particularly large companions will be shrunken to only slightly larger than the player when not in combat.

* {{Expy}}: Subverted with Captain Avery in relation to Merle Ambrose. While they could pass as brothers, Avery quickly shows he's not above using ExactWords to cheat the player.
** SideQuest companion Ridolfo Capoferro [[CaptainErsatz very closely resembles]] ''Wizard 101'''s Diego the Duelmaster, minus the beard.

* AbsurdlySpaciousSewer: [[ExaggeratedTrope Exaggerated.]] These are very common. The player's companions even begin to complain about the "wondrous" places the player takes them to.

* AmbiguouslyBrown: [[spoiler:Your Mother (and to some extent, You). The photograph you get at the end of Cool Ranch shows that she had dark (or at least tanned) skin]].

* ArsonMurderAndJaywalking: [[spoiler: Ratbeard]] accidentally killed his crew when someone switched out the knockout drops with poison. Upon finding out it was Captain Fowl to blame in his second promotion, he will say, "Fowl! He took me leg, killed me father, burned me house, an' stole me parrot."

* {{Bizarrchitecture}}: Flotsam is an entire town made of floating shipwrecks, with a three dimensional maze of pier-like walkways holding them together.

* BonusBoss: Moo Manchu. He's the GreaterScopeVillain behind General Tso's rebellion in [=MooShu=], but the dungeon he resides in is designed for teams of top-level players and can only be accessed after completing a completely optional sidequest chain. Most players aren't going to be tough enough to challenge him until after they complete the game's main story.

* BrainwashedAndCrazy: Some bosses have the ability to do this to you and/or your companions if they're knocked out in battle.

* CallBack: The storyline is rife with these to your previous accomplishments. In the first book alone, you get out of a jam when your opponent remembers how you got the drop on Fin earlier and decides he'd rather negotiate than challenge you to a fight.

* ChekhovsGun: The chalice wrapped in sailcloth from Captain Gunn's treasure. The chalice itself is a Monquistan heirloom, and Captain Avery plans on using it to help secure a treaty with the neighboring world. It's not until three books later that you learn [[spoiler:Avery was really after the sailcloth--it's part of the coveted map to El Dorado. The chalice was just a distraction to trick you into handing it over.]]

* ChekhovsGunman: Remember Mustang Sally, that one pirate you help when you first arrive in Flotsam and then never see again? [[spoiler:She's the original El Toro's daughter]].

* ChessMotifs: The final battle with [[BigBad Kane]] and the other elites ([[spoiler:sans Phule]]) is presented as a chess match, complete with the floor looking like a giant chessboard. Kane is the King, Queen is the Queen, Bishop is the Bishop, Deacon is the Knight, Rooke is the Rook, and the Pawns are a group of Armada Marines.

* ContinuitySnarl: Between this game and sister game ''VideoGame/Wizard101''. WordOfGod says both games take place at the same time, and some quests have dialogue that alludes to events in VideoGame/Wizard101, but as fans have pointed out, many of these references have implications that outright contradict each other. Notably, the very first world in VideoGame/Pirate101 contains a direct reference to an event late in the second story arc in VideoGame/Wizard101. However, it's also implied that the pirate travels to the later world of [=MooShu=] at the same time as the wizard--except in VideoGame/Wizard101, the wizard's adventures in [=MooShu=] take place during the ''first'' story arc.

* ConvenientlyAnOrphan: The player character.
* ConvenientQuesting: Unless you've been given a quest that's part of the main story line on the other side of a blockade, you can't get past it.

* ConservationOfNinjutsu: In special battles, if the enemy outnumbers the player by more than one, the enemies are usually significantly lower level than normal enemies in the same area. Meanwhile, bosses that go solo against an entire team are much tougher than anything else in the area.

* DeadpanSnarker: Later in the game, Bonnie Anne becomes this to fill the role of TheStraightMan once Ratbeard, El Toro, and Catbeard are on your crew.

* DearNegativeReader: A well-placed and polite one was added to the Port Royal mansion instance after several players called WhatTheHellHero on the player having to kidnap the Governor's daughter. The writers answered why the player was doing this but let Bonnie Anne serve as a voice for those that didn't like it.

* AbortedArc / WhatCouldHaveBeen: The original draft of the story had the player spending a few books [[spoiler:helping Gazpaccio build another clockwork, named Able, to match the power of Kane, and the final battle with Kane happening in El Dorado]]. However, after Book 15 spent 3 years in DevelopmentHell, they just wrapped up Kane's story arc there.

* RidiculouslyCuteCritter: Some of the pets are this, without a doubt. Special mentions include: Orchid/Cutie Chameleons, Armadillo Verde, and White-Tailed {{Jackalope}}. (For Easter, There were variations on the Armadillo and Jackalope called the Marshmadillow, which is the armadillo Verde with the design of a marshmallow peep, and Chocolopes. Jackalopes that are chocolate bunny look-alikes. Putting a whole new meaning to the term [[TastesLikeDiabetes "Tastes like diabetes.")]]

--> '''Avery:''' "Well, yes, I did only ask you for one set. Ah! You intend to hold me to the letter of our agreement, eh? You're learning. Well played."

* AccidentalMurder: [[spoiler: Ratbeard]] accidentally kills his crew when the knockout drops he thought he had were replaced with poison.
-->[[spoiler: Ratbeard]]: Poisoned? I never poisoned ye! I just meant to put ye to sleep! Not...well..."[[DeadlyEuphemism to put you to sleep]]".

* FromNobodyToNightmare: The Duck of Death, who was forced out of his home after betraying his people to the Dogs of Marleybone and being [[LaserGuidedKarma betrayed in turn]]. He sold his soul to an EldritchAbomination, which resulted in him becoming invincible to anything except silver bullets, and returned to terrorize the people of Cool Ranch in revenge.

[[https://www.pirate101.com/free_game Pirate101]] is a MassivelyMultiplayerOnlineRolePlayingGame from the makers of ''VideoGame/Wizard101''.