Basics
A few basics: I am in North America. Anytime I list prices or say a Skylander is "exclusive" it applies only to the North American, and particularly the U.S. Market.
Also, a good source for general info and where to buy Skylanders in your country is the website:
http://www.skylanders.com/
About the Game
First off, Skylanders: Spyro's Universe is a game from Activision, developed by Toys for Bob, that is available on every major system.
Starter Kit
The "Starter Kit" is a box that includes: the game, the Portal of Power, a Master Sheet, and 3 Skylanders.
-The Wii, PS3, XBOX, and MAC/PC Starter Kits all feature Spyro, Gill Grunt, and Trigger Happy
-The 3DS Starter Kit features Dark Spyro (exclusive), Ignitor, and Stealth Elf
--Also note the story line is different for the 3DS Version. The others are the same.
Elements and Skylanders
There are 8 Elements. Each of the 8 Elements has 4 Skylanders. That means there is a rough total of 32 Skylanders to collect. That said, there are actually more, 37 to be exact when you include: Dark Spyro, Legendary Spyro, Legendary Bash, Legendary Chop Chop, and Legendary Trigger Happy. There are also collectible Skylanders in Silver, Gold, Translucent Blue, Crystal/Clear, and Glow-in-the-Dark (all of which you have a legitimate chance of finding...Toy Fair stuff is listed later on).
Each Skylander will come with a card, sticker sheet, and web code.
Elements
There are a total of 8 Elements, as mentioned...here they are:
-Air
-Earth
-Fire
-Life
-Magic
-Tech
-Undead
-Water
Skylanders by Element with Slogan
Air
-Lightning Rod (One Strike and You're Out!)
-Sonic Boom (Full Scream Ahead!)
-Warnado (For the Wind!)
-Whirlwind (Twists of Fury!)
Earth
-Bash (Rock and Roll!)
-Dino-Rang (Come Rang, or Shine!)
-Prism Break (The Beam is Supreme)
-Terrafin (It's Feeding Time)
Fire
-Eruptor (Born to Burn!)
-Flameslinger (Let the Flame's Begin!)
-Ignitor (Slash and Burn!)
-Sunburn (Roast and Toast!)
Life
-Camo (Fruit Punch!)
-Stealth Elf (Silent But Deadly!)
-Stump Smash (Drop the Hammer!)
-Zook (Locked and Loaded!)-Changed to (Bamboo-Yah!)
Magic
-Double Trouble (Boom Shock-A-Laka!)
-Spyro (All Fired Up!)
-Voodood (Axe First, Questions Later!)
-Wrecking Ball (Wreck-N-Roll!)
Tech
-Boomer (Bring the Boom!)
-Drill Sergeant (Licensed to Drill!)
-Drobot (Blink and Destroy!)
-Trigger Happy (No Gold, No Glory!)
Undead
-Chop Chop (Slice and Dice!)
-Cynder (Volts and Lightning!)
-Ghost Roaster (No Chain, No Gain!)
-Hex (Fear the Dark!)
Water
-Gill Grunt (Fear the Fish!)
-Slam Bam (Armed and Dangerous!)
-Wham-Shell (Brace for the Mace!)
-Zap (Ride the Lightning!)
Regular Skylanders by Element with Availability
Air
-Lightning Rod (Single Pack and Triple Pack G)
-Sonic Boom (Single Pack, Triple Pack D )
-Warnado (Single Pack and Triple Pack H, Glow-in-the-Dark)
-Whirlwind (US Single Pack aTarget Exclusive...Thanks to false advertising by activision, Whirlwind was released in Triple Pack F, AND Single Packs elsewhere)
Earth
-Bash (Single Pack, Triple Pack C, Legendary Triple Pack, Translucent Blue Single Pack)
-Dino-Rang (Single Pack, Triple Pack E, Silver)
-Prism Break (Single Pack, Triple Pack B)
-Terrafin (Pirate Seas Adventure Pack Only)
Fire
-Eruptor (Single Pack, Triple Pack C, Silver)
-Flameslinger (Single Pack, Triple Pack A, Gold)
-Ignitor (3DS Starter Pack, Single Pack, Triple Pack H)
-Sunburn (Dragon's Peak Adventure Pack Only)
Life
-Camo (Single Pack and Triple Pack H)
-Stealth Elf (3DS Starter Pack, Single Pack, Triple Pack D, Crystal Clear)
-Stump Smash (Single Pack, Triple Pack A, Frito's Flocked Stump Smash)
-Zook (Single Pack and Triple Pack G)
Magic
-Dark Spyro (3DS Starter Pack Exclusive, Possible Later Single Pack)
-Double Trouble (Single Pack and Triple Pack F)
-Spyro (All Starter Kits except 3DS, Dark Spyro=3DS Only, Legendary Triple Pack)
-Voodood (Single Pack, Triple Pack B)
-Wrecking Ball (Single Pack, Triple Pack D, Glow-in-the-Dark)
Tech
-Boomer (Single Pack, Triple Pack B, Silver)
-Drill Sergeant (Single Pack Only-Walmart/Sam's Club Exclusive and thanks to activision false advertising and deceptive practices Single Packs Elsewhere and Triple Pack F)
-Drobot (Single Pack, Triple Pack A)
-Trigger Happy (All Starter Packs, except 3DS, Legendary Single Pack a Toys'R'Us Exclusive)
Undead
-Chop Chop (Single Pack, Triple Pack C, Legendary Triple Pack, Gold)
-Cynder (Single Pack, Triple Pack G, Crystal Clear, Metallic Purple)
-Ghost Roaster (Dark Light Crypt Adventure Pack)
-Hex (Single Pack, Triple Pack E, Pearl)
Water
-Gill Grunt (All Starter Kits except 3DS)
-Slam Bam (Empire of Ice Adventure Pack)
-Wham-Shell (Single Pack, Crystal Clear)
-Zap (Single Pack and Triple Pack E, Glow-in-the-Dark)
Legendary Skylanders
-Bash (Legendary Triple Pack, Toys'R'Us Exclusive)
-Chop Chop (Legendary Triple Pack, Toys'R'Us Exclusive)
-Spyro (Legendary Triple Pack, Toys'R'Us Exclusive)
-Trigger Happy (Legendary Single Pack, Toys'R'Us Exclusive)
Regular Skylanders by Triple Pack
Triple Pack A-1: Drobot, Flameslinger, Stump Smash
Triple Pack B-2: Prism Break, Voodood, Boomer
Triple Pack C-3: Eruptor, Chop Chop, Bash
Triple Pack D-4: Wrecking Ball, Stealth Elf, Sonic Boom
Triple Pack E-5: Zap, Hex, Dino-Rang
Triple Pack F-6: Whirlwind, Double Trouble, Drill Sergeant
Triple Pack G-7: Lightning Rod, Cynder, Zook
Triple Pack H-8: Camo, Ignitor, Warnado
Legendary Triple Pack: Bash, Spyro, Chop Chop
Regular Skylanders by Single Pack
Everyone with the exception of: Spyro, Gill Grunt, Trigger Happy, Terrafin, Ghost Roaster, Slam Bam, Sunburn, and currently Dark Spyro are available in Single Pack offerings. I would expect that those of us in the US and Canada will see Dark Spyro singles some time before Giants comes out. Keep in mind, the Legendary Triple Pack Skylanders are not available as singles at this time either.
Adventure Packs (The Only Retail Way to Land These 4 Skylanders)
-Darklight Crypt: Ghost Roaster, Darklight Crypt, Healing Elixir, Time Twist Hourglass (Chapter 25)
-Dragon's Peak: Sunburn, Dragon Peak, Sparx the Dragonfly, Winged Boots (Chapter 26)
-Empire of Ice: Slam Bam, Ice Cave, Anvil Rain, Sky-Iron Shield (Chapter 23)
-Pirate Seas: Terrafin, Pirate Ship, Ghost Pirate Swords, Hidden Treasure (Chapter 24)
Skylanders by Wave
It is often asked, "What is a Wave?" or "What do you mean by Wave __?" Here is the answer. A "wave" simply refers to the staggered release order. In October, at the launch of the game, you had access to quite a few Skylanders, but not all. Later in the fall Wave 2 came out...You still couldn't get Lightning Rod (Wave 4)...Here is the complete breakdown for your convenience:
Wave 1 (20 Base Skylanders, Dark Spyro, and Legendary Triple Pack): Spyro, Gill Grunt, Trigger Happy, Dark Spyro, Ignitor, Stealth Elf, Voodood, Drobot, Booomer, Drill Sergeant, Eruptor, Flameslinger, Stump Smash, Bash, Prism Break, Terrafin, Chop Chop, Ghost Roaster, Sonic Boom, Whirlwind, Zap, Legendary Spyro, Legendary Bash, Legendary Chop Chop.
Wave 2: Wrecking Ball, Dino-Rang, Hex
Wave 3: Double Trouble, Cynder, Slam Bam
Wave 4: Lightning Rod, Zook, Sunburn
Wave 5: Camo, Warnado, Wham-Shell
Collectible Skylanders: Rare, Not Part of the 37
Silver Skylanders
-Boomer
-Dino-Rang
-Eruptor
Gold Skylanders
-Chop Chop
-Drill Sergeant
-Flameslinger
Translucent Blue Skylanders
-Bash (Toys'R'Us Exclusive)
Cystal "Clear" Skylanders
-Wham-Shell (First seen in Australia)
-Cynder
-Stealth Elf
Glow-in-the-Dark Skylanders
-Warnado
-Wrecking Ball
-Zap
Translucent Red Skylanders
-Drill Sergeant (Walmart Exclusive)
Exclusive Skylanders (Toy Fairs, E3 etc)
-Single Pack Trigger Happy (E3 2011)
-Metallic Purple Cynder (Nurumberg Toy Fair 2011)
-Chrome Spyro (E3 2012)
Promotional Skylanders
Frito Lay
-Spring of 2012 (Promotion April-May)
--Flocked Stump Smash
-Summer of 2012 (June 18th-July 13th estimated run time)
--Skylander Sidekicks
Shown with Frito Lay Promo Sheet Name and (Coded Game Names)
---Mega Stealth (Whisper Elf)
---Super Trigger (Trigger Snappy)
---Big Grunt (Gill Runt)
---Mighty Fin (Terrabite)
We now know that the promotion runs July 8th, 2012 through November 2nd, 2012. The names are the "Coded Game Names" from above
-Terrabite (Terrafin)
-Trigger Snappy (Trigger Happy)
-Whisper Elf (Stealth Elf)
-Gil Run (Gill Grunt)
Wii: Weapon Master Glitch
I strongly suggest you ready my blog post regarding this aggravating issue:
Weapon Master Glitch Blog Post
Skylanders Rankings
You can check out various Skylander Ranks in one of my other blog posts:
Skylanders Overall Ranks
Skylanders: Elemental Ranks by Trading Cards
My Complete Collection
Some of you may enjoy this video showcasing the complete collection (32/32 and 37/37) as well as touching on most of the major information contained here. All info in the video was accurate as of the recording date (May 21st, 2012):
Skylanders: Spyro's Adventure Complete Collection
Conclusion
That basically wraps it up. There are still a few uncertainties and unknowns, but you can get the geneal idea here.
Enjoy, hope this helps a lot of ya'll out.
-1ofWiisdom
Thanks for the info! Sure wish we had a release date for the next wave. argh.
Reply DeleteThanks, glad you enjoyed it! I agree, most people speculated a pre-Christmas release. The most reliable sources I know are now thinking mid January. I'll just believe it all when I start to see it, lol. The next wave is going to be awesome!
Reply DeleteI really want Wham Shell and Lightning Rod and Wornado.
Reply DeleteSadly, Wham-Shell will keep you waiting a long time. Lightning Rod is just around the corner...I'm excited for him and Warnado as well!
DeleteIs there any benefit to collecting all 4 of the same element?
Reply DeleteYes, you actually get a bump in Elemental Power based on the number you've got...so in a perfect world you would have all 4. I'm not sure on the exact figures though.
Reply Deletewait on my game empire of ice is chapter 23, pirate seas in chapter 24, dark liht crypt is chapter 25 and dragons peak is chapte 26.
Reply DeleteYeah, I typed this back in the day before anyone knew they botched the releases...I need to update this for stuff like that and release dates etc. Go with the 2-14-12 Collection Post for accuracy there. I'll try to tweak it this weekend, been meaning too, just busy, lol. But what you said is correct.
DeleteThanks, 1ofwiisdom, your awesome! I can't wait till Warnado comes out he's my favorite character so far
Reply DeleteNo problem, glad I could help. That's cool you are looking forward to Warnado, he is the one I have been waiting eagerly awaiting as well. Turtle+Tornado=Awesome...I actually mentioned it in the Air Element Upgrade Poll Results tonight.
DeleteReally? Cool who's your favorite character?
DeleteI hate to say without having them all to give a fair chance. I'm a big Terrafin fan, but think that Warnado could easily be one of the top 1-3...I plan to do posts on my favorites/preferences later on when I have been able to land them all (which could be this week...or might take a month, lol). Warnado is on the top of my list though.
DeleteYea same my favorite life element would have to be Zook because he is powerful, my favorite fire by far is Ignitor, my fav air is of corse Warnado my fav water is Zap (I'd like to try wham shell but he's not out), my fav tech is Drill sergeant, my fav undead is chop-chop my fav earth I'd have to say I like Terrafin and Prism break
Reply DeleteAnd my fav magic skulylanders is basically all but Spyro ( Double trouble, Voodood, Wresking ball)
Reply DeleteVery nice, I'm the same with quite a few of those. I finally bought upgrades for Wrecking Ball tonight, lol...he is still Level 6. I recorded LRod and Zook's Heroic Challenges tonight, then upgraded them, and then took them through Dragon's Peak. Zook is very powerful...just basic (to Z button attack) he was dealing 23 with the primary attack.
DeleteI like Zook, I've played with him cause my cousin let me borrow him I wished I owned him though, still looking but I'm waiting to get the tripple pack with Lrod and cynder
Reply DeleteI played with LRod and Zook last night, just uploaded the vids tonight. Both are great out of the box and seem to upgrade very nicely. I would wait on the Triple Pack too...it'll save you cash. I don't think you'll be disappointed with them. Hope you can find it soon!
DeleteThanks what sucks is that I live in Canada, and today I just seen one a EB games and I should of picked it up but not for the price they were charging $30.00 u said no I'm going to toys r us where I can get a 15% discount
Reply DeleteIf you get a 15% discount at TRU that would be the thing to do...they'll get it, eventually.
DeleteYea they just cane in today, but not in the 3 pack but I didn't really want cynder anyways, so I picked up LRod and Zook, LRod is already level 10 lol
Reply DeleteI also got Ignitor in the single pack
Reply DeleteVery nice, I have yet to see an Ignitor single pack and only know of 2 others in my contact circle that have landed him in single form.
DeleteFor the accolades, how does the saved game know which Skylanders you have? I have 30 Skylanders but they saved game thinks I only have 8 - strange. Please help and thanks for all the great info! Btw, I also got Ignitor in single pack! And Blue Bash! Thanks.
Reply DeleteThat is strange...if you played them at a friends house, a different save file, or on the 3DS etc you will want to go into the (-) menu (Wii...the one where you can name your Skylander etc and wear hats etc). Go in and select "Ownership" or whatever it is called (can't think of it at the momnent). Select to "Take Ownership" etc...repeat that for all the 22 you don't "have" on the save file. Very cool you landed Blue Bash, I had a few people tell me recently their online backorders were cancelled...maybe he will stay rare. Ignitor single is still tough to come by right now too.
DeleteI don't know if you included these in the variants, but on Ebay from international sellers, I just saw a Chrome Spyro in box! What is that one from?
Reply DeleteWhy thank you...I meant to add that.
DeleteThe Chrome Spyro isn't a hoax as many think, but actully another E3 exclusive. Activision basically cranked them out for VIPs at this year's E3 convention. It is kind of like the single pack Trigger Happy last year and then the Metallic Purple Cynder from the big Toy Fair late last year. I'll get it added!
I have some exciting news about Skylanders Giants and Gamestop.
Reply DeleteWhen I went to Gamestop today to pick up my strategy guide for Dream Drop Distance, I told my friend there about how I managed to snag TRDS, and she told me about something exciting concerning one adventure pack coming to Giants. Activision, the creator of Skylanders, is partnering with Gamestop to bring out an exclusive, limited edition adventure pack that'll be only available at Gametop. It's entitled "Golden Dragon Cannon" Adventure Pack, but as to what Skylander comes with it, there wasn't any details.
I'll post more information here as I get it, but I'm DEFINITELY pre-ordering that when I go up there next week. Pass this along to your followers, since it's limited edition and exclusive to Gamestop, you won't find it anywhere else once it's gone (unless, that is, you wanna pay high price on ebay, but I don't plan on it)!
Thanks for the heads up...they just sprung this on us today...As far as I know, it will only unlock a battle arena (although your friend might know of something else on down the road)...but this one in particluar, the Golden Dragonfire Cannon Battle Pack will have Series 2 Chop Chop, the Dragonfire Cannon, and Shroomboom. I checked at lunch today and it was on the site...
Reply DeleteI agree though, if it is limited and you don't get it early you'll be at the mercy of scalpers.
I'm still wishing there was like a definitive announcement on who was going to be reposed, what packs were to be released etc...I'd kind of like to get it for the Wii U, but obviously the Wii U will be launching AFTER the game, and I don't want to wait that long, lol. Quite the predicament...I'm also wondering if different consoles or retailers will have different "exclusive" characters on hand or if say the Portal Owner's Pack will keep you from a new or reposed Skylander the Starter Packs get right off the bat...makes pre-ordering a royal pain when you think too much :(
At least the Battle Pack is a known deal...Let me know if you get any more news leaked!
Sure will! If anything, the closer we get to Giants, the more information I'll likely find out from my friend. :)
DeleteAwesome, hopefully corporate leaks to the managers and the mgr then leaks to the employees! Just a bit over 2 months now!
DeleteThank you for all the information, along with the videos there's so much information. Really appreciate it ! You've saved me alot of money to from not over paying and only paying retail which you advised, ( i'll admit i have been tempted )
Reply DeleteThanks! Glad I could help. I don't just preach it, I practice it, lol. I love Skylanders, but I can enjoy it just as much when I have more cash in my pocket for the next character etc.
DeleteI'm going to try to keep highlighting good deals for everyone!
Apologies for another question!
Reply DeleteI do only really need to buy 1 character from each element to have access to the entire game ( Nintendo 3DS Version ). I just would like to complete the game and level 1 character from each element.
Yep. I haven't played Giants 3DS all the way thru, but it should be the same...You can get thru the game with just the Starter Pack, but to get all the bonus areas and what not you'll need 1 from each Element to unlock those areas (basically where they keep extra stuff: hats, story scrolls, treasure, etc).
DeleteAre they still selling Skylanders Spyros's Adventure for the Nintendo 3DS?
Reply DeleteI want to get the 3 champions out of it.
Yep...I've seen it at most stores...Amazon has it for $22.99 via a 3rd Party seller...as long as Dark Spyro is there you are golden. It is a good game imo.
Deletehello friends, i noticed that there is a new device called Maxlander to Backup and share skylander characters data, do you know more about it, and is it worth to buy one? here: http://www.maxlander.net
Reply Delete