Check out the starter characters you can get on Wii and 3DS.
Spyro
Type: Magic
How to get: Wii Starter Pack
Variations: Legendary Spyro (Toys R' US exclusive 'Legendary' three-pack), Dark Spyro (3DS Starter Pack)
Spyro, the purported star of the story, is the prototypical magic type, using a healthy balance of projectile and long range attacks to fight enemies. He can also obtain a flight ability, but since the Wii version doesn't have any jumping, he just hovers over the ground. However, in the 3DS version, he has a glide ability activated after jumping.
- Starting Abilities: Dragon's Fire (shoots fireballs), Charge (charges)
- Initial Upgrades: Long Range Raze (increases fireball range), Spyro's Flight (adds flight ability), Sprint Charge (increase charge length), Triple Flameballs (shoots three fireballs instead of one)
- Sheep Burner Path: Fire Shield (creates shields when shooting fireballs), Exploding Fireblast (exploding fireballs!), The Daybringer Flame (hold button down to increase flame size)
- Blitz Path: Stun Charge (adds stun to charge attack), Comet Dash (adds damage to charge attack), Ibex's Wrath Charge (adds more power to charge attack)
- Soul Gem Ability: Spyro's Earth Pound (area-clearing dive bomb attack; found in Crawling Catacombs)
- 3DS Abilities: Dragon's Fire (starting; shoots fireball), Horn Blast (starting, shoot magical energy), Spiky Sprint (level 2; charge attack), Horn Havoc (level 5, powers up horns after attacking an enemy), Fiery Frenzy (level 8; shoot three fireballs or charge up for a giant one), Mystic Seeker Scroll (20% bonus to damage; found in Treetop Circle)
- Dark Spyro 3DS Abilities: Dragon's Fury (starting; attack with tail, wings, and lightning breath), Shadow Spark (starting; shoot out cloud of dark energy), Airburn (level 3; create a circle of dark energy underneath Spyro while in mid-air), Energy Conduit (level 6; run through Shadow Spark to energize Spyro); Shadowbeam (level 9; shoot beam of dark energy), Mystic Seeker Scroll (20% bonus to health; found in Lava Flow Grotto)
Gill Grunt
Type: Water
How to get: Wii Starter Pack
Variations: None
Gill Grunt is one of the three console starters and, similar to Spyro, features more ranged attacks. His Harpoon Gun is a great long-range weapon, and his Power Hose is better for taking out swarms around you, since it has a sizable and easy-to-maniupulate spray area.
- Starting Abilities: Harpoon Gun (shoots harpoons), Power Hose (sprays water)
- Initial Upgrades: Barbed Harpoons (increases harpoon damage), High Pressure Power Hose (increases hose damage and knockback), Harpoon Repeater (increases reload speed of harpoons), Water Jetpack (self explanatory)
- Harpooner Path: Quadrent Harpoons (increases harpoon damage), Piercing Harpoons (harpoons go through enemies), Tripleshot Harpoon (shoot three harpoons at once)
- Water Weaver Path: Reserve Water Tank (hose/jetpack never run out of water), Boiling Water Hose (increases hose damage), Neptune Gun (hose launches exploding starfish)
- Soul Gem Ability: Anchor Cannon (super powerful harpoon attack; found in Treetop Terrace)
- 3DS Abilities: Harpoon Gun (starting; shoots harpoon), Sea Spray (starting, shoots stream of water), Rising Tide (level 2; adds hover ability that damages enemies underneath), Bubble Burst (level 5, charged harpoon gun fires three harpoons at once), Ice Flow (level 8; icy shot that damages and freezes enemies), Mystic Seeker Scroll (20% bonus to health; found in Glacial Slopes)
Trigger Happy
Type: Tech
How to get: Wii Starter Pack
Variations: Legendary Trigger Happy (Toys R Us Exclusive)
Trigger Happy, a weird gremlin-looking thing with two guns (might I recommend putting the cowboy hat on him for maximum western-ness), has a large tongue and explosive attacks. He uses his two guns to fire off bullets at foes, but he can also drop golden money (first a safe, but then upgrading to a pot of gold) that blows up.
- Starting Abilities: Golden Pistols (shoots gold coins out of two giant guns), Lob Golden Safe (throw explosive golden safe)
- Initial Upgrades: Golden Super Charge (charge up gun to fire a more damaging bullet), Pot O' Gold (throw a Pot of Gold instead of a safe, doing more damage), Golden Mega Charge (charge up gun even more to do more damage), Golden Machine Gun (use a turret gun to mow down enemies)
- Golden Frenzy Path: Happiness Is A Golden Gun (gun does more damage), Bouncing Bullets (bullets bounce off walls), Golden Yamato Blast (increased charge attack damage)
- Golden Money Path: Just Throwing Money Away (longer range for Pot O' Gold), Coinsplosion (increase damage area for Pot O' Gold), Heads or Tails (toss a coin to do more damage; heads does most damage)
- Soul Gem Ability: Infinite Ammo (machine gun has unlimited ammo; found in Cadaverous Crypt
- 3DS Abilities: Cha-Ching (starting; shoots gun), Money Minigun (starting; shoots minigun), Coin Flip (level 3; shoots coins at enemies), Rising Interest (level 6; double jump fires off coins), Stored Value (level 9; charge up to fire a barrage of coins), Mystic Seeker Scroll (20% bonus to health; found in Galecrack Castle)
Ignitor
Type: Fire
How to get: 3DS Starter Pack, Individual, 3-Pack (w/ Camo and Warnado)
Variations: None
Ignitor is a perfect fit as a starter character in the 3DS version because he actually is way more useful there. His Flaming Sword is a nice melee attack, and the Fire Spirit ability, where his flame body leaves the suit of armor, homes in on surrounding foes in the 3DS version. It's somewhat nerfed in the other versions, but at the end of the day, Ignitor is still a suit or armor with fire inside of it.
- Starting Abilities: Flame Blade (fire sword attack), Flame Form Mortar (launch your fire body at enemies)
- Initial Upgrades: Scorching Blade (increase sword damage), Flame Form (control your body after launching it), Mega Slam (charge up a large sword attack), Fire and Brimstone (Flame Form does more damage to a larger area)
- Soul of the Flame Path: Dances with Fire (Flame Form moves faster, does more damage), Incinerate (Flame Form triggers explosion), Fire Form Salvo (fire three Flame Forms)
- Blademaster Path: Order of the Burning Blade (unleash a combo attack), Double Mega Slam (more damage for Mega Slam), Inferno Blade (increase damage and length of sword)
- Soul Gem Ability: Fire Forged Armor (+40 armor; found in Dark Water Cove)
- 3DS Abilities: Burning Blade (starting; sword attack), Fire Spirit (starting; launch fire spirit), Spirit Explosion (level 4; increases fire spirit size and makes it explode), Blue Flame Sheath (level 7; sprinting increases attack and speed), Blade Spin (level 10; three swipes of a sword lets it move around Ignitor), Mystic Seeker Scroll (gain 20% bonus to movement speed; found in Towersight Fields)
Stealth Elf
Type: Life
How to get: 3DS Starter Pack, Individual, 3-Pack (w/ Sonic Boom and Wrecking Ball)
Variations: Crystal Stealth Elf
Stealth Elf is a shadowy character who uses blades and stealth to get by. Her primary attack is using her two blades to melee opponents. She also has a Stealth ability where she leaves a duplicate of herself to distract enemies, allowing you to sneak around and get the drop on them.
- Starting Abilities: Blade Slash (blade melee attack), Stealthier Decoy (drop a decoy and then move around in secret)
- Initial Upgrades: Straw Pook Scarecrow (decoy becomes a scarecrow), Dragonfang Dagger (blades do more damage), Sturdy Scarecrow (scarecrow lasts longer), Arboreal Acrobatics (nimbly move around with a touch of the Z button)
- Pook Blade Saint Path: Elf Jitsu (combo attacks that either do an attack flurry or release poison gas), Elven Sunblade (blades do more damage), Shadowsbane Blade Dance (magical blades help you)
- Forest Ninja Path: Scare-crio Trio (three scarecrows instead of one), Scarecrow Booby Trap (scarecrows explode when attacked), Scarecrow Spin Slicer (scarecrows wield axes to do more damage)
- Soul Gem Ability: Sylvan Regeneration (regenerate health; found in Falling Forest)
- 3DS Abilities: Dagger Dance (starting; blade attack), Thorn Throw (starting; throw thorns at enemies), Sneaky Decoy (level 2; become transparent, and then when you're hit, you drop a stunning decoy), Stun Run (level 5; become transparent, and then emerge from the shadows do a blade attack), Thorn Storm (level 8; throw rapid-fire thorns), Mystic Seeker Scroll (20% health bonus; found in Ashburrow)