Wild Star is Going to Be Out of This World (Sorry for the Pun)
MMOs have been trying for years to bottle the lightning that made World of Warcraft such a success.
WoW had it all – lore, a fan base, minimal system requirements, variety…
Does Wild Star have it?
Considering the “if you missed it, you weren’t paying attention” level of presence the game had at PAX East (even taxi cabs were advertising it), the team seems pretty confident that they will take us by storm.
One of the primary critiques I have of MMOs is the lack of decent solo content. I can’t be bothered to assemble twenty randoms to raid a dungeon, or heal a five man group when I have literally an hour to play. I’ve lived that life (sorry WoW). Wild Star has promised solo content in the Elder Game, the zones of Planet Nexus in which max-level characters can quest and play in order to get better gear and advance the story line.
The game seeks to answer the question “What happened to the Elden” a mythical race that has since vanished. The Elder Game builds on the lore and continues to answer the question, as well as find the source of “The Strain” which is infecting the planet.
One of the mechanics of the game that seemed to be a huge help was the existence of ‘telegraphs’ which will guide the player on where to stand or not stand (green is good, red is bad) during encounters with bosses and mobs. This interface is something that is usually only available via mods but to have it incorporated as a game element and actually getting instruction on how to use it is extremely appealing.
During the Wild Star panel the team touched on the PVE and PVP elements of the game. In addition to standard PVE and PVP fare of MMOs, they elaborated on War Plots.
‘What is a War Plot and how do I get one?’ you may be asking yourself. Great question. War Plots are, as the name suggests, a piece of land on which you can build your idea of a PVP nightmare and invite thirty nine of your closest friends to live it with you. Behold! The video that demonstrates it better than I can explain it was first shown at the Wild Star panel and I have provided it here for your convenience:
This intriguing aspect of Player versus Player and Player versus Environment is unlike anything I have ever seen. I’m so interested in seeing how it would work in the game that I nearly pre-ordered it on the spot.
The game will also offer player housing, which has been a gripe of mine with other MMOs (again, sorry WoW). If I am doing every other thing I can do in real life except own property, that takes away from the immersion that would keep me playing (which, come to think of it is probably a good thing…). So I am again excited to see this as an element of game play and look forward to many hours of decorating and customizing my little piece of the planet instead of doing useful things like gaining XP and doing quests.
Most everything else about the game is something I’ve seen before in an MMO but I’m always keen on discovering new lore, playing as adorable creatures in battle armor, and figuring out new ways to troll. This game looks like it’ll have it, so we’ll see if it can bring down the weakening behemoth that is World of Warcraft.
The full game drops June 3, 2014 but pre-orders get three days head start and access to beta weekends, so if you’re interested, head over to the official website and learn more! Wild Star is developed by Carbine Studios and NCSOFT.
~Myrrick
