At shortly after 9, the servers for the SF MMO WildStar went live as planned. Everything seemed to be running smoothly. On Twitter, the American Community Manager had previously posted lively pics from the headquarters.

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At 9 AM our time, at midnight Carbine-time, the devs toasted with champagne. The servers were online. What could possibly go wrong? A lot. Apparently even a DDOS attack. Read it yourself in our live ticker for the head start of WildStar.

Live Ticker for the Head Start

9:00 AM: It’s finally starting, but the login servers are hopelessly overloaded. It had been obvious in the past few days that this would happen: It is an extremely polished and well-thought-out MMORPG. But why is Wildstar praised everywhere? Yes, almost everyone who hasn’t yet wants to see for themselves. With the live ticker for the head start, we will keep you updated!  

9:10 AM: The cleaning lady should not be to blame, as the German CM assures us: “We have feedback from the server room in Frankfurt: The cleaning lady swears she did not trip over the cables!”

9:20 AM: Community Manager Jan Sterl suggests on Twitter that over 300,000 people are trying to log into the game right now.

9:23 AM: The login servers are still down, we will let you know as soon as there is news!

9:38 AM: WildStar is under attack!  

Our problems with the #WildStar login servers persist. Unfortunately, everything points to an additional DDOS attack. — WildStar DE (@WildStar_DE) May 31, 2014

10:00 AM: The latest Twitter message: “The first players have managed to log in – please be patient a little longer.”

10:08 AM: Things seem to be moving, at least now you can enter the queue! Fortunately, you only have to wait 27 hours, yay! But it seems just to be a glitch.

10:10 AM: This reminds me a little of the launch of Final Fantasy XIV: A Realm Reborn! Square Enix had never anticipated such a massive influx, could it be similar here at NCSoft and Carbine?

10:12 AM: Community Manager Jan Sterl has shared something with us on Twitter again: “If you made it through the login and don’t see any realms: We are working on that too!”

10:14 AM: Wow, I can now log into Ikthia after restarting the client. And now I’m creating a character! You too?

10:23 AM: “The problems with the WildStar login servers should have calmed down. Please try again!” Roger that, we will!

10:30 AM: “We are aware that certain features, such as the account inventory, are not working for all players yet and are working on it.”

10:42 AM: “Please check if you are truly on a DE realm! By default, you end up on an EN realm! #WildStar” Yes, this has happened to quite a few people who wondered why English is the new German.

10:56 AM: In the official WildStar forum, there is a thread, listing the currently known issues.

We are currently working on the following issues:

• Some players cannot find the surprise bags in the account inventory / are unable to create more than 3 characters / cannot write in chat / cannot use reserved names, etc.
  • Old: We are currently working on a problem with account permissions.
  • New: This issue should be resolved. However, we are still reviewing reports about problems with the account inventory.
• Some players receive the message that no valid account was found.
  • Please check the account management under transaction history to see if an active EU pre-order code (or pre-sale) is displayed there. If not, you will need to activate this code.
  • After activation, it may take a few hours until you can log into the game. We must unfortunately ask for your patience.
• Occasionally, timeout messages appear indicating that the login servers are not reachable.
  • This issue should only occur very rarely now. Please try again in this case.
• Partially, no realms can be selected.
  • Old: We continue to investigate problems with the responsible server, but you should still be getting the opportunity intermittently. Please try again a few minutes later if you cannot select a realm.
  • New: The problem should no longer exist.

11:11 AM: Haven’t pre-ordered WildStar yet? You can still do so. You get early access and exclusive bonus items like a rocket house or a storage chest. Either you order it via the official site or through a partner, which of course includes Amazon.

11:36 AM: Although some are already diligently playing, this does not apply to everyone, especially those stuck in the server list. They promise improvement: “The WildStar realm list is currently having problems. We are restarting the responsible service now.” In the meantime, take a look at the core features of WildStar:

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12:50 PM: Everything has been running smoothly at the Mein MMO editorial team for quite a while. How about you?

15:07 PM: Can’t use your reserved name? Here’s the response from Carbine: “Reserved names cannot be used at times. We are investigating the error, but unfortunately, we cannot provide information at the moment on when the error will be resolved.”

18:00 PM: We just received the message that a hotfix has been applied for the auth and login servers. The account inventory should also function better now, but it still doesn’t unlock the Bag of Awesomeness. Additionally, a new English PvP server has just launched: Zhur. Many expected that the only English PvP server in the EU would burst at the seams – since all the players are flocking there from countries that don’t have a server in their language… and that seems to have happened.

18:40 PM: Regarding the partially faulty name reservation, there has now been an update: “If you changed your email address after the name reservation, you cannot use the reserved names. Unfortunately, we currently have no solution for this issue.” Otherwise, it seems to be working again.

Next day, June 1.

2:00 AM: A hotfix patch has been applied that resolves some critical issues. Here are the patch notes:

• Fixed an occasional crash resulting from right clicking to report spam.
• Fixed a bug where players who had purchased the game were being placed into the “guest” realm queue.
• Fixed an exploit that was allowing some users to bypass the server queue.
• Fixed issue causing character create screen to be blank after the queue popped.
• The Bag of Awesomeness can now be rebound via the Account Services UI if the player character no longer has the bag in inventory.
• Fixed a server crash related to pathing.
• Added more cheat detection.

2:45 AM: Mein MMO wishes everyone a good night and a hopefully smooth head start experience. Most players are actually reporting a successful MMORPG launch. Although there are some occasional technical difficulties and performance issues, this seems relatively normal for such a day. The game itself is in very good shape.

14:26 PM: Have you already read our 15 tips for starting or the forecast?

17:00 PM: The first players have reached level 50. The Worldfirst titles go to the duo Flim and Pattison, who achieved this success on the European server Hazak. Now the two will probably sleep first. When will the first Americans come?

17:15 PM: The developer Carbine has managed the initial problems well.

And another new day, June 2.

10:30 AM: The influx is greater than expected, as the number of servers had to be increased again. Contagnion (EU-EN-PvP) and Archon (EU-EN-PvE) are extending the European camp. German PvE players are advised to start on Kazor and Toria. Additionally, there is downtime from 11 AM to 1 PM our time; a hotfix is being applied.

WildStar, official release on June 3.

08:30 AM: The main problem at the moment is that players are unevenly distributed. On some servers, there is a queue of several hours, while others still have plenty of space. Many have previously agreed on a server with their guild or want to play where their Twitch heroes are playing, and this is now leading to problems.

09:15 AM: WildStar has just been officially released! The servers are back online. A new server is also joining, as player demand continues. This time it’s even a German realm: “We have just opened Deadstar as the new DE-PvP realm for WildStar. Please choose this if you’re looking for a new PvP realm.”

You can watch the launch trailer here:

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9:35 AM: Carbine needs to take the servers down to address issues: “All WildStar realms are temporarily unavailable again to check issues with crashes and connection interruptions.”

Since Saturday morning at 9 a.m., the Nexus planet has been open for settlement and conquest in the SF-MMO WildStar. At least for pre-order customers. The MMO from Carbine is polished and ready to compete for players. But what does the endgame look like?

Old wine in new bottles?

“Not another MMO,” some may think at first glance. “And also a game with a payment model?” Those were actually completely out and outdated. And now, such a theme park MMO in 2014 is supposed to make waves? With 40-man raids, a linear quest system, with tanks, healers, and DPS? With a focus on items? An MMO with arenas and battlegrounds? Yes, it is supposed to. And it’s not nearly as outdated as some players might suspect and allege.

Already with the payment model, one notices that WildStar is not just another WoW clone, but attracts with new ideas – or adopts and further develops successful models from other games. For instance, they took EVE Online as a model for the payment model; game time can also be indirectly paid with in-game currency in WildStar.

The raids indeed remind one of a World of Warcraft, but of one from many years ago, with large hordes of players and a difficulty level that – according to the developers – is not to be consistently lowered.

Evolution instead of revolution as motto

In housing, one can even recognize slight sandbox elements, like those that a long time ago existed in Star Wars Galaxies. In the combat system, they go a step further than action-based systems like in Guild Wars 2 or The Secret World have done. They also take this step with the items: Even the most powerful weapons, the artifacts, can still become a bit stronger afterwards if players overcome insane challenges and achieve raid successes.

Does WildStar have what it takes to be a hit?

The actual thing, the certain something that is supposed to distinguish WildStar from some competitors, is the long maturation process the game has gone through. The game was in a development phase of almost 9 years. Developers from Carbine state that there were two other designs of the game that were completely scrapped and discarded. Moreover, the game benefited greatly from a long closed and finally open beta phase. Throughout the whole process, the communication both ways was exemplary. Sometimes it even felt as if the devs were a bit too communicative. You won’t find many development teams in MMO history about which one could say such a thing.

In total, approximately 4 million characters are said to have been created in the beta – regarding player numbers, one suspects – there are no exact figures – a value between 500,000 and 1.5 million players. How many of those beta players will ultimately embark on their journey to Nexus this morning or in a few days at the official launch is uncertain. The publisher expects a large release and speaks of WildStar as “THE” summer title of the year. They have high hopes for the MMO.

Doctor, what is the prognosis?

WildStar could be one of the few games to actually break the cycle that many MMOs fall victim to: after initial excitement at the launch, there quickly follows disappointment due to too many unfinished aspects. Players come in droves and leave the game with the expiration of the free month, hopping on the next hype train. This very cycle has been analyzed and described by Carbine themselves – and they want to offer players from the start the “full” MMO experience.

Whether the launch and the first months succeed and run smoothly is – as always – a crucial matter for an MMO and a very delicate issue. From the beta, it is clear that one can play smoothly up to the endgame. WildStar offers a truly unique gaming experience in this regard. How it looks in the endgame and the raids is another question. According to reports from beta players, there is still quite a bit of polishing to be done here.

We at Mein MMO will definitely continue to follow the development of WildStar. It remains completely open whether in the end some gaming journalists of the older generation will be right who speak of WildStar and TESO as the last gasp of an outdated model. Maybe the fans of Carbine have been right, who have been beating the drum for the SF-MMO for months. Maybe it really is the new big thing. The fragmented MMO market needs such a game now more than ever…

[intense_testimonies]
[intense_testimony]
[intense_testimony_text]Not enough informed yet? Then we warmly recommend our Link list for WildStar:

• The core features in the video and what Nexus has to offer
• 10 reasons for WildStar and these 15 things you must know for the start
• WildStar: World of Warcraft 2.0 and “We want the former World of Warcraft players”
• WildStar relies on old values: Combat, war, and capitalism
• The big 100-hour housing preview and Gold status granted
• Are 40-man raids still relevant? and Raid bosses examined closely
• Why there are no racial bonuses and the background to the races

[/intense_testimony_text]

[intense_testimony_author image=”https://images.mein-mmo.de/magazin/medien/2014/01/Logo-022.png”][/intense_testimony_author]
[/intense_testimony]
[/intense_testimonies]

To kick off WildStar, Mein MMO presents you a list of 15 things you will wish you had known before you logged into WildStar for the first time.

Everyone of us who has played an MMO will know these sentences:

“Why didn’t anyone tell me that?”

“I didn’t know that!”

“And you’re just telling me this now?”

“I wish someone had told me that!”

We have compiled 15 points that you should definitely know to avoid future frustration. So here is the ultimate crash course beginner’s guide for those who usually touch the hot stove to see if it’s still on. In other words, here are 15 things many of us learned the hard way in beta:

1. The headstart begins on Saturday, May 31, at 9 AM. All players can participate, who pre-ordered the game. Recently, it has become common in MMOs for servers to go live before the headstart so that not everyone logs in at the same time.

2. Think ahead about which path you want to choose. The associated quests make up 20% of your gaming experience. If you enjoy kill quests like in WoW, become a Soldier. If you like jumping along platforms and trying to bug your way up somewhere, the Explorer is for you. As a Settler, you tame the wild land piece by piece and establish stations and camps through which your teammates and you can grow stronger. So it’s a path for team players and MMO hoarders. As a Scientist, your gaming experience doesn’t change drastically, but you’ll have a lot to read and discover hidden things.

3. There are no race bonuses. Once you have decided on a class, just choose the race that you like best. You can learn more about the backgrounds of the individual races here.

4. Every class is automatically a DPS. Warriors, Rogues, and Tech-Pioneers also have the potential to be a Tank. Medics, Arcane Gunners, and Esper, on the other hand, have Healing as their secondary job.

5. Everyone completes a tutorial on the spaceship of their faction during the first levels. At the end of the tutorial, at level 3, you leave the ship. What many overlook: Here you have the choice between two areas where things continue. Right now, at the game launch, the primary area is likely to be overcrowded. So resist the urge to immediately click on the NPC directly in front of you when you leave the ship and turn around instead to make the 30-second walk to the second hangar.

6. At level 3, every hero learns a stun, a skill that stuns opponents. It’s best used when the opponent is using a “telegraph”, which is a skill with a warning. If you catch them with the stun then, they receive significantly more damage for a short period.

7. Even if inventory is tight, don’t destroy the “Festival Fab Kit” or other rare kits. At first, you might not know what to do with them, but you will definitely need them later for housing. You can sell gray items without regret, as you will break down most armor items later anyway.

8. The challenges that pop up and usually come with a time limit should not drive you crazy. It’s merely an offer from the game. Defeat your inner completionist who wants to finish everything perfectly. You don’t have to drop everything just to achieve gold in a challenge. That will only frustrate you. Especially when multiple players are in a zone and have to share mobs, it’s often not possible to complete the challenges in minimal time. If multiple players hit a mob, it counts only proportionally toward success.

9. You don’t have to drag usable quest items into your hotbar like in other games, as they are automatically assigned a hotkey. By default, it’s “T”. You need to press “G” when you have to use certain items for a path mission. With “C”, you’ll be phoning home like E.T., so you’ll accept new quests and complete some, and “V” is the auto-loot vacuum.

10. Think carefully about whether you really want to play on a PvP server. WildStar still has a distinction between PvP and PvE gear. This means if you don’t actively want to hunt opponents, you can quickly become a victim. Scratch that: If you’re not the attacker, you will be the victim. The open-world PvP of WildStar is nasty. Usually, the one who surprises the other wins, especially if they are already in PvP gear, have all their cooldowns ready, or have a couple of buddies in tow.

11. Try to get into a flow while playing. Let yourself drift. Questing in WildStar is organically structured so that you intuitively do the right thing. There are smaller tasks you complete on the side and larger quests that automatically take you to places where things continue. There’s no reason to stubbornly stick to a plan. WildStar is most fun when you just follow your nose – or the quest arrow that pops up when you click on a quest in your log. From the bounty boards, there are quests for mobs that require a group. Usually, it helps to wait a bit before the mobs or to write in the zone chat: “LFM (name of mob).”

12. When you are into slaying, don’t overdo it. Often next to normal mobs, which have about your HP, there are also much tougher ones with five times the hit points. You can, of course, defeat them too if you dodge the telegraphs and have pretty good gear – but it’s not that easy. Regular fighting in WildStar is not as easy as in many other MMOs, so “Keep your eyes open; the life you save may be your own.”

13. Crafting is important in WildStar. It is advisable for most players to choose a profession that produces the armor their character wears. This harmonizes with a corresponding gathering profession. So armor smith and miner for warriors and tech pioneers; leatherworker and survivalist for rogues and medics; a tailor for arcane gunners and esper (who can then choose whatever they want as a second profession). Of course, there will also be weapon smiths and architects, but with the other professions, you can craft many pieces of equipment at any level, which should make life easier especially on a first run and when the market is still fresh.

14. Dismantling (salvaging) items in WildStar is tricky. You can quickly dismantle the item you wanted to keep for the next level. There’s no going back. The same goes for quest rewards: Those who want to process a quest over the video phone in the middle of a fight (the C key is your friend!) easily make mistakes in the multitasking frenzy and get an item they can’t use at all.

15. If you plan to play WildStar with your girlfriend: Keep the housing from her! Otherwise, you’ll be off the grid for the next few weeks. Has anyone seen Cortyn lately?

What do you think? Do you have any tips if you have played the beta? Or are you still completely new and have any questions?

The last opportunity to play WildStar before the head start on May 31 is coming to an end. The Ops Week is nearly over and the characters from the beta will soon be history.

There are already some figures from the closed beta that can provide insights into the future of WildStar.

Are the players evenly distributed among the races, factions, and paths?

For Carbine, it’s certainly pleasant to see that the distribution among the paths is quite balanced. The Soldier was the most chosen with 31%, while the Settler was chosen the least. The paths allow players to emphasize certain aspects of their MMO experience.

The distribution among the races is somewhat more varied. With 8 races available, each should account for 12.5% of the player base if distributed evenly. However, the Stoned Granok were represented with only 8%, while the Aurin were at 18%.

Like in many games, the trend towards “humanoid” races continues in WildStar: alongside the Aurin, both the Exiles and the Cassians are above average with 17% and 14% respectively. When assigning the races to factions, 56% of the characters created in the closed beta belonged to the Exiles and 44% to the Dominion.

It can be assumed that the distribution of these numbers has not significantly changed since the closed beta.

How many players were there in the closed beta? How many joined later?

More than 1.6 million characters were already created in the closed beta – that’s more inhabitants than in all of Estonia. Players racked up 5.7 million play hours – equivalent to over 60 years. 130,000 houses were created in the complex housing system.

Unfortunately, there are no exact numbers from the open beta yet. On May 12, it was reported that since the start of the open beta, 1.9 million “NEW” characters had already been created.

Since the beta continued for some time, one can speculate that perhaps a total of 4 million characters were created in the beta. How many players there ultimately were and how many of them will flock to Nexus at launch is hard to say.

In the last MMO, The Elder Scrolls Online, it was reported that 5 million players had already visited Tamriel in the beta (noting that these are players, not just characters as in the statistics for WildStar). Before the launch, experts estimated that between 1 and 2 million of them would also be present at release.

Finally, the infographic with the numbers from the closed beta should not be missed:

The exact names of the servers for the MMORPG WildStar are established. German is spoken on four of them.

A few days before the head start, the official realm list was published on Twitter. Future inhabitants of the planet Nexus can start discussing the choice of their home server with their friends and guild colleagues. Community Manager Jan Sterl had previously requested to wait with this decision, so that the already established server Ikthia would not be overcrowded at launch. Publisher NCSoft has a legitimate interest in ensuring that the player population is evenly distributed across the four realms.

Already during the open beta, it was apparent which servers would be available to players. However, with today’s announcement, additional ones have been added. The two continents of Europe and America now have a total of 22 realms. The German-speaking servers have also increased, which could be a sign that interest in WildStar has grown significantly in recent weeks. At launch, German-speaking players will have a total of 4 servers to choose from, which according to the creators are capable of supporting a very large number of players:

• Kazor (PvE)
• Ikthia (PvE)
• Progenitor (PvP)
• Toria (RP-PvE)

In the case of PvP servers, the biggest difference from the other server types is in open-PvP. Here, extremely involuntary player-versus-player fights can also happen outside of instanced battlegrounds, so in the open world. The so-called “ganking” could be common here. On Toria, the RP server, role-players settle down, following special behavioral rules and always speaking in the name of their characters. Kazor and Ikthia form the PvE duo, where no one has to fear being attacked by other players without warning. One less danger in the harsh environment of Nexus. Depending on the load, it is possible that additional servers may be added. That would be a great signal for an unexpectedly large success of WildStar.

Since the question is coming up more and more frequently, here’s the answer: The head start of WildStar begins Saturday at 9 AM. It won’t be long now. Which server will you choose?

The MMORPG “WildStar” is about to launch, as early access begins on May 31 for all pre-order customers. For those who are not familiar with the various races and how their backstories are interwoven, we offer a summary here so that you know about each race.

I will introduce the races in the order they appear historically – luckily it also fits wonderfully with their affiliation, as the Dominion races come to the fore first before leaving the field to the Exiles. I will primarily focus on the intertwining of the story rather than detailing the peculiarities of each race – if you want to read more about that, you will have to beg!

The Dominion

Mechari

The mysterious race of Eldan created this species on the planet Nexus to observe the various other worlds of the galaxy and ultimately report their discoveries back to their creators.

The Mechari resemble robots but possess consciousness and personalities stored in their “head crystals.” Although the Mechari were created by the Eldan and served them, they never fully grasped the extent of their creators’ plans.

Cassians

About 2000 years ago, the Cassians (= humans) from the planet Cassius experienced a significant technological advancement, attracting the attention of the Mechari, and ultimately, the Eldan.

At the command of their masters, the Mechari fleet landed on Cassius and demanded from the leaders of the humans the legendary Valkyrie “Tresayne Toria,” an exceptional warrior. If the humans resisted, the consequences would be terrible, but if they complied, they would receive a gift of immeasurable value. The Cassians agreed, and Tresayne was taken to Nexus. After some time, the humans received their gift: the human-Eldan hybrid Dominus, who claimed to be the son of Tresayne.

But that was not all: Dominus brought superior Eldan technology and promised that if loyalty was sworn to him, they would together build the greatest empire in the galaxy. The Cassians unanimously agreed, and Dominus became the Emperor of the newly founded Dominion while the Mechari continued to follow the commands of their masters and aided the Dominion in expanding the empire as soldiers and advisors.

Draken

About 340 years after the founding of the empire, the Mechari recognized that the Dominion needed new soldiers to continue expanding and proposed to recruit the Draken from the planet Mikros.

This clan-living, dragon-like species believes in strength and violence to earn respect. Therefore, Emperor Azrion (the direct descendant of Dominus) landed with his army on Mikros, where the largest clan of the Draken was gathered. Azrion challenged the clan leader Zhur to single combat, with the winner obtaining absolute rule over Mikros. Despite Zhur’s untamed strength and ferocity, he was no match for the Eldan-human hybrid Azrion and died after a long battle, which led the Draken to swear loyalty to the Dominion.

Since that day, Mikros has been part of the Dominion, and the Draken are respected warriors within their ranks – even if their blood rituals and somewhat barbaric lifestyles sometimes raise eyebrows.

Chua

Approximately in the year 450 AE (After Empire: “after the founding of the empire”), the Mechari noticed the forest planet Bezgelor and the primitive yet intelligent Chua inhabiting it. They were curious and quickly became capable of understanding technological concepts, and they had a strong sense of competition.

The Mechari initiated conversations with the Chua and, hoping to accelerate industrialization on Bezgelor, brought a few simple Dominion technologies to them. The furry folk promptly thanked them with a counter-gift: a Bezgelorian tar beetle. According to its nature, the beetle exploded immediately in the hands of its new owners and covered everyone present with corrosive slime – the laughter of the Chua was said to be heard as far as Cassius.

Nonetheless, these “negotiations” led to the desired success. Within a few decades, the former forest planet was overrun by factories, and the Chua had exhausted the resources of the planet, thus they were compelled to join the Dominion in 538 AE. Since then, they have produced a large part of the weapons for the empire and continually seek new methods to dismember, blow up, decay, or otherwise inflict suffering on their enemies.

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The Disappearance of the Eldan

Precisely in the year 600 AE, the Mechari received no further instructions from their creators, the Eldan. Despite their astonishment at this, the Mechari have since continued to carry out the last order: to support the Dominion and secure their rule in the galaxy.

What exactly happened to the Eldan is unknown and remains one of the greatest and darkest secrets of the galaxy, but over time, the once legendary Eldan have turned into mere stories and legends.

---

The Exiles

Granok

The stone beings “Granok” have lived on the planet Gnox for thousands of years, leading simple, uncomplicated lives. They grew grain, forged armor and simple weapons, drank a lot of beer, and engaged in lively bar brawls, after which they mostly made peace again – and drank even more beer.

Furthermore, they followed a simple teaching, the “Way of Stone”: No matter how much the world around them might change, the Granok remained the same and unchanging, like the living stone of which they themselves are composed. In 1219 AE, the Mechari envoys of the Dominion landed on Gnox and offered the Granok technology in exchange for their loyalty to the Emperor. The Granok refused, and after further discussion, transformed the envoy into a pile of smoking scrap, which led the Emperor to perceive the Granok as dangerous and declare war on the planet Gnox.

Despite their inferior technology, the robust Granok held out for months until the technological advantage of the Dominion slowly but steadily shifted the tide of war.
A young war chief of the Granok named Durek did not want to accept defeat and chose to act against the “Way of Stone”: With some troops, he stormed the military camps of the enemy and stole a large amount of weapons and technology.

Without technological superiority, the losses for the Dominion became too great, forcing them to retreat from the planet Gnox.

Durek, who survived as a war hero, was banished by the other chiefs of the Granok for breaking the “Way of Stone” and has since borne the name “Durek Stonebreaker.” He was forced to leave the planet along with his comrades, which was made possible due to the stolen technology. Since then, these exiled Granok have lived as mercenaries throughout the galaxy, but their hatred for the Dominion still remains.

Exiled Humans

As the Dominion Empire continued to grow, it became necessary to enact harsher laws to maintain control over the large numbers of inhabitants. Some of the laws displeased the humans, leading to the first protests against the Emperor around 1375 AE, which escalated into attacks on authority figures that were promptly crushed by the Cassian military – humans were thus killed by humans.

The military’s intervention led the highly decorated General “Serrick Brightland” to turn against the rulers, and his flagship “Star of Dominus” was used to provide shelter for the rebelling Cassians. Together with his loyal officers and soldiers, Serrick and the rebellion achieved several significant victories against the empire; however, the Dominion could draw on the resources of several planets while the rebels had no place for rearmament. Just in time, the rebellion realized that escape was their only option to avoid annihilation, and so the rebel ships fled into space.

However, time was not enough, and Serrick threw himself into the approaching Dominion ships to buy his followers more time. The Imperial ships were so surprised by this suicide attack that all rebel ships managed to escape, and against all odds, even the “Star of Dominus” later managed to rejoin the rebels. However, Serrick was so severely wounded that he has been in cryosleep since then – hoping to be awakened one day. The “Star of Dominus” was renamed “The Gambler’s Ruin” and has since served as one of the Arkships of the Exiles.

Mordesh

When the Dominion encountered the Mordesh of the planet Grismara, they were already very advanced. An absolute high culture, the entire species was endowed with elegance, grace, longevity, and their knowledge in alchemy overshadowed even that of the Dominion – moreover, they speak in alliterations, which makes them particularly cool.

The future of this species would be glorious now that they had joined the empire – or so it was thought. In 1578 AE, the alchemist “Victor Lazarin” developed the Everlife Elixir, a mixture that would relieve all consumers of the burden of mortality. The Mordesh relied on Lazarin’s genius, and so the elixir was distributed throughout Grismara. However, enthusiasm quickly turned to dismay, as although the mixture halted the aging process, it also initiated a decaying decomposition of all consumers, paired with mindless, cannibalistic rage.

The Dominion reacted promptly and placed Grismara under merciless quarantine. Within a few weeks, the elven-like race was decimated to a fraction of its original size, suffering losses of over 99%. During this time, Lazarin developed the “Vitalus Serum” and administered it to those Mordesh who were still sane. The serum does not heal the necrotic decay, but it suppresses psychological symptoms like the unquenchable hunger for flesh.

In their desperation, the remaining Mordesh reached out to the Exiles, who gradually smuggled them out of Grismara. Since then, the Mordesh have been searching for a cure and are tasked with the continuous production of the expensive Vitalus Serum – for if they go 10 minutes without it, the Mordesh irreversibly transform into flesh-eating zombies.

Aurin

For millennia, the Aurin lived in peace and harmony with nature on the planet Arboria until the Cassian rebel fleet arrived. The lively Aurin liked humans, and a friendship quickly developed between the two races.

To avoid attracting the Dominion to Arboria, the Exiles quickly left the planet. Despite all precautions, the Empire still managed to track down Arboria and declared the planet and all its inhabitants enemies for having helped the rebels, which led to the attack on the forest planet in 1656 AE.

The Aurin fought bravely, but they had nothing to counter the mechanical scythes, so the current queen, Myala Everstar, sent a distress call to the Exiles, who quickly devised a plan: they would evacuate the Aurin while pushing the Dominion back with Granok mercenaries – the rocky fellows had a score to settle anyway.

The plan succeeded, but it did not manage to save all Aurin, so Myala swore in 1658 to one day return and rescue the remaining Aurin. The fate of Arboria has been uncertain ever since.

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The Discovery of Nexus

Immediately following the Arboria War, the planet Nexus was discovered, and the Exiles have set themselves the goal of populating this planet and establishing it as a new home, while the Dominion seeks to claim the planet for themselves, as it is said to be the original planet of the Eldan – the beings they have proclaimed rulers of the galaxy.

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Which side will you stand on and with which race?

Now nearly 7 years have passed since the discovery of Nexus, and the colonization of the planet is still progressing slowly. Both the Dominion and the Exiles have a complex profile that makes it very difficult to categorize them into “good” and “evil,” as their “claim” to this world is no stronger than that of their opponents – especially since the planet itself also has inhabitants that need to be driven out.

This leaves only one question standing in the vastness of space: Which side will you stand on? With which race will you do that? And most importantly: Why exactly this species? Let me know in the comments!

Did you know that in WildStar there are no race bonuses, unlike many other MMORPGs? You can learn more about this Race bonuses gone! – MMO Racism at an End.