WildStar is finally on its deathbed. It is time for a final look back at an MMORPG that has provided many hours of fun.
When Schuhmann wrote the news on Thursday evening that the MMORPG WildStar is now fully shut down and Carbine is being dissolved, I was surprisingly affected by this.
I associate so many great memories with WildStar, even though the game never really got past its launch.
WildStar was my only true WoW alternative
Carbine made a pretty bold entrance back then – after all, that matched the silly, laid-back style of WildStar. They staged themselves as a possible WoW killer and aimed to attract hardcore players.
And honestly: It worked.
I loved the combat system of WildStar and was absolutely thrilled that “movement-impaired” players could die to regular mobs if they stood in the wrong effect for even a second. Leveling my Esper was at times difficult and lengthy – but I loved it.
WildStar was the first and only MMORPG that made me pause my WoW subscription for several months, and I had no urge to log into Azeroth at all. That is a success that I credit highly to the game. SWTOR didn’t achieve that, TERA didn’t, and no other MMORPG did either.
Unlike all the critics, I really enjoyed the combat system and questing. Sure, the “SMS-length” quests weren’t everyone’s cup of tea, but I liked them. I also found great enjoyment in the various challenges that kept popping up with special rewards. Sometimes it was powerful equipment, sometimes a cool item for housing, and sometimes just a small amount of silver.
This motivated me and ensured that even during “casual leveling”, adrenaline would rush through my body whenever a challenge unexpectedly started.
Of course, it was stressful – but great stress. It was almost comparable to the threat that PvP causes in other games. The panic of rushing into a challenge whose reward you don’t want to miss for anything.
Roleplaying and Housing Work
Above all, the year full of roleplaying has remained in my memory. We opened an RP pub back then, which was the hub of many RP events. Whether it was a barbecue party for the anniversary, a “Miss Nexus” competition, or rowdy space pirates, there was something happening at the bar every evening.
For the RP to be possible, the right setting had to be created. And this was possible in WildStar’s outstanding housing system. I had never known so many freedoms before.
Every single detail could be adjusted in position and size. If one wanted, they could create entirely new things from several objects. For example, we built a coffee machine out of wooden planks, a water tank, several gears, and some laser weapons. That was incredibly cool.
And not only that: Several players could build on a property simultaneously. While one player set up the bar, another could design the dance floor, and yet another could decorate the popular “Aurin sofa”.
WildStar was an MMORPG that massively promoted social contacts. Simply because there were so many great opportunities. If a game can captivate me so much that I sacrificed my leisure time to create guild signatures for a forum, that means something to me. Everything just fit together.
It’s almost ironic that I still have contact with many of these players – but mainly through World of Warcraft, to which all returned after about a year.
A clear conclusion was necessary
However, I am also glad that it is finally coming to an end with WildStar. The game was just “withering away” and it always made me sad whenever I reported that another update was appearing or the developers released plans for future patches.
For a long time, it was clear that WildStar wouldn’t recover, and it was just the last twitches of an MMO giant that never got past the launch phase.
The fact that Carbine is soon taking away my opportunity to log back into the game is also liberating. When I briefly looked into the game in the past months, my gaze fell on the roleplaying tavern or the list of guild members, which immediately brought back sad memories.
WildStar was one of the best, most beautiful, and most challenging MMORPGs I have ever played. The roleplaying was a wonderful experience, and the housing system was nothing less than perfection.
But now rest in peace, WildStar. It wasn’t meant to be. It’s better that you now stop and become a beautiful memory.
