The universe – infinite expanse, infinite possibilities. As the faction “Dominion” or as a “Forsaken,” one has the opportunity to explore the cosmos. WildStar has been free-to-play for a month now, providing even more users the chance to travel to the planet Nexus in PvP or PvE mode.
Space air, cosmic atmosphere
[intense_blockquote color=”#ffffff” border_color=”#db0707″ border_radius=”10%” author=”Cortyn” width=”30%” rightalign=”1″]More info on the transition: WildStar: The F2P Review – better or worse than before?[/intense_blockquote]The atmosphere in Wildstar is something special for me as a newcomer. The cinematic sequences are beautifully executed and underlined with a unique sense of humor. Speaking of humor, Wildstar is also responsible for some suppressed giggles in certain quests. Who hasn’t wanted to ride on a rhinoceros-like creature to, well, make certain animals just pop? Okay, probably nobody. But it’s really fun! From level 10 onwards, you can afford riding animals. First, you need to buy your driver’s license.
Once you’ve traveled a bit around the world, you learn something about the background story. The Dominion faction and the Forsaken are at odds, and in the role of a Forsaken, for example, I do everything to establish my new home on the planet Nexus. This prevents the other faction, the Dominion, from clear-cutting trees or coldly igniting small, sweet forest inhabitants.
Factions, races, classes, paths….
Within the factions, different races with various abilities and characteristics live. Among the Forsaken, besides humans, there are the Aurin (a cute rabbit-like race), the Granok (tough guys and equally robust female stone beings), and the Mordesh (who are basically zombies but don’t want to be called that).
More on the topic: WildStar: Forsaken vs. Dominion – Really a battle between good and evil?
If you prefer to roll around the world as a little hamster in a ball, you might choose the Chua. It’s said that they are just as sneaky and dangerous. Of course. As a Mechari, you become a robot and develop into a merciless killing machine. The Cassians are basically chosen humans who founded the Dominion in the past and thus do not belong to the Forsaken.
I started as a Draken, the wild race of the Dominion.
Besides the races and factions, you also choose classes like the Arcanist (for those who like to defeat enemies or heal friends from a distance), the Assassin (to sneak and ambush enemies), or the typical warrior (with sword and such).
To customize your character, there are many paths you can take to explore the world of Wildstar in your favorite way. As a Scientist, I analyze the flora and fauna, collect various objects, and scan them with my flying bot. Or would you prefer treasure hunts on high mountains and oversized plants? Then I’ll become a Scout and plant my flag at still undiscovered locations.
Challenge… not passed!
So far, everything sounds good, but there were a few things that negatively stood out to me. For example, the suddenly popping challenges. A time window appears at the top automatically, along with information about what needs to be done. But at that moment, I might just want to turn in my quest or do nothing at all. I then hear: Challenge not passed! Thank you, but maybe I didn’t want to do that at that moment.
I confess as a Forsaken…
As a Draken, I no longer roam the planet Nexus, but have decided on the team of the Forsaken and the race of the Aurin. Don’t laugh, these are serious, plushy bunnies. I must admit that while I quite liked my first character, I’ve grown a bit bored with the one-sidedness of the quests around the motto: “Talk to me, then collect this and that, take down the enemy, come back, and collect money and gear.” At the beginning of my journey in the Dominion faction, this was not the case. But since level 15, in my opinion, I can’t escape such tasks anymore (Maybe it’s just the area?).
That’s why I thought about testing the Forsaken side and seeing if the quests and worlds on the other side of the factions are expressed the same way. And now I have to confess as a follower of the Forsaken that I understand this faction much better.
In my first hours of play, I saw how the Dominion destroyed the forests and couldn’t understand why I was ever part of that side. So my Draken Assassin at current level 22 will probably be put on hold for a while, and my Aurin has already reached level 15 in just a few days. So far, no sight of boring “Kill this and that” quests.
New impressions, new adventures as… a hedge?!
So I continued my way hopping along with a new animal companion. I transformed into a golden bird in a village and glided through the air.
And Wildstar continues to surprise me: Through daily login rewards, for example, I “won” a sniper hedge. Wow, cool. What is that? As I am, I have to click on everything and everyone, and then I didn’t plant a hedge as I thought. I turned into the hedge myself and then spent ten futile minutes trying to transform back. Meanwhile, I sat in front of my notebook and had to laugh.
Wildstar compared to…?
During my first hours in Wildstar, I automatically recalled World of Warcraft and compared the two MMOs. In some aspects, the two are quite similar (in WoW, you fly with a strange creature from A to B, in Wildstar, you take a taxi). In Wildstar, as in WoW, there are numerous tasks to complete one after the other, as well as companions and mounts.
The combat system, on the other hand, differs: In WoW, you rely on the tab targeting system, whereas Wildstar uses a more active system with evasion and targeting. Overall, it feels completely different to me because in World of Warcraft I never really felt like I was part of a bigger whole. I was thrown into a world at the beginning, could chat with the nearest person, received a quest, and tried to exchange my rags for better armor.
Wildstar, on the other hand, gives me the feeling from the start that my character is making an important contribution on the planet Nexus. I start in a spaceship, and my mission to land on the planet is explained. Even if the NPCs sometimes seem a bit confused or don’t respond when addressed, I prefer them to the somewhat lifeless characters in WoW.
In line with that: World of Warcraft vs. WildStar: Which game is worth more?
Equally, the character creation in Wildstar is more detailed. Adjusting the nose bridge, chin width, chin depth. Well, for those who find it too much and cumbersome to customize their character as individually as possible, they can choose pre-made designs. Still, there is the option to tinker to your heart’s content.
Now you are informed and up to date. Now it’s your turn: Do you want me to continue testing Wildstar and report again on my adventures – among other things as a sniper hedge? Or should I rather try another game? “Level up” would be a fitting name for a new article series…
