Challenges – Nothing Halfway and Nothing Whole
Ah, how I loved the challenges in “Classic-WildStar”. Whenever I felt that a boring “kill X of them” quest was about to begin, suddenly a new timer popped up, telling me to finish the whole thing in 3 minutes while simultaneously collecting Y and bringing it to Z. At the end of the challenge, one could choose from multiple rewards – among them housing items, equipment, and resource bags.
But how does it look in WildStar: Reloaded? Different. Instead of receiving a reward after each challenge, you collect points for each quest area that – how could it be otherwise – fill another bar. So, if you complete 3 challenges in Algoroc, the character earns enough points to choose a reward. Sounds reasonable, right? Not quite.
The rewards for the challenges now consist mostly of crafting materials and rune components – special items, equipment, and decorations have largely disappeared from the system. All housing items that were previously available through challenges can simply be bought from a vendor. For me, the challenges have lost all their appeal and are nothing more than an unwanted game element that offers no exclusive advantages.
Housing – Scratching the Perfection
The housing system in WildStar has not changed in its fundamentals. Players still receive their own plot at level 14 and can decorate it extensively. Unlike SWTOR, for example, many objects can be moved freely, resized, or completely repurposed. A staircase made of cushions? Possible. Instead of building a flying island, we build an underground cave? WildStar makes it possible. Nevertheless, the developers have upped the ante and further expanded the system: Instead of the former limitation of 600 housing objects at the same time, you can now have a proud 2000, and if you want, you can even expand this in the in-game shop.
Returnees will also notice that their plot has changed – it has increased by a good 10 meters on all sides and now offers even more space than before. But that’s not all: Numerous decorations have been added again, allowing entire skate parks to be created for hoverboards, and NPC guards provide a denser atmosphere in military facilities. Even flowing water can now be installed.
My opinion on housing has therefore not changed: WildStar has exactly the housing that players yearn for. It is not perfect, but very close, and I personally don’t know what could be improved in this system without pushing the limits of the possible.
The In-Game Shop – Pay2Win or Fair?
With the transition of the payment model, an in-game shop was also introduced, where players can purchase some things for real money. The available items correspond to the genre standard but are far from Pay2Win. Most purchase options are entirely cosmetic in nature, such as new costumes, additional colors, or special companions and mounts. While there are advantages like faster experience gain or additional inventory slots, these can also be earned in-game.
In addition to the NCoin, which can be directly converted to euros, the character also earns Omnibits while playing, which can also be used to purchase shop items. So if you want additional character slots or a higher decoration limit, you can simply earn them. By the way, a large part of the shop items can also be gifted to friends!
The subscription has not been completely abolished – you can still pay 13€ per month and receive benefits such as reduced failure chances when crafting or access to all social features.
All who have invested real money (or still will) also receive cosmic points – another system to reward loyal players. It offers mounts, costumes, and even new houses. I particularly like that you also received points for past purchases – such as buying the game when it was still new.
Group Content – Is This Still “Hardcore”?
Recently, I haven’t taken a look at the raids, but I have checked out the dungeons, both in experienced and regular modes. What remains of the former hardcore claims that WildStar has made? Are the group contents still so brutally hard that the “casuals” teleport out of the instance crying? The simple answer: No.
To put it in the words of a good friend who analyzed the instance situation: “WildStar is not Free2Play, it is now Face2Roll.” This doesn’t do justice to the game and is certainly very cynically phrased – but it largely reflects my experience. The difficulty level of regular instances has been massively lowered, and even uncoordinated groups can emerge victorious from the dungeons – even with one player missing.
In the experienced variants, however, things look a little different: Here, teamwork, coordination, and communication are still important, although the game mechanics now forgive many more errors than was the case in the “vanilla” version of the game.
Solo Content – What to Do When No One is There?
If there are no friends around or there is simply no need for social interaction (which is nonexistent in random groups anyway), players can also venture out alone in WildStar. Whether it’s daily areas, personal progress with contracts and achievements, or new creations in the crafting area, boredom doesn’t strike quickly if you engage with all types of gameplay content.
I particularly appreciated the veteran expeditions (formerly “ship boy missions”), which are solo playable yet quite challenging. The timers for a gold reward can be quite tricky, and the tasks to be completed are not always easy – at least not with fresh level 50 gear. Unfortunately, this cannot disguise one issue…