Bugs – Less Frequent, but Annoying
I had fervently hoped that bugs would belong to the past of the game and would be largely cleared after a year. Unfortunately, this is not the case. Although 98% of the game works flawlessly, it is the crucial 2% that ruin my day. If I beat my way through the OMNIcore in a tight hour to finally conclude the story around Drusera and the Eldan, only to land at a boss who is stuck in a never-ending dialogue loop, it really annoys me.
Even in veteran missions, mission objectives occasionally disappear for no apparent reason, and I’ve already mentioned the interface errors. Occasionally, a wrong item is simply displayed at the reward selection – so you opt for a cool shield and then wonder why you suddenly have shoes in your inventory. Yes, WildStar runs smoother and more error-free than a year ago. No, it is not yet perfect in this regard.
The Subjective Fun Factor
Before I come to a conclusion, I want to clarify one thing: Even though I have listed many things that I didn’t like about WildStar: Reloaded, the game does a better job than before at getting me to log in. A daily login bonus steadily improves for 180 days and grants rewards such as mounts, various potions, and pets, even rare decorations and currency for the cash shop. Filling the various bars in the PvE and PvP areas is a bit overdone and known from many games, but still motivates and tempts with interesting rewards.
Yes, WildStar is fun. More than before and for a larger mass of players, I am very sure. However, as always, the social components have suffered a bit – I don’t need a group to achieve most things, except for raids perhaps. The mass events are reminiscent of Guild Wars 2 and the content finders of World of Warcraft, but both in their most negative aspects. In the short term, WildStar can definitely provide me with fun, but in the long term, this will only be possible through social contacts, meaning friends and players. Those who want to dive into the game with a group of 3-5 people will have a long-lasting enjoyment.