The current item changes on the public test server of WildStar are causing discontent among some players. Although it was promised that for “Contendrop 4” all items would be fundamentally revised and made significantly more useful, the initial feedback is almost overwhelmingly negative.
What has happened?
Currently, there are many items in WildStar that often have no use for the classes they are intended for. Brutality for healers is just one of many possible examples. To adjust this, all items have now been fundamentally revised so that they are more suitable for the corresponding role. It follows as a logical consequence that all items are stronger than before – they are supposed to be more useful. Many players are now concerned that this would make the game content easier and that one could “fly through” dungeons and raids because the players would be so overpowered.
Reassurance from Item Designer
The developer “Verizal” has directly addressed the criticism from fans and testers, emphasizing that currently many items are significantly too strong, but a test server is precisely for such things: to test how changes work and what kind of reaction they elicit from players. The long-term goal is indeed to empower players to tackle even the most difficult content like raids eventually, but they do not want to make all players uniformly stronger, let alone simplify the content. Of course, “better” items will help players master the challenges, but the currently overpowered items will be toned down in an upcoming change.
For most players, this means a reassurance: WildStar will not become significantly easier in its content – in the long run, players will only become a little more powerful through optimized gear, but this will likely balance out. Items that are already strong on the live servers should remain strong after the change – the hard-earned raid items will still be the top choice.
