First Impressions: WildStar

Over the last few days I've been trying out NCSoft's upcoming MMORPG, WildStar, during its open beta stage. After only a brief time with the game I can safely say I haven't been this excited about an MMO in a long time.

WildStar is one of the few MMOs I've seen that doesn't bog itself down with "innovation for innovation's sake," or trying to change formulas that have worked for years. The story, gameplay, mechanics, and tone are all polished and refined. It doesn't try to redefine the MMO formula that has worked for games like World of Warcraft, but there are enough new and exciting additions to make the game feel fresh and enjoyable for MMO veterans looking for a new experience.

WildStar's unique visual style and combat system have many gamers eagerly awaiting its release date.

When you begin your adventure in WildStar, you're greeted with a fairly standard character creation process - eight races divided into two factions (Dominion or Exiles), six classes (Warrior, Engineer, Esper, Medic, Stalker, Spellslinger), and four paths (Settler, Soldier, Scientist, Explorer). Fans of character customization will find a lot to enjoy about the creation process, but might feel underwhelmed initially by the limited amount of choices for each race and gender.

After preparing your character, you begin exploring the capital ship of your faction after spending time in cryosleep. Your faction has come to the planet Nexus to claim it as their home. Your first few levels will be spent on the ship going through a series of gameplay tutorials that introduce new players to the game's combat, movement, controls, and other useful tools such as your class' basic abilities, how to communicate with NPCs, and how to gain "path" experience. I found the tutorial stage very helpful on my first character, but after making a few more I found myself wishing for an option to skip the process.



One of my first thoughts when I began playing was, "Wow, this looks a lot like Ratchet and Clank." Thankfully, I wasn't alone; most friends I played with also noticed the similarities to Insomniac Games' popular light-hearted sci-fi FPS. Even some of the player races felt like they belonged in an Insomniac game, particularly the rabbit-eared Aurin and robotic Mechari. Other players may find similarities with Borderlands, with its unique humour. The quirky art style and humour really grew on me as I progressed.

Telegraphed attacks form most of WildStar's combat, and add a new level of complexity to the typical MMO fighting formula.

WildStar's combat is where frequent MMO players will see some of the biggest improvements from the standard formula. Almost every ability in the game (from players or NPCs) will have a telegraphed area on the ground to show where it will hit. Guild Wars 2 had a similar system with some of its abilities, but Wildstar's telegraphed abilities are both impressively designed and challengingly fun to dodge and weave your way around. Boss battles and PvP combat are a hectic and heart-pounding experience with plenty of dodging, rolling, sprinting, jumping, and of course attacking.

The telegraphed combat system is inventive and well programmed, but it's not without flaws. Having an enemy step out of your attack just before it hits is frustrating, and playing a healer class can be very difficult while trying to use telegraphed heals on party members who are moving constantly.

The game's atmosphere and tone may take a bit of getting used to for some players who traditionally play more serious games; zones are bright and colourful (an early Exile area looks like something out of a Dr. Seuss book, with pink trees, purple mist, and blue hills) and the humorous and light-hearted dialogue gave the experience an air of whimsy (as an example, an excitable narrator will announce "Oh, sh*t! Your enemies are f*cked!" when leveling up, complete with comedic bleeps).

MMO veterans may find WildStar's leveling slow, but thankfully there is a well laid out questing progression that ensured I never ran out of things to do.

The Engineer can build powerful robots to assist them by attacking or distracting enemies.

Each new level unlocks additional abilities and later "amps," which are the game's character enhancement or "talent point" system. Abilities are divided into four categories; Assault (damaging attacks, like the Engineer's "Electrocute," a cone-shaped channeled attack), Support (heals and buffs, like the Medic's "Crisis Wave," an AoE heal, or "Mending Probes," a party-wide heal over time), Utility (stuns and movement, like the Spellslinger's "Gate," a teleport with a stun), and Path (exploration abilities, such as safe fall or campfire).

Each class also has access to an amplification cooldown ability from level 1 that's activated with the R key. For example, the Spellslinger gets Spell Surge, which increases the effectiveness of his attacks and heals, reducing charge time and increasing power.

There's a lot to appreciate about WildStar; nothing about it feels rushed or tacked-on, the art style and tone compliment each other well, and the mechanics on display work beautifully together to create one of the most unique MMO experiences I've enjoyed in a long time. If you're an MMO lover, a sci-fi fan, or even just someone who appreciates a good laugh, check it out and see for yourself.

WildStar launches on June 3, 2014, while pre-ordering allows players to begin on May 31.