The Indie Game Magazine August 2015 | Issue 52 | Page 7

GAME WATCH

Free-to-Play Done Right?

F

or all the latest on WildStar, you’re in
the right place. Though Nick Cescon
has written this section since its beginnings, he has moved on to new ventures
(my guess is he’s searching for Nexus). And
though he may be gone, both our bromance and IGM’s WildStar updates will remain strong. NCSOFT and Carbine Studios
have been busy, so let’s get to it.

Following WildStar’s recent announcement
that the beloved MMORPG is going free-toplay, there are many questions as to how this
will affect gameplay going forward. What may
be comforting to long-time players is that
Mike Donatelli, product director of Carbine
stated that “WildStar going free-to-play is
so much more than a new business model…
It’s going to be a fun environment for new
players to join and we’re also going to do
right by the players who have been with us
since the beginning.”

by Ryan Noble

Star is launching for the first time in China,
with initial testing being carried out in the
coming months. Alongside this, a whole host
of updates are coming this Fall, making the
game more intuitive and enticing for new
Nexians, and richer and more rewarding for
existing members.

Dungeons get a
fresh lick of paint, as they’re
being updated to provide a more consistent challenge, with slightly more forgiving
completion times. Existing dungeons will be
rescaled for players in five-level increments,
giving players the freedom to level-up almost solely in dungeons, if preferred. A new
feature will also allow ‘communities’ of five
players to combine their housing into one
big commune, where they can share space
and community features.

This includes a new rewards program, whereby
players can earn points when purchasing or
spending NCoin, enrolling in a Signature Plan
or redeeming C.R.E.D.D. These points will be
retroactive, meaning that anyone who has
previously invested in WildStar can expect
to find rewards waiting for them when the To round out this mammoth update, two
new areas join the fray; Alpha Sanctum and
update hits.
the Cryo-Plex PvP arena. The first provides
In addition, improvements are being made an earlier entry point into the story of Nexus,
to the tutorial and early experiences, as play- while the latter brings an icy, multi-level arena
ers will be able to select a tutorial that suits to PvP – stay frosty, Nexians.
their MMO know-how. The Arkship, where
That’s a lot of new features and changes,
WildStar begins, is also being streamlined,
so I’ll leave you to digest. See you next
making it easier for beginners, while veterans month, where all the latest on WildStar will
of Nexus can skip tutorials entirely and head be revealed, right here in IGM’s own corner
straight into combat.
of the nexus.

Item and stat systems get their own overhaul,
increasing ease of use for new players and
customizability for those more experienced.
Previous primary stats like brutality and finesse will be replaced by four new primary
stats – assault power, support power, health
and armor. Secondary stats, too, will become
The first piece of exciting news is that Wild- more customizable.

www.indiegamemag.com

Developer: Carbine Studios
Platforms: PC, Mac, Linux
Website: www.wildstar-online.com
Twitter: @WildStar

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