WildStar is officially the new kid on the block, but should you take the journey?

A Battle for the Ages: PvP

Now before wrapping this up, it would be shameful if I didn’t mention WildStar’s PvP. In total there are four different types of PvP: Open World, Battlegrounds, Arenas and Warplots, with Battlegrounds being what most players will be exposed to first.

Upon hitting level six, you’ll be able to queue for your first Battleground and can even choose to solely level through PvP if that tickles your fancy. Walatiki Temple is essentially a capture the flag-style map with the major difference being there are multiple flags—or masks in this case==for each team to capture, and the ability to sneak into the enemy base and steal masks they have already laid claim to. It creates an interesting dynamic of capturing and defending and even gives “Tank” roles more of a reason to stay behind and defend the flags and feel like you’re actually being useful to your team.

At level 15 the second Battleground, “Halls of the Bloodsworn”, becomes available. This is more of a capture and hold style map, where both teams take turns capturing and defending multiple points. In general I really enjoyed both gameplay modes, but I feel like new players may gravitate to Walatiki Temple slightly, due to the familiarity of its capture the flag mechanic.

Overall combat feels fast and fluid especially with the Telegraph System in place which forces players to aim, dodge and react to other player abilities. It’s a perfect blend of MMO and MOBA-style combat. Knowing how to weave in and out of player abilities while having good movement and positioning actually feels rewarding and gives you a distinct advantage when in combat. This especially translates well in Arenas that are more of your typical death-match gameplay type, with practice Arenas becoming available upon hitting level 30 and rated Arenas becoming available at the level-cap of 50. Arenas offer some of the best PvP-related gear with players able to participate in 2v2, 3v3 or 5v5 Arena matches.

While Arenas and Battlegrounds may not be a completely new concept to the veteran PvP player, Warplots take PvP to the next level.

 Warplots are large 40v40 style matches where players on each team are granted access to their own flying death fortress, called a Warplot. This PvP gameplay type uses a lot of the same systems as player housing and allows members of the Warplot to place turrets, mines, traps, facilities, guards and even raid bosses out on the battlefield to rain destruction on their enemies.

While I haven’t been able to participate in any Warplots during post-launch as of yet, my time helping test them in beta has me extremely excited to jump in during live and see what strategies teams end up coming up with. This is truly a gameplay type that is unique to WildStar and I feel as though most hardcore PvP players are going to want to make sure they don’t miss out.

The Verdict>>