Wildstar preview: you guys are gonna love this

For those of you who have been waiting for someone to unseat World of Warcraft (WoW) from its throne, that wait is over. Wildstar is an upcoming MMORPG from Korea’s NCsoft and America’s Carbine Studios, and boy is it good. The game follows the exploits of two groups; the Dominion and the Exiles as they fight for control over the planet Nexus.

(Would you rather watch a video than read this? Click here to check out our video preview of Wildstar)

While I am waiting for the game to launch on June 3, I thought I would explain why you should cancel your WoW subscriptions and prepare to embark on a journey beyond the stars. Because trust me, you are not going to want to miss this.

The perfect premise

Wildstar’s premise is not exactly original; two groups war over a wild planet filled with unique resources. If this sounds familiar, that’s because it’s James Cameron’s Avatar. The good guys even have the local wildlife fighting on their side! However, the lack of originality shouldn’t put you off, because this is the perfect setting for an MMORPG. The planet Nexus is freshly invaded, so there’s loads to do and see. There’ s a local population to befriend and/or murder, and the whole business of settling a planet to accomplish.

Whether you choose to play as Dominion: the interstellar evil empire, or the Exiles, who want to make Nexus their refuge, you are going to have one hell of an adventure. Nexus is a beautiful place, filled with dangerous creatures, friendly critters, and warring factions. It’s the perfect place for an MMORPG to be set.

Unlike Azeroth, a place steeped in history so deep it’s almost unfathomable, Nexus’ history is being written around you. You are a part of it, instead being another onlooker. What’s more, there’s no need to be a chosen one, or savior of the realm, because you’re too damn busy making the realm! And honestly, that’s way more fun.

The usual options with a few extras

Wildstar’s character creation is pretty simplistic; you choose two class options. First is your combat class, which ranges from warrior, spellslinger, esper, engineer, to medic. These are pretty standard, and each are customizable to varying degrees. For example, my spellslinger is heavily focused on damage, but I later partied up with a second spellslinger who focused on healing. Together, we kicked some serious monster ass!