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Previewing WildStar's Daggerstone Pass PvP battleground
Before I talk about the upcoming PvP map for WildStar, I feel I should really defend myself for my usual performance in PvP. Here's the simple version: I am all right at PvP. I know enough about what I'm supposed to do to avoid completely shaming myself. I am not the best. But can I turn a ragtag group of other journalists into a fighting force capable of defeating preformed groups of people wearing PvP gear? Definitely not. Along with several other journalists, I took to the field with Carbine Studios staff members yesterday, boosted my fresh Exile character up to 50, and took on all comers in the rated version of the new Daggerstone Pass. We lost several times. On the bright side, we lost in such a way that I was able to get a better sense of the map and can talk about it with some confidence, so that's good. In my weak defense, I don't think we had a chance against a fully premade team in PvP gear anyway.
WildStar unveils Warplots DevSpeak
Do you consider yourself something of a military genius? Do you also consider yourself a big enthusiast for player housing? Have you long wished for some form of gameplay that combined your love of building the prettiest dwelling possible with your love of killing other players? Then you're looking for WildStar's Warplots. They're a thing. Yes, they're customizable fortresses that you pit against other customized fortresses from other players, that is the whole deal. Want to know more? Well, if you see that little "Continue Reading" button down there, you can click that and watch the latest DevSpeak from the development team covering Warplots. Is that not enough for you? All right, then, you can read through our coverage of the gameplay mode from PAX East when we got to take an advance look at it. Still not enough? Maybe you'll need to wait until the game launches in June, then. Do not convert your front lawn into a death fortress and attempt to fight a PvP Nerf war with the mail carrier. That won't go over well. [Source: NCsoft press release]
WildStar takes aim at the Spellslinger
There's a definite space western aesthetic at work within WildStar, the sort of thing that almost demands a character class who can stand out, one with two guns, a nice hat, and possibly the ability to teleport around. You know, exactly like the Spellslinger, the latest class to be (re)revealed for the game. But Spellslingers aren't just about shooting people and twirling around a bit, they're a magical class with a variety of options to take down enemies and look good doing it. Spellslingers supplement their guns with teleportation and sigils. The former works just like you'd expect, allowing a Spellslinger to jump to alternate dimensions, blink about the battlefield, and even phase partly out of reality for protection. Sigils, on the other hand, are symbols that the Spellslinger places to heal allies, swap places with enemies, lay traps, or otherwise mess with the flow of the battlefield. You don't have to take our word for it, though; check out the full DevSpeak on the class just past the break. [Source: Carbine Studios press release]
WildStar unveils the Esper again
While WildStar kicked off its class re-reveals with the most physical class possible, the Esper is the exact opposite. It's all about mind games. Of course, when you're talking about a powerful telekinetic and telepathic dynamo of illusions and mental weaponry, "mind games" still involves blowing things to pieces with remarkable alacrity. So perhaps it's not quite as much of an opposite as you might think from a quick glance. The Esper isn't just about creating various telekinetic blades to slice apart foes from afar, of course -- the class can also heal, crowd control, and even move around quickly through various mental abilities. It's a good thing, too, since the class is also limited to light armor and doesn't do well under pressure from a concentrated physical assault. Take a look at the new video past the cut for a better picture of this mental dynamo in action, complete with that golden armor buff you've seen from several screenshots in the past.
WildStar shows off the Warrior in its newest DevSpeak
In every game, there has to be at least one class that focuses entirely upon hitting something really hard until it stops moving, then hitting it a few more times. That's WildStar's Warrior at a glance. And no, there's really not a whole lot more to the class than that; what you see is what you get. But what you see is also a monstrously powerful technological hitting machine in heavy armor with a power sword, arm cannon, and the strength to just kick things into place when needed. No, the Warrior doesn't master magic or the like. The Warrior just has a versatile toolbox, and several tools that are very good at allowing the Warrior to survive a beating before delivering one of his own. Don't take our word for it -- check out the newest DevSpeak video past the break and watch the Warrior do his thing. It's all just smashing stuff, but it's smashing with panache. [Source: Carbine Studios press release]
