[Preview] WildStar: Guess What? WildStar is Going Free to Play

BillMurphy

It’s not going to surprise anyone here, as we all follow Carbine’s freshman outing closely, but the sci-fi fantasy MMORPG is going Free to Play (F2P) this fall, and we’ve got the full scoop.  We recently flew out to Santa Monica (at NCSOFT’s expense) to preview many of the game’s upcoming changes. Read on to learn where WildStar has been, and where it’s going in 2015.

Read on for all the details on the new F2P WildStar.

JeffSpicoli

Good move by Wildstar... Ill return after iv exhausted Heavensward.... If i exhaust it .... The way FFARR Pumps out content that might not happen lol

RPGMASTERGAMER

agree with tunderC

ff14 do more update that i can even do or follow and im a hardcore gamer

they release content at a hardcore time

usualy in most game i do everything then wait 1-2 months for release

in ff14 you are almost done with the content and they add a big pack of contents, these asian know how to do it:)

Mikeha

I think Wildstar will do great as a Free To Play.

Thane

good. loved wildstar, only prob was the ammount of playing people imo.

maybe this f2p move will fix that, surely hope so.

Volenibblets

Quel Surprise

JudgeUK

I am not being tempted by items just to sub

....reads on.....

....oh wait....

I Want That Mount!

Will give it a second go and see if it grabs me for longer this time around.

Lobotomist

OMG!!!! What a surprise !!!!

 

 

not

mayito7777

OK time to be honest here, raise your hand if you didnt expect this to happen.

fascism

WE DID IT MMORPG.COM!

azmundai

are the cash shop items going to be attainable in game by subscribers without having to farm millions of "omni .. whatever the hoozits"? or is it going to be just another typical double dip mechanic with "you can get it in game if you farm for 200 hours"?

jesteralways

As if we did not see it coming. Even if they go f2p they won't be able to keep players playing endgame for long unless they change raiding to 10 and 20 men format. 

Herase

Would rather it went B2P because i know once F2P hits, people will complain about the effort needed to get anything and that nerf bat will be swinging all day. I'll try keep my hopes up that this doesn't happen

CrazKanuk

Originally posted by mayito7777
OK time to be honest here, raise your hand if you didnt expect this to happen.

*raises hand*

j/k, I was part of the problem  

 

I actually played the beta and liked it, but ESO beat them to the punch, and then onto WoW and then I just didn't feel like investing in buying the game since it was doing poorly by the time I had some extra hours. 

 

I'll definitely throw some money at it. Maybe even hook up my kids and give them some shiny coins to toss at it, as long as they've fixed some of the performance issues. 

Azaron_Nightblade

Originally posted by jesteralways
As if we did not see it coming. Even if they go f2p they won't be able to keep players playing endgame for long unless they change raiding to 10 and 20 men format. 

I think I saw someone mention that they already went from 40 to 20, or that they were planning to do so.

And yep, despite the protests of those in denial about the switch, everyone else pretty much saw it coming, Bill.

Edit: Sounds like they'll have a pretty good (generous) F2P model.

CaboSoul

Originally posted by JudgeUK

I am not being tempted by items just to sub

....reads on.....

....oh wait....

I Want That Mount!

Will give it a second go and see if it grabs me for longer this time around.

That mount is exclusive to people that are still subscribed since day 1. So you can't get it.

 

I will be playing it when it goes F2P even though I would have prefered it to be B2P. I enjoyed it last year but didn't wanBt to pay a sub for it especially cuz I was still subbed for FFXIV.

st3v3b0

What about the people that purchased the box and subbed briefly?  Do we get anything or just a "thank you chump"?

CaboSoul

Originally posted by st3v3b0
What about the people that purchased the box and subbed briefly?  Do we get anything or just a "thank you chump"?

"You will still receive the DJ Caretaker housing décor item, the Disco Snoglug companion pet, the new housing music track, four months of Signature service, and the "Nexus Loyalist" title."

 

I got that from their site.

 

ThumbtackJ

Originally posted by st3v3b0
What about the people that purchased the box and subbed briefly?  Do we get anything or just a "thank you chump"?

From the F2P FAQ: http://www.wildstar-online.com/en/news/2015-05-28-wildstar-is-going-free-to-play-heres-all-you-need-to-know/

 

Like active accounts, pre-existing inactive accounts will receive an amount of Loyalty Points based on:

• the type (Standard/Deluxe) of the box
• the number of months subscribed through recurring payment, C.R.E.D.D. or Game Time Cards prior to F2P launch

 

 

 

I loved the art, animation, and humor of the game. Just didn't really feel it was enough to warrant an active subscription. Will certainly be trying it again once F2P launches.

CaboSoul

Originally posted by azmundai

are the cash shop items going to be attainable in game by subscribers without having to farm millions of "omni .. whatever the hoozits"? or is it going to be just another typical double dip mechanic with "you can get it in game if you farm for 200 hours"?

I hope not. If it's going to be this then this MMO can die for all I care.

Kumapon

OH MY GOD!!!! I THINK I AM GOING TO HAVE A HEART ATTACK AND DIE FROM THE SHOCK OF THIS REVELATION!!!! THIS IS SO COMPLETELY UNEXPECTED!!!!

But for all the smoke Donatelli and Moore are blowing, the game hasn't really changed that much: the name of endgame progression is still "Raid or GTFO", which you can get just about anywhere already.

mayito7777

Originally posted by st3v3b0
What about the people that purchased the box and subbed briefly?  Do we get anything or just a "thank you chump"?

Thank you chump, here this is a digital gift, a key to unlock a box with a 0.000000000000000000000000000000001% chance of winning a mount, the box cost $10. Thank you for been such a faithful fan.

Rockard

'T was about  f 'n time.

Now,if they add some short of meaningful open world PvP(and I don't consider allowing

PvP in PvE zones to be that) and add replayability to low level zones,I really see this game

becoming my go to thempark in place of the "more dumbed down you die" GW2.

epoq

At least it might be worth going back to once it goes F2P since the population will likely be much, much better.

 

As it stands now, and until it goes F2P....it's hardly worth a try.  I used my free week not too long ago and the PvE server felt all but completely empty.  Pretty weak sauce, considering I actually enjoyed the game in beta but I pretty much foresaw what was going to happen with the game from day 1.  Good luck to it in it's F2P iteration, though.

Salute

My only problem was the lack of many ppl, especially in non peak hours. Now this will be no problem anymore. Imho easily one of the top 2-3 themepark mmos. Having WS as F2P and ESO as B2P i cant ask for many more

d_20

Wildstar is a good game and I will definitely play it more. I was even subbed for the last couple of months, but there weren't enough players for me. F2P is necessary in this case.