WildStar

Welcome to the Wildstar Universe!  When making your character you must first choose your alignment.  Would you wish to side with the Exiles, and join the rebellion by fighting the powers of large government?  Instead maybe you would rather help conquer the world by forcing all self aware humanoids to live under one rule that is The Dominion.  No matter what your decision might be, the question of who is good or evil is based solely on the individual's perspective.  This concept is much relatable to the tension between The Imperials and the Rebellion from Star Wars, or the Horde and the Alliance from World of Warcraft.

Depending on your race and alignment, you will begin your journey in the Wildstar universe frozen in time.   Your character's body will either be located in a well maintained cryogenics lab or a battered up, barely functioning, equivalent where you are ever so fortunate to be mistakenly removed from stasis on the misconception that you are someone or something of importance.   Although the evidence may point to the contrary, your awakener will find a use of you.  Thus, off you go, immediately running errands for the "Chief," or "Captain," or whatever these big wigs choose to call themselves on this unstable space station which they so proudly command.    Although the game play is quite extraordinary and easy to master. Like in every tutorial,  do not expect the NPCs to show much faith in your abilities, for it would appear to them as if you have a lot to learn, and you are but an infant in this ever evolving new world in which you have been awakened to.

After completing your tutorial you will find yourself immersed in a world of color and detail that is well... maybe not quite as awe-inspiring as Wildstar may claim to be, but sometimes beauty is more often found in simplicity.    If you do not have a machine capable of surpassing the minimum requirements you most certainly will not at all be pleased with the game's visual appeal.

Unlike most games that will sacrifice environmental quality and minor detail to better the performance of your game-play,  Wildstar chooses to make your ultra-low setting an experience that is reluctantly reminiscent of the texture quality of PC gaming in the year 2000. Like most Action RPGs you have many abilities that cast instantly with low to no cool downs and the ability to dodge incoming attacks from unfriendly NPCs or your fellow players in PVP.    What sets Wildstar apart from the other MMORPGs that have been, or are leading up to their release are the fluid control capabilities as well as the class and path systems.   For example you will not only choose your class but you will choose your career/path type as well.   Whether you wish to be a scientist, an explorer, a settler, or a soldier, each path you choose will come with its own unique story quest-line to further master your character's interests and make each player that much more unique.

The Warrior is your brute force damage dealer or tank class, wielding A Power Sword, and Arm Cannon, making them very well rounded on the battle field for melee and short ranged attacks as well as strong aggro magnets with heavy mitigation enabling them to withstand tons of incoming damage from their opposition. The Spellslinger is a nice combination of ranged gunman with high agility giving them the ability to dodge many incoming attacks. The Esper use psychic abilities to charge up their psyblades and projections.   They are Illusionists, and probably the closest you are going to get to a mage class in Wildstar.  They utilize their psychic powers to often trick as well as deal high amounts of damage to their enemies, either from afar or close range, this class is great in any circumstance you may find yourself in. The Engineer is decked out in mechanical armor.  They are most efficient at a long range shooting high powered explosive projectiles towards their enemies while having an arsenal of hand crafted battle bots assisting them in combat. The Stalkers are silent assassins. Stalkers master the art of stealth technology, sneaking up on their prey and annihilating them from behind, or the front, whichever their preference.  In other words if you see a stalker in battle you are most likely already dead. The Medics specialize in battlefield support, equipped with many gadgets to heal as well as bolster their allies defenses or smite their foes.  They are well rounded soloists, and a great addition to any group.

There are many trade-skills/professions for you to choose from, as well as what is known as hobbies, which anyone may participate in, such as the abilities to farm and cook.  Most of these skills are commonly found in every other MMORPG, but the Wildstar universe has managed to put it's own unique twist on everything.  You have Weaponsmithing which is the art of forging metal weapons and fusing them with Eldan tech.   A majority of the materials needed in this process comes from the harvesting of metal ore and minerals so this profession is best to be paired with Mining.  Another great profession to be paired with Mining is the Armorer skill.  Armoring is the art of forging heavy armor used by your Warriors and Engineers (tanks and heavy weapon DPS classes) from metal plating and empowering it with special microchips and power amplifiers.  Keep in mind this is a universe with greatly advanced technology from our own so to have just a plain steel sword or set of armor would be like wielding a slingshot in modern warfare.    As for Mining, which is the process of extracting ores and crystals from chunks of rock or "nodes" from the environment by attacking the node or using a specific tool known as a "Laser Pickaxe."   You will need to upgrade your pickaxe occasionally as you progress in level and start mining in higher difficulty environments.

The profession known as Outfitter is best paired with the Survivalist trade skill considering it uses materials such as leather and bone infused(of course) with power amplifiers and microchips to manufacture medium armor worn by the Stalker and Medic classes (the rogues and healers of Wildstar).  The Survivalist masters the skinning and butchering of creatures, as well as, cutting down trees to harvest the wood by either attacking the trees or using the profession's more preferable tool, a chainsaw.  Another good pair if you wish to skin the carcasses of dead beasts with the Survivalist profession would be an Architect.  Architects specialize in home improvement.  They build furniture to decorate your sanctuary, and they even build harvesters to make it easier to tend to your fields.

Technologists are sort of like the alchemists, or potion makers of Wildstar.  They are best paired with the skill of Relic Hunting because of it's need for omniplasm which comes from old Eldan Technology known as "relic nodes" and combining said omniplasm with the local plant life of your environment.   Technologists experiment with different combinations to create powerful medicines and attribute enhancing potions.

Lastly, we have Tailoring.  Being that there is no other profession that best compliments the needs of the Tailor, this profession gives you the freedom to sell what you harvest from whichever secondary profession you may choose.   The materials needed for Tailoring are harvested from the humanoids you slay on your quest to greatness, and also salvaging light armor you find along the way.

Raymon Kass, NoobFeed