Wildstar is now free-to-play

What do you think free-to-play allows you to do that you couldn’t before?

It was the most promising MMORPG of 2014. When Carbine Studios launched its sci-fi extravaganza WildStar, it stood out as much for its inclusion of subscriptions as it did for its humorous tone and unique art style.

WildStar takes place on the planet Nexus, a mysterious world vacated by the ancient Elden but left rich with treasures and technologies to discover and acquire.

In addition to launching the free-to-play model, the WildStar: Reloaded update introduces new content, enhanced game systems, special in-game events and more. For the WildStar team, that meant rolling out the red carpet for beginners, as Creative Director Chad Moore explained to GameSided in a recent phone interview. At what point did you decide on it?

OmniBits are a new currency to WildStar that debuted with its free-to-play transition. Characters can achieve level 50 and path level 30, just as they can under the current system.

That was too long, so the free-to-play update lessens that wait dramatically. Among other things, he tells us that, while WildStar now has more microtransactions, these are aimed at convenience and have been created to be fair; you can’t buy power. Thats players and money that would have never come along had the game not made the shift, and its a conversion thats helped many MMO thrive in recent years. Moore wondered during our conversation if that wasn’t one of the driving forces behind the free-to-play shift in the genre over the last few years. Players can now download the game, create an account, log in and start playing without spending a dime.

Wildstar may not have been the WoW-killer every MMORPG developer seems to firmly believe they are making, but it’s well worth a look – especially at zero dollars. Don’t want to do dungeons or raids? These experiences are vastly improved for new players or veterans alike to make the beginning of any character’s journey much more enjoyable. The optional subscription for WildStar players is called a Signature service and it grants a number of benefits to the purchaser.