Have you been waiting for WildStar to go free-to-play to give it a shot? If you’re in the same boat as me and decided to skip it after trying it in beta, probably. Luckily, the game has allegedly changed a lot since then, and it’s about to change even further as it begins its transition to a free-to-play business model this month.
Did anyone expect WildStar to be going free-to-play this month? I didn’t. I expected something more along the lines of October or November — but with Blade & Soul also being published by NCSoft and going into beta then launch in the next four to six months, it makes sense to get WildStar shifted to free-to-play sooner rather than later.
As with the many other subscription to F2P-converted MMOs to come before, players who own the game will have it a little better than players who didn’t jump on the bandwagon sooner (though you can certainly purchase the game right now).There will also be a premium subscription option, called Signature, to make more of the game.
Those who bought the box will get extra character, costume, and personal bank slots. They will also be able to place 2,000 decor items instead of the F2P 1,000. Players who subscribed at one point will receive Loyalty Points based on how long they subscribed and how much the game initially cost them.
You can read about all the specifics on box-owners vs. total F2Pers and the Signature program on the official WildStar Free-to-Play FAQ. There’s a lot to take in, and not a lot of time before it officially changes business models.
If you want to give WildStar a shot now but don’t have a subscription, you may be able to get into the closed beta for the new build. Head to the official site, sign up, and wait for your (hopefully) imminent beta key.
