WildStar's PvP modes go from 2v2 Arenas to 40v40 Warplots

Carbine Studios has been awfully quiet about their PvP modes, but have decided to reveal some more details about their upcoming Arenas, Battlegrounds, and 40v40 Warplots modes.

Ozzie Mejia

March 12, 2014 11:00 AM

Carbine Studios has been eager to show off various aspects of WildStar's vast world, like the game's PvE quests and Adventures. Today, the studio is ready to go more into detail on what the MMORPG's PvP will entail, while also giving Shacknews an opportunity to try it out. WildStar will feature three different PvP modes: arenas, battlegrounds, and Warplots. Each PvP mode will test player skills, while also requiring them to physically aim their attacks at their human opponents. The playing field will be rendered somewhat even, as level and gear stats are normalized for balance, all the way up to level 50. It'll also provide players with ample opportunity to compete for loot and a separate PvP currency called Prestige. Arena mode can be accessed starting at level 30, with the object mainly to take out the opposing team. Each team of two, three, or five will have a specific number of respawns, to be shared amongst team memmbers. These games are unranked for a more pressure-free environment, while Raided Arenas open up at level 50 for a more competitive environment. Raided Arenas will feature arena-specific rewards. Battlegrounds offer more objective-based competitive 10v10 or 15v15 game modes. The first of these Battlegrounds, a lush jungle environment called Walatiki Temple, will open up at level 6 and feature a capture-the-flag variant. Teams are tasked with capturing the opposing team's Moodie Masks and bringing them back to their own base. Capturing five Moodie Masks, located at specific points on the map, results in a team victory. It's something that isn't as easy as it looks, as I wound up at the wrong end of several enemy ambushes atop one of the temple's wooden bridges, near the mask located in the center of the map. The other Battleground is called Halls of the Bloodsworn, which opens up at level 15. This is a control point-based map, split into two rounds. Teams must capture primary control points, while also attacking secondary control points that help feed into their primary points. Regardless of which Battleground is chosen, players can build XP all the way up to the level 50 cap, in addition to gaining Prestige, and loot by killing opponents or completing objectives. Warplots are a far more expansive PvP experience, featuring War Party v. War Party combat for up to 40 players (all maxed out at level 50) on each team. The object is to outlast the opposing team by making sure their resources deplete first or to destroy the opposing team's generator first. There's currently only one map in this mode, simply called the Warplot Battlefield, and it turned out to be so large that teleporters were needed to get around. Team bases were armed to the teeth with defenses, as individual players could fortify the base with defenses like traps and turrets. Players could even summon insect storms or minions to fend off attackers. Each team also gets a giant boss hologram that they could either use to guard their generator or even send out on offense. Tactics are ultimately decided as a team.

The Warplot map is large enough to sustain its massive player size

There were many instances during our Warplot game where dozens of players would fight over one of the generators. Though even after clearing out the opposition, the generator's HP was at a healthy six digits. Though my team was able to make a dent in its HP, there wasn't nearly enough time to put it in any real danger before enemy reinforcements pushed us back. The game continued until our own resources were the first to run out. As a team of strangers, we were somewhat uncoordinated and yet we still managed to hold our own. Warplots shows some potential for really cool team-based sessions, especially between entire player guilds. PvP looks to be a fun diversion from the normal Wildstar PvE environment and an aspect of the game that Carbine has injected a lot of effort. The main PvP hub even feature an open world rival system, which lets you take rivalries outside the main PvP mode. WildStar is set to officially launch on June 3 on PC.

Ozzie Mejia

Senior Editor

Ozzie has been playing video games since picking up his first NES controller at age 5. He has been into games ever since, only briefly stepping away during his college years. But he was pulled back in after spending years in QA circles for both THQ and Activision, mostly spending time helping to push forward the Guitar Hero series at its peak. Ozzie has become a big fan of platformers, puzzle games, shooters, and RPGs, just to name a few genres, but he’s also a huge sucker for anything with a good, compelling narrative behind it. Because what are video games if you can't enjoy a good story with a fresh Cherry Coke?

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March 12, 2014 11:00 AM

Ozzie Mejia posted a new article, WildStar's PvP modes go from 2v2 Arenas to 40v40 Warplots.

Carbine Studios has been awfully quiet about their PvP modes, but have decided to reveal some more details about their upcoming Arenas, Battlegrounds, and 40v40 Warplots modes.