The nights are drawing in, the chill winds are picking up, and the grey clouds hang low in the sky. Yes, it’s that perfect time of year for wrapping up warm, staying indoors and spending some quality time with an MMO or two. Exotic, virtual worlds, bursting with adventure, mystery and lore – what’s not to love?
Which is why Nexus will be one of my holiday destinations this winter. Over the last few months, WildStar’s unleashed an array of holiday events, including the spooky Shade’s Eve and madcap Hoverboard zPrix. Next month sees the opening of Protostar’s Gala Winterfest Extravaganza, with all the commercially festive joy it’s possible to procure. And that doesn’t include the 2nd Annual Protostar Protosale running this very weekend.
But, beyond the glitz and glamour of seasonal sprees, there’s an undercurrent of story that’s waiting to re-emerge. I get the feeling that Carbine’s built a dam across this stream of narrative, waiting for it to build up before unleashing the floodgates in the new year. There’re rumors to back this up, with the studio hinting at new raids, expeditions, and even new zones to explore. In this week’s column, I’ll be trying to sneak over that concrete wall and try to work out what lurks in the deeps.
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The Story So Far
Ever since WildStar was announced back at Gamescom 2011, Carbine’s been open about discussing the lore of Nexus. We’ve caught up with Creative Director Chad Moore on a number of occasions, including a lore primer and a hint of what lies ahead. The studio has also been sharing more about the world with fans through the Loremageddon initiative (they’re taking questions on the forums right now!), and running a couple of ask-me-anythings on Reddit.
The last time I did a recap on WildStar’s story was over a year ago. Since then, the Entity has been revealed as this malevolent being, desperate to corrupt anything that falls under its multi-ocular gaze. We’ve journeyed into Blighthaven and onwards to the Defile, witnessing the devastation first-hand. And we’ve discovered the terrible secret that Drusera harbors, and why stopping the Entity may be tougher than we dared fear.
All of this led us to a deep research facility called Omnicore-1, on a mission to fully restore a sentient AI known as the Caretaker. With his systems fully operational, we would finally uncover the secrets behind the Nexus Project and build a plan for defeating the Entity. Or at least, so we thought.
