With the first phase of closed beta testing complete, the WildStar test server is now closed pending a significant update prior to the beginning of phase 2 slated to start at approximately 1:00 am Pacific / 4:00 am Eastern on September 3rd. During phase 2, players will be able to purchase Ncoin that will result in PTR Ncoin to use as currency for in-game shop purchases. When the F2P iteration launches for good, players will receive the 'real deal' Ncoin.
Your real NCoin will not be touched by any purchases in closed beta; it’ll be placed onto your NC account to spend on live products (such as Aion and Lineage) or for WildStar when we launch free-to-play. Purchases made with PTR NCoin in closed beta will NOT transfer back to live realms. If you get something great from Madame Fay, you don’t get to keep it, and will just have to hope you get lucky again when you spend your NCoin for real after launch.
In addition to this announcement (linked above), the team has published a Deep Dive regarding the rune system and how it has been reworked to become more accessible to new players and less painful for experienced WildStar players.
With the old Rune system you could have upwards of 80 Rune slots, which is a bit much to manage—especially when they all vary in power. We’ve addressed the complexity of Rune slots and power variety in two key ways. First, a Rune’s power will no longer be dependent on the item it’s placed into—each Rune will provide a static bonus that you’ll know up front. And second, we’ve reduced the maximum number of Rune slots you’ll have at any one time to about 35. But that doesn’t mean your items are getting weaker; we’ve rebalanced Rune power so that it’ll be comparable to where you were before.
It's a great look at a more user-friendly system within the game, so be sure to head to the WildStar site to check it out.