The Osun are a race of giants, standing easily twice as tall as the largest Granok or Mechari. But they are also a pale shadow of their own former glory, having descended from being the favoured of Eldan to a society of brutal barbarians. Their city, brimming with Eldan technology and yet lying in ruins, is a testament to how far they have fallen.
The planet Nexus is a huge world, providing WildStar with whatever locations the imaginations at Carbine Studios can create. As I continued to explore and document the Dominion questing zones, I’ve also taken a closer look at some of the more dangerous pursuits on offer. After recently trying my hand at Adventures, I pulled together a few friends and headed into one of the earliest dungeons: the Ruins of Kel Voreth.
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Set in the bottom corner of Auroria, the Osun of Kel Voreth are perfectly positioned to strike out at their neighbors. Whether it’s the Dominion Fort Glory, nearby Exile camps or the even the diminutive Skeech, the bloodthirsty colossi only have two things on their mind: purge Nexus of any trespassers, and enslave anyone who might provide entertainment in their Blood Pit. After hitting a brick wall in the shape of the Dominion war machine, the Osun have been searching for anything that might give them an edge in battle. Rumored to contain knowledge long-since forgotten, their ancient capital might hold the secret they desperately need.
It’s this threat that forced the Dominion’s hand; a powerful Osun tribe could quickly surge through Auroria and threaten the capital of Illium itself. Desperate to seize the initiative, Toric Antevian, leader of the Vigilant Church’s military arm, sought out a band of adventurers to move deep into the Osun stronghold and quickly destroy any hope the giants had of returning to their former glory.
Build-a-Brute Workshop
Before the Eldan vanished from Nexus, the Osun were one of their most favoured creations. Skilled forgesmiths and capable technicians in their own right, they were showered with gifts by these mysterious benefactors. Datacubes scattered throughout Kel Voreth describe new weapons and armour being designed specifically for the giants, while an analysis of their Warhounds indicates that they were created using the genetic code from several different predators. The Eldan also appreciated the Osun thirst for blood, with some of them being willing spectators to the deadly battles in the Blood Pit.
Situated in the entrance to the ruined city, my group was faced with no choice but to fight our way through the pit in order to progress further. We fought hardened Osun gladiators and necromancers that raised skeletons from the arena floor. Dominion slaves battled alongside them, their minds destroyed by an alchemical concoction known as Soulrot Elixir. We were barely halfway through the pit when the remaining Osun cleared the arena, an announcer proclaiming that we should face a tougher challenge. As a gate in the pit wall opened, I saw what he meant – a giant blue Warhound easily the size of a shuttle. The announcer called the beast Grond the Corpsemaker and, coated in armor plates and the skulls of previous opponents, it was easy to see why.
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Our tactic was a simple one, but effective. Grond had a tendency to buck and stomp the ground in a snarling rage, so we chose that moment to unload our stuns and subdue the beast. Timing was everything – some of his attacks could be avoided with a quick dodge, but others could be devastatingly chaotic. Ultimately though, the Osun pet was a puppy to our Dominion might, even though one of party spent some of the battle chewing on the arena floor.
With the four-legged obstruction out of the way, my group was clear to press further into the ruined city. As we did so, the Osun architecture gave way to Eldan constructions. An Exo-lab had been built underneath the city, partly to make it easier for the Eldan to observe their creation, and partly to aid in the construction of powerful weapons and armor. According to the datacubes we found, the Eldan workers were acting under the instruction of someone called the Archon, who specifically requested enhancements to OS-1, as the giants were known. We also discovered that there are at least three groups to Eldan Society, with notes being left by members of the Order of Makers, Shapers and Progenitors, and each of the three taking on a specific role.
