Hey all!
Pappy here. Today I'm going to talk about some of the greatest stories that players will experience in WildStar. But before we jump into that, I figured I better rewind just a bit for those players who might have never played our game.
The story of WildStar centers around a very special place - the legendary planet Nexus. For millennia considered little more than a myth, it was believed that Nexus was the homeworld of the Eldan, an advanced race who disappeared from the galaxy almost a thousand years ago. As the centuries passed, stories of the Eldan became legends, legends became myths, until many began to believe that the Eldan never truly existed, and their homeworld of Nexus was nothing more than an old spacer's tale. During that time, the powerful intergalactic empire known as the Dominion, which had been established by the Eldan themselves, had risen in power, eventually driving many races from their homeworlds. In time, these "Exiles" formed an alliance, and wandered around the galaxy in their ragtag fleet looking for a new home. But there will still those who remembered the old legends of planet Nexus, searching the stars for a sign that they might actually be true...
Then an old Exile explorer named Dorian Walker actually found it. And everything changed.
When players start their game, they have just arrived on planet Nexus - and they soon discover that the Eldan are nowhere to be found. As they begin to explore the planet and the mysteries of what took place there, they will be thrust into many exciting adventures - and with that in mind, here are the top ten stories that players can look forward to in WildStar. In all cases I have tried to avoid sharing any true spoilers, and instead have endeavored only to set the stage for the game's most epic stories. Enjoy!
A Time of War
As players arrive in the Nexus system on the massive interstellar vessels known as arkships, they will experience firsthand the conflict between the Exiles and the Dominion. Given the importance of Nexus to both sides, neither of the two factions are going to give it up without a fight. For the Exiles, Nexus represents their last chance at a new home. The Dominion sees the planet as their rightful legacy. Throw those two groups into a planet full of powerful ancient technology, and you've got a powder keg just itching to explode. After players leave the arkships and start exploring the Nexus, the conflict between the two factions begins to intensify, culminating in some epic battles across the planet's surface. As the truth about what took place on Nexus long ago is revealed, the stakes are raised even higher. Who will control the planet and its treasures, and can they fight an ongoing war while dealing with the frightening reality of what truly threatens Nexus – and the universe beyond? Only time will tell...
)
In Search of the Elder Cube
Dominion players will meet the famous explorer (and intergalactic celebrity) Artemis Zin on the Arkship Destiny, and many of them will jump headlong into her most audacious adventure yet - finding the Elder Cube. Having unearthed information about this Eldan device, rumored to hold all of their vast scientific knowledge, Zin has dedicated herself to tracking down the Elder Cube and broadcasting the momentous event live to her billions of followers. But the Elder Cube proves to be elusive task, even for the talented Ms. Zin and her faithful Draken bodyguard Kevo. After tracking the ancient artifact through some of the most dangerous places on Nexus, Artemis and Kevo finally get their chance to grab the Elder Cube - but you know what they say about being careful what you wish for. What happens when the galaxy's most famous entertainer comes face-to-face with the technological totality of Eldan knowledge? Stay tuned, true believers!
)
Rise of the Ascendancy
During their adventures on Nexus, players from both factions will encounter the Ascendancy, a dangerous group of cultists who revere the Eldan and their technology. This dangerous fascination extends beyond the purely theological; Ascendancy disciples actually replace their limbs and other body parts with Eldan technology, hoping to cleanse their flesh of weakness. Even worse, these zealots have dedicated themselves to spreading this "truth" to everyone else on Nexus, kidnapping individuals and subjecting them to their often grisly rituals – including a well-known Exile scientist. But where did the Ascendancy come from? What exactly do they want? Dominion players will get to see the true origin of these creepy cultists, witnessing firsthand the danger of meddling with powers beyond comprehension. Led by a fanatical demagogue, the Ascendancy continues to delve Nexus for the Eldan's most forbidden secrets – racing headlong toward a perilous encounter that will have long-lasting effects for both the Exiles and Dominion!
)
The Contagion
The story of the Mordesh is a tragic one. Hoping to grant his people eternal life, a brilliant Mordesh alchemist named Victor Lazarin created the Everlife Elixir. But the experiment went terribly wrong. Within weeks of consuming it, millions of Mordesh across the planet became infected with the deadly Contagion – a degenerative disease that turned its victims into mindless zombies. Although Lazarin eventually created the Vitalus Serum to stave off the effects of the Contagion, most of his people were lost to its ravages. Now that the Mordesh have arrived with their fellow Exiles on Nexus, Dr. Lazarin is intent on discovering a cure to redeem himself and save his civilization, a noble and desperate cause that will take him from the mystical forests of Celestion to the deepest jungles of Wilderrun. Driven by an insatiable desire to unlock the darkest secrets of science and alchemy, Lazarin will eventually find himself on the verge of a groundbreaking discovery – but will that discovery end in redemption or tragedy?
)
Death from Above
When war breaks out between the Dominion and Exiles on the windswept fields of Galeras, neither side understood exactly what their conflict was about to unleash. Enter the Falkrin, a race of savage, winged barbarians who make their home on the zone's eastern edge. Unfortunately, the hostilities of the Galerian war spill over into their cliffside homes, and eventually into a sacred temple dedicated to a monstrous and terrible god named Osiric. What transpires next is a divine intervention of titanic proportions, resulting in the Falkrin declaring war upon all "groundwalkers." As word of this declaration spreads, the Falkrin begin attacking settlements across the planet, wreaking vengeance upon those who dared blaspheme mighty Osiric, the Father of Storms. There are heavy losses on both sides, but the real consequences of this cultural clash have yet to be felt – and when they are, neither side will be truly prepared for the outcome.
)
The Osun Conquest
As players adventure across Nexus, they will discover the massive ruins of an ancient civilization that had once spread across the entire surface of the planet. Although clearly not as advanced as the Eldan, the inhabitants of this civilization were skilled architects and brutal warriors, having created huge, formidable cities which celebrated the arts of war and conquest. But soon those who created these marvels – a hulking race of warmongering giants known as the Osun – appear from out of the wilds of Nexus, intent on reclaiming the legacy of their ancestors and conquering planet Nexus for their own. But who exactly are the Osun? Were the Eldan somehow involved in their creation? And what catastrophic event laid waste to their civilization long ago? As the Dominion and the Exiles have to face off against these powerful warriors, the answers to these questions will become clear. And if the Osun were ever to fully regain the lost knowledge of their ancestors and reach even new heights of power? They might become a truly unstoppable enemy...
)
Mysteries of the Everpool
Lost in the deepest, unexplored reaches of the jungles of Wilderrun, legends tell of the Everpool - a mystical body of water that grants immortality to any who drink from it. But those same legends tell of the pool's guardians, a savage race of warrior women who kill anyone who dares approach. Add to that a giant Eldan artifact known as the Focus of Life, and you have the makings of an incredible adventure! Drawn to Wilderrun by these legends, the greatest explorers in the galaxy – Dorian Walker and Artemis Zin - embark on an exciting quest to find the legendary pool, racing against one another to see who can reach it first. But as they get closer to their prize, more questions about the mysteries of the Everpool begin to surface. Where did these sword-wielding warrior women come from? Are they somehow related to an ancient Cassian hero from the past? And what of the mysterious "goddess" that they worship? If players can survive the dangers of Wilderrun, many of these questions will be answered, but the true importance of the Everpool and those who guard it has yet to be revealed...
)
Corruption of the Strain
As the epic events described above begin to unfold, players will eventually encounter a deadly substance which infects and transforms whatever it touches. Known as the Strain, the victims of this substance become mutated abominations, their only desire to spread the infection to others. At first, outbreaks of the Strain are limited, but players delve deeper into the ancient, deserted laboratories of the Eldan, the infectious hordes begin to appear all over the place. What are the true origins of the Strain? Can it be cured? And does it have anything to do with the disappearance of the Eldan? Answering these questions will bring players into the beating heart of darkness itself, where they will be forced to survive the most frightening manifestations of Eldan science and technology.
)
The Nexus Project
Perhaps the most important quest that players will embark upon will be to answer this question: what were the Eldan doing on planet Nexus, and why did they disappear? Figuring this out will be extremely challenging - and extremely dangerous. As they begin on this world-spanning journey, players will begin to hear about "the Nexus Project," described in voice recordings left behind by the Eldan themselves. As players encounter more and more of the Eldan's experiments on Nexus, a clear and frightening picture begins to emerge about exactly what they were doing - and what went wrong. In time players are approached by a mysterious figure who has intimate knowledge of the Nexus Project, and who then leads them down the rabbit hole towards a horrifying, unimaginable truth. This story ends with a world-shattering revelation, propelling players into an even greater adventure!
)
A Universe in Peril
Once players learn what happened to the Eldan, along with understanding the true nature of what threatens Nexus, they will be thrust into an epic quest to solve the problem. This multi-part story, known as the Nexus Saga, will take players to new and exciting locations on Nexus and beyond, while coming face to face with some of most powerful – and colorful – beings in the galaxy. As this unforgettable story comes to its mind-boggling conclusion, players will find themselves in the midst of a titanic conflict where the stakes are nothing less than the fate of the universe itself. Get ready people! It's going to be one helluva ride.
So that's it! Pappy's top ten stories to in WildStar. But remember! These are just my choices - there are literally hundreds of other stories for you to look forward to in the game, and some of those might make your top ten list. Want to know the origins of the brain-sucking squirg? Check. How about some insight into how Aurin communities select their matrias? We got that. Political intrigue among the Luminai? Yep, that one too.
Did these stories leave you wanting to learn more about WildStar? Then check out our Interactive Timeline which details some of the most epic events in the WildStar universe. You should also head over to our Loremageddon page, which includes detailed lore about all of our playable races, as well as answers to questions posed to us by the rabid lorehounds in our community.
Planet Nexus is a living, breathing, vibrant world full of great stories and memorable characters - and I can't wait for all of you to come and experience it with us when the WildStar goes free-to-play on the September 29th.
