Aliso Viejo, California based developer Carbine Studios has announced the details of the upcoming major content patch for their science fiction MMORPG WildStar. Known as Sabotage, the update will be the second in the the new massively multiplayer game’s short, two month lifespan and centers around expanding the game’s player versus player content. It includes a new battleground and new PvP gear and PvP-themed cosmetic items for players to earn by fighting the opposite faction.
The most significant new feature to be introduced by Sabotage is a fifteen player battleground called Daggerstone Pass in which players fight over control of three communication uplinks positioned between two fortresses at opposite ends of the map in order to call in airstrikes on the enemy encampment, with the first team that succeeds in completely leveling their enemy’s bastion claiming victory. In addition to the bombs being dropped from the sky, Daggerstone Pass also features randomly spawning bombs which can be carried by players and explode on a timer after first being picked up that can be used against enemy players or as supplemental damage to the enemy fortress if a team succeeds in carrying a bomb all the way across the map in order to plant it there. Players will be able to earn some unique PvP gear by competing in Daggerstone Pass matches as well as cosmetic items to place in their houses themed around their faction’s military equipment.
Sabotage will be the second major update to WildStar since its launch a mere two months ago on June 3, 2014. While no official launch date for Sabotage has been announced, it is expected to arrive on or around the two month anniversary of the game’s release, following the pattern of monthly patches set by Strain, the first large update to the game. The pace of development has impressed some players while drawing concern and criticism from others who cite major, as-of-yet unaddressed flaws in some of the game’s core mechanics such as the inventory and dungeons and a plethora of bugs introduced by Strain as items which should be taking precedence over the addition of even more new content. Whether or not Sabotage will include any of the long-awaited solutions to some of the game’s more prevalent problems in order to satisfy the critics is yet to be seen, however the growing dissatisfaction with the priorities of Carbine amongst large segments of the community could prove disastrous to the fledgling MMO despite its almost universally well-received launch if it fails to address player concerns as Strain did.
You can watch the developer’s official video announcement of Sabotage below or on YouTube. WildStar is available now on Windows PCs for $60 with an additional monthly fee to play the game.