Wakfu: My Short Time in Beta

I recently tried out the beta of Wakfu.

It is an MMORPG. Most of the game is real-time, except for combat, which is turned-based. What got me interested in the game are the things the player can do other than combat. The player can gather resources and craft items. There is the player's nation, which they can build. There is also the ecosystem to manage, which will give the player's nation bonuses if done right.

Yes, I was excited to play the game. I had not been this excited for a while.

Then less than 36 hours after I started playing, the server closed.

Because the Beta had ended. The full game will be released next week on 29 February.

There is a freeplay part of the game, but it restricts access to a lot of the game's features. Especially the parts about ecosystem management and working with other players to build a nation. And there is no getting or spending money.

Subscription is not very expensive at 52 Euros for a year subscription, with shorter subscriptions available for those still uncertain. However, my concern is not the money - it is the time. Paying real-world money is a commitment to spending time on the game. So the question is whether I am willing to commit a significant part of my next 3 to 12 months into grinding in an MMORPG.

It would be interesting to see how the economy in the game develops. Wakfu uses a player-based economy much like Puzzle Pirates. The players have to create everything, even the hard currency. Baddies do not drop currency - they have to be minted from ores. There are no NPC shops - everything has to be bought from player-run stores. There are no products - everything has to be crafted by players from resources that are crafted by players from even more resources that are gathered by players from the wild.

The game is going to start with everyone having zero money. So I wonder how the economy will start.

There is also the political system but this is nothing new since many MMO-games already have this. Basically, each nation elects its leaders who will then run stuff. In Wakfu, the leaders manage laws and can obtain challenges for the nation's citizens to play around with. I hear that the leader can also manage the ecosystem policies but I am not to clear on that. I did not look much into this since I was not so interested in politics.

As already mentioned, there is the ecosystem to manage. The players have to keep the population of the flora and fauna in an area within specified limits in order to give bonuses to ALL players of that nation. This is were casual players can contribute to their nation and is another feature of the game I wish to try.

So, should I play the release-version of the game? I have to decide soon since there is a 'Subscribe in Advance' offer right now for subscribing before the game is launched. If I do, I get a few items which is going to take up my limited inventory slots, including a pet.