Can Exploration Be A Viable MMO Playstyle? Stars Reach's Next Test Aims To Find Out As Players Get Ranger Skills

Sometimes you just want to go out and explore the world, right? In the MMORPG space, exploration is often relegated to being a side effect of other gameplay. You happen to explore a cool looking world while you're out questing in said cool world. That said, we have seen games, like the ill-fated Wildstar, kind of explore (pun intended) the option of world exploration as a viable gameplay loop in and of itself for those feeling so inclined.

In Wildstar, most of the "Paths" you could take were exploration-based in some way. Find new spots on the map that only Settlers could interact with, things like that. However, there was an actual "Explorer" path. While Paths weren't core to gameplay, they were kind of secondary to your class, the Explorer path provided players that liked to unlock the full map new traversal tools and benefits to getting to every single cave on the planet.

What if that was the ENTIRE way you wanted to play an MMO, though?

Stars Reach is going to see exactly how viable it is in their next playtest. 

Last time I talked about Stars Reach, it was in response to Raph Koster and the Playable Worlds team walking us through the skills system that Stars Reach will be based upon. In the next playtest on October 19th, the team will start putting that skill system to the test, but in a "micro" kind of way. Rangers like exploring, or at least they will in this test.

While full skill tree access won't be in this test, players will get a chance to mess with some Ranger skills based on the whole "Exploration" concept. Chart the world, map it out, hell, even make mini maps for you and others (no, mini maps aren't default in Stars Reach). It could be a neat concept. Later, skills like stealth, which may more broadly be a combat skill, may even be something you explorers want so you can sneak your way to your next discovery.

This also means that some combat will be enabled in this test. While it is by no means representative of combat as a whole, you'll need to be able to defend yourself while exploring, so now you can.

What do you think? Can exploration be the sole reason you'd play a particular MMO?