It's so dreary, dark, bland looking, colorless and unpleasent being on this part of the map. If I spawn here I immediately leave the area to do quests in The Ancient Isles or The Shores of Plenty.
I'd bet if Rare had a heat map for player activity it would be one of the most devoid areas played in the game by a wide margin. When Rare extends the world map and undoubtedly introduces an Ice/Snow biome they need to ensure it's a pleasant place to be.
Who else feels this way or does this?
I used to leave the Wilds immediately, like you, but then I started doing Merchant Alliance voyages and it's a really good place to grind them.
Going between Dagger Tooth Outpost and Galleon's Graveyard Outpost there are plenty of places to get chickens, pigs, snakes, and gunpowder barrels. Plus the traffic tends to be less around there.
I love the wilds a lot actually! Sure aesthetically it is dark and foreboding and the exact opposite of chill and soothing, but it is where you go when you wanna get to work! The outposts there are the coolest looking without question. How can you say no to galleons grave?
The overcast and green hues put me on edge and I am always at the height of alertness when playing in the area. I also tend to always... ALWAYS start there so I get a pretty free play session and never have to worry about others bothering me because they avoid it.
Galleon's Grave is my favorite outpost, mechanically with the parallel dock and its aesthetic. The Wilds is also my favorite area/biome. I like the other areas as well but, this happens to be my favorite. Much like @BogusMeatINC I enjoy the transition that takes place when you enter this zone. I spent my formative years living in a tropical environment very similar to what you see in the Shores. It's nice. It's pleasant. However, the variation in the areas of the map are necessary and appreciated; much like the seas and oceans of earth.
The Wilds are my absolute favorite area of the map. Mainly because it has a darker and grittier vibe to it. The real reason I enjoy it though is because stealth has a slight advantage there due to the more muted colors. I stealth almost all the time and I find more success in the Wilds and the fact most people don't like them kinda puts them out of their comfort zone as well.
I know what you mean, but it doesn't bother me too much. I live out in the San Francisco Bay Area, and portions of San Francisco Bay look like that, all the while the Pacific Ocean can be blue, but also a mix of Pacific "Hawaiian Island" blue and the dull grey green stuff.
The Wilds as a whole … I've been ambushed there four times, whereas I've only been ambushed twice on the rest of the map. The shores of plenty has prettier water and just a warmer feel overall, but I'm cool other places on the map.
Admittedly, I do tend to cruise over the Shores of Plenty because of the nice visuals, but when a quest needs doing, I'm all over the map.
I had the infamous Daggertooth Glitch or whatever. While I was doing my Merchants missions before I maxed out, every other mission would have me going to DT. Every. Other. One. So I just hung out in that area. It's not so bad. Lots of cover, the Islands are a bit rough. But I would say it's the "Hard area".
I tend to think of Galleon's Grave as my home outpost. It's my favourite, it's the first outpost I spawned on and it's in my favourite part of the world.
Sure the Ancient Isles and Shores of Plenty look nicer, but the Wilds is home. If I need to hunt a ship or lose a pursuer I take them/chase them to the Wilds, it's where I do my real pirating.
@braxkedren
Krakens fall...ugh.
But I actually like Shipwreck Bay. I just coast in and nestle right on the beach by the giant shipwreck. One way in one way out...cannon set on the opening plus your in the island enough to be semi hidden. Upper cabin of the shipwreck has an ammo chest for hunkering down. Good times.
It is, without a doubt my least favorite potion of the map. I like when dark and ominous places feel creepy.. however none of those island give off the 'creepy' vibe at all, it just feels dark and ominous because everything is dead. It feels like the vast majority of voyages I get bring me to the wilds which is a huge b****r to me. I would much rather be in the other 2 portions of the map.
The OP examples why it's such a good area! It's strikingly different from other parts of the map which means different experiences.
Some good posts by people too about why it's good or bad. I think my favourite think is the variation in islands and how two outposts surround a Skull Fort. It makes running away a different game, especially with the moody feel and random rocks.
Having said that, I spent a lot of time at Shipwreck and Crooked Masts doing fetch merchant quests. I'm pretty happy to not be doing them anymore.
@john-hatter Thats the exact spot I always pop in at Shipwreck and constantly lose the ship there. Probably just my bad PvP skills. You'd think I'd be better since I play on PC and all.....
@braxkedren
its OK. To be fair I have never had to defend myself there yet but it feels ideal haha~
Maybe I'm just lucky and everyone's dislike for the island keeps them away.
As a whole my dislike for the region is why I like the region.
I like that even from an immersion standpoint there is part of the world that puts me on edge. It's dark, it's gloomy, when I see ships in the area there seems to be a lot of them. I love Galleons Grave but even it feels like a place that I should watch my back while visiting. I can sail around the wilds doing odds and ends and feel relieved when I hit bluer waters or if I want to lay low for awhile I just hit up northern wilds where I have yet to run into anyone.
I think it's perfectly miserable. Shores of plenty has a nice vacationy vibe and the Ancient isles feel like home(to me at least, Ancient Spire for life! REPRESENT!)
All is right in the world~
@braxkedren Shipwrecks is one of my favourite islands. It has a lot of character but it is also a great place to lure people to be sunk. There are a few channels around it that you can squeeze a Galleon through, but only if you know them. Luring another ship in there after you, watching them get stuck and then mercilessly peppering them with cannon balls is fun no matter how many times you do it. You do need to be careful around there though, those rocks can ruin your situational awareness and make it very easy for other players to sneak up on you if you aren't careful (or if you want to appear like you aren't being careful)
@boxcar-squidy A lot of my hate of that island is the fact that if I have a Voyage there, It's ALWAYS storming over the island during that time. Always. Makes me feel like Charlie Brown constantly.....
@nyadc85 me!!! I hate that portion of the world!!! Specially at night time...
It's so green and dark.
The seagulls of the Shipwrecks are barely visible.
I do feel as though the world does need this dark dreary area in contrast the rest of the map, it could have been executed better, have light rains and heavy mists. different spookier more crooked plantation, less green more grey kind of filters. Different, ominous noises and maybe even a different boss? who know. but this is just my opinion
