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The best short answer I can give is that it can be pay-to-win, but in practice typically isn't.
If you want more detail, then consider this. It's no secret that those willing to pay can have a lot of advantages, both short and long-term. Just as examples:
* Both VIP and VVIP players get extra entries per day on entry-limited missions, such as Royal Army Raids. Late game, these missions are where the bulk of your wealth typically comes from.
* VIP and VVIP players also get extra EXP and AP after missions, as well as a stat bonus buff that increases with level, as well as an additional loot drop from all bosses, so they flat-out level faster and earn wealth more quickly.
* Blessing Stones, which give extra rewards to runs, are typically only available from the cash shop.
* Avatar stat booster gear, such as badges, necklaces, and epaulets, are typically only available from cash shop bundle purchases as sweeteners.
* The cash shop is one of the few renewable sources of Goddess Graces, which function as extra lives.
* Paying players can obtain a Premium Marketplace license, which gives their player-marketplace entries preference over non-premium entries.
* If you want to reset skills to refund their AP, or change/reset your chosen Path selection, you have to pay the cash shop.
* Outfitter costumes have stat bonuses and even set bonuses.
* Most Pets can only be obtained from the cash shop.
* Item unbinding potions are typically only obtained from the cash shop.
* Inventory expansions and access to more than the basic Shared Storage must be obtained from the cash shop.
* Paying players can obtain megaphones, which allow them to send un-ignorable messages across their entire channel or server.
* Paying players can fish using a fishing rod, instead of having to catch fish using the harpoon secondary weapon.
This might sound like a lot of Pay-to-Win BS, and it is, but a lot of it is actually available to free players as well.
* 2-Day VIP status can be obtained from Ernmass's AP shop, allowing you most of the advantages of VIP when you really need it. AP is the currency necessary to increase your character's skills; once all your skills are maxed out to their limit, there's not much to spend AP on except the AP shop.
* Divine and Luck blessing stones, the two most important types for long-term wealth, are also available from the AP shop.
* The AP shop also sells a basic 7-day Necklace and Epaulet. Only badges must be obtained through paying.
* The AP shop sells Goddess Graces, and you can obtain more completely from daily temporal missions.
* Extra departure coupons can be obtained from daily temporal missions on occasion, which gives you extra trips on limited missions without having to shell out AP or cash for VIP service.
* Outfitter costumes and Pets are typically distributed as "airtight" packages. These can be traded with other players. If you have enough in-game money, it's possible to buy outfitter costumes and pets from other players who have paid for them.
* The cash shop supports gifting. Anyone who wants to spend NX directly on you can do so (though it's very poor form to ask, especially publically, particularly over megaphone to random strangers).
So as you can see, there's a lot of ways you can pay to win, but if you're willing to work at it and play the market, you can be almost as strong as a hard-core no-lifer whale, completely free. Even most hard-core no-lifer whales prefer to save money by functioning as free players, and only buying things that can't be obtained outside of the cash shop. It's just that certain aspects of your strength (VIP service, epaulets, necklaces) will be time-limited and must be frequently renewed at the cost of a somewhat-rare resource with lots of important uses (AP).
In practice, most players can get by quite competently without having to buy much, or even anything at all, and by the end of the game, things like VIP and epaulets/necklaces/badges are kind of a drop in the bucket compared to your overall power - nice but not essential. In addition, once you hit endgame, wealth isn't a problem if you're committed to saving up and you play the market well, so once your skills and mastered and your income is stable, getting all of the cash-shop advantages a free player can have isn't exceedingly hard, even if it might seem daunting when you're low-level and have a hard time keeping gold.
If you want my personal opinion, consider this: I operate by the rule 'if it's not worth playing through, it's not worth paying for' and yet I've come back to Vindictus, off and on, for over a decade now, across three accounts, one of which before this game ever even made it to Steam. I will say that the cash shop is a bit more exploitative than I'd like it to be, but it's not enough that I consider it onerous or a deal-breaker. There's some things I'd change if I were given a chance, but overall, I've been happy to ignore the cash shop and haven't felt too punished by doing so. Vindictus is a co-op game, and an action RPG besides; stats aren't everything, and someone having a stat advantage that you don't doesn't necessarily invalidate you if you play well. Just don't PVP - if you PVP, you need every possible stat advantage you can get, because you can damn-well believe that whoever currently dominates the leaderboards does.
Now, whether that constitutes pay-to-win to you, that's up to your discretion. Make your judgements considering the facts. It also costs you nothing to try the game, even if you decide you'd rather not pay for it.
You do know how to get enhancement stones and enhance/enchant runes without actually paying, right? You typically can't get them immediately when you want them, but if you save up, you can get them ahead-of time and have them when you need them.
Like a lot of things in Vindictus, it's available in the cash shop if you want to whale on it, but if you're comfortable spending time instead of money, you can get them for free.
But if you want your character to look like an hoe you must pay
yes and no for lookin good.
Idk about the game now but back when i played it was p2w af. Thats probably most likely the reason the game is basically dead right now. I mean you can keep defending the game all you want,but theres no denying the population is pretty ♥♥♥♥♥♥. I mean japan already shut down the game cause it was doing so bad. NA is next lul
I'm not 'defending' the game so much as being fair to it. Most of the stuff you cite as 'pay to win' has either been eliminated from the game, reduced in necessity, or made more available for free in the past year or two.
For instance, I can think of three ways, just off the top of my head, to get premium enhancement runes for free. For instance, guild seals (which you can earn dozens of per day, and it only requires a couple hundred to get a rune), specific monthly missions (once a month), and monthly mission tickets (accumulates slowly, but doesn't take a lot of them to get good rewards).
As far as the game being 'dead' it's not really any more dead than it's been in the last five years. Discussion of whether the game is dead or not is all beside the point anyway - the OP asked if the game was "pay to win," not if it was dead. Just because Vindictus underwent a server merge recently isn't an indicator; numerous other Nexon games underwent server merges as well - even Vindictus's parent game, Mabinogi, is planned for one.
The mentioning of the JP shutdown is particularly irrelevant. Vindictus is a game with realistic, not-strongly-anime character designs, centered loosely around Celtic myth, made by a Korean company competing in a Japanese market. Of course it's not going to do well - I'm honestly surprised it lasted as long as it did. Regardless, it's an apples-to-oranges comparison.
the game itself isn't pay 2 win... unless getting top damage in raids is how you define "winning". obviously you must spend gold to get the best equipment. even then, the game still isn't pay 2 win.... unless you use other "creative" methods to acquire gold. everyone i know in vindy uses these "creative methods". if you're willing to resort to those, then yes, it is pay 2 win.
Enchant runes from marketplace/gifting and events have always been a thing. I don't know when was the time you played, but doesn't seem like you knew what you were doing so.
Regarding OP's question, Vindictus is a freemium type of game. If you want shortcuts, yes, you can obtain best gear with cash shop. That alone won't make you better at doing end game battles.
If you don't want to pay, you can still obtain everything you need, it will just take more time.
95 level weapon, which is still considered as end game gear, can be enhanced up to +15 without spending real life money. Hell, you get +12 coupons from quests