How much of a cash grab is this game?

[12tornado]

I've read some of the Steam reviews, and many of them claim this is a total cash grab, and that Trion screws with the economy. Can anyone confirm any of the cons? And whether or not there will be a better cash system in the future?

[Trump Card]

Only a cashgrab if you're into crafting armor or weapons (in that it's much easier to acquire the mats for crafting), which in reality falls short because of the RNG nature of crafting.

I guess if you consider the whole "buyable ingame item that can be used to pay for subscription", or APEX, is p2w, then there are a bunch of MMOs that fit that bill as well.

[Kraylore]

yep not pay to win as i see it . it has same thing found in many games even the first mmorpg ever everquest . many sell raid items if the game lets you this is normal .

[Drago]

This game is very PTW and full of hacks, cheats, and exploits. Thats a cash grab.

[neoVictrix]

What you get for free:

• Playing the game up to level 55
  
• Clearing the story quest and side quests
  
• A bunch of repeatable, daily quests
  
• Participate in world boss raids, events, abyssal attack, dungeon raids
  
• PVP (be it open world or arena-based), underwater treasure hunting (not as cool as it sounds, honestly a bit 'meh')
  
• Crafting and sellings equipment, components required to build things (such as ship components), resource gathering, vehicles, siege weapons, regrading equipment and ship components
  
• Creating and joining a family and/or guild
  
• Buying items on the auction house
  
• Two character slots
  
• Use of the achievement system (which earns you items and merit badges which can be redeemed for a (currently) small selection of items (expected to grow as more updates come)
  
• Participate in guild castle sieges (attacking or defending)
  
• Participation in any sort of fighting, to be honest

What you get if you pay for a Patron sub:

• Everything you get for free
  
• Build farms for protected farming, build houses and decorate them (the ownership of land)
  
• Better labor regen, an xp booxt, a discount on fees for the auction house
  
• Permanent access to selling on the auction house (stays if patron expires)
  
• Loyalty tokens to redeem certain items
  
• If managing a guild, owning a guild castle on auroria (which includes building it and dealing with siege attacks)
  
• A larger labor pool
  
• A small reduction to gathering and crafting times

What you can optionally pay for (the Marketplace, aka cash shop):

Note that a majority of items on the marketplace can be sold on the auction house for player to buy with in-game currency
• Land expansion tickets (only useful if a patron, but also sold for in-game gold at the general merchant)
  
• boosters for xp and drop rate
  
• Cool-looking pet armor and clothes that don't have stats
  
• Gachapon (boxes that give you a random item, no different from CS:GO or TF2's crates, or any other game that makes use of them) *can not resell if i remember right
  
• Regrade gems (offer a chance of better regrade success, can still easily fail and have your item broken (deleted), requiring you to make a new one. Or have it downgraded.
  
• Worker's Compensation Potion - restores 1000 labor on one character with a 12 hour cooldown. Can earn some of these through the achievement system as well.
  
• Auction House License - if you don't want a patron sub to sell on the the auction house. Can only be gifted, not sold or traded to other players as it is account bound on purchase.

[Neriakied]

About to hit level 55 on my first character and just recently purchased patron with in-game currency... I have most features unlocked now and not a single penny spent. There are those with gear that is INSANE compared to most people but they have spent thousands of $$ worth in gold so really its meh, youll be just about as good as the average player without paying

[Lucius Corvus]

i have played 126 hrs and only draw back is the labor 5000 go's way to fast i use over 700 for each run and mine is so low can't even play the game. to mine ore cut down tree's or even make better armor all take's labor. so idea that going to go from 1 - 55 in week not going happen. And the game a blast and i'll wait. so die little pvp not like your in day z where have to start over lol. And yes i got the bucks but that only go's so far can't buy skill. And as far buying the best gear not in this game u have to make it your self because the crap they sell in the AH/ aka cash shop is over priced junk. Now when i first looked at this game few months ago i read all the reviews and brushed it aside put in my wish list and moved on. Later few my friends got on so looked at u tube bit more and 2000 hr players trashing the game. And it was free what the heck let see what looks like and guess what there a ton's badz boyz and girlz is this game. So is there high chance there going to trash the game on there way out you decide hehe. Now this game designed for you to pay packs use to get you 20 gold each now it's 6. While AH/aka cash shops have sky rocketed prices. i did one donky trip and giggled hole trip bought some carrots only to find out the donky needs be level 20 let just say he's never going to be a level 20 lol.

[masi]

The first two posters forgot the mention the entire game is based around crafting gear, and it's mostly a PvP game. So yeah, p2w if you decide to PvP.

[Exterminator]

i can confirm that trion messes with the economy....thunderstruck trees used to be rare and cost alot to get...then trion put in the cash shop a box that u got rumbling archeum trees in with a 50% chance to get thunderstruck off...price of TS trees dropped from 800 g per to nothing since everyone had lots now

[neoVictrix]

Opprinnelig skrevet av exterminator:

i can confirm that trion messes with the economy....thunderstruck trees used to be rare and cost alot to get...then trion put in the cash shop a box that u got rumbling archeum trees in with a 50% chance to get thunderstruck off...price of TS trees dropped from 800 g per to nothing since everyone had lots now

Considering that was something people knew about before it was added in the game (as we have many people on the official forums looking at the korean version of the game for some idea on the things we get) it's XL Games that makes these things.

Just like how they're available again for merit badges for completing achievements. It's XL that makes changes to their own game's economy, if you want to be technical with things.

[Drago]

Look I really don’t care, but Trion even said they would have full control over what goes in there cash shop. This was back before the game even came out in EU/NA.

It's not the game, the game it's self is a wonderful MMORPG.. It's Trion they cant get anything right. If it was not for their one hit wonder Rift the company would be bust.

[neoVictrix]

Opprinnelig skrevet av Drago:

Look I really don’t care, but Trion even said they would have full control over what goes in there cash shop. This was back before the game even came out in EU/NA.

It's not the game, the game it's self is a wonderful MMORPG.. It's Trion they cant get anything right. If it was not for their one hit wonder Rift the company would be bust.

They're under a contract with the developer. What gets monetized has to be discussed first, it isn't as simple as 'we distribute so we manage the price for everything'.

[tlh.67]

I've got 60 hours in and haven't spent a penny... ultimately, it's up to you if you pull out the bank card.

[Tremic]

Only thing that you kinda need to buy is the subscription. That's it. Even then, you can just buy the sub with in game gold anyway and it's really not that expensive. Definitely worth a shot 100% my favorite game.

[Tremic]

Opprinnelig skrevet av exterminator:

i can confirm that trion messes with the economy....thunderstruck trees used to be rare and cost alot to get...then trion put in the cash shop a box that u got rumbling archeum trees in with a 50% chance to get thunderstruck off...price of TS trees dropped from 800 g per to nothing since everyone had lots now

That was a rediculously long time ago. It's all changed now.

[amethystdragon]

Opprinnelig skrevet av Tremic:

Opprinnelig skrevet av exterminator:

i can confirm that trion messes with the economy....thunderstruck trees used to be rare and cost alot to get...then trion put in the cash shop a box that u got rumbling archeum trees in with a 50% chance to get thunderstruck off...price of TS trees dropped from 800 g per to nothing since everyone had lots now

That was a rediculously long time ago. It's all changed now.

Yet, nothing has changed. Rumbling archeum trees are still available in the marketplace.