How "pay to win" is it?

[probo_]

I was looking at the game and thinking, hell I could try this... But there is usually some catch.

So if I play, totally free, will I be making as much progress at others? Will I be held back or denied content?

[steventirey]

Alpha accounts (the free ones) train skills slower than Omega accounts (the premium ones). In addition, a number of skills and ships are locked behind having an active Omega account.

As an Alpha, you are limited. But this is a game that required a subscription from the start. It used to have a 2 week free trial, but that got changed to the unlimited time Alpha accounts. So they added in limitations (slower skill gain, the skill limits, etc.).

You can still much of the things as an Omega player. You just won't be as good at it.

[ZumZoom]

Free to play model here is more of an unlimited trial. You can play as long as you want, but you train skills at half the normal speed and normal passive skill training is limited to 5kk points - this is achieved in about 100 days, after that you can slowly earn them through daily log-in rewards and daily tasks, or by buying alpha skill injectors in the market (costs 50-80kk or so of in-game currency) - but this is also capped at 20kk skill points. At the same time some skills are inaccessible to free-to-play pilots.
But this kind of free trial would have been a dream for me when I was starting out in 2009 - back then you only had 14 days trial.
You can try out the majority of activities in the game as alpha pilot, even earn enough to pay for a month of omega, with some significant grinding.
There is no pay to win in my opinion, in this game player knowledge and player skill are much more important than the wallet.

[ZynXao]

as for denied content all expansions, updates, events etc are accessible to alpha accounts. so I'd say just go for it and give it a try.

[Heathy]

most ppl who try to pay to win find out pretty quickly its more pay to lose. it is pay to win, in the sense that you can convert tradeable game time into in game currency. which lets you buy whatever you want. although, winning tends to be more about understanding of the game rather than the thickness of your wallet. I read a post on reddit yesterday where some guy spent like 5k and injected upto capitals only to lose multiple of them and learn basically nothing. the true power in eve is never going to be an individual, its large groups of ppl working together in various ways. so it doesn't really matter all that much, in the grand scheme. a single person is never going to be much of a match vs a group that can field 100s or 1000s. paying to win at that point gets lost in the noise. it just becomes part of the background economy. the price of plex pretty much sets the price of everything else. plex being the thing you use for tradable subscription time.

[probo_]

ok thanks everyone for your input

[Kodokuro]

Originally posted by ZumZoom:

Free to play model here is more of an unlimited trial. You can play as long as you want, but you train skills at half the normal speed and normal passive skill training is limited to 5kk points - this is achieved in about 100 days, after that you can slowly earn them through daily log-in rewards and daily tasks, or by buying alpha skill injectors in the market (costs 50-80kk or so of in-game currency) - but this is also capped at 20kk skill points. At the same time some skills are inaccessible to free-to-play pilots.
But this kind of free trial would have been a dream for me when I was starting out in 2009 - back then you only had 14 days trial.
You can try out the majority of activities in the game as alpha pilot, even earn enough to pay for a month of omega, with some significant grinding.
There is no pay to win in my opinion, in this game player knowledge and player skill are much more important than the wallet.

Great answer. Saved for future same posts

[Raynn von Valancius]

Originally posted by Heathy:

most ppl who try to pay to win find out pretty quickly its more pay to lose. it is pay to win, in the sense that you can convert tradeable game time into in game currency. which lets you buy whatever you want. although, winning tends to be more about understanding of the game rather than the thickness of your wallet. I read a post on reddit yesterday where some guy spent like 5k and injected upto capitals only to lose multiple of them and learn basically nothing. the true power in eve is never going to be an individual, its large groups of ppl working together in various ways. so it doesn't really matter all that much, in the grand scheme. a single person is never going to be much of a match vs a group that can field 100s or 1000s. paying to win at that point gets lost in the noise. it just becomes part of the background economy. the price of plex pretty much sets the price of everything else. plex being the thing you use for tradable subscription time.

Pretty much this. I also add the fact that while you can sell that plex and make good in-game money to get yourself big shiny ships, none of that really translates into 'pay to win'.

There is no 'greatest ship' in this game because, as Heathy said, it's based on groups supporting each other. Each ship 'class' is unique and fills a roll. Which is especially cool when you're in small gangs with DPS, logi, and ewar platforms all coordinating. No other game really gives that feel.

The closest you could get is multi-boxing I guess, but that individual is still having to control two avatars at the same time. Easier to do here than in traditional MMORPGs, but still requires a different level of focus and skill from a player.