How Pay To Win Is Now In Throne And Liberty & How Will It Affect Worldwide Release?

Posted:Mar 16 ,2024

Source: MMOAH

The concept of Pay to Win, prevalent in the MMORPG genre for decades, has caused the downfall of numerous beloved MMORPGs. It stems from the greed of developers and publishers, who incorporate these systems solely to generate short-term profits, often at the expense of their community and player base.

While Pay to Win may be embraced and even encouraged in certain regions, the majority of players vehemently oppose it. Although there has been a gradual acceptance of minor Pay to Win elements in recent years, players remain cautious and skeptical until assurances of a completely fair playing field are met.

In light of this, I aim to discuss the impact of Pay to Win in Throne and Liberty. I will explore its detrimental effects on gameplay and its potential ramifications for the game’s global release and monetization strategies.

How Pay To Win Is Now In Throne And Liberty & How Will It Affect Worldwide Release?

Expectations Regarding “Pay To Win”

There are several expectations regarding Pay to Win that should be noted.

Throne and Liberty adopts a free-to-play model. It’s unrealistic to expect that a completely free-to-play game would offer no advantages to paying players. Even established titles like World of Warcraft, which require subscription fees and expansion purchases, feature Pay to Win elements such as WoW Token. However, the primary concern with Pay to Win should revolve around whether free-to-play players can progress meaningfully without paying and if any content is unfairly gated from them.

In the case of Throne and Liberty, free-to-play players can indeed access and complete all content within the game. The game ensures a path of meaningful progression with Pay to Win elements that are barely noticeable. Below is a breakdown of everything related to Pay to Win in Throne and Liberty:

Currency Systems: Lucent & Sollant Explained

In Throne and Liberty, Lucent and Sollant serve as the primary currencies.

Throne and Liberty Lucent functions as the main currency for trading, akin to gold in WoW or silver in BDO. It can also be acquired through real-money purchases. On the other hand, Sollant, similar to silver in Lost Ark, is predominantly obtained through in-game activities. It may also be found in small quantities from packages and battle passes, mirroring the system in Lost Ark.

For those familiar with Lost Ark, the limited benefits and availability of Sollant in the in-game store may not justify spending real money. The store will feature packages and battle passes, offering cosmetics and consumables that can be purchased using real money.

Throne and Liberty Lucent

Marketplace Dynamics

In the marketplace of Throne and Liberty, Lucent serves as the primary currency. Here, you can purchase various base gear pieces, recipes, and materials essential for crafting.

Similar to the mechanics in BDO, these gear pieces are initially in their basic form and require enhancement later on. However, unlike BDO, each gear piece in Throne and Liberty comes with randomized traits. This means that acquiring or crafting multiple pieces of the same gear can prove advantageous but comes with significant costs.

To illustrate, players have the option to transfer traits from a base gear piece to an upgraded version of the same gear using Sollant. This system is designed to be an endgame gearing mechanism. At present, drawing comparisons between this system and others, like the one in Metin 2, seems inaccurate.

Metin 2 features a rollable bonus system that significantly impacts various aspects of the game and offers a wider range of bonuses to reroll. Importantly, the gameplay in Throne and Liberty has not been restricted based on these stats. While having fully maxed out traits can provide substantial benefits, particularly in PvP scenarios, the impact is somewhat mitigated by the predominant zerg fest nature of main PvP content. In essence, fully maxed out gear has minimal effect in these situations.

Thus far, this system has not significantly altered the player base’s experience, and it is not anticipated to do so until the late game, where min-maxing becomes more prevalent with the availability of legendary gear and traits.

Throne and Liberty Marketplace Dynamics

Bottlenecks

In any MMORPG featuring a marketplace, bottlenecks are strategically implemented to hinder users with excessive currency from advancing without engaging in gameplay.

Currently, in Korea, Sollant poses a significant bottleneck, hindering players from smoothly transitioning to cash-off. While numerous methods exist for acquiring large sums of Sollant, many of them do not involve active gameplay but instead rely on utilizing the marketplace, which demands premium currency.

This situation swiftly escalates into a problem as players realize that although Lucent can be earned through regular gameplay, the alternative of spending countless hours grinding for gear or delving into open-world dungeons hardly appeals to the average casual player seeking enjoyment.

Growth Stones operate similarly, contributing to the bottlenecking of progression. Although they can be obtained through in-game activities, the quantities available are often meager. Consequently, players may opt to bypass the grinding process by purchasing select materials for crafting Growth Stones using Lucent in the marketplace.

This reliance on premium currency for virtually all gear upgrades underscores a significant issue within the game.

Death Mechanism

In Throne and Liberty, each death incurred in PvP or PvE results in a 5% loss of experience points (XP) and triggers a debuff stack. Accumulating 20 deaths increases this debuff stack, decreasing both damage output and movement speed by 10%.

Throne and Liberty Death Mechanism

For instance, if a player dies 40 times, the debuff escalates to 20%. However, XP loss due to death can be recovered within 10 days by visiting a restoration NPC. This can be achieved either through utilizing the three daily free restorations or exchanging XP for Sollant. Notably, the cost of restoration in Sollant rises in tandem with the amount of XP to be recovered, particularly at higher levels.

Moreover, the restoration mechanic doubles as a means to remove the debuff. For instance, to reduce two stacks to one, players must ensure their pending restorations are under 40. While restoration coins offer an alternative, it is crucial for players to exercise caution with Sollant spending, as it can lead to bottlenecks and exacerbate Pay to Win dynamics within the game.

F2P (Free To Play)

With all considerations accounted for, it's important to highlight that everything in Throne and Liberty can be obtained through gameplay alone. Additionally, concerning the previously mentioned traits, Throne and Liberty implements a Blessing or Pity system. Accumulating 500 Blessings ensures a 100% success chance when leveling up traits. This endgame system has not had a significant impact on gameplay or acted as a barrier to entry for players.

While the concept of a shared market currency may raise concerns for some, it's worth noting that purely Free-to-Play players have access to all Lucent items in the cash shop without spending any money. This ensures that cosmetics are not exclusive to paying players.

Moreover, the current state of large-scale PvP illustrates how minimal the impact of gear advantage truly is. Despite the potential for imbalance, particularly in matches involving 200 versus 200 players, gear advantage remains relatively insignificant. However, it's essential to monitor this aspect for future developments, as seen with PvP Guild Islands in Lost Ark, where gear significance shifted over time.

Conclusion

From an objective standpoint, Pay to Win elements exist in Throne and Liberty. While investing real money does confer strength, it does not disrupt gameplay entirely.

Nevertheless, Free-to-Play players may feel disheartened by the presence of "whales" who can bypass the grind and access top-tier gear. This dynamic becomes more pronounced if Throne and Liberty adopts a system akin to Lost Ark, which continually introduces new gear and upgrades, potentially widening the gap over time.

Alternatively, a shift towards endgame optimizations providing marginal power differences could foster a healthier gaming environment, where Pay to Win elements serve as a flex or endgame objective rather than a necessity.

The westernization of Throne and Liberty offers promise, as seen with improvements made in Lost Ark's transition. If Pay to Win elements become even less conspicuous, there is reason to be optimistic about the game's reception in the West.

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