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Throne & Liberty has just released an article detailing their monetisation structure and business model, and it's got everyone talking. In this video, I break down the key points to help you understand whether this highly anticipated MMORPG is leaning towards pay-to-win or if it’s fair for all players. With its western release coming up in September 2024, now's the perfect time to get the inside scoop!
I've read through the official announcement so you don’t have to, and I'm here to share my thoughts and insights. Is Throne & Liberty setting a new standard, or is it another game where only the biggest spenders will dominate? Let's find out together!
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#TheTankClub #MMORPG #ThroneAndLiberty
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0:00
Hello everyone, I'm T.C. Lee. Welcome to the Tank Club
0:03
Today we're looking at is Throne and Liberty pay to win? So Throne and Liberty is geared up for its global launch in September
0:15
and Amazon Games just released an article detailing their plan, pay structure
0:20
an in-game store, and as a free-to-play RPG that's going to be available on PC
0:25
PlayStation and Xbox, Throne and Liberty has massive, like a massive, potential audience, especially since there are very few actual free MMOs on console
0:35
Naturally, this raises questions about whether the game is actually going to be pay to win
0:40
So let's dive into the details from Amazon Games to understand how Throne and Liberty is going to balance the monetization and gameplay fairness
0:47
So if we look at this article that they have posted onto X, Amazon and NCSoft have kind of outlined three guideline principles for Throne and Liberty's business model
0:57
So number one is like player self-expression, bringing out those cosmetics, those customisations, that's one of the main things
1:05
Number two, combat and power upgrades must be accessible by all players, so ensuring that all players, regardless of spending, can access essential gameplay upgrades
1:13
And then purchasing should feel rewarding, but not necessary. So in-game purchases are designed to enhance the experience, but not mandatory for that progression
1:22
So just to kind of recap everything that's discussed in this article, we've got the currency overview
1:27
So there's going to be three main currencies. Number one is Lucent. It's acquired through real money
1:32
So you buy this, you can get it from PVP events, the auction house. This is the premium currency that you use for in-game purchases
1:41
Then you've got Solent, which is earned through in-game activities used for crafting, upgrading, buying things from NPCs in the game
1:46
Then you've got ornamental coins obtained from in-game activities, promotional events, the free track of the Battle Pass. These can be spent on cosmetics and progression items
1:55
The concern really just centres around that Lucent. So this is a premium currency that you use in the auction house
2:01
That is both purchasing stuff and what you get for selling stuff
2:05
So players can buy items listed by others with Lucent which this includes gear This could potentially make the game feel pay to win because those who spend real money might acquire items much faster However it worth noting that free players can earn loosen by selling items on the auction house
2:22
So this kind of balances that dynamic somewhat. Some of the key points, though, only base level gear can be sold on the auction house, so it's not just everything, it's just that base gear
2:31
Top end gear must be earned through gameplay. So it's still remaining in a good strong point there
2:37
Gear from instant content can't be listed, so when you're doing raids or do you, dungeons you can't list that gear and players must engage with the game to enhance their gear to its highest level
2:45
so while spending money might give players access to gear faster it won't be the best gear or the enchantments
2:51
they will still require gameplay effort okay so moving on to the passes throne and liberty is offering
2:56
two types of passes you've got the leveling pass one-time purchase per character that provides
3:01
materials and items to enhance leveling it does not offer exclusive power-related items you've got the
3:07
battle pass which is a monthly purchase providing aesthetic rewards, crafting materials and in-game currency, it offers both a free and premium
3:15
reward, ensuring all players can get some kind of benefit. The leveling pass does seem designed for
3:21
an early game cash grab, encouraging players to level up faster, which might not be ideal at the
3:26
game's launch. I don't know why you would want a leveling pass for a brand new game. I could
3:31
understand it a year's time to help new players catch up when the game's a little bit older
3:35
but for a brand new game, why would you want people to skip ahead? So it's a bit of a cash grab, it is
3:39
is what it is. The battle passes are very similar to Amazon Games' other game, New World, where they
3:44
follow a very familiar model, so basic rewards on a free track with better rewards on a
3:49
premium track. Notably, these passes can be bought with Lucent, meaning that even free players
3:53
can earn them by participating within the auction house. So unlike New World, you can actually
3:59
buy the premium battle pass just by playing the game. If you sell items on the market, you
4:04
could earn Lucent to then buy the battle pass. When we look at the in-game store, the in-game store sells
4:09
loose for real money and various cosmetics. Importantly, purchased items are purely
4:14
aesthetical so they don't affect player power. This ensures that those kind of monetary purchases
4:19
focus on customization on design of your character rather than those gameplay advantages It kind of understandable This is the way that they going in some ways Now many people seem to think that if they just have a store with cosmetics this is going to be enough to fund the game This is a completely free game with no kind of premium membership
4:38
So just a cosmetic store isn't going to work. If we again look at other games that have done a similar
4:43
thing where they try to just fund the game through cosmetics, eventually it's just not enough
4:47
when there's no purchase fee and no sub-options. So these other things like battle passes start to creep in
4:53
Whereas they've just put this in straight from the get-go. Because I guess, especially with Amazon games learning from this experience with New World
4:59
they know that having a cosmetic store isn't going to be enough in the long term to keep funding this game
5:04
And New World has an upfront fee as well, whereas this game does not. Okay, moving on to the next part, this is where things get a bit sketchy for me
5:11
We've got the early access, which it gets a bit tricky at this point
5:16
So players can purchase an early access pack to gain up to five days of early access
5:20
Early access and launch servers will be separate. So like initially you'll have that bit of fairness there
5:25
No server transfers will mix items or players from different access periods until a specific time
5:30
You will be able to join these servers though, so it won't be a problem if you're kind of just starting the game late
5:35
It'll just mean you're at a real disadvantage. This will create a sense of FOMO, that fear of missing out
5:41
It will push people to pay for early access. So this is another one of those cash grabs
5:45
The leveling pass, the Early Access Pass, getting in there, two purchases that people are going to make
5:50
to make because they just want to be in there first, they want to be in there early, they want to be getting that early advantage. It does attempt to maintain fairness by keeping earlier and regular players
5:57
separate and giving people the option to still join these servers if you're in a guild, but like it's
6:02
not a nice feeling if you're kind of planned to join a guild or you've got a group of friends who
6:06
are starting the game, some of them get the early access, some don't, some are going to have that
6:10
early advantage, some are going to be ahead of the others. So it doesn't really make sense to split the
6:14
community, but at least they're not locked off from joining altogether. Then we've got kind of a
6:19
Detailed system overview. So weapon mastery cannot be increased through the auction house
6:24
Gear score requires growth stones which cannot be purchased directly. The key materials for crafting
6:29
these stones must be earned through gameplay. Skills require training books for skill
6:35
enchantments These are not available on the auction house and in gear traits the traits can be sold on the auction house via the trait extract but gear enchantments must be done through gameplay itself in terms of other stuff the controversial blessing of solistium from the korean version of
6:50
throne of liberty which offers significant advantages will not be available at launch in the western
6:55
release this indicates a commitment to avoid that pay to a mechanic at least initially it doesn't say
7:01
that they're preventing bringing that in at a later point it just says that they're looking at a way
7:05
that they can offer it and change it for the western player base. So I do expect to see this in the
7:10
future, maybe a changed version, but we can potentially expect to see that. So kind of in conclusion
7:16
Thrun Liberty aims to balance monetisation with fair gameplay. By reading this, that is how it seems
7:21
While the premium currency and items are available, the game does emphasize earning essential
7:26
progression items through in-game play. The inclusion of cosmetic-only purchases and player-driven
7:31
economy supports their commitment to avoiding that pay to win. Players will have to engage in the
7:35
game to advance so ensuring that there is somewhat of a level playing field. Things like
7:40
passes can be bought with that in-game currency and you'll be able to sell base gear and items on
7:45
the store. That will provide an early advantage for some players but generally the long-term benefit
7:51
is not really going to be there. There are a few cash gram items with the early access and the
7:55
level in pass but these are somewhat expected in a free-to-play no upfront purchase, no subscription
8:01
m-m-rpg. In summary war there are some elements that will give paying players
8:05
some slight edge, some minor advantage, the core progression and best gear is still going to require
8:12
dedicated gameplay, still going to need you to play the game, suggesting that kind of Amazon
8:17
and Throne and Liberty in general is striving to try and avoid that kind of truly pay-to-win
8:22
aspect. So Amazon, I've really worked with NCSoft to try and get it to a point where it's not
8:28
completely pay to win. I'd love to know what you guys think of this whole situation. Do you think
8:33
the game's pay to win? What are your major? concerns about Throne and Liberty, let me know in the comments below. Thank you very much for
8:39
watching and I'll see you next time. Bye-bye for now
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