The open beta for the upcoming MMORPG Throne and Liberty is coming soon and developer NCSoft and publisher Amazon Games are sharing more details with players.
Throne and Liberty's release in the West is being seen as an opportunity for the MMORPG to redeem itself after experiencing a troubled past. Many players have wondered how, as a free game, its monetization system will play out and how expansive it would be.
Throne and Liberty Open Beta
(Photo : NCSoft, Amazon / Screenshot taken from official website)
While the overall consensus across the community has been positive, there is one factor that has received particular backlash; the inclusion of an auction house. Particularly, the issue revolves around the Lucent currency.
It was revealed that players will be able to earn this in-game but it will also be available for purchase via real money transactions. While that in itself doesn't raise any red flags, the use of the currency is what is being discussed.
Lucent is the only currency that players will be able to use in the auction house that will be featured in Throne and Liberty. And while it is earnable in-game, this means that people who have extra cash to spend can speed up the process of getting good gear, according to PCGamesN.
For some time now, players have known that this particular system will be making an appearance in the MMORPG. However, the exact way that it will be implemented as revealed by the developer has stirred up quite the debate.
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One user on X, formerly known as Twitter, posted, saying, "All of this just to say P2W," while another read, "Being able to buy lucent for Dollars enables people to just purchase the best gear from the auction House giving them a HUGE advantage over f2p Gamer. Very Bad idea."
Furthermore, NCSoft's update on the monetization system detailed how the game's early access will work. People who buy an Early Access Pack will be able to dive into Throne and Liberty's world five days earlier than the rest, said MassivelyOP.
Monetization System
The blog post by the developer and publisher also revealed that the MMORPG will feature three different currencies. The first is Lucent, obtainable both in-game and through real-life purchases. The second can be gotten through regular play while the third is an event currency for things like Twitch drops.
Additionally, there will be a one-time per-character buyable pass that will let players level up quickly on top of seasonal per-character battle passes that can be bought.
Throne and Liberty will be available on PC, PlayStation 5, and Xbox Series X/S when it launches. The game's open beta will also be available in many regions, including North America, Europe, South America, and Asia Pacific, according to OneEsports.
For those who want to get started right away when servers open, one thing to keep in mind is that PC and Xbox players will be able to pre-load the game on July 16, 2024, at 10:00 a.m. PT. On the other hand, PlayStation users will not be able to preload Throne and Liberty due to an unrevealed issue.
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