Throne and Liberty introduces new rune system with random factor in Korea, players fear Pay2Win

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NCSoft has introduced a new rune system for the Korean version of Throne and Liberty, which revives the old Pay2Win discussions. MeinMMO summarizes the most important things about the feature.

What is this new feature? After the comprehensive “Leap” update of the Korean version of the MMORPG in July, the developers of Throne and Liberty have now presented the contents of the August patch. This includes a new rune system. It works as follows:

  • The new dungeon challenge “Dimensional Challenge” (comparable to Mythic Plus dungeons from WoW, which also offer an increasing level of difficulty) rewards with jewels that can be socketed into equipment pieces to increase attack, defense or support values.
  • There are exactly these three types of runes: red attack runes, blue defense runes and yellow support runes.
  • Runes that offer the same value can be fused together to create stronger versions of the runes.
  • Synergy effects can also be activated via the runes used, based on the type of runes used.
  • By being able to upgrade runes gradually, even less experienced players should have the chance to farm high-level runes by completing the first eleven levels of “Dimensional Challenge” (which should still be quite accessible).
  • Runes should also be able to be earned in other ways, such as through world events.
  • Runes can be destroyed to obtain rune fragments (a level 1 rune gives about one to three fragments). With 100 fragments you can create a rune hammer.
  • You need rune hammers to unlock the sockets on pieces of equipment (for weapons you even need two rune hammers per socket). The random factor decides which rune type you can put in the respective socket.
  • By investing more rune hammers, you can roll the dice again to determine the type of socket, with the cost depending on the number of reset attempts (so you always have to use more rune hammers for a reset).

    • The Guitarist562 shows in a video on YouTube how the system works in practice.

    The release date trailer gets you in the mood for the launch of Throne and Liberty:

    Throne and Liberty: New trailer reveals release date, introduces the fantasy world Solisium

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    Worried look towards Korea

    How does the community react to this system? On Reddit, the community is already discussing the new system extensively. Two areas of the feature are viewed particularly critically:

  • The potential Pay2Win/Pay2Progress factor: Rune hammers can be purchased via the in-game shop. Those who invest real money should reach their goal much faster.
  • The random factor: If you want to use the best possible rune combinations and synergies on your equipment, you have to get lots of rune hammers and even more runes.

    • Some players of the Korean version are said to have already spent hundreds of dollars on streams to buy Rune Hammers, with some very different results for character progression. Those who don’t put money into the shop and are unlucky in unlocking sockets will probably spend a lot of time in the new “Dimensional Challenge” dungeons instead.

    Group challenges are the bread and butter of Throne and Liberty.

    How does MeinMMO editor Karsten Scholz rate the new feature? If the rune system ends up in the western version of Throne and Liberty in exactly this form, criticism is, in my opinion, absolutely justified. As soon as the random factor affects character strength and real money investments are involved, developers cross a line.

    However, I would like to stress at this point that Amazon Games has already adapted various critical mechanics and systems from the Korean version of the MMORPG for the western port. In the open beta, the payment model for Throne and Liberty was comparatively fair. I therefore expect that there will also be corresponding adjustments to the rune system for the West.

    What do I need to know about Throne and Liberty? NCSoft’s new MMORPG, Throne and Liberty, will be released on September 17, 2024. As already mentioned, the launch in the West will be handled by Amazon Games, which has already gained some experience with New World and Lost Ark.

    You can expect an online role-playing game that wants to focus on the “Massively” from “Massively Multiplayer Online Role-Playing Game”. In addition to the usual quests, there are mainly huge PvP battles, sieges and guild activities. You can find out more details here: Throne and Liberty – Everything you need to know about release, classes, gameplay, crossplay, payment model, early access, platforms

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