Nothing new with this one. You need to spend about 300$ RL cash to have anything decent.

When will Asia and Korea learn that these games suck and turn alot of euro and American playerbases off?

And I'm 100% positive you've never played this game.

Originally posted by Bonemane

And I'm 100% positive you've never played this game.

you must not play on a pvp server......  I have played it to higher lvl and longer than you .

As opposed to a £10/$15 a month Western grinder?

Originally posted by Mahlo

As opposed to a £10/$15 a month Western grinder?

$15 / mo makes for a more balanced gameplay experience versus the item mall model, and anyone with a stable income can afford it. Item malls tend not to be well-received in the North American market.

This might be why...

If everyone can get the same stuff while paying only $15 per month, the difference between players is only time investment and the friends you have. Everyone has access to everything.
That's socialistic and viewed as very fair by a majority of Americans.

The official item malls give an unfair advantage to the richer folks that play, as all equipment in those shops are exclusive. Only the rich can play with good toys.
That's capitalistic and and viewed as very unfair by a majority of Americans.

Ironic, I think.

Just say no to supposedly free to play games.

Originally posted by Plasuma!!!

Originally posted by Mahlo

As opposed to a £10/$15 a month Western grinder?

 

$15 / mo makes for a more balanced gameplay experience versus the item mall model, and anyone with a stable income can afford it. Item malls tend not to be well-received in the North American market.

This might be why...

If everyone can get the same stuff while paying only $15 per month, the difference between players is only time investment and the friends you have. Everyone has access to everything.
That's socialistic and viewed as very fair by a majority of Americans.

The official item malls give an unfair advantage to the richer folks that play, as all equipment in those shops are exclusive. Only the rich can play with good toys.
That's capitalistic and and viewed as very unfair by a majority of Americans.

Ironic, I think.

Except the item mall in this game doesn't sell equipment. The OP in this thread is just trying to use the "item mall" scare tactic just because he knows on the mmorpg.com forums it will work.

If you look at all the other posts on these forums complaining about the item mall in this game. You'll see that everyone complained about one thing and one thing ONLY and that is the fact that you can buy charms that refill your hp/mp automatically which you can also buy from other players without having to even access the item mall. Even the pvp server guys only complained about pots not equipment. The OP is bluffing and most likely hasn't played the game.

Originally posted by Shard101

Nothing new with this one. You need to spend about 300$ RL cash to have anything decent.

 

When will Asia and Korea learn that these games suck and turn alot of euro and American playerbases off?

I’ve heard many boasting of spending higher amounts and there has been at least one case of $1000.

I think I will stick to subscriptions or one off payments like GW.
 

Originally posted by Plasuma!!!

Originally posted by Mahlo

As opposed to a £10/$15 a month Western grinder?

That's capitalistic and and viewed as very unfair by a majority of Americans.

Ironic, I think.

That's a hilarious statement regarding Americans, the land of capitalism.  75% of the worlds wealth concentrated into 5% of the worlds population, and you say Americans view capitalism as unfair?

Actually, I'm in agreement with BoneMane.  I've been playing PWI for about 3 months now, casually with my wife.  I find the item shop much improved over other F2P/ItemMall games I've played.  The main reason for this is that you can't buy high-end equipment to make your character uber.  Keeping your character loaded with charms or with xp bonus scrolls purchased from the item shop simply accellerates the level grind, but doesn't bypass it.  It turns into a choice for the player: time investment or money investment.

 I have been playing this game off and on for years, I love it.  It's one I find myself missing, because of the beautiful scenery.  There are times when the long travel times get old, but I'm cheap.  As for the item mall??????  No one should have to spend any money whatsoever.  If you arn't lazy, and not afraid to harvest materials here and there, and sell em.  I always had plenty of money, and could buy cash shop items ingame for in game currency.  Never had to spend a dime.  However I chose to spend money on a better ride, and storage extension which you keep for good.  So,  not sure where you get your information, but it is TOTALLY BOGUS!

I agree with OP. It's just a stupid grinder. I've been playing for 4 months, basically you are forced to use cash shop if you want to go anywhere. Also at the guy that said they don't sell equipment. Yes they don't sell equipment, they sell items that makes equipment 10 times better. What a difference! If you don't play a venomancer the game forces you to buy hierograms at later levels because it's impossible to level up without them. They don't come that cheap either. This game has one of the worst item malls I saw.

Only thing you do in this game is do same quests every time (kill 100 xxx) and at later levels theres only grind. Grind and grind for hours never to reach max level.

Originally posted by Plasuma!!!

Originally posted by Mahlo

As opposed to a £10/$15 a month Western grinder?

 

$15 / mo makes for a more balanced gameplay experience versus the item mall model, and anyone with a stable income can afford it. Item malls tend not to be well-received in the North American market.

This might be why...

If everyone can get the same stuff while paying only $15 per month, the difference between players is only time investment and the friends you have. Everyone has access to everything.
That's socialistic and viewed as very fair by a majority of Americans.

The official item malls give an unfair advantage to the richer folks that play, as all equipment in those shops are exclusive. Only the rich can play with good toys.
That's capitalistic and and viewed as very unfair by a majority of Americans.

Ironic, I think.

Very interesting analysis. kudos to you. However, i personally like item mall for it does give options for people who don' t have a lot of time to play games. I think may be game developers should looking into what items should be sold in item malls. Items do not impact game balance like items would change look of armors we already have(no change in stats). I don't mind better looking mounts in item mall either. Absolutely no weapons or items that will upgrade weapons. 

If you look at all the other posts on these forums complaining about the item mall in this game. You'll see that everyone complained about one thing and one thing ONLY and that is the fact that you can buy charms that refill your hp/mp automatically which you can also buy from other players without having to even access the item mall. Even the pvp server guys only complained about pots not equipment. The OP is bluffing and most likely hasn't played the game.

Except the item mall in this game doesn't sell equipment. The OP in this thread is just trying to use the "item mall" scare tactic just because he knows on the mmorpg.com forums it will work.

If you have played the game, I am all ears. I am downloading the game and eager to know what old players think of this game.

Originally posted by Serria

If you look at all the other posts on these forums complaining about the item mall in this game. You'll see that everyone complained about one thing and one thing ONLY and that is the fact that you can buy charms that refill your hp/mp automatically which you can also buy from other players without having to even access the item mall. Even the pvp server guys only complained about pots not equipment. The OP is bluffing and most likely hasn't played the game.

Except the item mall in this game doesn't sell equipment. The OP in this thread is just trying to use the "item mall" scare tactic just because he knows on the mmorpg.com forums it will work.

If you have played the game, I am all ears. I am downloading the game and eager to know what old players think of this game.

My opinion, without commenting on the item mall:

Not bad at low lvls. But that'll soon change, and turns into one of the most boring grinders out there. Running long distances between quest areas and quest givers, and grind - that's about all you do. Sorry, but his game is a piece of crap, and that won't change.

Thanks Netspook. That doesn't look good. I will keep it in mind.  

Originally posted by zone16

I agree with OP. It's just a stupid grinder. I've been playing for 4 months, basically you are forced to use cash shop if you want to go anywhere. Also at the guy that said they don't sell equipment. Yes they don't sell equipment, they sell items that makes equipment 10 times better. What a difference! If you don't play a venomancer the game forces you to buy hierograms at later levels because it's impossible to level up without them. They don't come that cheap either. This game has one of the worst item malls I saw.

Only thing you do in this game is do same quests every time (kill 100 xxx) and at later levels theres only grind. Grind and grind for hours never to reach max level.

Actually if you bothered to look around you would see like a bunch of other people have said, that you don't have to buy ANYTHING from the item malls because you can buy everything from other players including mall gold. You only need a charm if you play on a PVP server or don't know how to play smart and just attack everything until you die like all the other noobs that play MMOs (most of which "think" they know what their doing when they really don't.)

The problems with most of the guys complaining about the charms/hierograms is that they don't know how to make/manage money and therefore can't afford one which is why they whine about them being expensive. I don't get it since thousands of other players seem to get along fine, not to mention by level 30 I had made over 1.5 mil easy with my Blademaster and I never played the game before so I don't understand why people complain about costs when its rather easy to make money. Also, unless you're 60+ or a tank if you buy a gold hp charm you'd have to die atleast 100 times before you have to buy another charm so its not like you'll be buying them left and right. MP charms might go faster, but they last awhile as well. If you use a charm before level 60 they should last you until you're at or over level 60 unless you're completely incompetent or a hardcore pvper.

Maybe if you learned how to play the game instead of pulling out your wallet everytime something got a little difficult you would have a better experience?

Owned!

couldn't have put it better myself

I've played this game since last October. Total expenditure in the Cash Shop since then, $100 US. That's about $17 a month.

I could have done without the mount that cost $20. It's a bit over-rated and ungainly. My quest given Manta flyer is good enough and the other races have their flyers as well that are quest rewards.

The other $80 was spent on HP/MP Charms - still have the originals at LV63, I'm a cautious player.

I also bought some Angels (prevent item and XP loss) still have a few, and storage/pet slot expansions. Yes, I play a Venomancer.

From reading the official site forums extensively since October I can tell you that;

1) If you're the sort of player who MUST get to the top and worry about ladders/rankings - then the Cash Shop might bother you.  Also if you are a run, slash and hack player who doesn't strategize - then you just might come to grief in high-aggro areas or their very tough dungeons (FBs) >:-D 

 
2) If you play the PvP server, then I understand the Cash Shop Charms and Angels are a must or it's just a very unpleasant experience. Lot of ganking on there from what I've read. (I detest PvP so don't KNOW, but anyone can read their forums).

BUT - you can play on one of the three PvE servers and forgo the two PvP servers. You're costs can be zero then as you don't necessarily need the Cash Shop since so many of the items are sold by players in-game at Player Shops AND at the Auction House.

 
3) Additionally they sell a lot of unnecessary  vanity items in the Cash Shop, so if you have the money and like to show off, then you can buy fashion; and mounts that really aren't any better than the cheap ones, they just have different art. If you covet crap like that then you're going to be unhappy in PWI unless you're willing to pay.

Of course, players DO sell their fashion and other vanity items in-game as mentioned in #2.

Unlike PW's other game - ESO - this one is completely playable without cash. 

You just have to figure out how to make game gold and there are plenty of player advices on that that work in the official site forums.

 
You know I wonder, whenever I consider playing a game I see if I can dig around and read in their forums first to see if it's a good fit. Doesn't anyone else do that?

Then quit this game now.

Do not go back to WoW.

Start up games other then MMO's until one of the newer quality games comes out

So they made the game boring on purpose to make you buy items in the mall. Well it does make sense, doesnt it? From a business perspective. Just have to wonder about the players who proudly state that they dont buy items from the ingame mall and actually can swallow this shallow crap.

Itemmall MMO's rarely have interesting stories/quests. Its all about getting your next lvl/item. No challenge in encounter, lack of interesting combat mechanics, just spent time and killing counters. Apparently lot of players have hamsterDNA for liking these kind of running mills. Oh well, to each their own.
 

I have to agree with the item mall being completley necessary once you get to the higher levels, also some items really ruin the pvp and make the tank almost invulnerable... I was like 126 warrior and archer I think (played on the real server then a private server to see the new patches to come) any ways It really is necessary if you ever get to level 80 or so, but that will take like a year...

Sorry to say but in my experience playing this game, I haven't been forced to buy a single item from the cash shop.  Those who say otherwise are either idiots, or haven't even really played the game.

"grind" has got to be the most overused term in the sadly tired dreck that passes for MMO discourse.

"grind" is basically defined as "whatever I dont like"

Its moronic.  If someone wants/needs to hate  a game, they will say it is "a grind".  When asked what ISNT a grind, they will either talk about their own grand, pie in the sky, Star Trek holodeck fantasy MMO of the future that wont exist in our lifetime, or they will point to whatever game THEY happen to love which, not coincidentally, has 100000 people claiming IT is a mindless grind.

I love WoW, EQ2, CoH, VG and even my memories of EQ1.  Those are probably my MMO career high points.  To a lesser extent I  enjoyed DAoC, LoTRO, EVE, DDO, MO,  SWG,  and AoC.    I even got my toe in the water on WAR, a bunch of the free ones and, back in the day, UO, AO, AC, AC2, Horizons, SB, DnL, L2 etc.

With NO EXCEPTIONS... ALL OF THESE have been referred to by SOME armchair genius as "mindless grinders" at one time or another.  Its just an utterly usless critique but I suspect it will just NEVER go away.

Anything YOU dont enjoy doing YOU will define as a grind and YOU will feel that the whole world MUST agree.  But the whole world will NOT agree.  Some will and some will think you're an idiot.  In turn, what THEY feel is a "grind" YOU may love.  This isnt so hard.  Why are people so incapable of comprehending this and moving on?

VERY similar with "item malls".  Any "problem" with it exists in your OWN head.  The ONLY exception is if there are items that given huge advantage in PvP and are ONLY available from "the mall".  I cant think of one example where a game has done that though (even the asian mall based games)

Playing w/o spending real cash is possible but hard. You can actually buy gold for both $ and coins (the in game money), which means that you can use item mall without spending a cent. Of course you need to have a lot of in game money to afford some item from item mall and – by doing quests, and grinding - you will never have enough coins to do that (charming F2P mechanics), and you are condemned to grind inefficiently; to move like a snail (very fast mounts cost not less than 20 gold (20$)); to use crappy weapons with low dmg (which can be increased if you spend at least 20$) and so on. You literally suck in every possible way.
 

There is no weapon to buy in IM, but those who buy gold for real cash can easily sell it to other players and for obtained coins buy powerful weapons and gear.
 

Probably almost everybody who play/ed that game would agree with what I wrote above.
 

However!
 

I’m in the middle of game, I use imba weapons, I can actually buy anything I want in IM and from the very beginning till now I didn’t spend any $!
The in game market is very developed. There is personal trading as well as stalls and auction house. It gives you a lots of possibility to earn coins. Generally: 1$ = 1gold = 100.000 coins, and by only trading goods I can earn like 500.000 coins/5gold a day.
 

As for me trading is the funniest part of PW. I know the names of almost every item in this game, and can give you the lowest price you can buy and highest prize for which you can eventually sell an item. If you also like that kind of things then PW can really be quiet perfect home for you.
 

The presence of IM makes it even better because there is another goal in the game: to beat those who made their way easier by spending 4534087 dollars a year.