In Throne & Liberty, there is a singular auction house that can be accessed by any player, at any time, and from any location. The catch is, however, that the auction house in Throne & Liberty only uses the premium currency called Lucent, which can be purchased from the cash shop at around $10 for 500. I’m sure many individuals who haven’t tried the game or don’t quite understand the system have accused the auction house of being a blatant form of pay-to-win, but I have a completely different perspective.
In most modern MMORPGs, even those that still have monthly subscriptions, there’s a way to buy additional currency or game tokens that can be converted into currency. For example, let’s take a look at World of Warcraft. This is one of the most popular MMORPGs to ever exist, it requires a subscription, and yet players can still buy subscription tokens and sell them to other players for gold. That gold can then be used to buy powerful items, or even dungeon/raid runs from other players in hopes of obtaining endgame gear.
I can already see the arguments forming in your head, “but in World of Warcraft, you can earn gold by playing.” Thankfully, it’s the same case in Throne & Liberty. The biggest difference is that enemies don’t drop Lucent on the ground, but instead players need to level up life skills or extract equipment traits to sell to other players for Lucent. It’s not all that hard and many non-paying players have found ways to make thousands of Lucent already.
Now, I will completely admit that if a Throne & Liberty player has unlimited funds at their disposal, there is an aspect of pay-to-win. If the items are available on the auction house, a player could theoretically buy every piece of gear that they need for endgame and level up their traits. That being said, that’s not much different than current ‘premium’ MMOs, and because players are willing to do that, it means farming gear can be very lucrative for everyone in the game.
One of the most important factors is that Lucent is the only true premium currency in Throne & Liberty. Technically, Ornate Coins are also used in the shop, but they can only be obtained from drops in-game or as compensation after maintenance. This is important because even players who never spend a dime on the game can use the Lucent they earn to purchase premium items, such as skins, special Amitoi, and most importantly, the Battle Pass. The Battle Pass contains most of the aforementioned, enhancing materials, and a shop full of crafting or cooking materials that can be used to make even more Lucent.
From an in-game economics standpoint, the systems behind the auction house also create item rarity and scarcity, which rewards players who consistently grind and those who get lucky with super rare drops. In Throne & Liberty, most epic items are bound to a character once picked up or crafted. The value comes from turning those items into lithographs (blueprints) for other players to craft or extracting their traits, which can be used to improve gear, and selling them on the auction house.
However, crafted or dropped items have the rare chance to be unbound and be eligible to be sold directly on the auction house for a very high price. The same goes for crafted food and potions, and this chance increases based on the player’s cooking level, which rewards those who max out their professions. This means the marketplace isn’t flooded with low-valued food, and hitting a ‘great success’ often means you’ll earn a bit of Lucent.
Finally, while this system has its flaws, it protects players from even worse monetization systems that other MMOs have implemented. There is no difference between paid and free Lucent. There aren’t a dozen types of premium or semi-premium currency to keep track of or VIP tiers that give paying players passive or active bonuses, or gacha loot-box systems. Instead, at least you get exactly what you pay for, and as long as the economy stays health, most of that can be earned simply by playing the game.
