Tarisland had a lot of hype surrounding it, and we had to give the Closed Beta Test a try. The beta kicked off on November 15, and content unlocked across seven days of testing. I had the chance to jump into most of the content that is available right now and I have to say that there is some promise to the core gameplay. However, the monetization and Vigor (stamina) system has major red flags that need to be addressed before it gets my approval.
As always, these are impressions of Tarisland’s very early stages of development, and things are subject to change. My experience with the game was primarily with the Phantom Necromancer, and I delved into both Normal and Elite dungeons and raids that are available in the CBT.
Early Game Impressions
The beta was a fairly relaxed experience, thanks to the server cap. The server capped player levels, and some light questing and dungeons were more than enough to stay at the level cap. A stamina system called Vigor limits how much you can craft. This is something that a lot of mobile games have adopted to make players log into the game regularly instead of burning through content and quitting after a few days. You need to spend your Vigor regularly, and if you are overcapped you will lose out on things you can craft.
I am not fond of this system, and I have a gripe with this system in every game it is implemented in. It is an indirect timegate that hinders player progression. If you have free time only on the weekends, you should be able to go through the entire week’s content in one go.
Tarisland has quite a few classes in development including Barbarian, Ranger, Necromancer, Mage, and the other standard classes that you would find in most games. None of the classes stood out in particular.
After the initial few days of playing, Elite difficulty content opened up, and aside from higher HP pools, not much changed. By the end of the closed beta, I was reasonably happy with the core gameplay but it didn’t hook me enough to recommend it in its current state. Of course, the game is still in its closed beta testing phases, and there are likely to be changes to the gameplay systems that could make it more enjoyable.
Dungeons and Raids are Lackluster
Tarisland has in-game guides that go over the raid mechanics so if you are stuck you can always check the official guides out. The raids themselves seem a little too simplistic. Your basic attacks are automated and there is very little micromanagement involved which makes the fights a lot less engaging than what I’d like them to be. During the beta, here are the endgame activities that were available:
- Library of Chaos (Dungeon)
- Camp Carlyan (Dungeon)
- Forest Alter (Dungeon)
- Merfolk Swamp (Elite)
- Botanical Garden (Dungeon)
- Battle of Ancash (Raid)
- Root of Corrosion (Raid)
The Ancash raid is what I spent most of my time in. It starts off with a mini-boss and leads up to some trash mob clearing and ends with a final boss. Players can clear the raids in a matter of minutes.
Monetization Breakdown
The premium currency in Tarisland is “Crystals’ which you can buy in denominations of $1 to $100 USD. You can spend Crystals on cosmetics, and in-game items, or buy gold. With all of the game’s marketing talking about how non-P2W the game is going to be, I will take the developers’ word on that for now.
The Benefits Card is similar to the subscription model we have in MMOs. You get more reputation, reduced tax rates at the Trade Center, and other gameplay benefits. This was an immense red flag for many, and we will go over the issue in-depth in the next section. Many expect the Benefits Cards to be available either monthly or seasonally but there has yet to be an official word on it.
Anything that is listed on the Auction House can be purchased or sold. You can buy gear that you want from the Auction House and it is something that many will be unhappy about. Despite mentioning that player power will not be accessible through the game’s monetization, there are red flags surrounding it. The devs responded to the controversy and you can read more on that below.
Dev Response to the Pay-to-Win Controversy
Tarisland slathered its marketing literature as a “No Pay-to-Win MMO” ahead of its CBT release, and as soon as the beta dropped, players were not too happy with what they were seeing. The CBT Benefits card was heavily criticized for offering gold, removing item listing fees, and more.
Players quickly discovered that acquiring gold via paying money would allow them to transfer gold and essentially ruin the in-game economy. Fortunately for the players, Tarisland developers addressed the controversy and promised that there would be no sale of items that impact game balance. They also clarified that all items sold in the Auction House would be player-priced and circulated. There will also be measures in place to restrict gold farming to ensure the economy does not go out of hand.
Should You Be Excited for Tarisland?
Tarisland has a lot going for it, and if we look through the lens of a mobile game, it’s actually a decent title that might hook you in if you want to play casually. But if you are looking for a game to sink your teeth into and play long-term I would not recommend it as your primary game. We have all been waiting for the “next big MMO” and in its current state, Tarisland is far from fitting that criteria. The monetization and VIgor system are by far the two worst offenders that steered me away from recommending the game. If both issues are addressed, I would recommend picking the game up on mobile when it releases.
