Unchained, the new version of the MMORPG ArcheAge, should no longer feature Pay2Win. But is this really the case? We at Mein-MMO have taken a closer look at the shop.
How is the shop structured? The new shop of the MMORPG ArcheAge Unchained, which is releasing on October 15, offers you rewards for two currencies:
- Diligence coins, which you can earn from the free Battle Pass.
- Credits, which you can purchase for real money.
750 Credits cost 5 Euros, with better exchange rates for money to credits available if you spend more.
In addition to the free Battle Pass, there are also paid passes. For these, you pay 1,500 Credits, or about 10 Euros.
Where does the shop information come from? We at Mein-MMO have already gained access to the test server of ArcheAge Unchained. There we examined the shop.
Changes are naturally possible before the release of Unchained, though the shop in its current form resembles what was promised to us at Gamescom.
Only cosmetic content for real money?
What can you get for credits? In addition to the Battle Pass, you can purchase the following items for credits:
- Chests for instruments, music pieces, and furniture – each 1,275 credits.
- Various costumes that do not contain any attributes – between 1,850 and 5,850 credits.
- Various pets that cannot fight – each 1,675 credits.
- Two gliders that only have cosmetic effects – each 5,850 credits.
- Six furniture items for housing, including a chest with 100 storage slots. No item for regenerating work points included – each 1,675 credits.
None of the items fall into the Pay2Win category. Even Pay2Convenience, meaning paying for useful items like bag or bank slots that do not provide direct gameplay advantages, has almost disappeared.
What is included in the paid Battle Pass? In addition to the shop, there is also a paid Battle Pass. However, this is also currently free of Pay2Win.
Depending on the selected pass, you will receive
- New cosmetic content like costumes or individual skins.
- Special content such as dance styles or titles.
- Potions that grant you 1,000 crafting badges or 1,000 honor points. Honor points can be earned through quests (between 400 and 1,000 for high-level quests) and crafting badges can also be collected through challenges and quests.
The advantage of the premium pass is that you apparently can complete one more mission per day. This also results in faster progress in the free passes.
Free Battle Pass includes old Pay2Win items
What is behind the free pass? Through the free pass, you can earn items that fall into the Pay2Win category, including:
- Potions that restore work points.
- Boosts that increase your earned honor points from quests.
- Boosts that increase loot drop rates.
In total, there are, at least according to the test server, four passes for the third and fourth quarters of ArcheAge Unchained. One, the general pass, is available permanently and the premium variant only costs gold.
The other three are time-limited and offer the premium version for 10 Euros.
What can you get for diligence coins? Diligence coins are another reward that can only be earned through the free passes. For these, you receive:
- Various boosts.
- Items that increase the chance of successful upgrades of equipment.
- Items for changing gender.
- Tax assessments and fuel.
- Content for housing.
- Weapon skins.
A single hint of Pay2Win
What is the conclusion from the shop? The contents of ArcheAge Unchained apparently truly forgo any form of Pay2Win. Neither in the shop nor in the paid Battle Passes can one find items that provide gameplay advantages on the test server.
The only downside could be the one additional mission through the premium Battle Pass. This could allow you to complete the free Battle Pass faster and gain faster access to the boosts and other advantages from it.
However, since we could not purchase a premium pass on the test server, the release will show whether this represents a significant advantage or not. Along with Unchained, Update 6.0 with new class specialization and Battle Royale at sea will also arrive.
Recently, another Buy2Play MMORPG, Astellia, was released alongside ArcheAge Unchained. Which of the two games suits you better?
