As in the predecessor, in Borderlands 3, the valuable material Eridium will be freely accessible in the game. This means that the third installment of the loot shooter also has no premium currency, which makes players happy. Gearbox is thus going against the trend of many online games in 2019 that opted for excessive monetization.
On September 13, Borderlands 3 will launch. The long-awaited sequel to the loot shooter kept fans waiting for 7 years. Now Borderlands 3 is just around the corner and will not feature premium currency or loot boxes.
Most items in Borderlands 3 will be purchasable with in-game currency and the valuable material Eridium. Only some cosmetics and DLCs will be sold separately for real money by Gearbox. Thus, Gearbox remains with the monetization model they already used in previous parts of Borderlands.
Eridium – no premium currency
What is Eridium? Eridium is a material left behind by the alien race of the Eridians. It was discovered with the opening of the chamber and serves as an important currency in Borderlands 2.
What can I buy in Borderlands 3 with Eridium? In the third installment, you can acquire cosmetic items on the black market using Eridium. Additionally, there are vending machines with changing weapons that must also be paid for with Eridium.
How was it in the predecessor? In Borderlands 2, you could purchase backpack or ammunition upgrades on the black market with Eridium. In the third installment, this will be possible with the in-game currency Dollars.
What makes it special compared to other games?
Borderlands 3 comes without an all-pervasive premium currency like in other games. Most cosmetic changes that you can only obtain for real money in other games are freely obtainable in Borderlands 3.
The manufacturer also refrains from the once-popular loot boxes (among developers). These are boxes that may contain random items. Thus, developers could have made serious money, as some believe on Reddit:
It would have been an easy cash grab.
The1Ski on Reddit
In Borderlands 3, there are still additional ways to obtain extra content. On the one hand, this is possible through golden keys and Borderlands VIP points. How this works will be explained here:
Get cool skins for Borderlands 3 now – It takes only 15 minutes
How does the community react?
Players are glad that there is no premium currency. Many have even purchased one of the more expensive Deluxe editions of Borderlands 3 to support the game additionally:
I’ll be happy to support the game with my money
wishlish on Reddit
Some also say that this should be the norm in purchased games:
It shouldn’t be celebrated, it should be expected
HectorCruzSuarez on Reddit
But as we know, it is not the norm for full-price titles today to lack premium currency.
Borderlands 3 focuses on “light microtransactions” and DLCs
This is what makes it special: As players note, it would have been very easy for Borderlands 3 to make Eridium a premium currency. The mechanics and cosmetic items are already there.
Even before the release, it was said about Borderlands 3 that they did not want to have these “excessive Free2Play” microtransactions, but only “light microtransactions for cosmetics.”
Otherwise, Borderlands 3 will likely earn its money in the classic way, through the sale of the base game and the DLCs.
How much time you will need to invest in the story of Borderlands 3 will be explained here:
