Throne and Liberty
Developer: NCSoft | Platform: PC, PlayStation 5, Xbox Series | Release Date: October 1, 2024 | Model: Free2Play | Combat System: Tab-Targeting or Action
What kind of game is this? The new MMORPG from NCSoft (Aion, Guild Wars, Lineage) was originally planned as Lineage Eternal and was supposed to feature an isometric perspective. Due to the extremely critical feedback from testers, a years-long overhaul followed starting in 2017, and ultimately the name was changed to Throne and Liberty.
In its current form, T&L places an unusual emphasis on the “Massively” in “Massively Multiplayer Online Role-Playing Game” for modern online role-playing games.
- You can encounter more characters in the game world than you would in many other MMORPGs.
- Many contents are aimed at guilds – those who want to get the most out of the MMORPG should join a community of like-minded individuals.
- Many of the group and raid challenges have a (partially optional) PvP element.
- Servers and technology are designed to bring many characters together in a region without noticeable performance drops.
Additionally notable is the focus that T&L places on its own game world. Thanks to animal forms and grappling hooks, you move very dynamically through the regions, everywhere you find quest givers and secrets. Moreover, the game world reacts dynamically to weather and environmental influences as well as the time of day.
By the way, you do not need a Game Pass Core or PlayStation Plus membership for Throne and Liberty. Additionally, the MMORPG will be released with a Free2Play payment model in the West. So just trying it out is easily possible.
The launch trailer for Throne and Liberty:
Thanks to official numbers, it is known that Amazon Games and NCSoft welcomed more than three million registered players in Solisium during the western launch of Throne and Liberty.
Also clear, thanks to websites like steamdb.info: The all-time high (from the first launch weekend) is 336,300 simultaneous active Steam users. In the following days, the new MMORPG regularly registered more than 250,000 players on Steam. In addition, T&L fans play on PlayStation 5 or Xbox Series.
Who is this interesting for? Anyone interested in an MMORPG that focuses heavily on guild and raid content with hundreds and sometimes even more than 1,000 players should definitely try Throne and Liberty. Just moving through the game world, questing, leveling up, and participating in events while other player characters are everywhere is a great feeling.
Additionally, fresh online role-playing games from experienced studios like NCSoft are becoming rare. Discovering a new MMORPG together with a large community is always something special. All the more so because Throne and Liberty has also been released on consoles.
Is there a catch? Throne and Liberty is struggling with the two concerns anticipated beforehand: bots and monetization. Due to the free-to-play model, the barrier for creating new accounts is very low. At the same time, there is a profit incentive for bots since the auction house is closely tied to the real money currency Luzent.
Regarding monetization, players can gain a noticeable advantage in character progression by purchasing the real money currency Luzent. Although this advantage decreases over time since everything important can also be earned in-game. With the next tier level expected in the first quarter of 2025, the gap between free-to-play players and real-money investors is likely to widen again.
Is it worth starting in 2026? Throne and Liberty has been out for more than a year now. As a result, player numbers are significantly lower than at launch. It is unclear how many of these are bots. What is clear, however, is that the developers, in collaboration with Amazon Games, regularly release updates to deliver new content and fix current issues.
Despite the long development time, the game is a success for NCsoft: Throne and Liberty was long the unloved stepchild of NCsoft, but now the creators are revealing for the first time how much money the MMORPG has made.
Was your favorite MMORPG in this list? Or can you recommend other games? Do you have any insider tips regarding MMORPGs? Or have you been playing one of the games on this list for years and can particularly recommend it? Then let us know here on MeinMMO in the comments and discuss it with other players from the community.
