There is no second chance for a good first impression. With this well-known motto, like many MMORPGs before it, now Throne and Liberty has to deal.
How does Throne and Liberty perform at launch? Already the early access phase was technically mixed, and this picture was also presented to players on launch night. Many interested players had trouble getting onto the servers or creating characters.
Some existing characters from early access had already disappeared, and some units of the real money currency Luzent are said to have vanished. Moreover, the server capacities at the beginning were so low that at times all European servers were locked for creating new characters.
The freshly released launch trailer of Throne and Liberty:
Community punishes problematic launch
How did Amazon Games react? The publisher opened additional servers at regular intervals and increased server capacities. There was also a maintenance phase for the European auction house to fix a problem located there.
As for other technical issues, there has only been the official notification that the developers are addressing certain bugs. Whether and when there will be solutions is currently unclear.
What impression does the community have? Even more mixed than during the also problematic early access. On Steam, the proportion of positive ratings has fallen from 65 to 55 percent (still remains “Mixed”), with almost 9,700 reviews.
- Jan complains in his review on Steam: “Beautiful game. Worked flawlessly during early access until today, when the developers updated the game and disabled Linux and Steam Deck support. The anti-cheat now blocks you immediately upon login.”
- Herman takes it humorously that he couldn’t get onto the servers (via Steam): “I didn’t realize that this game is just a character creation simulator. Unfortunately, there’s no save button, so I can’t look back at all the beautiful waifus I’ve created so far.”
- Menu_Dizzy had a similar experience (via Reddit): “Tons of crashes. I’ve been trying to play for 4 hours, but I can’t even get through character creation.”
- MeinMMO reader Andre also struggled (via comment under the launch ticker): “So I can’t get into the game, good that Amazon messed it up again with just about 290k players.”
However, not only the technical problems at launch are being criticized.
- Shitbone writes in his review on Steam: “The gameplay feels rough, the battles are repetitive, and honestly, I don’t like them much. The graphics are good, but the world in general feels boring.”
- AdventjX is also clear in his words (via Steam): “Boring story, no memorable characters, lackluster quests, shaky combat, interface at Ubisoft level with bright lights + SFX to make you think you’re making great progress, until you get ambushed by P2W monetization.”
- Zone_Ghost_Hero judges on Steam: “Throne and Liberty is unfortunately the kind of game that resembles many other Korean MMORPGs all too much. […] The mechanics are shallow, the taxes are high, and the returns decline, making progress unbearably slow.”
For some players, the mere fact that a new MMORPG is launching is a great experience:
Is there only criticism? First of all, we can assert that Throne and Liberty has managed to significantly increase the previous early access peak with the launch, currently at 326,377 simultaneous active players on Steam. This does not include all those who have played the MMORPG on PlayStation 5 or Xbox Series.
But the truth also includes that the respective all-time peaks of New World (913,634) and Lost Ark (1,325,305) – the other MMORPGs published by Amazon Games in the West – were significantly higher. Despite all the criticism and technical launch problems, many players are already having fun with Throne and Liberty.
- nikutx writes on Steam: “This game is absolutely fantastic! After playing for 64 hours, here’s what I love: Tons of quests that keep you busy for hours. Impressive open world with so much to explore. Dynamic weather patterns and a day-night cycle that adds to the atmosphere.”
- DEATH has also clocked more than 50 hours and explains on Steam: “Fantastic. Just plain fun. F2P with a tiny P2W feature. […] The teleportation in the game is seamless and without loading screens. […] The gameplay loop is satisfying, with the main focus of the game being to build your guild and alliances and wage wars.”
- Lancelot1775 looks forward to Steam: “The game is really good, and I’m enjoying it so far. I was worried because of all the pre-release criticism, but they turned out to be wrong. I’m only level 20 so far, but I’m really having fun!”
How have you experienced the early access phase and the official launch so far? Could Throne and Liberty be something for you, or are you disappointed after the first impression? Let us know in the comments!
What else do I need to know about Throne and Liberty? Throne and Liberty will be released on October 1, 2024, for PC, Xbox Series X|S and PS5. There will be crossplay between platforms. The MMORPG will be financed through an in-game shop, battle pass, real money currencies, and the sale of early access packages. You can find all further information in our comprehensive guide: All important information about classes, release, crossplay, gameplay, payment model, early access, and platforms of Throne and Liberty.
