A beta for Throne and Liberty took place in Korea. It was actually subject to a confidentiality agreement to prevent any information from leaking out. However, testers still report on their experiences, and some points raise skepticism.
What do the testers say? For the “final beta,” around 100 people were allegedly invited in Korea in February. They were able to test the new MMORPG and were even said to have received an Nvidia GeForce RTX 3060 as a reward. Officially, they are not allowed to talk about their experiences, but some information has leaked out, for example on reddit or in Korean forums:
- There is harsh criticism of the combat system, which is said to be too static and boring.
- The story is supposed to be more of a summary of events and generally very jumpy.
- The main focus of the endgame is said to be on PvP. Additionally, there should be open PvP at night without a karma system.
- There will likely be XP and loot drop boosts.
- The monetization model relies on “buying time.” What exactly this means is difficult to say due to possible translation errors. Optionally, TL is either Free2Play with a shop that offers many time reductions, similar to Lost Ark, or a subscription model.
Throne and Liberty, on the other hand, receives praise primarily for its graphics. This is said to be a “9.8 out of 10.” For instance, you can realistically see the character’s mouth speaking in dialogues. The character editor and the “interactive environment” are also praised. There are, however, no statements about the unique weather system.
The information mentioned here should be taken with caution, as there is no guarantee that the individuals actually participated in the test. However, the criticism of the combat system can be observed in the trailers.
You can watch the latest trailer from January again here:
The combat system relies on long animations and little movement
What do the testers say about the combat system? Throne and Liberty utilizes tab-targeting and is said to be very static overall. For about 80% of the abilities, you should not be able to move while casting them. You just stand still. AoE effects should be placeable on a target, which can then hit multiple enemies.
Some animations, however, are said to last quite long, which is supposed to rob melee fighters of their fun. Thus, opponents can likely dodge or run away during the long animations and not get hit at all.
For ranged players and mages, however, this is not supposed to be much of a problem, because your abilities fly directly to the enemies.
What do the testers say about the story? Here, there are three slightly different statements that do not necessarily have to contradict each other:
- One user states that the story is just a summary of events. One learns a bit more about the background of the world. It is not cheesy, but somewhat jumpy.
- Another user believes that NCSoft has done “everything in their power” to adapt the story for Western players from the EU and NA and to engage them.
- Another says it is “better than nothing.”.
Previously, NCSoft emphasized that PvE and story would play an important role in TL. This sounds a bit different in these three statements.
Also, PvP is a topic of discussion. There are said to be PvP events where you can kill other players. There will also be a “karma system” for player kills. This karma system will be deactivated at night (3 hours day, 1 hour night, always in cycle) (via ThisIsGame). This could mean that open PvP is possible everywhere at night without consequences, which would likely frighten many PvE fans.
Amazon brings Throne and Liberty to the West
When will we finally learn more about Throne and Liberty? NCSoft has been very reserved with official statements and gameplay videos so far. Although there is no concrete release date, the developers emphasized in February that the MMORPG should come in the first half of 2023.
Since Throne and Liberty is aiming for a global version, the release should also take place in the West during this period. The publishing in the West is taken over by Amazon. After New World, Lost Ark, and Blue Protocol, they are bringing us the fourth new MMORPG. However, Amazon has not shared any new information about the game aside from the publishing deal.
What do you think about the testers’ statements? Would this MMORPG still interest you or does it deter you?
All officially confirmed information about the game, such as server size, PvP content, or weapons, can be found in our comprehensive overview:
Throne and Liberty: Everything about release, classes, and gameplay of the new MMORPG
