Initially intended for a global launch, Throne and Liberty was finally released in South Korea at the end of 2023, before being announced for the rest of the world this Tuesday October 1 has 19h (Paris time). While it is developed by NCsoftThrone and Liberty is published by Amazon Games (Lost Ark, New World) outside Korea. In fact, the MMORPG is not unknown to the Western public, in particular thanks to the open beta which we gave you an exhaustive review at the end of last July.
PvP in the spotlight
NCSoft’s MMORPG, in the vein of its predecessor Lineagegives pride of place to PvP and in particular to mass PvP. You will find there competitive arenas 3v3fights Guild VS Guild (70v70) for control of Boonstones et Riftstonesor even Headquarters events on Stoneguard Castle (involving up to thousands of players in Alliance versus Alliance battles – 4 guilds).
Find the game contents illustrated in this marketing event #SiegeTheDay
Not so aggressive monetization
In terms of progression and monetization, Throne and Liberty is not without its flaws. Like other Korean MMORPGs before it, NCSoft’s game features “Pay 2 Win” (P2W). Typically, the Auction House (HdV) works with Lucents, which happens to be the real money currency of the game. In fact, it is possible to purchase any available equipment with Euros at the HdV.
However, it should be noted that the developers have already announced that they will be vigilant regarding the progress of “Free 2 Play” (F2P) players, so that they allow them to reach the progression levels in a reasonable time, before considering leaving the next level. Furthermore, all items and equipment can be obtained by playing.
The impacts of early access
We told you about it a few days ago, Throne and Liberty launched its early access on September 26. Given the highly competitive and progression-focused nature of Korean MMORPGs, this early access could scare off players wanting to jump in for the official release on October 1.
In fact, NCSoft has already mitigated this possibility by separating the players of September 26 from those of October 1. Indeed, new servers will see the light of day with the release on October 1, servers on which it will be impossible to transfer any character previously created (and for a period not yet determined). We imagine that the developer will not open this possibility until the progress gap between players in early access and those in the official release is insignificant.
Should you play Throne and Liberty?
As a new MMORPG on the market, Throne and Liberty is currently enjoying the attention of a large part of the community. From a Western player’s perspective, the game may have some flaws, such as its monetization or progression systems.
However, it should be noted that as a F2P game it is possible to test Throne and Liberty for free. The game offers an overall pleasant leveling up, although the story is boring and probably uninteresting, the gameplay is enriched as the levels progress and the exploration of Solisium is engaging due to the large open environments, enhanced by graphics at the best of what the MMORPG genre offers.
Technically, the game is surely at a level of optimization never seen before. As a reminder, opposing seats thousands of players took place on the Korean version of the game.
Whether you are a casual player coming to discover the universe or a hardcore player wishing to do battle in PvP, Throne and Liberty has something to offer you. Due to the few issues mentioned above, it may not be the game of your life, however it is in several other aspects a positive iteration for the MMORPG genre.
Finally, during this first year of operation in South Korea, the game was enriched with many additions (balancing, content, game systems, progression, etc.). The developers have been very responsive in trying to satisfy the community and, objectively, the pace of releases displayed so far is pretty amazing. For the most skeptical, a roadmap detailing the content to come for the end of the year has already been published.
Related News :