Pay for convenience is probably a better way to put it if one looks at what is currently available in the Marketplace (aside from the small amount of cosmetics which will likely grow). Most of the stuff that one can purchase can also be earned in-game (and by design, will require playing a lot at end game).
Yes, I know about what happened to ArcheAge (another game that Trion World publishes) which is why some players are staying an arms length away from Devilian.
However, this game is being handled completely differently and Trion has worked with the actual game developer (Bluehole Ginno) to remove a lot of that questionable aspect from the original South Korean release and tailored the game for the western market. Perfect example is the ability to respec skills freely. In Thailand, that aspect is still locked behind a microtransaction.
Could this all change in the future? Possibly (because nothing is ever out of the question).
Also, the term “pay2win” when it comes to free2play games, has been abused to the point where some players are just splitting hairs. For one, what exactly is there to win in a video game in this particular genre? Being ranked #1 on some virtual leaderboard? Are some players ego and poor self-esteem so hinged on getting that kind of distinction and achievement in a video game of this particular genre?
ARPG’s and action arcade style games (like D3) are not an e-sport for a reason; they can never be balanced as it’s core to actually put everyone on a level playing field because loot based games will always have that element of RNG associated with it. If a player wants to flaunt their video game playing skills to the world, there are other games that are specifically tailored to that where yes, you can actually win something that is actually meaningful and where paying to win would be a bad thing. But this game (and specifically this particular genre), isn’t one of them.
The reality is that folks like myself who play ARPG/action combat arcade style video games for their fun and entertainment value, do not care. Furthermore, when it comes to the PvE aspect, there is absolutely nothing to win. You the player are playing against the AI/environment. And there is really nothing that you can pay for in this game that will help on the PvP side which is one of the few competitive systems that exists in this game.
Furthermore, the ones crying about pay2win have to pay for other things in order to even play this online game to begin with. The computer one is using isn’t free. The electricity used to power it isn’t free. The internet connectivity used to connect to the net in order to login isn’t free. Those all constitute pay2win because there are inherent costs involved in order to even play the game to begin with.
The other reality is that free isn’t exactly free (and that is 100% applicable in real life). The ones who argue that it is not applicable because it’s a video game are living in a different reality (probably the proverbial/derogatory basement). The company still has to make money (servers, data center expenses, staff, game development, operations aren’t free).
True, there are also some companies that abuse the entire free2play concept with microtransactions up ones rear end (the mobile gaming space is filled with this) which gives that concept a bad reputation. This game fortunately isn’t one of them. It can be played entirely without putting a penny down. Play the game long enough, and you’ll have enough gold to purchase DEX off the auction house (since one can still purchase stuff off of it with a free account) to convert to credits that can be used in the Marketshop where you can get additional expansion tickets, blessings, etc.
But seriously, if one has managed to play the game that much, there is a point where one should at least show a little bit of gratitude with some renumeration as a sign of support. Anything less than that is called being stingy and a cheap skate. The cheapest purchase that one can make related to Devilian is $4.99 worth of Marketplace credits. But one just needs to make any purchase for any Trion World’s game and there are often times sales where one can purchase a retail box of Rift for $1.99.
So players who want to split hairs about having to spend any money for something that is deemed “free 2 play”, should stop paying for electricity and Internet access because they are already paying 2 win by just being able to login to the game.
