The more I play this game, the more disappointed I am at how much of the gameplay has been reduced to “GRIND THIS AND KILLSTEAL EVERYONE.” I can’t count how many times I’ve had the following situations arise, but am unable to do the most basic social functions in what is called a “massively multiplayer” online RPG:
- “Hey, can you help me farm a material/recipe/equipment?”
Oh wait, I can’t farm with my friends, because if they get the material/item I’m looking for then they can’t give it to me because… there’s no trading! I would have reeeally appreciated the help on killing some mobs for my recipe that were hard for me. They were weak to piercing so it’d be great if my hoplite friend could’ve helped me, but NOPE. He would have gotten all the materials instead because he did the most damage. And would’ve had no way to give them to me.
- “I found a better weapon for you, you can have it!”
Oops, nevermind, I can’t give you this better item I found, because I can’t trade. I guess I’ll have to NPC this item. Sorry buddy.
- “Surprise! I got the item you keep talking about and I want to give it to you!”
Nope, can’t gift your friend with an item they’ve been wanting for a while.
- “Hey, I need that item for a recipe but the looting order gave it to you, can I have it?”
I felt really bad for the cleric I was partying with that needed the mats that I kept getting. Would’ve been reeeeeeeal nice to give them to him.
…What’s left of a friend then? Other than being a grinding partner, not much. If they outlevel you past the level difference (20, is it?) there’s literally nothing you can do with your friend, in CBT2 I had higher level friends help me farm for hats but they can’t do that either.
The whole “it deters goldsellers!” argument that IMC puts forth is so convoluted and weak that I cannot believe they actually thought this was a good idea.
Do you know how the goldsellers are handling having no trading? Oh, right, they’re the only people in the game who aren’t being deterred by this issue, because while trading’s blocked, their workaround is to just sell a Jukopus Leaf for 1mil silver on the MP. How is this supposed to stop goldsellers again?
Protip: It doesn’t. It just inconveniences the rest of us.
Even other MMOs with restrictions to their trading (for example, Blade and Soul disallows access to the marketplace/being able to trade until level 15) STILL HAVE IT AS A BASIC FUNCTION. Yes, there are MMOs like Guild Wars 2 where you don’t “trade” per se but you have to mail items to your friends that costs a little money. BUT YOU CAN STILL TRADE TO THEM.
- “B-b-b-b-but you can just buy the TOKENS to trade with your friends!”
- Having to buy an overpriced membership to a very issue-filled game for a function that is not only basic to every other MMO in existence, but also IS STILL LIMITED, makes this option even LESS attractive.
- The thought of paying $18 or so to be able to trade with your friends is so absurd that it makes me laugh.
- “B-B-B-BUT you can just put the item on the market for your friend to buy!”
This is literally the same as just buying it from anyone else on the market. Given that the MP states that your item takes anywhere from instantaneous to 2 hours to be listed, if your friend puts 86 Panto Horns for 1s each for you, there’s no telling when they’d be on the MP and therefore can be taken by someone else other than you easily. So you’d theoretically be forced to make the price reasonable, which is just the same as if you’d bought it from anyone else rather than farmed it with your friend.
- “B-B-B-B-B-B-B-BUT HOW ELSE ARE THEY GONNA MAKE PEOPLE WANT TO BUY TOKENS?!!”
Consider this: In Blade and Soul their premium is nearly worthless. There are small bonuses, sure, but the main reason people by premium is for Wardrobe Storage - that is, instead of having all their hooker outfits taking up slots in their inventory, those with premium can store their hooker outfits in the Premium Wardrobe Storage where they no longer take up what little storage free members get.
Some people don’t like that only premiums get wardrobe storage - however, what wardrobe storage is CONVENIENCE and doesn’t ACTIVELY HINDER your experience as a free player. Is having your inventory space filled with outfits annoying? Yes. But does it affect your gameplay? No.
“But wait!” you say, as the goldseller apologist you are, attempting to justify why a game in the year of our lord 2016 doesn’t allow you to trade between players, “Trading is just a convenience too!”
That is where you are wrong. When a game’s rules essentially deter one from playing with their friends because they might get an item that person is farming for (and if they get it there’s no way of giving it to said person), there is something wrong. The game already promotes antisocial behaviours that there are many other topics about, but the fact that you are incapable of giving other players items only serves to promote greed and anti-party behaviour.
There are better, friendlier ways to make premium more appealing. Removing a basic function of any MMO and adding it behind a paywall is not appealing in the slightest.
tl;dr: Tree of Savior, more like Tree of Single Player.
EDIT: Forgot to mention. The game actually encourages you to NOT be in a party, and solo it all the way. Why party with anyone if the loot will go to them, where it will be theirs forever? This is especially true for people who can’t deal much damage outside of their skills like clerics, the looting method currently gives the person who did the most damage the loot 90% of the time so if you want loot you’re ■■■■■■ and you might as well solo.
EDIT 2: I appreciate everyone who has posted work arounds for trading/farming, but we must make it clear that those are merely bandaid solutions to a gaping wound. We as players shouldn’t have to do workarounds for something as important and basic as trading to another player, especially when the original intent of IMC removing trading is lost upon bots who find easy workarounds.
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