P2W vs. Skill-Based Progression: The Same Thing For More Than 90% of Players

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“If everyone is super, no one is.” This quote is apropos given all the discussion about Lost Ark being pay-to-win with the release of Argos. So, let’s face a harsh truth together - most of the population playing MMOs is not super. Not you. Certainly not me. The belief you are capable of God-like play, and that all that stands between you being number one is getting great gear, is a fallacy that has been sold to you.

The average gamer shouldn’t care about whether or not a game system is pay-to-win or entirely equalized. The reason is thus: neither ecosystem will result in the average player being “super.” In an equalized, entirely skill based environment, most players will still be average. The percentage of players skilled enough to belong on an e-sports team is very, very small. Similarly, the percentage of players wealthy enough to afford progression is very, very small. Neither system cares about you. More than 90% of us are just middling regardless of how a game is funded.

Just like the real world, your averageness is being leveraged to make those who rise to the top feel good about themselves. You are a NPC for the highly-skilled and the wealthy. When you take a subset of humanity and thrust it into a video game, you’re going to find that you experience the same socioeconomic issues - because this is what humanity is, as a whole, at this point in time.

Its important that individuals understand their limitations and how people rise to the top, because how another person gets to the top shouldn’t be how you weigh your own achievements. You can be average and still find pleasure in your own successes. You can play a game and beat a boss and feel like it was tough but you triumphed and made a new memory. That’s how Dark Souls has risen in popularity.

My point is this - since you will never be the top player of any MMO you play unless you are God-tier skilled - why does it matter how someone got to 1400? It doesn’t. There are so many average people playing Lost Ark that are collecting Mokoko Seeds or running Abyss Dungeons or grinding for mounts that the 1% that got ahead of you DO. NOT. MATTER. Thinking they matter is a mistake because you’re forgetting that over 90% of the people playing this game are just like you.

So, since neither system cares about you because this is how the world works, perhaps focus on what does matter - which is making friends, joining a guild, or enjoying content at your own pace and having fun. When you stop caring about being on top because you never were going to be on top to begin with, it frees you to enjoy YOUR life. You can enjoy this game with the people just like you, just like you do in the real world. You can take the gearing process slowly and find a guild of like-minded people to grind with. Or, you can continue to bemoan what the world is, believe that somehow you’ll manage to be super, fill it with negativity which will not change the nature of Lost Ark being P2W, and be unhappy. It’s your choice.

I’m sitting at 1320 and enjoying selling my materials to whales who are funding my future upgrades. Thanks whales.

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Any recap ?

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The recap is, nolifers can access the same content as whales.

ps (he think that he is a casual, not a nolife, but shhhh)

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That’s “she.” And no, I never said I didn’t play the crap out of the game. But since you brought it up - I have multiple sclerosis and use games to occupy my mind. I have also recently been diagnosed with epilepsy and have seizures often. So, anything that can keep me from stressing and causing another seizure is pretty great. I have played a ton of Lost Ark. But since that doesn’t effect what I said in the slightest your point is moot.

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Sure, players are either limited by their skill level or wallet meaning that over 90% of players will never be number one. Therefore, neither system benefits the average player.

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all your points being said, focusing on having fun and being ok not being on the top doesn’t mean the game doesn’t have a problem and people should be ok with it

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I would never say people should be okay with the status quo as a baseline. But, as my mother says often, “It’s important to know when to pick your battles.” If Amazon makes some changes to help ease getting to Argos, I’ll be grateful for it. But, I do think people should stop focusing so much on what others are doing because it’s irrelevant. And, nothing we do or say is going to make Lost Ark shutter it’s microtransactions.

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What do you mean? You never dreamed of grinding an MMORPG for 16 hours per day, for the rest of your life? :thinking:

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This is hyperbolic. I’ve never spent 16 hours logged into the game. Ever. I’m sorry you’re upset by my ilvl. But perhaps you should feel fortunate that you don’t have a debilitating disease?

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yeah its not really pay to win because a F2P player can get almost anything a “P2W” player can get its more like pay 2 skip to get there faster. u can save some time in return for your money there is no “winning” in Lost Ark

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I hope this is my retirement ngl

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But there are no skill limits in this game. If you want to access post-1370 you need to pay or be an efficient no-life, you being good/bad at the game has nothing to do with how fast do you progress.

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I guess you haven’t used matchmaking often or you would know this game is skill based just as much as it is gear based.

In fact, in Asmongold’s whaling video from yesterday, the whale he interviewed talked about how he had trouble getting through content with P2W players because they were so bad at the game.

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Party finder is much more efficient than matchmaking. Anyway, I’m at tier 3, 1340+ so I experienced quite a lot. Content so far wasn’t challenging at all, I don’t see any average player being unable to do it. It can take some time but is still perfectly doable for the majority.

A lot of bosses have wipe mechanics, if people don’t care about learning them it can be hard but I don’t think that watching 5 mins yt video should be called “a skill”

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Nothing of what you said is relevant to what he said, so no, his point isn’t moot…
If the game is only properly enjoyable by playing 12hrs/day or paying 1-2k/m it’s just a shit game…

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Exactly.

People who play 12h+ a day aren’t F2P players, they’re just living the game.

Any game where players that play 5h+ a day for a month can’t reach endgame content even a couple of weeks after release isn’t well-designed. In here we can’t get there even with 10h+ a day.

And it’s not just about whaling, but how extreme it has to be.

I’m sure that most of us here would have no issues spending a hundred or two on the game if it meant we can access everything right away.

But this game will literally require thousands upon thousands every single patch if they don’t make big changes.

Sorry, but no game is worth that much time or money. And don’t forge that time = money a lot of the time.

I have no problem spending a lot of time in a game that has enjoyable content, but if I have to farm 100x chaos dungeon per day to upgrade, I’m better off doing extra work during that time because I’ll earn money, can spend it to buy mats I’d earn in the game and there would still be plenty left.

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i mean the games huge… and not a over night game. like a lot of MMO’s a lot of grinding its just MMO’s ur not playing a 40 hour The Last Of Us game or Resident Evil and the game when u look at it n go into the World u can obviously tell its not a short game i mean i already planned 2 play this game Over The Rest of the year Expecting Fast results like the habits of most people in other games this isnt ur game

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They hated Jesus because he spoke the truth…

True n real n based. Big bump, slay queen!

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I love the idea that whales are literally paying thousands for things that will be obsolete in a few weeks/months. I’ve spent a little on this game, nothing to write home about but I haven’t bought a single consumable item (cards only)

PS: My Mum says I’m exceptional so what do you know?

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Excellent post! Thank you OP you speak too much truth for many here.