Shroud Is Now OFFICIALLY Free To Play

Aron_Swordmaster · December 2017

I've just been told that on the forums the patch notes for Release 49 are up, and state the following:

Free Trial Changes: Free Trial users can now only advance each skill to level 50, but they can continue to gain experience that will immediately be applied should they purchase the game. Also, they are now limited to the Courage Path only. Note that we are switching trial users from the Love path because data shows that starting players with a sword is easier than starting them with a bow. NOTE: With these new changes in place we are now going to leave the Free Trial in place all the time starting on 12/20.

danwest58 · December 2017

This game is not worth playing even though its F2P. Its more P2W anyway. When you have to pay real money for a city in game it drove players off. Add to the fact that if you are not in the inner circle you are treated like shit on the forums.

Octagon7711 · December 2017

Why have any restrictions on gameplay if you want people to use the cash shop more. Have they looked around at the competition? Most go to other games for their gaming fix. Games with fewer restrictions.

blorpykins · December 2017

"Free Trial Changes: Free Trial users can now only advance each skill to level 50. Also, they are now limited to the Courage Path only. Note that we are switching trial users from the Love path because data shows that starting players with a sword is easier than starting them with a bow. NOTE: With these new changes in place we are now going to leave the Free Trial in place all the time starting on 12/20."

Quote is from the R49 post draft being worked on now. Darkstarr confirmed in the forum that "Free trial time is not limited, just limited by skill limit and story."

Allerleirauh · December 2017

I have lost all interest in this game, from my understanding, if you don't spend a lot of money on the game you are reduced to being a peasant.

They are probably offering a free trial so that they have people for the royals a.k.a whales to rule over. This is not the idea that I had in mind when I was interested in this game. I had the idea that you had the power to govern who you were going to be in a role-playing sense.

Now, it's all about who spends the most for a game that is far from completion.

I won't inflate the egos of players who have spent hundreds or thousands on this game, even if they feel that they "earned" it.

Aron_Swordmaster · December 2017

Remember, they've been running Free Trials for months, just switching it off again for a week or so here and there so they didn't have to admit it was Free To Play. They also ran multiple surveys (which they attempted to limit to fans until it blew up in their faces) to gauge consumer interest... they must know there aren't many Full Price buyers left out there to pick up any more.

What we're seeing now is an attempt to scoop up all the smaller amounts of money that might be left on the table. Hopefully to leverage into becoming Whales later, but either way to grab what's still there to be taken whilst they still can.

All of which is light years away from the "Buy to Own" game the Kickstarter, and Richard Garriott's press comments stated we should expect.

Only the microtransactions turned out to be macrotransactions as well.

Ultima was a formative experience for me; it taught me the value of trying to lead a moral life. Honesty. Sacrifice. Compassion... I never dreamed that one day I'd watch the "spiritual successor" to those dearly beloved games push $30,000 Golden Castles whilst encouraging the sort of cult like nastiness that Ultima VII mocked so roundly in The Fellowship...