About the Price of Microtransactions
"The Price of Microtransactions" column attempts to discover the cost, if any, of free-to-play (F2P) titles. Most F2P titles are just that, free-to-play, but they offer objects for players to purchase. Often these items are purely cosmetic, such as extra costumes, character customization options or non-stat armor modifications. However, there are items that are more than cosmetic or "convenient" to own in today's MMORPGs. Especially for those who want to be in the title's upper echelon. The cost of those useful items are why we are here.
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In a pre-launch Runewaker interview the founders of the company stated something along the lines of 'you'll never be able to purchase an uber sword' in Aion (the interview was taken down when GetBuffed.com went into "database mode"). And that is entirely true. Aion's Item Shop, called a Diamond Shop after the real-money transaction (RMT) currency, contains no weapons of mass destruction. True to the founders' point, the Diamond Shop offers few must need items for the average user, except the pricey permanent mounts.