Ten Ton Hammer - Taking MMO Gamers to the Next Level!

Runes of Magic has created a player base that few subscription-based titles enjoy in this overly competitive MMOG market. With a player base of over two million, a major content patch only six months after launch, regular content patches, and awards coming from every major gaming site in the US RoM is easy to mistake as a subscription-based game. This game really has it going on; especially for a free-to-play title.

So, how do they keep all of these updates rolling? Simple, they have a micro transaction store that helps players along in the game.

So the question always presents itself with free-to-play games.

Do you have to use the micro transactions in order to play the game and/or be competitive?

First let us explore the basics of diamonds.

The first thing you need to know is that in order to use the Item Mall in game you need Diamonds. Diamonds are the currency for Runes of Magic; without diamonds you will not be getting things out of the Item Mall. So, what do diamonds cost?

Diamonds	Cost*
100	$4.99
200	$9.49
500	$21.99
1000	$39.99
2000	$74.99
3000	$99.99
4000	$129.99

*all costs are in USD

Now that you have purchased your diamonds you can start getting things from the in game Item mall.

Next, what do items from the mall cost? The cost varies but the most expensive item that I have found in the item mall to date was 395 diamonds and that was a permanent mount, which is not exactly game breaking. Most items in the mall seem to be under 50 diamonds. The items that are used to upgrade items or other runes mostly range in the 15-70 diamond range. This means that if you want to get ahead quickly at end game you are looking at dropping a fairly serious amount of money - or are you?

You have to consider that the average MMOG subscription costs $15 per month x 12 months in a year = $180 a year. For $180 you can obtain roughly 5200 diamonds. That is a fair amount of diamonds and if you only have one or even two main characters I think you can get very far into end game content with that amount.

So getting the diamonds seems that it will cost you about the same amount as if you were playing any other MMOG. But, the question is still out there: Do you need them to be competitive in end game? The answer here is both yes *and* no, which I’ll explain in further detail below.

Why Yes?

Yes,because if you want to get to end game and then be competitive you are going to need pile and piles of runes and stones, not to mention gold to get items off of the auction house to be able to craft gear to what is considered acceptable terms with in the game in a reasonable amount of time.

Why No?

No because you really do not “have” to jump right into raiding once you reach end game; also you can farm up everything you need in game. It really is not imperative to have diamonds to be able to reach the absolute end of the game. It may take you the balance of a year or two but you can get there without diamonds.

What else you need to know

In the item mall you can also spend Phirius Tokens and Rubies. Phirius Tokens can be gained from doing daily quests as mentioned in the Arcane Transmutation Guide. Rubies are gained in varying amounts with each purchase using either Diamonds or Phirius Tokens. All three “monies” in game seem to allow you to purchase different things. Rubies are the only ones that you cannot get without making another purchase. All purchases have a varying degree of usefulness and should be tried out. Just don’t get too crazy.

In Conclusion

Frogster has done a brilliant job of taking a thing like micro transactions (aka diamond buying) and turning them into a thing that makes the game much more enjoyable rather than something that you “must” do in order to even play.

I would say that purchasing diamonds is a good idea. There is no real reason why you should not, especially if you are only using them end game to max out your equipment so that you can more quickly enjoy all that is the “end” of the game. They also do not cost that much. Sure, you can over spend, but you can do that with your lunch as well.

I would also say buy in bulk and don't buy until end game. Buy in bulk because it’s cheaper; the 100 diamond purchase averages out to just under $.05 each while the 4000 diamond purchase averages out to about $.03 each. Buying at end game or at least very close to end game keeps you from spending them on crazy things like potions and dye for your clothes and allows you to focus on getting the runes/stones you need to upgrade your gear.

I have had my say about why you might want to get diamonds. What do you think? Leave a comment or question in forms!