Following a bit of a rough patch last year, Trion Worlds has turned a major corner in 2014 with a flurry of activity surrounding its core properties. New content continues to expand the size and scope of RIFT, Trove continues to pick up steam daily, and the North American alpha for the hotly anticipated sandbox MMO ArcheAge is now in full swing.

The latest major news to drop from our friends over at Trion is that its groundbreaking television crossover shooter, Defiance, will be going free-to-play on PC and PS3. The PC conversion is locked in for June 4th (a date that neatly coincides with the launch of Carbine's WildStar) while PlayStation 3 is targeted for the 15th. No specific dates have been locked in for Xbox 360 at this point, but in a recent discussion with Trion they let us know that conversion dates are currently being discussed. 

In fact, we've got an exclusive interview about the coversion coming your way shortly as Managing Editor extrodenaire David "Xerin" Piner dives into the details on how the shift to free-to-play will impact existing and future Defiance players. In the meantime, we've got a brief rundown of what you can expect below.

Players who purchase a new box or digital copy of Defiance are granted the following bonuses: 

  • A grant of 1,000 Arkforge, a currency redeemable for resetting weapon mastery, upgrading your weapon's power rating, or even bumping an uncommon weapon to epic rarity. 
  • 4 Character Slots, 5 Loadouts, up to 75 Ark Keycodes, and a minimum 70 Inventory Slots.
  • They will also enjoy thirty days of Paradise Patron status when Defiance begins its free-to-play service.

Paradise Patrons are granted:

  • Boosts to skill, XP, scrip, salvage, and reputation gain rates that stack with the matching boosts available in the store.
  • 10% store-wide discount – boosts, costumes, lock boxes, all of it!
  • A grab bag of one-hour boosts or Arkforge from Daily and Weekly Ark Hunter Bonus Lock Boxes. (Playing on console? Be sure to link your account to get this bonus!)

These bonuses are also granted to all existing Defiance box or digital copy owners.

According to the official press release about the conversion:

The first of Defiance's new crossover storylines is coming to Defiance in the coming weeks. The world of Defiance is rocked when the hope of Tranquility, the first Earthling-Votan hybrid on record, lies dying in Eren's emergency facility. As players track down the half-human and half-Irathient crossbreed's medical history, they'll quickly discover other forces are working to cover them up for a dark purpose.

For more details on the shift to free-to-play, be sure to check out our exclusive Defiance interview. If you're a current (or potential future) Defiance player, we're curious to hear your thoughts on how the conversion will impact the game. Handled correctly, removing subscriptions can prove to be a boon for many titles as it removes a potnetial barrier for entry and bring in a more consistent influx of new players on an ongoing basis. However, as we've seen in various other titles over the past couple of years, that's only good for the game if the current community is happy with the switch.

Which side of the coin do you fall on?


To read the latest guides, news, and features you can visit our Defiance Game Page.

Last Updated: Mar 13, 2016

About The Author

Reuben "Sardu" Waters has been writing professionally about the MMOG industry for eight years, and is the current Editor-in-Chief and Director of Development for Ten Ton Hammer.

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