Magic: Legends Hasn't Left Beta and it's Already Drowning in Microtransactions
Magic: Legends failed to impress Reddit users. Players have a lot to complain about this action RPG, especially on the topic of microtransactions.
- Magic Legends open beta is taking flak from the players, mainly due to the intrusive monetization;
- The game, still in the testing phase, has already received a premium battle pass and hidden one of the classes (the stealth player) behind a de facto gacha mechanic (or months of grind).
Since yesterday, open beta tests have been underway for Magic: Legends, an action RPG based on the license of the popular card game titled Magic: The Gathering. Of course, at this stage a game may still suffer from problems and - unfortunately - the work of Cryptic Studios' is no exception. Just take a look at the section of Reddit dedicated to Magic: Legends to see that the players have many complaints about the current version of the title. Some of the complaints relate to the game's technical condition, but there were also some comments on the monetization of this otherwise free game.
Magic: Legends and the expensive assassin
One of the highest rated entries (with nearly 400 likes, which in a way testifies to the "popularity" of the game) points out that the very presence of microtransactions at the stage of beta-testing is somewhat bizarre. Already now in Magic: Legends you can purchase, among other things, a premium battle pass for one thousand zen (equivalent to $9; a more expensive variant gives you an additional 15 levels and costs 2.5 thousand zen), packs of additional sets and starters, but also a character class. Assassin is a rare booster prize like in gacha titles, with a set of five add-on packs costing 1200 zen. Yes, it's possible to purchase the class from other players for in-game currency, but at a price tag of 8-12 million gold coins, this translates into months of tedious grind. For comparison: for clearing one dungeon we get 1 THOUSAND gold.
Magic: Legends is drowning in microtransactions. Source: Reddit.
On top of that, there are the usual free-to-play perks: experience boosters, character name changes, extra space for characters or decks, etc. For all this we have to pay in zen, although it is possible to convert one of the currencies acquired by playing (aether) to zen. Not that this is a particularly efficient way. One - each player has a daily limit on the amount of aether they can earn, which at the current exchange rate of 400:1 (via Reddit) translates to no more than 125 zen every 24 hours. Two - aether is also needed to upgrade equipment, spells, etc., so exchanging all supplies for zen translates into stunted character progression.
Not only microtransactions
Of course, monetization is only one aspect of the game, and by the way we know that the players can if not forgive, then at least tolerate "slightly" too aggressive microtransactions in otherwise addictive but polished titles. In this case, too, there were Internet users downplaying the alleged "pay-to-win" setup in Cryptic Studios' game. It's just a pity that there are more complaints about Magic: Legends from poor optimization, through not fully polished gameplay, to details such as poor character voices. Perhaps a lot will change before the release, but so far the game clearly leaves a lot to be desired.
