Defiance going Free-to-Play on PC and PS3

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And now, from the “If you can’t beat ’em, join ’em” department, comes news that Defiance, the ambitious third person shooter MMO from Trion Worlds, will soon be transitioning to a free-to-play business model.  On two of the three system its available on, anyway.  But it’s not all bad news for those who already shelled out their hard earned cash for the game.  Read on for the details.

If you’ve never heard of Defiance, allow me to bring you up to speed.  Released a little over a year ago, Defiance is a companion game to the television series of the same name.  Both the game and television show take place in the year 2046, on an Earth that has been radically changed by terraforming aliens who very rudely showed up and started rearranging the planet’s environment to suit their own needs.  Don’t you just hate it when that happens?  While Defiance (the game) never required a subscription, it did come in numerous physical and digital versions, which ranged in cost from $5 to $150.  In-game purchases were always a big part of how Trion Worlds hoped to profit from the game, and now it seems like they will be relying on them even more.

Announced over at the official Defiance homepage, the game will be going free-to-play on PC starting June 4th, with the PS3 version to follow on July 15th.  While a transition to free-to-play is expected for the Xbox 360 version, Trion is “currently working with Microsoft on plans,” so that might take awhile.  The free version of the game will be a basic, stripped down version of Defiance.  Shocking, right?  You’ll be given 2 character slots, 2 loadouts, 50 Ark keycodes, and 35 inventory slots.  If you already own Defiance, Trion has got you covered.  All paid versions of the game will receive the following bonuses after June 3.

  • 4 character slots
  • 5 loadouts
  • 75 Ark keycards
  • 70 inventory slots
  • existing characters will retain all extra inventory slots they already have
  • 1000 Arkforge, which can be used to refine and upgrade weapons
  • Reroll weapon mastery bouns
  • Increase power rating
  • Increase rarity
  • 30 day Paradise Patron Pass

Now I hear you asking… “what’s a Paradise Patron Pass?”  Well, it’s a paid subscription that grants you a number of in-game bonuses, listed below.

  • 10% discount at the in-game store
  • 20% boost to skill gain
  • 20% XP gain
  • 20% boost to reputation gain
  • New Arkforge currencies in daily/weekly login bonuses
  • 20% boost to scrip
  • 20% boost to salvage
  • Daily grab-bag of two-hour boosts

Soooooo once again, it looks like “free to play” really means “pay to win, free to get your ass handed to you.”  If you haven’t given Defiance a try, check out our review.  It’s definitely a mixed bag, but with a price tag of zero, it couldn’t hurt to give it a try, right?


About the Author: (@Joe_of_the_Dead) Lead Editor, Writer

Joe was born in a time of war. A console war. Two electronic titans were locked in a heated battle for the living rooms of America. Which titans, you ask? Well, the Fairchild Channel F and the Atari 2600 of course. You see, Joe is old. So many of his favorite games tend to be on the older side as well. But that hasn’t stopped him from developing unhealthy obsessions with such modern franchises as Halo and Mass Effect. Just don’t tell him how long it’s been since the original Metroid was released. His aging heart can’t take the shock.

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