UPDATE: I’ve been at level 50 for a while now, so I’ve edited a few things. Also added some brief instructions on how I managed to play the Steam version while residing in SEA.
Throne and Liberty just came out a few days ago, and while it isn’t exactly new, this “global” release has been hyped up a lot recently and I had to check it out. Surely an MMORPG published by Amazon Games would live up to that hype, right?
Before we begin, if you don’t have access to this version of the game due to living in certain regions, there are definitely still ways to play it through Steam. I’ll share some instructions at the very end, after the review.
Fluid Combat, Diverse Builds
As far as MMORPGs go, the game doesn’t really innovate that much in terms of combat. It uses a tab targeting system with some basic dodges and a timed “parry” system of sorts. Despite the fairly derivative gameplay, it does it well enough that combat feels smooth no matter what control scheme you’re working with. You might need to tweak some targeting settings first though.
What’s more notable is the freedom you’re given when it comes to experimenting with your builds. Throne and Liberty heavily encourages the use of two weapons, which means that your loadout will consist of abilities from two distinct skill trees. You’re free to use any combination you like, but of course, some pairs will make more sense than others. I’ll leave you to figure those out on your own, since I know not everybody cares about the meta.
There’s room for experimentation and theorycrafting beyond that too, as players will eventually unlock a “skill specialization” mechanic. This lets you spend a limited amount of points to modify any of your abilities in varying ways. Some will even let you change an entire ability, giving it a drastically different effect and/or damage type.
For example, the crossbow has a barrage ability that makes you fire in a straight line. With ten specialization points, you can turn it into an entirely different skill that fires a barrage in an area around you instead.
I should warn you that this doesn’t apply to the early game. Up until you reach around level 20-30, you’ll only have access to a limited number of abilities on any given weapon. If you can get past the hurdle that is the dull early levels, then you’ll get to the fun part.
How’s the PVP Combat?
As of writing this, I still have limited experience in PVP outside of smaller skirmishes in conflict areas. From what I’ve experienced so far, though, it’s nothing too special. It usually just boils down to whoever gets to stun the other player first.
There is an arena mode as well, though I am not particularly interested in it, so maybe things are a little different over there. As for the zerg vs zerg stuff, well, I don’t really know what else to tell you. It’s just piles of people throwing random crap at each other at the moment. We’ll just have to wait until the more engaging guild-related stuff like castle sieges are released.
The Typical Asian MMO Issues
Now comes the part that some of you might not want to hear. At the end of the day, Throne and Liberty is just your typical Eastern MMO, which means a lot of… unpopular design choices. Tons of daily/weekly chores, a lot of unnecessary currencies, lots of time-gated stuff, real money auction house, etc.
To be fair, these issues aren’t unique to the game or this specific type of MMO, but I’m sure a lot of people expected them to make significant changes to appeal to western audiences more. Nope, it’s essentially the same game as it was in Korea, but with some of its endgame features yet to be released according to the roadmap.
I’m not saying the game isn’t enjoyable, but if you’re coming into it expecting a good casual experience, I’d advise you to temper your expectations. The journey to reach the level cap is hilariously short, and just following the main questline will get you up there before the story’s even over. After that, the only thing that matters from a progress standpoint is the grind for good gear.
Most players are still in that post-release honeymoon period so this isn’t something that tends to be brought up a lot, but the game’s grind becomes painfully dull and/or slow the further you get. It also heavily leans into guild-related PVP/PVPVE content for late game progress. If you’re a solo player or don’t like mass PVP, you will have very limited activities after doing your daily chores.
There are a handful of instanced and open world dungeons to keep you occupied, but the loot drops from them are time-gated in various ways. So, if you’re interested in getting the best gear, you’ll likely have to join a decently active guild and participate in some of the messy zerg stuff eventually.
You can still get extremely lucky with epic gear drops, but you will likely have to settle with grinding rare items until they have fully upgraded traits and such instead. This can only get you so far if you are trying to be competitive later on, as the top guilds are already way ahead of you by now and are probably already swimming in epic gear.
So… Worth It Or Not?
Throne and Liberty is completely free to try, but not necessarily worth being named your “forever MMORPG” unless you enjoy mass or group PVP. Supposedly, the developers are trying to appeal more to the PVE-only crowd and are working on adding new content specifically for that side of the game, but that remains to be seen.
For now, though, the game reminds me a lot of New World on launch. Sure, it’s fun for a while, but you’ll eventually hit a wall where the only thing that matters is guild-based PVP. Hopefully they address that issue soon, because it really doesn’t take long to reach the post-level cap stuff. The story being uninteresting to me doesn’t help too, but hey, you might like it.
If you’re looking for a game where you can just switch your brain off and do some mindless dungeon crawling (the mechanics aren’t that complex) or mob farming while watching/listening to something on the side, Throne and Liberty will scratch that itch for a while. It’s how I’m treating this game at the moment, and it’s not that bad of an experience in that regard.
I am, however, quickly getting bored of the loop. Picture this: I want to max out a rare hat right now, and the only way to do that is to kill worker ants in an open world dungeon for hours on end. That place is insanely crowded at all times, the drop rate is relatively low, there is a time/resource gate that limits the grind, and the place occasionally becomes a PVP zone. Yeah, not exactly too engaging or fun.
Personally, if you’re new to the genre and want a more fleshed out overall experience, I’d recommend that you check out Guild Wars 2 or even just take the leap and pay for a World of Warcraft or Final Fantasy XIV sub instead. This is particularly true if you’re a lore nerd, because a Korean MMO like this one is definitely not where you’d want to be if you’re in it for the story.
Overall, the game is just not worth it for casual players who want to dip their toes into the game’s endgame content. You can get several hours of enjoyment out of it with the exploration and main questline, but the post-50 gameplay loop will absolutely burn you out quickly, especially if you aren’t accustomed to how the typical Eastern MMORPG works.
Accessing the Steam version through Southeast Asia (Malaysia, Philippines, Vietnam, etc.)
In the event that you’re interested in trying the game out but are stuck in an unsupported region (like myself), here is a quick summary of what worked for me:
- Step #1 – Use a VPN and open the Throne and Liberty Steam page on your browser. Make sure your account is not logged in.
- Step #2 – Click on the “Play Game” button and select “Yes, Steam is installed”. Open Steam when prompted.
- Step #3 – The game should be added to your library now. Feel free to turn off your VPN and start downloading!
Trust me, this is way better than trying to deal with NCSoft’s previously KR-only version that has poor/nonexistent localization and a headache-inducing sign up and device registry process. You will also be in an overall more populated version of the game, at least for the time being.