Template:Pay to win

Ashes of Creation will not be pay to win.

Ashes of Creation will not be pay to win, that is our pledge to the community. One of the core principles we set forth with Ashes of Creation is a very strong desire to maintain the game's even playing field.

A lot of developers and companies have come along in the past- and I've been hit by this too- and they've said we're not going to have pay-to-win and then boom they roll out some pay-to-win. We have consistently said we won't be pay-to-win and in the pre-orders that we provide and even in the Kickstarter there were absolutely zero pay-to-win components whatsoever. So not only will we talk the talk but we will walk the walk as well. – Steven Sharif

Because we are a non-box purchase game, meaning there is no box price to play Ashes of Creation, it is only a subscription; and that's beneficial because it reduces the barrier of entry and we want a high population obviously; but at the same time one of the ways we augment the revenue flows to sustain constant updates and new chapter releases and additional content within the game is through a cosmetic-only marketplace; and that means absolutely no pay-to-win whatsoever; and that will be adhered to forever. – Steven Sharif

Inventory slots, RNG loot boxes and XP potions are considered pay-to-win.

• There will not be level boosts or auto-leveling.
• There will not be a loot box system in Ashes of Creation.

We will not use a loot box system for cosmetics either. We currently have a cosmetic store that offers limited time, limited quantity items to help sustain game development. These items are purely decorative and do not offer any in-game benefits.

• Multiple accounts and multi-boxing on separate computers is not currently considered pay-to-win.

My definition of pay-to-win is really anything that affects the in-game economy, the in-game action pool, your abilities and/or skills... In my opinion the inventory slots and the XP potions would be considered pay-to-win. – Steven Sharif

• Items sold in the store that are also obtainable through gameplay are still considered pay-to-win.

It undermines an achievement when you remove the need to achieve it. – Steven Sharif

Q: Will there be RNG boxes?

A: I dislike RNG. Archeage made me loath rng monetization gimmicks. – Steven Sharif

Livestream, November 30, 2020 (56:02).

Livestream, July 25, 2020 (1:53:46).

Livestream, July 25, 2020 (48:28).

Podcast, August 4, 2018 (1:57:56).

Interview, June 13, 2021 (48:27).