Is Naraka Bladepoint pay-to-win?

Ever since Naraka Bladepoint went free-to-play, it has seen a steady influx of new players. 24 Entertainment's battle royale game is keeping the genre alive with its fresh take on melee action. However, given its competitive nature, fans are worried about whether it offers a fair experience. It is not uncommon for free-to-play titles to have some component of pay-to-win elements.

Fans are worried that there may be some form of boosters or methods for paid players to gain an advantage. Is that really the case here?

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Does Naraka Bladepoint offer a fair experience to all gamers instead of being pay-to-win?

Thankfully, there are no microtransactions in Naraka Bladepoint that would offer players an unfair advantage over others. It is in the same vein as other multiplayer games like Fortnite and Overwatch 2. As far as what real money nets players, it is only cosmetics.

There is a large number of surprisingly well-designed and detailed cosmetics for users to purchase in Naraka Bladepoint. However, they have no effect in-game. They only help players personalize their preferred playable character. While there are items called Glyphs that reduce the cooldown of abilities, they are upgraded only using in-game currency.

The various in-game currencies also are centered around the battle pass, so players can dive into the game without any worries.

There are many cosmetic bundles to check out (Image via Reddit: u/DatBoiIsSugoi)

Naraka Bladepoint features a variety of weapons, both ranged and melee. These weapons are found in-game, and players do not need to jump through any hoops or pay money to get them.

There is, however, a level of luck and RNG at play, like with any battle royale game. Since loot is scattered around a map with a closing circle, where players drop and where they go will obviously change the kind of loot they get, as it is all randomized.

Weapons, armor, and so on have different tiers, with higher tiers being more effective with regard to damage and durability. At the end of the day, getting better gear has an element of risk since other players will be hunting for the same.

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Why did the game go free-to-play?

The clear answer to this question would be 24 Entertainment's desire to cater to a larger audience. Upon initial release in August 2021, players had to purchase the game to play it. This is not unlike how PlayerUnknown's Battlegrounds functioned before going F2P.

However, it is no surprise that the hype for the battle royale genre is dying down. Besides the evergreen Fortnite, many other battle royales have come and gone, both big and small offerings.

Naraka Bladepoint does admittedly offer something new with its Eastern influences, so the game will certainly garner attention for a while. However, the title is online-only, meaning there are server costs. For now, a free-to-play model helps alleviate this issue for 24 Entertainment, which plans to release new content for the battle royale.

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Naraka Bladepoint is available on PC, PS5, Xbox One, and Xbox Series X|S.