Micro-payments | Means of transport PlanetSide 2 Guide
Last update: 11 May 2016
PlanetSide 2 by design, is completely free to play. There are no compulsory subscriptions, or additional payments. Sony Online Entertainment developed it in Free-To-Play convention, which is based on voluntary micro-transactions. What does it mean? In the game, there is a shop, where you can spend your virtual cash (Station Cash) to buy various permanent items for your character. This may be weaponry and upgrades for vehicles (guns) and the purely cosmetic ones. In the latter case, this concerns the colors of the equipment, characteristic uniforms and helmets, or even funny sounds that you can play with the horn. As much as the latter category does not influence the players' combat value, and only gives you the opportunity to stand out in the crowd of regular soldiers, the former one has a real impact on the combat value. At this point, it should be explained that PlanetSide 2 does not adhere to the Pay-To-Win principle, where you get the real advantage over the rest, if you buy at the shop for real money. In spite of what it may seem, it works differently here. All of the weapons available at the shop (the tab named Depot), are also possible to purchase in a conventional way, for the basic currency (Cert Points). Thanks to this solution, the players that invest in the game can obtain the items that they want faster, when compared to the rest of the players, instead of obtaining unique items that are later on unavailable for the rest. And so, the rifle that you purchase, under the micro-payment system, is not more powerful than its predecessor, i.e. the same model, but unlocked for regular points. Some of the items can be obtained for Station Cash, but they are in very small quantities and the price is so steep that you will think twice before obtaining such an item. Additionally, if you consider the fact that, even after you have bought the entire shop out, you can still die after being hit by a stray bullet, then you get discouraged from spending (or wasting) money in the virtual world. A more time-consuming, but definitely a cheaper option is to amass the regular points on a regular basis and purchasing better and better equipment . In the list below, you can learn about the estimate prices of the SC, after being converted from Euro to zlotys:
500 Station Cash = 5 euro
1000 Station Cash = 9 euro
2000 Station Cash = 18 euro
2500 Station Cash = 22 euro
5000 Station Cash = 43 euro
10000 Station Cash = 85 euro
Also, it is worth to mention the so called Boosts. The special tab devoted to them at the shop offers special cards that boost your character temporarily. Each one of them influences, in a positive way, the specific statistic, which increases the speed of gaining experience and determines the development of the player. For example, already for the good-looking amount of 180 zloty (which purchases 5000SC) you can keep receiving more experience, by 50%, for the next 6 months, which translates directly to leveling up. What is important, at the same time, not more than 1 of them can be used at the same time. This is a sort of protection against the greedy users who would - if they could - gladly pay for everything that is possible and gain the upper hand over the rest of the players. And, as it was already stated,- PlanetSide 2 is in no way a Pay-To-Win type of game.
Club membership
A separate matter that needs explaining is one of the Membership. As the name suggests, you are dealing here with a voluntary form of association of players who, by paying special fees licenses, to be precise) acquire profit in a real way from playing. Without beating about the bush - these are considerable but still they are not going to protect anybody from taking a shot to the head, from behind the first wall you encounter, anyways. Membership has been constructed in the way in which it is the more profitable the more you have been a member. And so, with each successive month, the pool of the bonuses you receive increases, until you reach a certain level, i.e. level 6. The players that do not prolong their membership at some point, will have a month to think matters over and to return to the club with the former level. After the month has passed,, the account resets and they will have to start over. Well, so, what does the slogan "BECOME A PREMIUM MEMBER" encourage you to do?
Level 1: Copper Benefits
- 25% more resources.
- 25% more gained experience.
- 100% more Cert Points awarded after you log on (the reward for returning)
- 500 Station Cash points a month.
- faster access to some modifications.
- Higher priority in log on queues.
- Three additional character slots.
- Discounts on some items, during sales.
- Three additional slots for unit schemata.
Level 2: Bronze Benefits
- 30% more resources.
- 30% more gained experience.
- 140% more Cert Points awarded after you log on (the reward for returning)
- 500 Station Cash points a month.
- Faster access to some modifications.
- Higher priority in log on queues.
- Three additional character slots.
- Discounts on some items, during sales.
- Three additional slots for unit schemata.
Level 3: Silver Benefits
- 35% more resources.
- 35% more gained experience.
- 180% more Cert Points awarded after you log on (the reward for returning)
- 500 Station Cash points a month.
- Faster access to some modifications.
- Higher priority in log on queues.
- Three additional character slots.
- Discounts on some items, during sales.
- Three additional slots for unit schemata.
Level 4: Gold Benefits
- 40% more resources.
- 40% more gained experience.
- 220% ore Cert Points awarded after you log on (the reward for returning)
- 500 Station Cash points a month.
- Faster access to some modifications.
- Higher priority in log on queues.
- Three additional character slots.
- Discounts on some items, during sales.
- Three additional slots for unit schemata.
Level 5: Platinum Benefits
- 45% more resources.
- 45% more gained experience.
- 260% more Cert Points awarded after you log on (the reward for returning)
- 500 Station Cash points a month.
- Faster access to some modifications.
- Higher priority in log on queues.
- Three additional character slots.
- Discounts on some items, during sales.
- Three additional slots for unit schemata.
Level 6: Auraxium Benefits
- 50% more resources.
- 50% more gained experience.
- 300% more Cert Points awarded after you log on (the reward for returning)
- 500 Station Cash points a month.
- Faster access to some modifications.
- Higher priority in log on queues.
- Three additional character slots.
- Discounts on some items, during sales.
- Three additional slots for unit schemata.
While we are at the membership forms, it is worth stressing that buying the subscription for a higher amount of months is more beneficial, than in the case of the shorter subscriptions. At the moment, one of four options are available (the prices in zlotys have been truncated):
1 month = 14.99 dollars
3 months = 38.97 dollars (12.99 dollars per month)
6 months = 71.94 dollars (11.99 dollars per month)
12 months = 119.88 dollars (9.99 dollars per month)