F2PMeter: World of Tanks Truly Free-to-Play?

F2PMeter: World of Tanks Truly Free-to-Play?

 

Here we are again with a new episode in our F2Pmeter series. Buckle up because this time World of Tanks' free-to-play-ness will be put to the test. In case you don't know it, World of Tanks is a pretty popular team-based action MMO dedicated to armoured warfare which allows players to take control of their own historically accurate tanks to engage in intense team battles with other players from around the world.

F2PMeter: Is World of Tanks Truly Free-to-Play? F2PMeter: World of Tanks Truly Free-to-Play?

The title mixes simulation, action, RPG and strategy elements and combines great visuals, a complex physics system, and stunning sound effects to deliver an immersive and thrilling gaming experience. But... is it truly free to play?

Remember that games start with a 100% of free-to-play-ness, which will vary depending on the answers to our questions.

Let's go with it.

 



EN - Question 1


No. World of Tanks officially launched in 2010 (Russia) and 2011 (EU & NA) respectively as a free-to-play title, meaning that players aren’t charged for creating an account, downloading the client and playing as long and as much as they like.

EN - Question 2


Yes (optional) – -15%. Although Wargaming doesn’t advertise a subscription (optional) feature, players have the option of paying real-world money for a premium membership that grants 50% more EXP per battle, 50% more crew EXP per battle, 50% more credits earned in a battle as well as a cleaner and nicer-looking garage. Customers may choose among different duration options ranging from 1 to 360 days, which pretty much function like a non-recurring subscription.

EN - Question 3


No. As of yet, each and every patch released since launch has been made available for free to everyone.

EN - Question 4


Yes – -5%. There is a cash shop that offers premium vehicles, premium account time as well as the premium currency in form of in-game gold for purchase with real-world money.

EN - Question 5


No. Since World of Tanks is competing in the eSports scene, the majority of items available to paying customers apparently only serves as time-servers and help to level up faster.

EN - Question 6


No. The complete UI customisation can be done for free; there aren’t any additional options available for purchase or reserved for premium accounts.

EN - Question 7


No – -15%. F2P players have access to the same playable factions in the game and their respective tech-trees as premium members. However, the cash shop offers premium vehicles in addition to those available to everyone, which are unavailable to non-paying users.

EN - Question 8


No. There is no Auction House implemented in World of Tanks as the game doesn’t feature a massive amount of items players might like to trade with each other.

EN - Question 9


Yes – -10%. The amount of a player’s garage slots is limited to one per nation; additional slots have to be purchased with the premium currency only available with real-world money. Premium vehicle already come with an additional garage slot.

EN - Question 10


Yes. The game doesn’t restrict access to maps or game modes in any way, meaning that everyone can enjoy the whole content for free.

EN - Question 11


No. Any player is able to enjoy the entire game with all its end-game content, including clan wars and tournaments, for absolutely free and without any restrictions.

EN - Question 12


Yes – +10%. Although offering premium options for purchase with real-world money, World of Tanks appears to be absolutely fair and doesn’t force players to pay in order to be able to compete with others. Players are obviously only able to pay for convenience and in order to save time, but can’t gain an unfair advantage over non-paying gamers by making purchases in the cash shop.

World of Tanks 4 World of Tanks 3 World of Tanks 2 World of Tanks 1

After being tested with our F2Pmeter, World of Tanks receives a fair 65% of free-to-play-ness.

World of Tanks - F2Pmeter - Result





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2 Comments - "F2PMeter: World of Tanks Truly Free-to-Play?"

  1. MolochZ November 15, 2014 at 8:31 PM -

    ”Yes – -10%. The amount of a player’s garage slots is limited to one per nation; additional slots have to be purchased with the premium currency only available with real-world money. Premium vehicle already come with an additional garage slot.”

    Sorry but most of this is incorrect.

    – Garage slots are not limited to one per nation, in fact there is no limit.

    – Additional slots are indeed purchasable with real money but they also give away some free ones every now and then. Such as Xmas etc… You start with 7 or so and that’s plenty, most people won’t even need more.

    – Premium tanks don’t always come with a free slot.

  2. MimiK June 24, 2015 at 7:09 AM -

    As a long term player i can say that:
    – economic model in game is limited becose from 8 tier battles you need to pay for subscription or buy premium vehicles, its v hard to earn enaugh cash to buy new tanks, this kind of games ofer ilusion of F2P gaming only when you play you get feeling of standard game play.
    – another thing are mods , this game dont ristrict them so ppl made mods are standard if you dont use them you lose lots of info in game. after playing more than 40k battles player will realize that its not about skill but who knows bettre tricks and got better mods.
    – playing this game and not paying is fun than you realize that you must pay. my humble opinion.

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