Is Gwent a pay to win game?

[DMaster2]

My experience after ca 11 hours is that progress is too slow and I have a feel that if I do not grind or buy it will take forever to build a deck. Its not a P2W per se but the currency rewards are insufficient to build a deck in a reasonable time (for a person with life outside of internet). I'm level 14 and I was able to craft one gold few silvers and few regulars. On ladder I see people on similar level with mighty decks full of golds and rare cards - clearly a symptom of P2W even if the intention is for it not to be P2W. I really want this game to be fair cause I'm a original Gwent fanatic but the current balance is not satisfactory for me to stick around. Too much grind, too much randomness, progress too slow.

Not necessarely. There was a level reset last winter that putted everyone (including very high level players) to level 10. That may be the case as well.
Also keep in mind that in CB there aren't many new players so you tend to face more established ones. During open beta there will be much more people of your level and with similar decks.

Imho the current system is perfectly fine and should be kept as it is. It's not really hard to get 2 kegs each day and even if you can't play much getting 1 is easy (3 wins best case to 6 2-1 losses worst case). And you get a lot of scraps from mid tier rewards and gg bonuses.

 

[szpaqlec]

Not necessarely. There was a level reset last winter that putted everyone (including very high level players) to level 10. That may be the case as well.
Also keep in mind that in CB there aren't many new players so you tend to face more established ones. During open beta there will be much more people of your level and with similar decks.

Imho the current system is perfectly fine and should be kept as it is. It's not really hard to get 2 kegs each day and even if you can't play much getting 1 is easy (3 wins best case to 6 2-1 losses worst case). And you get a lot of scraps from mid tier rewards and gg bonuses.

I didn't know that there was a reset. Fair enough that could explain the players with 800 scraps cards left right and centre. The CB has a quite sizeable player base. CDPR have given a lot of keys. I do not see that many recurring players during laddering and if you have a quick look at the ladder you will see there is ca >60k entries.

As for the rewards yes the 1-2 kegs per day is easily within reach but that doesn't progress one's deck building fast enough. RNG gods are in full swing here and wrecking havoc. I wouldn't call the currency rewards dropped randomly as substantial or sufficient. I was ill for the last few days so I had a chance to play days straight and the GG & win bonuses are not yielding sufficient currency to afford even one extra keg. So 3-4 kegs per day max if one does a full-timer. That is not a lot. I understand that you can't have all the best cards in a week but there should be a better balance so people don't get put off because of slow progress. Maybe make some more powerful cards super rare of difficult to craft as an alternative? There are five fractions plus neutrals, several hundred cards plus multiples which with the current card influx rate from just playing the game is not achievable or appealing to a casual player who are always the target.

I think though with the current model where real currency has influence on gameplay some p2w feel is unavoidable. Tbh I'm disappointed that they have copied the model without considering sth fully balanced such as cosmetic rewards or alternative card looks, animations and so on. Path of Exile style. I think the current model is flawed in its core.

 

[TheShift]

As for the rewards yes the 1-2 kegs per day is easily within reach but that doesn't progress one's deck building fast enough. RNG gods are in full swing here and wrecking havoc. I wouldn't call the currency rewards dropped randomly as substantial or sufficient. I was ill for the last few days so I had a chance to play days straight and the GG & win bonuses are not yielding sufficient currency to afford even one extra keg. So 3-4 kegs per day max if one does a full-timer. That is not a lot. I understand that you can't have all the best cards in a week but there should be a better balance so people don't get put off because of slow progress. Maybe make some more powerful cards super rare of difficult to craft as an alternative? There are five fractions plus neutrals, several hundred cards plus multiples which with the current card influx rate from just playing the game is not achievable or appealing to a casual player who are always the target.

I think though with the current model where real currency has influence on gameplay some p2w feel is unavoidable. Tbh I'm disappointed that they have copied the model without considering sth fully balanced such as cosmetic rewards or alternative card looks, animations and so on. Path of Exile style. I think the current model is flawed in its core.

There is so much wrong in this ..i dont know where to start


so i wont

 

[DMaster2]

I didn't know that there was a reset. Fair enough that could explain the players with 800 scraps cards left right and centre. The CB has a quite sizeable player base. CDPR have given a lot of keys. I do not see that many recurring players during laddering and if you have a quick look at the ladder you will see there is ca >60k entries.

As for the rewards yes the 1-2 kegs per day is easily within reach but that doesn't progress one's deck building fast enough. RNG gods are in full swing here and wrecking havoc. I wouldn't call the currency rewards dropped randomly as substantial or sufficient. I was ill for the last few days so I had a chance to play days straight and the GG & win bonuses are not yielding sufficient currency to afford even one extra keg. So 3-4 kegs per day max if one does a full-timer. That is not a lot. I understand that you can't have all the best cards in a week but there should be a better balance so people don't get put off because of slow progress. Maybe make some more powerful cards super rare of difficult to craft as an alternative? There are five fractions plus neutrals, several hundred cards plus multiples which with the current card influx rate from just playing the game is not achievable or appealing to a casual player who are always the target.

I think though with the current model where real currency has influence on gameplay some p2w feel is unavoidable. Tbh I'm disappointed that they have copied the model without considering sth fully balanced such as cosmetic rewards or alternative card looks, animations and so on. Path of Exile style. I think the current model is flawed in its core.

Well that's more than what you are getting with other games. Hearthstone for example being the worst of all. You have to grind to even get a pack per day in HS. Gwent is really fine on this matter, not too fast (remember that they still need to make some money) nor too slow (p2w).

When the open beta starts (with 90% of the playerbase being at equal start) you should just focus on a deck to make that will carry you the following months. If you want more asap you can support the game, otherwise you'll simply progress as you play. Be sure to get a feel for all the classes so you have a good idea where to start on open beta.

I've also had a rough start (i started before the progression rate update, before you only got progress if you won the game, it was 100 times harder to progress) but in a couple of months of play i'm able to play 3 decks (nilfgaard cow, radovid control and skellige sef-wound). And i'm 1000 scraps away from completing a dwarf ST deck.

 

[szpaqlec]

There is so much wrong in this ..i dont know where to start

so i wont

Good. Have a great life otherwise.

Well that's more than what you are getting with other games. Hearthstone for example being the worst of all. You have to grind to even get a pack per day in HS. Gwent is really fine on this matter, not too fast (remember that they still need to make some money) nor too slow (p2w).

When the open beta starts (with 90% of the playerbase being at equal start) you should just focus on a deck to make that will carry you the following months. If you want more asap you can support the game, otherwise you'll simply progress as you play. Be sure to get a feel for all the classes so you have a good idea where to start on open beta.

I've also had a rough start (i started before the progression rate update, before you only got progress if you won the game, it was 100 times harder to progress) but in a couple of months of play i'm able to play 3 decks (nilfgaard cow, radovid control and skillege sef-wound). And i'm 1000 scraps away from completing a dwarf ST deck.

My opinion is of a player that is new to online card games but new to game in general. I didn't jump on HS because of the similar opinions to yours. I'm not saying that Gwent is bad in its balance in comparison to HS. I'm saying that for me progress is too slow and if you are a guy with a family, job and a dog you might share the anti-grind sentiment.

As for the business model i think the fact that it's the standard doen't mean its a good one from the balance point of view. As far as i know p2w HS flames are still there and its 3 years post launch. They are not going away because its a fundamental design flaw. If the real currency gives you an advantage it is a p2w. Period. What is wrong with Path of Exile very successful I might add model? Nothing. I'm not an expert but it seems that cosmetic micro transactions would fit very well in a card game.

 

[DMaster2]

Good. Have a great life otherwise.



My opinion is of a player that is new to online card games but new to game in general. I didn't jump on HS because of the similar opinions to yours. I'm not saying that Gwent is bad in its balance in comparison to HS. I'm saying that for me progress is too slow and if you are a guy with a family, job and a dog you might share the anti-grind sentiment.

As for the business model i think the fact that it's the standard doen't mean its a good one from the balance point of view. As far as i know p2w HS flames are still there and its 3 years post launch. They are not going away because its a fundamental design flaw. If the real currency gives you an advantage it is a p2w. Period. What is wrong with Path of Exile very successful I might add model? Nothing. I'm not an expert but it seems that cosmetic micro transactions would fit very well in a card game.

Well i don't think the current online ccg model will change anytime soon. F2p model works great, even with stingy games like HS. If you have less time you should A) just accept your casual gamer status so you can't have all the decks possible, at least not in a fast rate or B) splash a bit of money to compensate the lack of time you can dedicate to the game.

The fairness of the model comes from the fact that if you don't want to put money in you can get the same result using your time. If you aren't willing to put nor time neither money, well things get difficult i suppose.
1 keg per day, which is easily doable in 30 minutes play, is a really fair rate (even generous if you look around with competition) and should allow you to get good decks with some patience even if you don't play that much.

P.S.: Even in MMORPG unless you raid a lot (time) you won't get the high end gear easily. The other way is to purchase it with gold using the auction houses, usually easily done in a way or the other by injecting real cash in the game (money).
As you can see at the end of the day there isn't that much difference.

 

[TheShift]

Good. Have a great life otherwise.



My opinion is of a player that is new to online card games but new to game in general. I didn't jump on HS because of the similar opinions to yours. I'm not saying that Gwent is bad in its balance in comparison to HS. I'm saying that for me progress is too slow and if you are a guy with a family, job and a dog you might share the anti-grind sentiment.

You just explained.. me

Its much easier now..than before the reset.. trust me. its a walk in the park now
I spent hours getting nowhere pre reset.. i lost 9 out of 10 games... until i got enough scraps and kegs to build something that could compete

The way the system is set up now for progression.... is very,very doable for new comers

 

[Mivo]

My experience after ca 11 hours is that progress is too slow and I have a feel that if I do not grind or buy it will take forever to build a deck. Its not a P2W per se but the currency rewards are insufficient to build a deck in a reasonable time (for a person with life outside of internet). I'm level 14 and I was able to craft one gold few silvers and few regulars. On ladder I see people on similar level with mighty decks full of golds and rare cards - clearly a symptom of P2W even if the intention is for it not to be P2W.

I feel it's a sign of a small active community in a game that is still in closed beta. There are also relatively few cards, and since I suppose most people get two or more kegs a day, it seems likely that some folks have good luck with the cards they get from kegs. There are also players who are hardcore about milling all cards except the ones needed for one deck.

I think the perception that it's slow stems partly from the story/campaign mode not yet being in the game (said to be 10 hours worth of content, where you presumably will also get cards and XP), and partly from the focus on netdeck. Nearly all of the YouTube videos fall in one of two categories: for beginners who just started and those about decks that are competitive on high ranks. If you're an "improver" who has played for a couple weeks, and you look for ideas how to make your deck better, you see all those videos for competitive decks that are stacked with golds and legendaries that you neither have nor can expect to have the scraps for within just a few days, and that can feel daunting. I'd relate that to the small size of the closed beta community also, though, and not with anything that is not right with the game.

Expectations probably matter too. I've only played for a short while, and though I'd like to have some cards that I don't have, I need to be realistic about the fact that people who have been playing for several months are naturally in a better place, both in terms of knowledge and "material". That's the same in every multiplayer game. When the game is in open beta or released, there will be many more players, and also many more opponents who are in the same situation and who have a similar set of cards.

What is a "reasonable time"? You can get one keg per day in 15-30 minutes in Gwent, which is faster than in comparable games. You can get another keg (or almost) in about an hour, plus the mid-tier rewards. You don't have to win games, so it's not an unpredictable investment of time per day like in other games in this genre (basing rewards on won rounds is a very good design, really a good change). That's 60 kegs per month, plus several more from mid-tier/level-/rank-up orens, plus scraps, plus cards. Within a few months of playing, people will have everything worth having. Yes, someone who drops money on the game will have an advantage, just like someone who can play 12+ hours a day will have an advantage. Most people have one or the other: time or money. I feel that in the end, the players who are good and skillful (and who play a lot) will come out at the top, not the ones who have spent the most money.

 

[szpaqlec]

Lets get one thing out of the way. I'm not attacking the game. In fact I quite enjoy it. In my opinion the crisp art style of the in-game Gwent was more appealing but that is just my preference and I got used to new looks by now. I'm perfectly fine with a casual status.

The leaderboards have 48k entries today. That is quite a lot. Obviously concurrent player number will much lower but still I would think there should be sufficient volume of casual low level players. I might completely wrong but that is what i think based on the numbers. You don't accept closed bet key if you don't want to play. That is one of the reasons I just started last week ;-). Didn't have the time before.

You guys do not allow the thought that the model is the source of opinions such as mine. With this model there will always be opinions that it is too p2wish for some. I think the HS casus proves my point. There is nothing "fair" about it in my opinion. We are just used to it so its normal industry standard but, and I will be repeating this, PoE clearly demonstrates that cosmetic micro transaction model can be successful. Besides its a bit non sequitur: its successful so it works great. No. Last CoD was successful as well ;-). My point is that it CAN be done differently AND it would be better for the game imho. What PoE does completely shuts down this discussion and everybody is happy out. You pay what you want and do your grind for gear. Why can't we have sth exactly the same here? You pay for extra animations, alternative looks, on board animations etc and do your grind for cards.. Paying for progress is p2w it doesn't matter that it is mitigated somewhat by RNG. You buy 100 kegs you get 100 time more chance to get nice cards, you deck is most likely to be built in no time and if you unsuccessful you will get substantial amount of scraps to craft what you need. P2w? Absolutely.

Mivo brings up the point of "reasonable time". Which is good point. I'm sure we could calculate the probability of getting most cards after x amount of repetitions but I lost my advanced math skills some 10 years ago so lets do sth much simpler:

There is about 250 cards to discover, plus the multiples. Lets do 2 kegs per day. So you get a shot at RNG for 10 cards per day... You probably will be in a position to get a deck or two just from that after a week or so. But it is clear that through this method it will take substantial amount of time to get a deck or two per faction if one wants to explore the game thoroughly. Lets be frank here if you are a casual the game encourages spending money.

I have 15 hours logged and was able to get to 125 cards using only the in game currency generation. How many extra cards did I get? Does somebody know that amount of cards we start with? It could be hand to know for better estimates.

 

[Mivo]

and I will be repeating this, PoE clearly demonstrates that cosmetic micro transaction model can be successful.

I'm positive that the bulk of PoE's revenue is generated by selling stash tabs. Competitive success in PoE is heavily reliant on trading items and hoarding currency so that you can trade for items that you want or need to be successful. Drop rates are designed in a way to "force" trading on players, and items take up a lot of stash space. It's easy to make the argument that PoE is pay-to-win because you have a tremendous advantage if you have access to 60+ stash tabs. The design and refusal to add certain trade-related features are both aimed at making money. Sure, you can just create many mules, but that is a lot more cumbersome and it takes much more time: time which you are not spending grinding XP and getting drops, if you are wanting to "win" a ladder season. So even in PoE, if you play it competitively, you choose between time or money. Stash tabs aren't cosmetic, and you cannot get them by just playing the game. In Gwent, you can get everything by playing.

There is about 250 cards to discover, plus the multiples. Lets do 2 kegs per day. So you get a shot at RNG for 10 cards per day... You probably will be in a position to get a deck or two just from that after a week or so. But it is clear that through this method it will take substantial amount of time to get a deck or two per faction if one wants to explore the game thoroughly. Lets be frank here if you are a casual the game encourages spending money.

I think it is noteworthy that your scrap income increases the longer you play, because you'll need increasingly fewer cards, at least until the probable periodic expansions. Yes, as a non-paying player you'll have to focus, at least at the start. This is similar to how things work in real life, too. For example, I play ukulele. There are different sizes of ukuleles that come in different woods. If I want a high-quality ukulele of every size and ideally in various tone woods, I end up paying a lot of money. I can't do that (I tried, but high end ukuleles cost 2-8k a piece), so I have to decide which size and which tone wood is the combination I want to play on the most, and then get that. A bit of a flawed analogy because playing this one ukulele won't generate the means for getting another ukulele, unless I play professionally, whereas in Gwent your first good deck is your "mother deck" that earns you the kegs and materials for future decks. But still, it does illustrate that not being able to have everything right at the start isn't an uncommon concept.

Yes, the business model encourages people to trade in money for saving time, but that is all you get for the money: saving of time. If someone works 12 hours a day, they'll probably have more money to spend than someone who plays 12 hours a day (well, in many cases at least). Someone who plays 12 hours a day will have more cards (and more knowledge/experience) than someone who plays an hour per night.Spending money gives you the option to catch up with someone who plays more than you do, which is an advantage of this business model that you don't have with other business models. One could argue that this makes the playing field more fair, not less, because why should someone who doesn't work and doesn't have a family, have such a strong advantage vs. someone who does? (I'm just offering a different view because fairness comes up in this debate often.)

Most new video games cost €50 or €60 these days, plus extra for DLCs and expansions. Gwent is free to play. Those are different business models, but both are aimed at making money. They go about making money in different ways. If I added up all the money I spent on full-price games that let me down or that I played for two hours before I put them away, I'd be looking at thousands. That doesn't happen with F2P games because they let you try them out, and give you the choice whether you want to support the game with money, time, or both, and you can decide whether you trade money for time if you look for a shortcut or don't have much time. The average revenue per player in F2P games is lower than for full-price games, but a game will have a lot more players. Gwent is more generous (with daily rewards) than other CCGs, and it's those it needs to be compared to. There is nothing in Gwent you can buy that you cannot get by playing the game for a reasonable amount of time.

I think my view is also influenced by my belief that having all cards isn't the same as winning. You could give me all the cards available in Gwent, and I'd still not be a top player. Likewise, you can give an expert player half the cards I have and they would do better than me.

 

[szpaqlec]

I'm positive that the bulk of PoE's revenue is generated by selling stash tabs. Competitive success in PoE is heavily reliant on trading items and hoarding currency so that you can trade for items that you want or need to be successful. Drop rates are designed in a way to "force" trading on players, and items take up a lot of stash space. It's easy to make the argument that PoE is pay-to-win because you have a tremendous advantage if you have access to 60+ stash tabs. The design and refusal to add certain trade-related features are both aimed at making money. Sure, you can just create many mules, but that is a lot more cumbersome and it takes much more time: time which you are not spending grinding XP and getting drops, if you are wanting to "win" a ladder season. So even in PoE, if you play it competitively, you choose between time or money. Stash tabs aren't cosmetic, and you cannot get them by just playing the game. In Gwent, you can get everything by playing.

To call PoE p2w is very far fetched imho. It has a 95% F2P rating comparing to 75% HS. Its not without reason that its called the "ethical" f2p model. These inconveniences you have mentioned are not applicable to causal players. I have over 300 hours in PoE and have not made a single trade while reaching the end game. Besides we don't know whether your stash tab assumption is true. Did GGG release any info on that? I agree that drops for rare orbs are ridiculous and that trading is flourishing because of this. The stash size is important but again casual player will not be affected at all. I think I have paid for my extra tabs after 100+ hours. There is no ideal model and free to play must incentivise revenue generation but what separates non p2w from other is whether gampley is affected by your purchases. The "you can get everything" is an illusion cause it would take too long so you can't.

I think it is noteworthy that your scrap income increases the longer you play, because you'll need increasingly fewer cards, at least until the probable periodic expansions. Yes, as a non-paying player you'll have to focus, at least at the start. This is similar to how things work in real life, too. For example, I play ukulele. There are different sizes of ukuleles that come in different woods. If I want a high-quality ukulele of every size and ideally in various tone woods, I end up paying a lot of money. I can't do that (I tried, but high end ukuleles cost 2-8k a piece), so I have to decide which size and which tone wood is the combination I want to play on the most, and then get that. A bit of a flawed analogy because playing this one ukulele won't generate the means for getting another ukulele, unless I play professionally, whereas in Gwent your first good deck is your "mother deck" that earns you the kegs and materials for future decks. But still, it does illustrate that not being able to have everything right at the start isn't an uncommon concept.

That is a good point with scraps. I like your example (interesting hobby) but i still think that the progress is a bit slow. And frankly I don't necessarily need the absolute monster deck to be fulfilled. I want the game to convince me that grind to reward ratio is favourable and that I can progress without taking a beating more often than not.

Yes, the business model encourages people to trade in money for saving time, but that is all you get for the money: saving of time. If someone works 12 hours a day, they'll probably have more money to spend than someone who plays 12 hours a day (well, in many cases at least). Someone who plays 12 hours a day will have more cards (and more knowledge/experience) than someone who plays an hour per night.Spending money gives you the option to catch up with someone who plays more than you do, which is an advantage of this business model that you don't have with other business models. One could argue that this makes the playing field more fair, not less, because why should someone who doesn't work and doesn't have a family, have such a strong advantage vs. someone who does? (I'm just offering a different view because fairness comes up in this debate often.)

My whole point is that i think with the current reward system the time needed to get places is too long. Its a nice line of argument though. I think I am more accepting of the model than before. Maybe because of the fact that CDPR are considered "good", costumer focused developer that I expected sth else then the standard model?

Most new video games cost €50 or €60 these days, plus extra for DLCs and expansions. Gwent is free to play. Those are different business models, but both are aimed at making money. They go about making money in different ways. If I added up all the money I spent on full-price games that let me down or that I played for two hours before I put them away, I'd be looking at thousands. That doesn't happen with F2P games because they let you try them out, and give you the choice whether you want to support the game with money, time, or both, and you can decide whether you trade money for time if you look for a shortcut or don't have much time. The average revenue per player in F2P games is lower than for full-price games, but a game will have a lot more players. Gwent is more generous (with daily rewards) than other CCGs, and it's those it needs to be compared to. There is nothing in Gwent you can buy that you cannot get by playing the game for a reasonable amount of time.

Thank for explaining this. I didn't know that the player bases are larger. This is hard to track where do you get this information from? Same for revenue if you can suggest any good read on the topic I would be much obliged.

I think my view is also influenced by my belief that having all cards isn't the same as winning. You could give me all the cards available in Gwent, and I'd still not be a top player. Likewise, you can give an expert player half the cards I have and they would do better than me.

I feel the same. Its not about having a full library of cards but having fun.

Cheers

 

[DMaster2]

To call PoE p2w is very far fetched imho. It has a 95% F2P rating comparing to 75% HS. Its not without reason that its called the "ethical" f2p model. These inconveniences you have mentioned are not applicable to causal players. I have over 300 hours in PoE and have not made a single trade while reaching the end game. Besides we don't know whether your stash tab assumption is true. Did GGG release any info on that? I agree that drops for rare orbs are ridiculous and that trading is flourishing because of this. The stash size is important but again casual player will not be affected at all. I think I have paid for my extra tabs after 100+ hours. There is no ideal model and free to play must incentivise revenue generation but what separates non p2w from other is whether gampley is affected by your purchases. The "you can get everything" is an illusion cause it would take too long so you can't.



That is a good point with scraps. I like your example (interesting hobby) but i still think that the progress is a bit slow. And frankly I don't necessarily need the absolute monster deck to be fulfilled. I want the game to convince me that grind to reward ratio is favourable and that I can progress without taking a beating more often than not.



My whole point is that i think with the current reward system the time needed to get places is too long. Its a nice line of argument though. I think I am more accepting of the model than before. Maybe because of the fact that CDPR are considered "good", costumer focused developer that I expected sth else then the standard model?



Thank for explaining this. I didn't know that the player bases are larger. This is hard to track where do you get this information from? Same for revenue if you can suggest any good read on the topic I would be much obliged.



I feel the same. Its not about having a full library of cards but having fun.

Cheers

Well if you need to be convinced you can just try the competitors and see what they offer. I'll tell you (since i pretty much played all the f2p online ccgs out there) that you won't find anything better than gwent (at least as far as the f2p progression rate is concerned, gameplay is another matter and depend on taste mostly).
So if you aren't convinced of this game, i advise you to give up on the whole genre because you won't find any online ccg with path of exile f2p method of selling for money only cosmetic stuff.

 

[szpaqlec]

Well if you need to be convinced you can just try the competitors and see what they offer. I'll tell you (since i pretty much played all the f2p online ccgs out there) that you won't find anything better than gwent (at least as far as the f2p progression rate is concerned, gameplay is another matter and depend on taste mostly).
So if you aren't convinced of this game, i advise you to give up on the whole genre because you won't find any online ccg with path of exile f2p method of selling for money only cosmetic stuff.

Maybe I would indeed appreciate Gwent more if I had previous experiences with the ccg genre. That is a fair point. Why do you think this model is preferred? Don't you think that making deck building easier but restricting rares at the same time would in general benefit the wider community while giving the hard core players a goal to go for? Do you think cosmetics only would not support the game enough?

 

[lomvicmarko]

szpaqlec It is preferred way because you can't buy power and cosmetics wouldn't generate enough. It is a bit slow when you want legendaries and right now pool of other cards is just low you essentially need to be competitive. But you can craft 1 in few days so its not that hard anyway. milling cards gives so little because there are not many cards so if you open 100 kegs you would potentially be able to craft too much. What is immportant is that no card i locked behind some grind or something everything is simple.

 

[szpaqlec]

szpaqlec It is preferred way because you can't buy power and cosmetics wouldn't generate enough.

How do you know that it would? PoE shows that it can.

 

[Kleonix]

Prices of Cards 200 and 800 should be changed to 100 and 400, but they could make special skins for some cards (like animooted etc) with huge cost, and chance to drop from special barells.

 

[DMaster2]

How do you know that it would? PoE shows that it can.

The genre is completly different. There is no auction house for example.

 

[Idiotruinsgame]

Absolutely not, I get about 3 kegs a day from just playing and I've never felt like I was grinding.

 

[lomvicmarko]

How do you know that it would? PoE shows that it can.

Well lots of other games showed that they can too, like dota 2 for example. But dota is different kind of game. This is ccg, collectible card game. how are we suppose to collect if those are easy to get.
Every player is driven to get as many different cards as possible so he can play what ever he wants and react to ever changing meta. What are they going to sell as cosmetic here ? there is nothing that can generate enough revenue

 

[Danest]

I haven't paid a cent and my Skellige deck is filled out and plays well most of the time. The only one that I'm not doing at least 50/50 or better is Nilfgaard, and eventually I'll fill that deck out too in time. Without spending any real money.
If you want a filled-out deck _immediately_, yes, you have to pay money.