Let's Talk About The F2P MMORPG You've Spent The Most Cash On

F2P game monetization is generally a mess these days. The massive amounts of psychological factors built in by companies are specifically designed, in most cases, to confuse you and prey on any addictive traits you may have. Some of the "main" features we see are somewhat easy to understand. Battle passes, for example. Shell out a few bucks and earn some rewards as you "level" the pass. The free version keeps those of you that don't want to spend cash flush with prizes, too.

On the other side of things, though, converting cash to the game's premium currency is almost never a 1:1 conversion, skins and other cosmetics are never in line with the cost of the bundles of said premium currency, and fear of missing out (FOMO) is often used to add urgency to the whole situation.

I don't want to dive into my specific gripes with general monetization, that's a piece for some other time.

What I do want to reveal today is the F2P MMORPG that got me to spend the most money ever.

See, I generally don't have a very addictive personality. I'm not a big gambler. I don't seek out games of chance. I don't overspend on anything (a trait that sometimes drives my wife nuts), and if your game has any "FOMO" tactics in play, then I'll just miss out on your whole game. I simply don't care.

However, that doesn't mean that I am immune to the occasional loop of spending. We all are, and that's the whole point.

I've never purchased a "big item" in a F2P game. No monocles for me, I guess. So to reveal the MMORPG I spent the most in, I'm putting a bit of a qualifier here. Since I don't drop large amounts of cash on a single item, I'm counting a few purchases over a few days as my "single" largest purchase. The game in question? Neverwinter.

Yes, feel free to laugh at me now.

This was many years ago at this point, maybe about 6 years or so ago. Now, Neverwinter has had multiple changes to their monetization plans over the years, so take everything I say remembering that this was years ago. Things may be a bit different these days.

I hadn't played Neverwinter in a long time and my brothers and I decided to hop in after some recent update they had made or were about to make (I'm not sure which). We spent maybe a few weeks screwing around in game. Then we started learning about the past modules and how completing those added certain buffs to your character. Hmm. The shop offers purchases to "auto-complete" them to gain the buffs right away. Hmm.

Wait, there's gear in this cash shop, too. And mounts...and companions...and damn, a whole lot more.

Having disposable income sometimes is certainly a blessing, but in this case, I look back at it as a little bit of a curse those particular days. I got sucked in here. It was WAY too easy to spend and the power results were immediately visible. I was able to have almost the highest gear in game (the most recent module's gear wasn't available to buy) and I tore through content.

Why on earth would I do this for a game I had only been playing for a few weeks? Because we were having a blast and we'd figured out that when the next module came around, we wouldn't be anywhere NEAR the power level required to play it via "normal" gameplay. If I remember correctly, that module was why we had started playing to begin with.

Final price tag? $350 in three days. For that price I had damn good gear (until the module), upgraded the rarity of that gear to up the stats, worked companions and mounts up, and more than enough keys for all those damn loot boxes the game drops on you.

I was a virtual monster in game...for about 3 weeks. When the new module dropped, I was basically a regular pleb again. A strong one, to be sure, but because I didn't spend more than I did, I wasn't all the way at the top and ready for the module. I was able to play it, but it was a struggle. When I saw how big that hit was, I didn't want to play anymore.

Look, I wasn't surprised by any of this. I knew how Neverwinter's monetization worked going in to things. I didn't expect that spend to still have me on the low end of things in the next module, though. I was stunned at how the game wanted to keep me spending when new content came out. Whether that was through buying power/buffs, or using Zen (the premium currency) to get astral diamonds to buy things off the auction house, the game's systems all seemed made to push me to spend.

Yeah, I wish I had that cash back. Needless to say, I haven't played Neverwinter since.

What's the most you've spent in a "F2P" game?