Been playing it for four years. Overall a great game. Has its (many, big) flaws - but that's not what I'm here to talk about. TheBeen playing it for four years. Overall a great game. Has its (many, big) flaws - but that's not what I'm here to talk about. The microtransactions on this game are completely out of control!
Let me say this upfront: That $0.99 starter pack is specifically designed to break the psychological barrier you (may) have about spending money on online games. That's all it's meant to do. It's useless and it's terrible value for money compared to other purchases.
People get lured in by $1 or $5 or $20 packs, only to find out that it's money down the drain if you don't buy more. A lot more. Thousands of dollars more. You can realistically spend $1m+ on one account and still not be done spending. You're never really done spending, regardless of which tier of spender you are. That's not to say, don't play this game or don't spend anything on it. Absolutely not. There's really nothing quite like it and you should definitely try it.
Just please stay 100% f2p for a few months first. Learn the game. It's a massive, multi-faceted universe. See its depths. There's A LOT to learn. A significant amount of it isn't even written down anywhere. Talk to people. Watch videos and streams. Browse the fandom.
Figure out what you want to build (solo trap, rally trap, rally lead, rally filler, baron/emperor account, etc). Figure out exactly what kind of gear, heroes, familiars, skins, etc you want. Figure out how much it's gonna cost to upgrade or max each of those. Figure out how many troops you're ultimately gonna need to make (and then remake again and again and again because they die.)
And before you open your wallet at all, please sit down and calculate how much all of that's gonna cost you. If you're bad at math, there are some reddit threads about all sorts of items. You can ask; there are people who like to calculate that stuff.
Don't buy day to day. Do. Not. Buy. Day to day. Don't think, "Oh, it's just five dollars." Because it's not gonna be five dollars. (If you only spend five dollars on this game, that's a wasted five dollars.) Before you know it, you will have spent way more than you were prepared to and you will force yourself to keep playing (and spending) for a while (sunk cost fallacy is a hell of a drug). Eventually, you're gonna quit, but probably not before you become riddled with bitterness and regret. The game and the messageboards are full of people who feel that way and it is utterly depressing! The only way to avoid that is to go in with your eyes open and have a clear plan. Or be filthy rich. Whichever.
Now, it's absolutely possible to stay 100% f2p or as a limited spender and enjoy the game (although you'll never play in the big leagues). It just takes a lot longer (the term, I believe, is wait to play.) Still, you need to figure out how much time and money you're willing to put in in total before you pay a cent.…Full Review »