Summary

• Star Wars: Hunters finally launches with 13 original characters representing the Rebellion, Imperial Stormtroopers, droids, and more.
• In-game purchases are mostly cosmetic, with no major advantage in battle, ensuring fair gameplay for all players.
• Players can unlock characters through normal gameplay, and even if they pay to unlock characters instantly, they still have to play the game normally to power them up.

After a previous soft launch, Zynga's roster comprised of 13 original characters created for the game who represent the Rebellion, Imperial Stormtroopers, droids, and more, with the option to customize their looks by completing set events.

Star Wars: Hunters' characters are split between three classes: Damage, Tank, and , each with their own unique skills that can make for a well-rounded team when combined with other players.

Star Wars: Hunters is set to take place sometime Star Wars: The Old Republic, which served as that game’s take on the traditional Capture the Flag multiplayer mode.

Star Wars: Hunters Has Been Marketed As A Free-To-Play Game

But The Introduction Of In-Game Currency Has Made Some Players Skeptical

Star Wars: Hunters has always been marketed as a free-to-play game, and for now, this seems to be accurate, as players don't need to spend any real-world money to access the game, unlock hunters, or progress their characters should they wish. However, the introduction of in-game currency called Crystals has made some players skeptical that the game could become pay-to-win.

What Can Be Purchased In Star Wars: Hunters?

Fortunately, The Purchasable Items Won't Give A Major Advantage In Battle

As of the time of writing, Star Wars: Hunters' in-game purchases seem to be mostly cosmetic. These consist of character skins, weapon wraps, stickers, and victory poses, which may make a character look cooler or fit a player's personal style but serve no real purpose in of gameplay, as they don't offer greater damage or power. For example, the $14.99 Bounty Pack gives players access to Imara Vex's Plum Bounty Hunter costume, Plum Rifle weapon wrap, a Bounty Puck sticker, the Your Champion victory pose, and 500 crystals, which can be used to purchase other items in-game.

Players can buy new hunters for approximately $10 of in-game currency to unlock immediate access, but with the exception of the Mandalorian Vanguard, Aran Tal, who is included in Tier 1 of the paid Arena , most characters can be unlocked by normal means too, with some of stronger ones such as Sentinel, who is one of the better Tank types being available early on in the normal game anyway. While it's likely some other hunters will be exclusive to Arena es like Aran Tal, so far, the base roster offers more than enough variety and power that players should be able to play Star Wars: Hunters without spending any real money and not feel massively left behind.

Each team is limited to one hero type anyway, so multiple players couldn't play as Aran Tal at once even if they had all purchased the Arena , ensuring that teams are balanced.

It's also worth noting that while players can spend money to unlock characters instantly, even then, they will only be unlocking that character at a base level, and there's no way to pay to increase their skills, ensuring that players do still have to play the game to progress their character regardless. With most modes only taking a few minutes each session - there are no 10-minute-long battles like in Star Wars: Battlefront - it doesn't take too long to level up a character through normal gameplay anyway.

Therefore, while there are some paid elements in Star Wars: Hunters, the fact that players still have to work to make their characters more powerful and can play the game entirely without spending any real money does mean it lives up to its promise of being a free-to-play title. Time will tell if this will change as newer characters get introduced in Arena es who are considered to be massively overpowered compared to the base roster, but for now, Aran Tal doesn't seem to be, as while their jetpack is a fun addition to traversal, their blasters only deal 10-20 damage per shot, making them an addition that's more on par with some of the other characters.

Source: Star Wars: Hunters