Dauntless, the Monster Hunter-inspired cooperative action role-playing game, is absolutely a free-to-play PC title. But today the developers unveiled a series of for-pay bundles which, among other things, will allow users access to an early alpha version of the game before other players.
Those same bundles also include the usual free-to-play flair and consumable items, while the highest tier offers something special — the opportunity to create a guild as soon as the game launches.
The least expensive bundle, called the Slayer Tier, runs $39.99. It includes access to the game’s closed beta, a pack of potions and other buffs as well as the aforementioned in-game flare. The $69.99 Hero Tier adds an expanded color palette for personalizing gear and “Transmog Stones” that let players change to look of their favorite equipment.
The Founder Tier costs $99.99, but is currently discounted to $79.99. It includes all of the other items found in the other tiers, as well as a golden ticket to the special alpha preview of the game. It also includes “Patron Status,” a 90-day subscription that increases the amount of loot dropped by enemies in-game. That bonus is stackable, meaning that grouping together with other Patrons will speed progression in the game.
The team at Phoenix Labs is definitely leaning into the “fashion hunter” aspect of the genre, where players are encouraged to improve their look as well as their stats. The Founder Tier includes a Style Hunter perk, which allows vanity items to drop fully-formed along with other loot.
Finally, the Founder Tier includes an in-game Guild Charter, allowing players to start up a guild on day one.
Phoenix Labs has already said that they want guilds to be “something special.” In a blog post published just a few days ago, they explained how players will need to spend a “considerable amount of your hard-earned notes (the currency of the Shattered Isles to purchase a charter.” The Founder Tier seems to be a good way around that requirement and a way to stake your claim on your favorite guild name as early as possible.
A login is required to go shopping, and Phoenix Lab’s authentication server seems to have slowed a bit this morning in light of the increased traffic.