Scars of Honor Monetization Explained: ‎ ‎‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ No Pay-to-Win, No Subscription, Free Expansions

Venelin, the Creative Director of Scars of Honor, answered a wide range of community questions about the game’s design, monetization, and solo/group content during his weekly Twitch stream every Sunday at 7 PM CET on his channel https://www.twitch.tv/ArmegonTV.

This session focused heavily on monetization, pay-to-win concerns, and long-term MMO sustainability, with Venelin providing some of his clearest statements yet on the game's direction.

Quick heads-up: This article is a recap of a live stream and a real-time conversation between Venelin and the community. Some ideas discussed are still being worked on and may change as development continues. Think of this as a look at the current direction, not a final announcement.

Pay-to-Win and Convenience Items

When asked what counts as pay-to-win, Venelin was clear: anything that affects character progression (XP boosts, loot boosts, better drop chances) is pay-to-win. Convenience items, however, are acceptable as long as they don’t impact progression.

Extra bag slots, for example, are not considered pay-to-win if they can also be earned in-game. Venelin agreed with viewers who emphasized this point, confirming that any convenience item sold through monetization must also be obtainable through normal gameplay.

He stressed that players will never gain power, stats, or progression advantages through real money. “As long as I’m CEO, Scars of Honor will never ever have this,” he stated. Progression shortcuts like XP boosts or loot boosts are completely off the table, as Venelin believes these systems undermine the MMO experience.

Cosmetics-Only Monetization

Venelin strongly believes that a cosmetics-only monetization model is sustainable. He rejected the common argument that MMOs cannot survive on cosmetics alone, explaining that the real issue lies in server costs.

Using Beast Burst’s custom in-house Server Solution, which costs effectively $0 per concurrent player, Scars of Honor does not face the same financial pressure as studios that pay per active user. Since the majority of MMO players never spend money, aggressive monetization is often used elsewhere, but Venelin made it clear that this approach is unnecessary for Scars of Honor.

Donations will not be implemented. Subscriptions are fully ruled out. As Venelin put it: “Subscription and free-to-play don’t add up.”

Early Access and Exclusive Items

Early Access is ideally planned to be free for everyone. Venelin outlined two major issues with paid Early Access:

• If there is a wipe, paying players feel punished.
• If there is no wipe, new players feel disadvantaged, making it effectively pay-to-win.

Because of this, Venelin openly agreed with the chat sentiment that paid Early Access creates unfairness.

There may be cosmetic-only Early Access exclusives, such as titles, skins, or emotes, meant purely to visually distinguish early players. These items would have no gameplay impact. Previously earned Supporter and Honored rewards remain separate and unaffected by Early Access.

Battle Passes, Appearance Points, and Loot Boxes

Loot boxes were firmly rejected. Battle Passes are only being considered under strict conditions: no pay-to-win and no FOMO. Venelin specifically supported the references where Battle Passes never expire once purchased.

Appearance Points were also discussed. These allow players to change the visual appearance of gear or characters without altering stats. They are purchased through the shop and are considered fair, cosmetic-only monetization.

Comparisons With Other MMORPGs

Venelin drew on his experience playing a variety of MMORPGs during his streams, noting patterns in how other games handle progression and monetization. He mentioned that many popular MMOs offer XP boosts, loot boosts, or other advantages tied to spending money, which he considers pay-to-win.

While some games are PvE-focused and allow players to farm items, he stressed that selling farmable items still counts as pay-to-win in an MMO context, even if the items are technically earnable through gameplay. These observations help explain why Scars of Honor is deliberately avoiding such systems and sticking to a cosmetics-only monetization model.

Bots, Economy, and PvP

Bots were described as a “plague”, with Venelin emphasizing that economy destruction equals game destruction. Gathering mini-games exist specifically to combat automation, and bots will be actively removed. Unlike many studios, Beast Burst does not profit from bot activity.

Full-loot open-world PvP is not planned, as Venelin believes it can damage MMORPGs long-term. Instanced battlegrounds will exist, but gear is provided for the mode, ensuring players never risk losing their actual equipment.

Demo, Beta, and Monetization Testing

The first Demo is expected toward the end of Q1 or the beginning of Q2, 2026. Monetization will be tested during another phase, later in 2026, where players will receive free shop currency to test cosmetic purchases.

This testing phase is intended to gather feedback on player preferences, such as skins or mounts, without introducing pay-to-win mechanics or pressure.