Bonuses are quite a useful feature and a nice gift from developers in various games. With their help, gameplay can be more accessible, faster, or improve most players’ experience. But not everyone fully understands how they work and what in-game bonuses are.
Description
An in-game bonus is the same as any other bonus that players can receive for certain actions, for some events, for purchasing game bundles, DLS etc. For example, some games are sold in several versions (standard, deluxe etc.).
The regular version is just a game without any bonuses, while the deluxe version can contain generous features and boosts to improve the gaming experience. Another example is bonuses that can be received for certain actions, like boosting experience in MMO games for participating in events, surveys and so on.
Most in-game bonuses are free. You can manage them yourself, especially as a beginner. These are gifts to players for downloading or registering for games. With these bonuses, you can immediately improve your equipment, leveling/gameplay, and enjoy the game.
How In-Game Bonuses Work
As mentioned above, in-game bonuses incentivize gamers to continue playing, enjoy the game, and avoid being distracted by various difficulties. Previously, bonuses (or purchasing in-game items that make the game easier) were mainly in MMO RPGs, like Lineage 2, Warcraft, or Guild of Wars. This is obvious since the essence of MMOs is leveling up characters, items, leveling, raids, and all this takes time. On the one hand, players can play as usual, complete quests, level up, etc., which can take quite a lot of time, but that’s how it should be. On the other hand, all this can be accelerated by purchasing a bonus pack or a VIP level, which also has bonuses and advantages.
Bonuses can also be given out for switching to new game versions, global updates, anniversaries, or memorable events. This way, developers value those who actively develop their projects while stimulating more excitement among the gaming community.
Is it good or bad? If the game has a PVP aspect that can be affected by things from bonus packs, then this is bad. If the game balances regular players and those who use various bonuses and boosts, then this is normal and does not affect the balance of the game world in any way.
Types of In-Game Bonuses
Bonuses are not always a boost or something valuable. As mentioned above, these may simply be additional tools for the game,like exp.boost, cosmetic items (skins,pets, mount and so on). In-game bonuses can be different, but there are still quite valuable items among them.
For example, those who attended The International 2023 receive a unique QR code that activates a treasury with rare items. This tradition has been maintained for several years in a row, and judging by the statistics of the Steam Market and other platforms, the cost of items received for attending the event varies from $50 to $1,500+. It is quite a good bonus to visit the most important event in Dota 2 and the esports niche.
Worst In-Game Bonus
Some developers think that bonuses are something important and mandatory. To some extent, there is truth in this. Some projects can be played without bonuses, including single-player and online games. In some cases, you can’t do without bonuses (most often paid ones) to get maximum performance and damage figures.
For the sing-player niche, Assassin’s Creed Valhalla was a revelation, where gamers could literally buy the best equipment in the game as boosts. Will this make the passage easier? Definitely yes. Is this necessary to beat the game even on the highest difficulty level? No.
For online games, Diablo Immortal has once again become a sensation—unfortunately, a sensation in a negative aspect. As one experiment of one (rich) gamer showed, Diablo Immortal provides bonuses that you can buy to become the most powerful player in the game. Of course, this will require $100,000, but still, there should not be an imbalance in the game due to in-game purchases.
Bottom Line
In-game bonuses today are an integral part of games, both single and online projects. Some developers treat this as additional gifts for those who bought and downloaded their project. Some actively take advantage of the fact that gamers want to be better than each other and add bonuses that you can buy and become top 1 on their server.
