Ubisoft is no stranger to questionable microtransaction practices, with Tom Clancy’s Ghost Recon Breakpoint being the latest example of what not to do. Even before you get started, there are several versions available from purchase ranging from the Standard Edition at $59.99 (USD) all the way up to the Collector’s Edition at $189.99 (USD).
If adding a figurine to your collection is less important than unlocking in-game content, the step below the Collector’s Edition (the Ultimate Edition) should offer "most" of what you need, all for a whopping $119.99 (USD). It’ll get you the game, the 1-Year Season Pass, a Bonus Mission, Off-Road Pack, and Survivor Pack.
The Ultimate Edition fails to live up to its name as there's a lot it won’t get you, as evident by the endless array of items available for purchase in the game’s Shop. While you have your optional cosmetic items, you’re also able to purchase blueprints for weapons directly, giving Ghost Recon Breakpoint a sort of “pay-to-win” feel.
Toxic microtransactions in Ghost Recon Breakpoint
© Ubisoft
As with most games, Tom Clancy’s Ghost Recon Breakpoint has “free” in-game currency that you can grind to acquire, and “premium” currency you can purchase directly in exchange for real money. In Ghost Recon Breakpoint, premium currency takes the form of Ghost Coins, which can be purchased in bundles. Below, we’ve included the full price breakdown list for Ghost Coins in Tom Clancy’s Ghost Recon Breakpoint.
- 600 Ghost Coins - $4.99 (USD)
- 1,300 Ghost Coins - $9.99 (USD)
- 2,800 Ghost Coins - $19.99 (USD)
- 5,800 Ghost Coins - $39.99 (USD)
- 12,000 Ghost Coins - $79.99 (USD)
Noted at the bottom of this page, you can apparently get a free Eye Patch cosmetic as a “thank you for your first purchase.” It's not much of an incentive per se, but it's hilarious enough to warrant a mention. As a whole, the bundle system feels predatory in that you’ll almost always have Ghost Coins left over after making a purchase, encouraging you to buy more bundles.
While some may argue that there’s no real harm in optional cosmetic purchases, Ghost Recon Breakpoint skirts the line of acceptability due to its inclusion of weapons, attachments, and crafting materials among the items you can purchase using Ghost Coins. For example, you can buy the “Assault Starter Blueprints” bundle for 480 Ghost Coins which includes an ASR 416 and LMG MK48.
© Ubisoft
You’d need to spend $4.99 (USD) on the smallest bundle of 600 Ghost Coins to buy these blueprints, leaving you with 120 Ghost Coins left over. The description of the Assault Starter Blueprints bundle is interesting as it reads, “Unlock two weapon blueprints to facilitate your progress in the early game.”
It feels like Ubisoft is coming right out and saying you can make the early game easier by paying for this bundle, circling back to the “pay-to-win” argument. If you don’t occupy the Assault class, don’t worry, there are similar bundles for Sharpshooter, Panther, and Medic. You can also purchase “Time Savers” in the form of crafting materials, with the Large Crafting Materials Bundle available for 600 Ghost Coins.
Meanwhile, if you don’t see a particular cosmetic item you want to buy using premium currency, the game offers another way to spend money as you can purchase Skell Credits (aka the game’s “free” currency) using Ghost Coins and there are a lot of cosmetics available for Skell Credits. Below, we’ve listed a breakdown of Skell Credit bundles available for purchase using Ghost Coins.
- 4,000 Skell Credits - 600 Ghost Coins
- 8,000 Skell Credits - 1,200 Ghost Coins
- 16,000 Skell Credits - 2,400 Ghost Coins
- 32,000 Skell Credits - 4,800 Ghost Coins
Yes, it’s possible to play the entire game without ever spending a dime on Ghost Coins, but the presence of such extensive microtransactions does raise questions in regards to ethics. After all, Ghost Recon Breakpoint launched without certain features that many players would’ve preferred to have available such as AI teammates and cross-play support.
© Ubisoft
Ubisoft has plans in place to add these features, and more, through post-launch updates, but it’s still garish to see the Shop fully up and operational. A lot of time was clearly spent ensuring this aspect of the game would be ready to go, and it’s disconcerting, especially for fans of the Tom Clancy series.
Keep in mind that the main goal in addressing these microtransactions is to help you make an informed decision when it comes to whether you should purchase Tom Clancy’s Ghost Recon Breakpoint right now, or hold off.
Now that you've reviewed the microtransaction situation with Ghost Recon Breakpoint, what are your thoughts? Are you fine with the way they’re set up, or do you feel they detract from the overall game experience? Comment below! For another look at why Ghost Recon Breakpoint's microtransactions are toxic, we recommend checking out this informational video from YouTube user YongYea.
For more on Tom Clancy’s Ghost Recon Breakpoint, we've got some helpful guides ready to go including whether there are AI teammates in Ghost Recon Breakpoint, info on the lack of cross-play in Ghost Recon Breakpoint, and how to get the SC-20K blueprint in Ghost Recon Breakpoint.
