Retro's Factions
A factions server that isn't pay-to-win
On Retro's Factions, nothing that helps you win a fight or a raid is for sale. Ranks, kits, crate keys and boosters are all earned in game.
Pay-to-win kills factions
On most factions servers, the best kit costs $50 and a stack of crate keys costs more. A new player who doesn't pay has no chance against someone who did. They get raided, they quit, and after a few weeks only the big spenders are left.
I wanted a factions server where the best faction is the one that plays the smartest, not the one that spends the most. So on Retro's Factions:
- Ranks are bought with in-game money, using
/rankup. - Kits come with your rank or cost in-game money.
- Crate keys are only won: KOTH, the daily parkour, votes, invites and the season pass.
- Money boosters are free events for everyone, never sold.
What's for sale and what isn't
Here's everything a pay-to-win server usually sells, and where you get it on Retro's Factions instead.
| Thing | Sold for real money? | How you get it |
|---|---|---|
| Ranks | Never | In-game money with /rankup. 11 ranks from free to $7,500,000. |
| Kits | Never | Each rank has its own kit. PvP kits cost in-game money in The Pit. |
| Crate keys | Never | KOTH wins, the daily parkour, votes, inviting friends and the season pass. |
| Money boosters | Never | Free events for everyone. Every 50 votes start a vote party with double sell prices. |
| Spawners | Never | Bought with in-game money in /shop, or mined with Silk Touch. |
| Gear and items | Never | /shop, the auction house, crafting and raiding. |
| Cosmetics | Yes | Trails, pets, hats, kill effects and chat titles. Some are earned too, like KOTH King. |
| Supporter tags | Yes | A tag after your name. They don't change gameplay. |
| Conveniences | Yes | /hat, /nick, /enderchest, /repair and extra homes. |
| Season pass premium | Yes | The premium track is cosmetics only. The free track has the money and keys. |
I want to be upfront: the conveniences above save you time, but they don't win fights. Everything that does, you earn in game.
How you get ahead without paying
Farm and mine
Every crop and block sells in /shop. Wheat sells for $8, cobblestone for $5 and diamonds for $250.
Win KOTH
$10,000 and a crate key, three times a day, if you can hold the hill.
Play mini games
BedWars pays $2,500 for a win. The Pit pays $250 a kill, plus bounties.
Daily rewards
The sky parkour pays $10,000 and a key once a day. Each vote pays $5,000 and a key.
So how does the server pay for itself?
Hosting costs about $40 a month. The board at spawn and /store in game show how close we are each month. People who want to help buy cosmetics, and that's enough to keep the server online. If that ever stops being enough, I'll find another way before I sell anything pay-to-win.
Questions
Is Retro's Factions pay-to-win?
No. Ranks are bought with in-game money using /rankup. Kits, crate keys, boosters and spawners are never sold for real money. The store sells cosmetics and a few small conveniences.
What does the Retro's Factions store sell?
Cosmetics like trails, pets, hats, kill effects and chat tags, supporter tags, the premium season pass track (cosmetics only), and a few conveniences: /hat, /nick, /enderchest, /repair and extra homes.
How do you get crate keys without paying?
Crate keys come from winning KOTH, finishing the daily parkour, voting, inviting friends and the free season pass track. They can't be bought.
Play factions on a level field
Java: play.retrosfactions.net Bedrock: play.retrosfactions.net port 443