Disney Dreamlight Valley is getting some new upgrades, and that warrants a reevaluation of how severe its microtransactions are. While the game is best known for its Disney characters and Animal Crossing-styled gameplay, the latest update looks to make premium currency more prominent. Considering how other games have faced similar issues, excessive monetization in Dreamlight Valley wouldn't be all that surprising.
In the latest update for Disney Dreamlight Valley, A Festival of Friendship, a new Premium Shop was one of the new additions. This is a new store separate from the others that will exclusively sell a selection of exclusive cosmetic items. The twist is that instead of using Star Coins, players have to spend their rare Moonstones in order to purchase anything from the Premium Shop, making it one of the most dramatic additions in Disney Dreamlight Valley's third update. The harder-to-find currency essentially heightens the price of everything in the Premium Shop, which could easily lead to players spending more for them.
Disney Dreamlight Valley's Premium Shop Requires Rare Currency
The Moonstones required for Disney Dreamlight Valley's Premium Shop are incredibly scarce, but there are a few ways to find them. The first method is to find a Moonstone chest that spawns daily. As a bonus, these chests now give 50 Moonstones per day rather than the 10 they gave before. However, one obstacle to this is finding the Moonstone chest in the first place. They spawn randomly every day, and although they are distinguished by their blue color, the player still needs to seek them out for the reward. Even then, unlike the income from selling soufflés in Dreamlight Valley, the reward of 50 Moonstones is quite small.
Dreamlight Valley's Moonstones Are Hard To Get Without Paying Real Money
The second option for receiving Moonstones in Dreamlight Valley is through the Star Path. The Star Path is reminiscent of the battle passes and other seasonal rankings that other online games have, offering the player missions to complete in exchange for rewards. One of the rewards that can be gained from the Star Pass is Moonstones, but there's a catch. In order to access the Star Pass in the first place, the player must pay a hefty fee of 2500 Moonstones. That's ten dollars worth of Moonstones from the shop, strengthening arguments that Disney Dreamlight Valley isn't free.
This leaves the two quickest ways to buy Moonstones, Founder's Packs, and Moonstone Bundles. Founder's Packs grant players early access to the game while also giving them a significant amount of Moonstones to start with, the amount depending on their tier. As for Moonstone Bundles, those are fairly self-explanatory. They're bulk packs of Moonstones that players can buy with real money, ranging from 1200 Moonstones for 5 dollars to a whopping 14,500 for 50. These are far greater amounts than can be gained for free. Although the prices can add up, the Moonstone Bundles and Dreamlight Valley's Founder's Packs are the easiest ways to gain Moonstones.
It's likely that Disney Dreamlight Valley's Premium Shop will act as an incentive to tempt players into spending more money on Moonstones. With the only quick way to earn Moonstones being the shop, it's likely that players will be incentivized to spend more money on the game to get the cosmetics they want. It would be hardly a surprise if Disney Dreamlight Valley's microtransactions became a much bigger issue in the near future.
Source: Nintendo Of America/YouTube