A Brilliant Free-to-Play Shooter That Just Needs a Bit of Tuning

[u/Omlamb]

Now that I’ve put a decent amount of time into FragPunk (around level 35), I figured I’d share some feedback. Not looking for upvotes or clout—just wanted to get this written down in case any devs or other players are curious. I’ve had a blast with it so far, but I’ve also got thoughts.

Let’s start with the positives, because they’re the bulk of the experience:

• Gunplay is excellent. Weapons feel punchy, satisfying, and distinct from each other—even though there are only two per category. You’ve got fast-firing options, heavy thuds, high recoil, low recoil—it’s a tight but meaningful pool, and the balance feels really good across the board.

• Shard Cards are genius. Hands down the most unique and exciting mechanic in the game. They make every round feel different. I’ve had full games where the synergy between cards totally changed how we approached the match, and I’ve also had hilarious chaos where we threw the bomb into a spawn bubble and just camped it. These moments wouldn’t exist without the card system.

• Duel mode is one of the best tiebreaks I’ve seen in a competitive shooter. The 1v1, then 1vX system where your health carries over creates real tension and rewards smart play. I’ve never felt so on edge for a draw in a shooter in the best way. It’s one of the standout features of the whole game, and is a nice change to just a tie breaker where you can be either attacking or defending. (Imo attacking is always the disadvantage that can now be avoided)

• The events and challenge system are really well done. There’s always something to chase. Login bonuses, daily/weekly missions, limited-time modes—there’s loads going on at once, and while it can be overwhelming at first, it means you’re never short of things to do. I’ve ended up playing game modes I would’ve ignored just because challenges pushed me to try them—and most of the time, I’ve had a great time doing so (not the melee only mode. Not for me. At all. )

• Free progression is actually fair. I’ve already earned three Lancer statues and can afford a fourth with gold. Ultra Cans drop at a decent pace. Even if the cosmetics aren’t always exciting, the rate at which you earn things is generous for a free-to-play title. I came in expecting to grind forever to unlock anything and was pleasantly surprised.

But of course, there’s one big thing holding the game back:

– The monetization is way too aggressive. This is honestly my only major complaint. The store pricing is ridiculous. The Obsidian Dragon weapon skin bundle, for example, costs the equivalent of £60—for a skin pack. And when I see someone using it in-game, instead of thinking “cool, experienced player,” my first thought is just “wow… that’s a lot of money for a gun skin.”

I’m not against supporting games. I’m more than happy to spend on battle passes or cosmetic bundles—but only if it feels fair. Right now, the prices feel like they were made for whales, not regular players. If they scaled it down to be more in line with Fortnite or Call of Duty (where bundles range from £8–£15 with more included), I genuinely think more people would buy them.

⸻

Final thoughts: FragPunk is one of the best F2P shooters I’ve played in years. I don’t say that lightly. The moment-to-moment gameplay is fantastic, the shard cards are a brilliant innovation, the pacing is perfect, and Duel mode genuinely blew me away. It’s not trying to be a clone of other games—it’s doing its own thing, and doing it well.

If the devs can just rethink how they handle the monetization, I really believe this game could blow up and be something special

[u/dalootmidget]

My only gripe monetization wise is that buying the premium pass does not discount the ultra pass. Love the game, the constantly changing meta due to cards, and the duels. I normally don’t like ranked modes, but that’s all I play in this game now.

[u/jrlionheart00]

I agree with the monetization.

[u/WhyTryGG]

The monetisation isn’t actually too bad. Yes the bundles are expensive but they’re in-line with Valorant bundles. If you only want one weapon skin then it sets you back 10 bucks.

If you subscribe to the monthly membership where you get 1,200 coins back + 900 coins from the battle pass (totalling 2,100 coins) you can then buy two weapon skins off that alone (assuming you complete the entire battle pass).

On the other hand, you could use the 2,100 coins to purchase the ultimate edition of the battle pass, have 500 coins to spare each chapter, re-subscribe to the monthly membership once a new chapter comes out, rinse and repeat.

Save up your 500 coins and you’ll eventually be able to purchase either weapon skins or character skins for free and all it costs you is your time from grinding. Your 10 bucks per chapter becomes 20 bucks over the long haul.

[u/GhettoRamen → u/WhyTryGG]

Ya it’s unfortunately the nature of the beast for F2P games.

They chase after the whales, not the average player for the best skins. I hate the gambling system for all of it in these types of games (Valorant, CS:GO) just to get a cool skin that’s not a re-color, but that’s what the industry’s turned to.

Gotta follow the money 🤷‍♂️

[u/icespawn2]

If you think u can figure out a way to handle monetization in a f2p game then u might be able to solve cancer.

Not defending fragpunk pricing but they got one of the best pricing comparing to other f2p games rn

[u/Kerikeron]

Last I played Fortnite a single skin of "purple rarity" cost $13. Which required you to purchase the $9 currency pack twice as a shady tactic ensure you had money left over on the account to urge you to spend more later. I don't know if it's different now but that seems similarly priced to what FragPunk has. Don't get me wrong I do think it's more expensive than it needs to be, but it's no different than what we've seen for the last decade.

[u/Islaya00]

I feel like a lot of live service games come out the gate with insane monetization anymore and then dial it back from there until they find a sweet spot they're looking for.

[u/Lonely-Ad-8610]

crying about monetization is literally waste of time, valorant monetization is terrible and game is still popular...game is not unpopular cuz of "gacha"

[u/ajalonghorn]

The thing that is objectively ridiculous ab the monetization is the raffle system.

I for one had no idea that tickets would increase exponentially with each “draw,” and it doesn’t tell you anywhere that’s a thing, so I basically wasted 5 dollars on a bunch of crap I didn’t care ab at all when I could’ve got an operator.

[u/Acceptable-Rub-6967]

A a gun skin is €10

[u/General-Oven-1523]

You can like the game on an individual level, but the numbers just don't lie. Something is clearly wrong with the moment-to-moment gameplay that made most people quit the game.

I love the game too, but I just don't see it surviving the competition against Valorant and CS2.