Pokémon Legends: Arceus’ Inventory Expansion Is A Rip-off

Pokémon Legends: Arceus’ Inventory Expansion Is A Rip-off

I’ve found my mortal enemy in Pokémon Legends: Arceus, and no, it’s not the surly-faced captain who threatened to leave me to die in the wilds. It’s the guy standing right outside of her office. You know who I’m talking about. It’s Bagin, the guy who offers to expand your inventory–for a price.

There are tons of collectibles in the Hisuian overworld, and as a result I often find myself playing a careful game of inventory management. I’m constantly faced with hard choices like “Do I hang onto these EXP items, these rare Pokéball crafting materials, or this rotten apricorn that could possibly save my life later?” When I met a man who offered to increase my inventory for a measly $US100 ($139), I accepted immediately. Little did I know that I had just signed a contract with the devil himself.

At first, Bagin’s offer seemed like a bargain. The next time I wanted a little extra space in my satchel, he asked me for $US200 ($278), and I thought: Why not? I’m good for it, and I’m tired of playing inventory management at my camp storage box. But then crafting recipes got more complicated, and the new areas I visited unlocked rarer Pokéball components. Before long, I was coughing up $US2,000 ($2,776) for a new inventory slot. Wait, what?

Yeah, the prices increase exponentially as you buy extra inventory slots. Once I hit the slot that cost $US500 ($694), the prices started increasing by $US500 ($694). Once you’ve spent $US3,000 ($4,165), your reward isn’t a freebie or a loyalty punch card. Oh no, it’s a price increase of $US1,000 ($1,388) per slot! In total, it costs over four million dollars to fully upgrade your satchel to 37 additional slots. I get that Bagin doesn’t owe me reasonable prices, but it still feels like a ripoff to pay thousands of dollars for one extra pocket.

I decided not to participate in the system. He might be free to charge me extortionate prices, but that also means that I’m free to walk away from them. But then I found myself throwing out perfectly usable crafting ingredients in the wild. Sometimes I didn’t know what a certain wild flower could be used for, so I’d hold onto it just in case. It got worse whenever I unlocked new recipes and started crafting a new type of consumable. I feel a little trapped. Bagin has a monopoly on the inventory slot market, and he knows that sooner or later, I’ll come crying back to him, willing to fork over whatever outrageous amount he’s asking just so I can carry one more crafting ingredient or wild bait with me on my adventures.

One day, I’ll get frustrated (and wealthy) enough to buy a $US4,000 ($5,553) inventory slot. Until then, I’ll keep playing extreme inventory management.

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