Anthem’s Micro-transactions explained | What can you buy? And is it worth it?

Just like most games nowadays, Bioware’s Anthem is full of options to spend real world money on in-game items through micro-transactions.

Thankfully, however, there is no Star Wars: Battlefront II loot box system. The game instead allows you to buy whatever you want. Most of the items for sale are purely cosmetic, meaning there is no way to boost your in-game level or get a head start by passing real world cash.

What can you get?

In short, micro-transactions (known as Shards in Anthem) are purely used to get cosmetics. You won’t find anyone selling you a premium weapon that trumps everything else in the game that you can get at an early level here.

Some of the things you can buy at the moment include Armor packs, which unlock specific pieces for you to wear out in the field. Materials that alter the texture, pattern, and color of your Javelin, and emotes that you can use to your heart’s content.

It does appear, however, that Bioware have plans to sell crafting items in the future from the store but that isn’t available at this point.

How much do these micro-transactions cost?

500 Shards: $4.99/£3.99

1050 Shards: $9.99/£7.99

2200 Shards: $19.99/£15.99

4600 Shards: $39.99/£31.99

Do you need to buy micro-transactions at all?

Not really. Coins are pretty easy to come by so long as you play for a long time and even crafting items are in abundance if you know where to look. Honestly, there is no reason to spend the money on all this fancy cosmetic stuff unless you really want to— so don’t feel forced.