Throne and Liberty: Smart Growthstone Spending for F2P Progression

The “Trait First” Rule: Why Item Level Lies

Most Free-to-Play players in Throne and Liberty make a critical error that cripples their damage output for months: they rush to equip Tier 2 (T2) Epic gear the moment it drops. In January 2026, this is a “noob trap.” While T2 gear has higher base stats like Defense and Max Health, it often lacks the damage multipliers that define a competitive build.

This guide details the mathematical “sweet spot” for Growthstone spending and Gear Transfer, specifically for players who cannot swipe their credit card for Lucent.

When This Doesn’t Work: This strategy is NOT for “Whales” buying Trait Unlock Stones or players exclusively focused on Zerg PvP (where base defense might outweigh damage efficiency).

The Trait Trap: The Hidden Cost of T2

In 2026, the biggest differentiator between an average F2P player and a top-tier veteran isn’t the color of their gear-it’s their Trait Lines. A fully traited Tier 1 (T1) Epic weapon often outperforms a base-level Tier 2 (T2) weapon because the bonus stats (like Hit, Crit, or Heavy Attack Chance) are massive multipliers.

The math is brutal for those who rush. To unlock or upgrade a trait on T1 gear, you need a duplicate T1 item or a standard amount of Trait Unlock Stones. However, once you transfer to T2, the cost effectively doubles. Unlocking a trait slot on a T2 weapon requires significantly more resources-often 200 Trait Unlock Stones compared to the standard rate for T1. Furthermore, T2 drops from dungeons like Tyrant’s Isle are incredibly scarce compared to the abundance of T1 drops you can farm from lower-tier dungeons.

The Strategy: Before you spend a single Precious Weapon Growthstone on a new T2 drop, you must verify your T1 foundation. The smart play is to max out your T1 gear to +9 and fully unlock its traits before using the Transfer system. This ensures you carry over the power of those traits without paying the “T2 Tax” of unlocking them later.

Common Mistakes to Avoid

1. Rushing the Transfer to T2

Many players loot a T2 item and immediately transfer their T1 +9 gear into it. This usually results in a T2 +6 item. While this looks good on paper, you lose the ability to easily trait that slot. Once an item is T2, you need T2 duplicates to upgrade traits-which you won’t have because the drop rates in T2 dungeons are significantly lower than T1. Stick to T1 until your traits are maxed.

2. Dissolving “Useless” Growthstones

Never use the “Dissolve” function on Precious stones to get Rare ones unless it is an absolute emergency. The exchange rate is terrible and destroys long-term value. Instead, use the Contract Coin Merchant in cities like Stoneguard or Watcher’s Post to buy the specific lower-tier stones you need. Save your Precious stones; you will need hundreds of them for the +6 to +12 push on T2 gear.

3. Over-Leveling Beyond Breakpoints

Don’t randomly click “Level Up.” Stop at specific efficiency breakpoints. For T1 gear, stop exactly at +9. For transferring Blue to Purple, stop at +9 (Blue) which transfers to +6 (Purple). Pushing a Blue item past +9 is a waste of Quality Polished Crystals and Sollant. The XP curve creates diminishing returns if you over-invest in an item you plan to transfer later.

The Golden Transfer Ratio (2026 Update)

Efficiency is about Sollant and Stone conservation. When you are ready to move from T1 to T2, follow this math to minimize waste:

The T1 (+9) → T2 (+6) Transfer

This is the standard path. A fully leveled T1 Epic item (+9) transfers into a T2 Epic item at exactly +6. This saves you the massive initial cost of leveling a T2 item from scratch. From +0 to +6 is where the “easy” levels are, but by transferring, you skip the need to farm T2 growthstones for those early levels.

The “Blue Skip” Method

If you are leveling an alt or a new weapon type, do not start with Purple stones. Level a Rare (Blue) item to +9 first using Rare Growthstones (which are cheap and plentiful from Contracts). Then, transfer that Blue +9 into your T1 Purple to instantly get it to +6. This saves you roughly 40-50 Precious Growthstones per slot. You can check the current market prices for materials on Amazon Games under the ‘News’ section for economy updates.

Daily Routine: Building the Engine

To support a T2 transition, you need a specific daily routine that prioritizes Precious Polished Crystals over everything else. These crystals are the bottleneck for crafting the hundreds of Growthstones you will need.

Contract Coin Farming

Your first stop every login should be the Contract Manager. Pick contracts that reward Contract Coins. Do not pick contracts for direct Sollant or gear rewards unless they are T2 specific. Take your coins to the merchant in Stoneguard and buy your daily limit of Precious Weapon Growthstones and Precious Armor Growthstones. This is the only consistent source of “free” stones.

Open World Dungeons

Stop running open-world dungeons blindly. Focus your Abyss Contract Tokens on dungeons like Syleus’s Abyss or Shadowed Crypt. These mobs have the highest drop rate for Precious Polished Crystals. You should be burning your tokens here efficiently-group up to kill mobs faster and maximize the drop potential per token.

Mystic Portals

Whenever you see a globe icon on your map indicating a Mystic Portal, stop what you are doing and run it. These portals are a primary source of raw materials and Sollant that requires zero contract tokens. It is essentially “free energy” for your account progression.

The Sollant Starvation Reality

The Transfer system is expensive-often costing millions of Sollant for a full set. By constantly transferring (Blue → Purple T1 → Purple T2), you will burn through Sollant faster than players who stick to one set. A single T2 upgrade click can cost upwards of 80,000 Sollant, and you will fail many times on the road to +12.

You must prioritize Sollant farming activities. Taedal’s Tower is excellent for quick bursts of cash if you haven’t cleared it, but for consistent income, you should look for region events that reward Sollant pouches. Check the event schedule on the NCSoft homepage under ‘Game Updates’ to plan your farming route.

Your Checklist Before Transferring

Before spending high-value stones this week, verify these steps:

☐ Daily Contract Coins: Have you bought your daily limit of Growthstones from the Contract Coin Merchant in Watcher’s Post or Stoneguard?

☐ Dissolve Check: Have you dissolved “junk” green equipment to get Quality Magic Powder for crafting stones?

☐ Trait Audit: Is your current T1 weapon fully traited (3 lines unlocked)? If no, do NOT transfer to T2 yet.

☐ Mystic Portals: Did you run your daily Mystic Portals to farm extra Sollant and materials?

☐ Abyss Tokens: Are you spending your Abyss Contract Tokens in open-world dungeons to farm Precious Polished Crystals?

Final Decision: Crafting vs. Farming Stones

As a F2P player, you cannot rely on drops alone. Your primary source of Growthstones should be Crafting at the Stoneguard crafter. Use the Precious Polished Crystals dropped from mobs and combine them with Magic Powder obtained from dissolving useless gear. If you are unsure which bundles offer the best value for supplementing your crafting, compare the current packages on Steam under the ‘DLC’ section for Throne and Liberty.

Stop hoping for direct Growthstone drops. Build your engine around farming the materials to craft them. Visit the weekend events for double contract coin rewards, as this is your biggest injection of “free” stones. Patience is your currency; spending it wisely on a fully prepared T1 foundation will let you crush the players who rushed to T2 with empty trait lines.