The Seven Store

One of the best and worst things about free-to-play MMORPG's is the ability to use real-world money to make your characters superior to those of the penniless bums out there trying to hack out a living with purely in-game equipment and resources. I have played the online games on both sides of that fence, which is why I say it's the best/worst part of the genre. On the one side, it supports the publisher and keeps updates and events coming, on the other side, it let's rich noobz buy stuff that's vastly superior to the junk that took you 100 game hours to earn, just because they have more money or less self-control than you do. If that kind of thing irritates you, then know that I'm right there with you- like I said, I've played both sides of that argument.

Seven Swords uses an old, but effective method to keep this in check, so if you're thinking of winning the next war single-handedly by dropping some coins on some high-end gear for your new character, keep reading. All the gear in the game is leveled, meaning you need to be a certain level to equip it. You can save yourself some headache by checking the level (and gender) of any gear you find by looking at the item's stats. This is pretty straightforward in shops, but you can also check item stats in your inventory "bag" by selecting your bag, then touching the item in your inventory list. The stats will show everything about the item, including a little bow, sword, staff, or mace in red or blue. Red indicators mean that the item is for the females of a given character class, while blue means it's for the boys. If a bit of equipment can be equipped by either gender, both red and blue will be present side-by-side.

It's important to keep classes, genders, and your personal level in mind when shopping for gear (especially in the Seven Store), otherwise you might waste time and money. Even techniques have class assignments and are usually unique to a single class.


So, to recap; a level 10 gladiator could hypothetically buy a level 20 Viking Sword, but would not be able to use it until he got to level 20. However, a level 20 scout would not be able use it. It would be cool if one could change classes or switch weapons, but it's just an iPod game, so Seven Swords deserves a little slack for simplicity. Furthermore, foolish purchases a the seven store can't be redeemed and if you try to sell a useless Seven Store mistake-purchase to the item shop, you'll quickly find that it's not worth much. (usually nothing) So, be an informed shopper.

Moving right along, the Seven Store uses coins, rather than the in-game currency (Gran). Coins cost real money, which comes from your iTunes account, so whatever you use to pay for apps and mp3 files, you will be using to pay for coins. Now, I'm a world-traveller (which is why I play games and write articles on an iPod instead of a PC in my office) and if you happen to be playing this game from a country other than the continental USA or the beautiful Japanese archipelago, you may find that your coin purchases are declined. I first noticed this when traveling in Asia. But don't lose heart! The fix for this is actually pretty simple. Just dial into a US or Japanese VPN with your iPhone or iPod, then give it a try. It works for me. I use a pay-service VPN for various things while I do my thing abroad, but there are lots of free VPN's out there to try. Here's a search link for your convenience. VPN Search (hopefully you're using Firefox. If not, for shame! Download it for free and start using the Internet the way it was intended.


Ahem... well anyway, once you have coins to buy and a purchase in mind, the Seven Store works just like any in-game item shop. Choose your item and buy. The similarity ends once the purchase is made, since purchased items do not go directly into your inventory. They go to the My Delivery girl next to the Seven Store girl. So you'll have to exit the Seven Store once you have made a purchase and redeem it at the girl next door. Why is it arranged like this? Simple, so you never encounter full-inventory issues and so you can by items for your alternate characters and pick them up when you log in and one of them. It's a pretty solid system.

Naturally, Asobimo wants you to buy items, since that goes to funding the game, but don't be frivolous and take your time. A new player should not be shopping the Seven Store for anything but repair hammers until about level 20. But once you get closer to your level cap, you may decide that some of the mods available at the Seven Store are just what you need to own the enemy. I think some of the items like the level cap modifier and the inventory increaser are actually pretty awesome items. 

Lastly, the Seven Store also has "event items" that are displayed on the official website. If you have money in the real world and your characters are at a high enough level, some of these costumes and weapons can be pretty cool. For my own part, however, I generally avoid spending real-world money in games; the effects can be addictive.