While Perfect World states it is
free-to-play, substantial amounts of money are needed to get a leg up on competition and compete. The game relies on items sold in an in-game cash shop to make profit. Use of the cash shop is optional, but most items purchased there are required to improve a player's gameplay, while few items have purely cosmetic functions. Currency used in the cash shop can be bought from the respective websites of each company running a version of the game. Alternatively, cash shop currency can be bought in the auction house from other players in exchange for in-game currency. Perfect World International offers pre-charged cards that can be bought from
7-Eleven,
Target, and
GameStop locations. The Malaysian version allows a player to "Top Up" via CubiCards. Players may also use other payment forms such as Ultimate Game Cards to purchase cash shop currency by using the PayByCash option.
Phone Lock System As a prevention system against account hackers,
Perfect World has a Phone Lock feature for those who wish to use it. The Phone Lock, when activated, will freeze an account until the player of that account dials in using the registered phone number. Once the number is recognized, the account is temporarily activated for login. The player must login within 10 minutes of activation before the account login is frozen again. The player may continue to play despite the freeze. If the player logs out after the 10 minutes are up, that player must once again dial in to temporarily deactivate the Phone Lock. The phone lock feature is exclusive to the Chinese Malaysian version of the game. ==See also==