What is pre-Big Bang? v83 and pay to win, explained

Pre-Big Bang means the original game as it was before the Big Bang update, first released in 2010. Here is what changed, why players still want the classic era, what v83 is, and exactly what donations on Kuro do and do not give you.

The short answer

  • Pre-Big Bang (pre-BB) means the original game as it was before its biggest overhaul, the Big Bang update, first released in 2010.
  • v83 is one client version from that classic era. Kuro is built on it.
  • Is it pay to win? Kuro is free to play with optional donations, and its rule is no pay-to-win: levels, gear and boss clears come from playing.

What pre-Big Bang means

The Big Bang was a huge update to the original game, first released in 2010. It reworked skills and classes, rebalanced the game and made leveling much faster. Players split the game's history around it: everything before that update is called pre-Big Bang, or pre-BB for short, and everything after it is post-Big Bang.

So when someone looks for a pre-Big Bang server, they usually want the classic game: the old classes and skills, the towns and maps they remember, and the slower pace that came with them.

Why players still want pre-Big Bang

Ask ten veterans and you will hear ten answers, but a few come up again and again:

  • Levels meant something. Leveling was slow, so every job advancement and every new piece of gear felt earned.
  • It was social. Grinding went better in a party, party quests were where you made friends, and towns were full of people.
  • The Free Market was the heart of the game. Player shops, haggling and hunting for a good deal were half the fun.
  • Classes were easy to read. Fewer skills and fewer systems made the game easy to learn and builds easy to compare.
  • Nostalgia. For many players, this is the version they grew up with.

If you are weighing up where to play, our comparison of pre-Big Bang private servers covers Kuro and six other servers, with versions, rates and sources.

What v83 means

The original game was released as numbered client versions. v83 is one of them, from the classic pre-Big Bang period: v62 and v72 are earlier eras, v83 is the middle of the classic period, and v92 is late pre-Big Bang. When a classic server says it is v83, it means the server is built on that client.

Kuro is a free classic v83 private server. At character creation you pick an Explorer (Pirates included), a Cygnus Knight or an Aran, and 2nd, 3rd and 4th job are automatic at levels 30, 70 and 120. Kuro also adds later classes and content on top of that base: Dual Blade, Pathfinder, Cannoneer, Phantom and Shade are unlocked at their NPC by a level 10 Beginner Explorer, and there are Hyper Skills and newer bosses such as Von Leon, Magnus and Chaos Root Abyss.

Modernized, not a pure recreation: Kuro keeps the pre-Big Bang classes, party quests and Free Market, and adds quality-of-life upgrades such as attacking while moving and jumping, Double Jump and fast travel. If you want an exact copy of the old game, know that Kuro is a modernized pre-BB experience. The full list is in features and rates.

Is the original game pay to win?

The original game is free to play and is funded by its Cash Shop. Over the years that shop has sold items that touch progression, such as EXP coupons and items that reroll equipment stats, next to plenty of purely cosmetic items. Whether that counts as pay to win depends on who you ask and how far you want to push your character. It is also why so many players ask the question before they commit to any server.

Is Kuro pay to win?

No. Kuro is free to play, with optional donations that support the server, and there are no cash advantages: levels, gear and boss clears come from playing. There is no subscription and no paid early access, and you can play everything without paying. Here is exactly what donating does and does not change.

What a donation gives you

  • Donation Points (DP), added to your account after the team verifies your gift card.
  • An optional name tag color and effect for one character, which you can switch on or off at any time for free at Amy.
  • An optional Supporter role on Discord, if you add your Discord username to your order.
  • Permanent Cash Shop items. Anything you buy with Donation Points stays forever instead of expiring after 30 days.
  • The Donation Hall at Amy in the Free Market: transmog (keep your stats, change the look), premium hair and face styles, a Surprise Style Box, an Anime Skin Box, Pet, Chair and Cash Clothing Gachapons, a Cosmetic Bank, extra Beauty Salon slots and character name changes.
  • Donation Point-only cosmetics in the Cash Shop, such as skins, outfits, rings and pets.

What a donation does not give you

  • No levels, gear or boss clears. Those come from playing.
  • No faster mounts. Donation mounts move at the same speed as the regular mounts every player can get.
  • No head start. There is no paid early access.

Read before you donate: Gift card donations are final and cannot be refunded, so read each item's description on the donation page first.

What every player gets for free

  • Reward Credits from voting: each vote gives 2,000 Reward Credits and 1 Vote Point, up to 3 votes a day.
  • More Reward Credits from the daily login rewards.
  • The Cash Shop. Apart from the Donation Point-only cosmetics, the Cash Shop takes Reward Credits, and pets and pet equipment cost 100 Reward Credits.
  • Free styling: regular skin, hair and face changes at Amy are always free.
  • Fast travel: every new character gets a free 7-day Hyper Teleport Rock.
  • Free Ore and Scroll Bags.
  • Blue Gachapon, a pay-to-win mechanic in the classic game, is reworked into a global drop for levels 1 to 40.

Kuro at a glance

  • Rate | Value
  • EXP | 2x until level 200, then 1x
  • Meso | 1x
  • Drop | 1x
  • Quest EXP | 3x
  • Alt EXP | 4x for characters below your account's highest level
  • Level cap | 300 for every class, Cygnus Knights included
  • Version | v83 (Pre-Big Bang)

Rates stay close to the original so the economy and the Free Market keep their value. You can play in your browser at play.playkuro.com on PC, Mac, phone and tablet with nothing to install, or use the Windows launcher. See play in your browser for what works on each device.

Try pre-Big Bang on Kuro in three steps

  1. Create a free account: Register on playkuro.com. One Kuro account works for the game, the website and the forum.
  2. Play in your browser or download: Open play.playkuro.com to play with nothing to install, or get the Windows launcher from the download page.
  3. Make your first character: Pick an Explorer, a Cygnus Knight or an Aran, then follow the getting started guide for your first hour.

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