Rise of the Tomb Raider's Creative Director Noah Hughes goes over the finer points of the game's microtransaction model, which is based around Expedition Cards.

Noah Hughes recently sat down for an interview to talk shop about Rise of the Tomb Raider, focusing primarily on what kinds of things players can expect from the game's unique take on multiplayer and paid microtransactions. Central to the concept of Rise of the Tomb Raider multiplayer will be Expedition Cards, which players can earn through card packs or buy with in-game currency or real life cash.

Hughes seems to believe Expedition Cards will be an important factor in how fans experience Rise of the Tomb Raider's multiplayer modes, and the information backs that up. Some cards will simply offer a humorous addition to the game, such as the time-tested classic Big Head Mode, but others will give players special advantages during gameplay. Hughes noted that there will be approximately 300 cards available at launch, with more to be added in the weeks that follow.

During the interview, which was conducted with Xbox Wire, Hughes also discussed the Remnant Resistance pack that will be available with digital pre-orders of Rise of the Tomb Raider on top of the previously announced three-part DLC and season pass. It will include a new costume for Lara, a skin for the Moon Shadow Handgun, and a rare "Bullet Resistance" foil Expedition Card that makes Lara more resistant to, well, bullets.

The foil cards are an interesting development in Rise of the Tomb Raider's microtransaction model. Normal cards disappear after being used in-game, but foils are permanent. Even if the Expedition Cards impact Rise of the Tomb Raider's gameplay the way Hughes believes they will, though, Rise of the Tomb Raider's multiplayer functions much more like an extension of the main game than a true multiplayer experience, which means the advantages gained from microtransactions will be negligible.

Now that multiplayer and microtransactions have been clarified, fans can truly begin to look forward to tackling Rise of the Tomb Raider's estimated completion time of 15-20 hours. That gameplay time is nearly double the offering of 2013's Tomb Raider, and is part of the reason for Crystal Dynamics' new outlook on multiplayer.

What do you think about the game's microtransactions? Fair or foul? Let us know in the comments.

Rise of the Tomb Raider releases on November 10, 2015 for the Xbox One and Xbox 360. It'll arrive on PC in early 2016, and finally hit the PS4 during the holiday period of 2016.

Source: Xbox Wire