Trion Worlds, creator of the post-apocalyptic MMO shooter Defiance, has announced plans to make the game free-to-play just in time for Season 2 of the Syfy series. Starting on June 4 for PC, players will be allowed to download Defiance for free. Xbox 360 and PlayStation 3 players will be able to play for free sometime in mid-July.

While the change is meant to attract new players, Trion will unlock a nice reward system for existing players, including more character slots, loadouts, ark keycode capacity, and inventory slots than the free-to-play accounts. In addition, all players who have purchased a boxed or digital copy of Defiance will earn 1,000 Arkforge, which is redeemable for upgrading weapon power ratings, resetting weapon mastery, or enhancing an uncommon weapon to epic rarity.

Veteran players will also receive 30 days of Paradise Patron status once the game's free-to-play service launches. These players will earn:

• Arkforge from Daily and Weekly Ark Hunter Bonus Lock Boxes
• Boosts to skill, scrip, XP, salvage, and reputation gain rates
• 10% store-wide discount on costumes, boosts, and lock boxes
• A daily grab bag of two-hour boosts

For those who may be worried about game progression through micro-transactions, Trion included a specific comment on the Defiance community page, stating, "With RIFT, ArcheAge, and Trove, our free-to-play policy is simple: 'No Tricks, No Traps' -- and you better believe Defiance will follow that mantra as well. That means we aren't designing Defiance in such a way where spending real-world money in the game's store is necessary to progress or to win. Look forward to free crossover content throughout Season 2!"