Trophies work in a very similar way as Xbox and Steam achievements, if you are already familiar with these systems. They do, however, have key differences. PS3 and PS Vita games from the PS3 Trophy patch onwards require to have a full trophy list, unless the game is free to play (some developers, however, put trophies in free-to-play games as well).
Here is a list of common pros and cons the Trophies system has:
PROS:
- Trophy level
- Trophy ranking system
- Image of the Trophy is shown as you earn it
- Platinum Trophies
CONS:
- Trophies can be slow to pop
- Trophies need to be synced to the server
Rank and Rarity
As you may know, Trophies have 4 different ranks: bronze, silver, gold, and platinum. Once you obtain all bronze, silver, and gold Trophies, you earn a platinum. On PS4, you can also view Trophy rarity. This is divided into common, uncommon, rare, very rare, and ultra rare, a scale similar to the one found on PSN Profiles. Trophy rarity is not static or decided by the developers. It adapts as more people play the game. Trophies that people who have the game rarely get will be rare, and if a lot of people suddenly get that trophy, the rarity will change accordingly. Developers don't decide what trophies are rare. It is decided based on consumers of the game.
TROPHY LEVEL
There is a very simple concept for Trophy levels: each bronze Trophy nets you 15 points, a silver gives you 30, a gold 90, and a mighty platinum gives you a massive 180 points. To level up, it requires for more and more points. Here is an example:
- Level 2 is at 200 Points
- Level 3 is at 600 Points
- Level 4 is at 1200 Points
- Level 5 is at 2400 Points
- Level 6 is at 4000 Points
After that, the Trophy level rises by 2000 for each level till level 12 at 16000 points.At level 13 it goes to 24000 and it increases by 8000 with each succeeding level.
