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The problem is, while a lot of top players complain about these new bs defenders, they're also the ones who immediately buy them, rank them up, and place them as defenders every opportunity they get.

We can pretend like we're the victims of bad design, but I think we also have to acknowledge that there is a strong market for bs defenders. Even if people complain, a lot of people (including many who complain) want to have these types of defenders. They just don't like it when they get cooked themselves.

And of course, this also stems from the hypocritical nature of the MCOC community at large.

People complaining about deals then buying them. People threatening to quit but continuing to play. People calling others whales but also spending themselves. People blaming their losses on bad luck but not their wins. Et cetera.

And I don't say this to undermine the complaint about defenders; I'm just adding that this is another core issue where the community is both angry and complicit at the same time. I think that's the bigger issue imo.

I love her sense of humour

Just a heads up OP, considering the mood of the player base lately, nerfing either one would be extremely stupid on their side. The smart move would be let one slide, gain back false trust and then continue their model. Your bar is set way too low.

I have never seen someone so desperate to be convinced to keep on spending in this game like you OP.... There has been no improvement, no show of change or good faith yet and all you want is someone to tell you everything will be great, spend on.

The part where defenders removing masteries is discussed and how we should have protested more loudly when it first happened hit home for me.. I was definitely one of the people who was outraged at the notion that our masteries can be disabled by a line of text in a champion kit

That just shouldn't be a thing at all.. and yes, it felt like lazy design

Players become outraged at the notion of a single champion nerf, but this is nerfing our entire account in a sense.. I also wish there had been a bigger pushback against it

I mean that’s a pretty damning metaphor. Either way I think the larger point is if you keep upping the potency of the product then customers will OD and stop using the product… which is the current direction that is trending

they do these events and have in the past to encourage players to participate in alliance game modes.

They are probably more people leaving competitive alliances for less demanding or “retired” ones,.or leaving alliances altogether..than there are people joining them.

Just my thinking,..(and i could be wrong),..would be interesting to see what the data says.

On the one hand, story arc content is as easy or easier. On the other hand, everything else isn’t. We no longer have choose your own adventure difficulty on monthly, and new champs show up there. AQ is pretty static but raids are a significant step up, and raids seem to be getting less optional all the time. Side quests, battlegrounds, alliance war, all seem to be getting more complex in terms of both champion complexity and mental workload.

And defenders are not the only way in which new champs create a hurdle for new players. Complex attackers can be just as off putting as complex defenders. As I said, I don’t think we’re there yet, but I think we do keep edging in that direction, and let’s face it: none of us are all that good at judging what new players will and will or tolerate. We can change gears if veterans are unhappy. But the first sign the game has become unapproachable to new players might be the day we stop retaining them, and that might be too late to do anything about it.

Even hyper complex end game can make the game less approachable to new players. No one is making Act 3 guides; the first time anyone encounters MCOC might be someone’s Eternity of Pain video or Act 8.4 video or even Elder difficulty run through. That stuff showcases the game. We certainly can’t water that stuff down just to make it look approachable, but it’s all pieces to the puzzle. If you see the end game, then you see what you have to do monthly, then you see what the latest champs look like, is this what someone is going to want to start playing? Fortunately for us, right now the answer seems to be yes. But certainly there is a limit.

What makes this complicated is in small chunks, it’s all reasonable and even logical. It’s all individually designed to address specific problems in specific ways. I can’t fault any one thing (in spite of the many people who can). But the whole, taken together, does leave me concerned.

Not even a little bit. Its just to milk you out of items and to get you to rank champs you would never rank. Nodes are out dated.

There's nothing fun about this game at the moment.

and here we are again, people are already thinking about how to throw their the money in the most efficient way at kabam.

Considering the overall state of the game and kabams willingness to “listen” to people - i do not understand this.