Best Of

R5 mats, Titan shards, potentially awakening gems

This is a lot of confidence in information you don't know is absolutely accurate.

Prob lumatrix

I voted for her but she got eliminated too quickly, so this is really good

There will be growing pains if the character pool becomes more balanced.. as people who have focused on the very top characters only will be disappointed that that can't immediately ascend these champs (but that's also how 8 star would work).. but if you look at the power level of 2025 champs.. something had to give lol.. that wasn't sustainable to make every character super powerful.. it raises the bar each time, at a certain point how would you design content for them?

All is to say that I think ultimately it's a more sustainable game long terms if the characters become a little more balanced.. another benefit being more freedom of choice and agency into which characters we choose to play (if there is more than one option to accomplish a specific RPG ask and they all do it with approximately the same effectiveness) and we can actually decide who is fun for us specifically *and* effective at the task before them

As for the first 4 Carina's being too easy, I have a feeling you will enjoy the last 2 then:)

I enjoyed them, yes, pretty easy for a veteran player, but still fun .. it's basically just fun to choose your teams and discuss with others which team and why, etc.

And a chance to show how well your selected team did (try using champs that aren't the top 5 most chosen meta champs on YT to make it more fun or interesting)

As for enjoying the game, yeah I am

I am not really disappointed with the new ascension system *yet* .. I think its pretty in line with how a base pool 8 star release would work and at least the box champs limit the rng for that pool

I think it's a matter of view.. as someone who already enjoys playing different champions (not exclusively using the same meta champs everyone else does) I think the ascension system has something to offer in discovering different champs that you hadn't previously given a chance.. and maybe even decide they are fun to play *and* effective (actually effective, unlike pre buff Cyclops:)

Now, while I think the means of acquisition of the first 2 ranks of ascension are fair.. it's the next 9 ranks that I think might not be good - only time will tell (will selectors be offered and how often, etc.)

But the first 2 ranks seem equivalent to "pull and dupe the 8 star version" except we don't need to start the sig level chase all over

But as it stands, I have 33 R3 and 1 R5 and there are approximately 40 more champs I'd like to R4 atm.. meaning there is something for me to work towards or be engaged about.. so that is good and will keep me playing for now

It would be nice if they added it to the Crucible, since it's a similar setup and they allowed for that, but since the Challenge says "The Epoch of Pain - True Olympian" then it will be a tab inside of Epoch (like Ordeal with the Grandmaster's Gauntlet) and will most likely follow the same rules. Which isn't being able to start additional quests. But here's to hoping I'm wrong.

It's going to be a new map. Look at the Carina's challenge, it says complete "Epoch of Pain - True Olympian" the current one is "God of War" they even said on stream that it will be a new Gauntlet with 1 path and every fight and a team of 5.

Yeah, still having fun. If it stopped being fun, I'd stop playing. There are definitely times I get annoyed and irritated with the game though.