Well played Kabam! Act 4 seems like it's the game's best cash-grab.

ICE_ICE_BABY

Hector_1475 wrote: »

Just to provide context, I am currently at level 52, having completed up to Act 4.3 (hoping to complete full Act 4 by next week) and I have fully explored 4.1.

Difficuly is certainly not a problem with completing / exploring Act 4. For completing 4.4 I will use my A-team (now that War season is over) and I have been exploring with a mix team of 4* 3/30 & 4/40, without using any revives / potions / boosts (just the way I like it!). But, by exploring through Act 4 you have to face the following:

1) the extremely long routes. Some of them need 2 refills of energy to complete. Needless to say, that you will not only use all and any energy refills you have, but you will blow all your units to buy new ones.

2) The bonus side is that you get massive experience points, that lead you naturally to level up in game progression. Especially if you use experience boosts, the progress is sky-rocketting. Great thing, right? Yeah it is, and for each level up you get of course precious Mastery points. Hold that thought.

3) By fully exploring each Chapter of the 4, you also get additional Mastery points. Yeah! Now, of course since you do own these great Mastery points, you will want to invest them in the "good stuff" provided that you have your basics covered. So the "good stuff" being here Deep Wounds, Assasin, Recovery etc. Each level to unlock in these nice Masteries require (550 + 2x135) 820 units! 820 units for each level! The 5 levels of Deep Wounds for reference require 4,100 units just to unlock them all!

5) So, ultimatelly you WILL find yourself short of units, no matter if you play all the other parts of the game daily as I do (Arena, Alliance events, monthly EQ, you name it). And that will be short of LOTS of units.



So, the options here are that either you will take your time and do the exploration in months, having in the meantime un-invested Mastery points since you cannot unlcock them immediately (what a waste that is, right...?) or you WILL eventually be forced to buy units with actual cash.


Let me clear that this is NOT a complain post. I do realise and appreciate that Kabam is (naturally) in this to make money. And money they make. Nothing wrong with that. I am just pointing out the brilliant design of this game. That's all.


Thanks for reading this far. Feel free to discuss and / or offer any ideas.

HERES AN IDEA "DEAL WITH IT" JUST LIKE I DID AND THE MANY MANY MANY MANY OTHERS DID AS WELL AND MIND YOU, I DID IT WHEN THERE WAS NO 5*S. SO YOU HAVE IT WAY EASIER

Sundance_2099

if you're not impatient, you don't have to spend units on refills at all. you can just play one part of a route, say in the morning before you go to school/work/college/whatever and then play another part after your energy naturally recharges when you get home.

Demonzfyre

Captain_Nietsch wrote: »

Demonzfyre wrote: »

Hector_1475 wrote: »

Demonzfyre wrote: »

No you don't. No where in your OP do you mention you are doing other things to earn units. Besides, tons of people out there have completed it without buying units. Just because you cant complete it in the time frame you want, doesn't make it a cash grab.

See again above point 5. Please and thank you.

I see it now. I missed that but even still, you can 300+ units from beginner and Normal. That's 10 refills. Act 4 isnt meant to be done in a day and theres no reason to push hard to get through it. You want cash grab? Wait till the Collector or 5.6 Ultron boss. Also, all of act 5 is 3 per step. You really have nothing to complain about.

Just because you don't agree that it's anything to complain about doesn't make him wrong. There's so much hostility in this Forum. Players have totally different experiences, let them vent their views on what they find frustrating without making it an argument. Or even worse, compare what they are complaining about with something you think is more worthy of complaining about.

Where you are wrong in this is that OP is complaining about a non-issue. He wants to rush through act 4 but doesn't expect to spend units on energy. Act 4 has always been a grind and will stay that way. If OP wants to rush through it, buy units and energy refills to finish. That is the reason he/she can't or shouldn't complain.
Also, if they are entitled to their opinion/complaint on a public forum, I have every right to comment on it regardless. I 100% think they are over reacting and overall its a pointless post given that many F2P players have completed Act 4 with not real money spent.

V1PER1987

Mirage_Turtle wrote: »

Hector_1475 wrote: »

Thanks for the insightful post @Mirage_Turtle , much appreciated. I understand all these difficulties which existed for the older players, even though I have not experienced them. That's why I stated on my initial post that this is not a complain of any sorts and certainly NOT a complain on the difficulty of the Act, since I am having no problems with it.

All I was stating is that the energy requirements, especially combined with the experience points and the mastery points awarded (and their very high cost to unlock) ultimatelly lead players to spend cash on the game. Unless of course they choose the road of the (very) slow progression in it.... Which is again, respected by me.

As I said Kabam is in it for the money and they should be. And they have designed, on all aspects, a great game. That was actually the jist of what I was trying to say.

I played through Act 4 when it was released. I eventually started a new account from scratch and thus went through it again. Act 4 was agonizing. Due to my previous experience, the difficulty was easy even though my roster wasn't huge. But it cost a LOT of energy refills and took a LONG time. I think I binged something on Netflix for most of it. So I get where you're coming from.

The light at the end of the tunnel is that Act 4 seems to be an old design style. I think Kabam's logic back then was that super-long routes was the way to pad game time. Act 5 is much different. The routes are shorter and the nodes are harder. It's more engaging this way.

So push through. The rewards at that stage are worth it. I found Act 5 far more enjoyable and I hope you do too.

I relate so much to this. I finished Act 4 back in the day with all those awful nodes. I made an alt a few months back and ended up finishing it again. I think it is so much worse this time around because it’s not difficult at all. It’s just the longest most monotonous grind in the game IMO. I much prefer the challenge than just moving node to node and putting my brain on autopilot to fight. At least it’s more engaging and I’m psyching myself up more for the fights than just moving from time to tile thinking “ god 8 more paths to go”.

Ghostspider231

I didn't spend a single unit until I reached Maestro. I played patiently and strategically. It took a while but eventually I got it 100% before Act 5 hit. It's only a cash grab if you're impatient.

Epsilon3

Act4 for the longest time was end game content focused on existing long enough for new end-game content to be released. It was meant to be a huge XP source with enough pats to keep most of the players only chipping away at it between EQ events. At this point it’s absically a right of passage and with more free refills than ever it’s not really an issue

SarcasticTaurus

Act 4 a cash grab?
Act 4, back when I did it, didn't have the crazy nodes we have today. I'm sure it still doesn't.

I've seen new players get 5* so easily, even at the beginning of the game, and we didn't have them at the time.

Overall, if you really think Act 4 is a cash grab, well start saving now for Act 5. LMAO!!!

Fakeaaron01

Oh please u should've played it 3 years ago with slashed tires, 300% power gain all or nothing venom. When 4* camps we're scarce and u had to do it with 3*s and maybe 1 or 2 4*s. And it was the base champs not these crazy over powered crazy ability champs out now

Drstu3000

It's funny right now I play through random act 4 missions to collect energy refills

LeNoirFaineant

If act 4 is the game's best cash grab, what part of the game isn't a cash grab? Spending is a short cut. You can beat everything in the game and get whatever masteries you want without spending. It'll just take longer.

VulcanM

Ghostspider231 wrote: »

I didn't spend a single unit until I reached Maestro. I played patiently and strategically. It took a while but eventually I got it 100% before Act 5 hit. It's only a cash grab if you're impatient.

same here, except that venom fight. that was hell for me lol.

LeNoirFaineant

VulcanM wrote: »

Ghostspider231 wrote: »

I didn't spend a single unit until I reached Maestro. I played patiently and strategically. It took a while but eventually I got it 100% before Act 5 hit. It's only a cash grab if you're impatient.

same here, except that venom fight. that was hell for me lol.

3* Ronan ftw

Hector_1475

LeNoirFaineant wrote: »

If act 4 is the game's best cash grab, what part of the game isn't a cash grab? Spending is a short cut. You can beat everything in the game and get whatever masteries you want without spending. It'll just take longer.

I do not disagree. And yes, patience is not one of my virtues, you are right on that one. But Act 4 makes you even more impatient (in my case, at least) to rip all the benefits at once. That was all I was saying...

raffster

It took me 6 months to 100% Act 4. Took my time as I built my team. I waited until I got my first R4 5* before I 100% Act 4.6.

GroundedWisdom

As with many aspects of the game, money can save time. It's not necessary, just faster. I'm working on Act 5 and Act 4 both. It takes a tremendous amount of Energy, so I'm chipping away at it in my spare time. I have about 6 Quests left to fully Explore. It'll get done when it gets done. A little more motivated because of the T2As, but I'm still taking my time. I wouldn't call it a money grab.

Hector_1475

So, if I understand correctly, the general consencus is that it's better to move on to Act 5 and getting uncollected before fully exploring Act 4? For what it's worth my main team is a 5* Luke R3 and the rest are 4* at R4 (Holy Trinity, Killmonger, ST, Doc Oc, Goblin, Proxima, Venom, Guilly). Doable or not...?

Bomber111

Crazyjack719 wrote: »

Complaining about act 4? Just wait till you meet act 5 and Variant mate.

Dude in this day Act 4 is a cake walk. Act 4 came out in a time where 5&6* champs didn’t exist and very few players had 5/50 champs. Most people had to do it with 4/40s, and it wasn’t terrible with the right champs (BW, SL, SW)

If your roster even has a couple solid 5/6* you should be able to walk thru Act 4, including Maestro. If you can’t, build your roster or just get better at the game.

If this is tough for you, just wait for the first time you face The Collector!

Epsilon3

Hector_1475 wrote: »

So, if I understand correctly, the general consencus is that it's better to move on to Act 5 and getting uncollected before fully exploring Act 4? For what it's worth my main team is a 5* Luke R3 and the rest are 4* at R4 (Holy Trinity, Killmonger, ST, Doc Oc, Goblin, Proxima, Venom, Guilly). Doable or not...?

“Is it doable with r4 4* and a r3 5*?”

*checks the history of the game where people did it when Act4 has harder nodes and most people had maybe 2 4* I r3 and MAYBE 1 r4 were about as much as the average guy usually had by that point…*

Nope wait until you get a 6* and try again.


Get outa here with your 4* 4/40 Trinity. We used to do it with 4/40 3*s like venom BEFORE he was good simply because we had no better option. Proxy, Oc, Saber, KM... BLADE AND SPARKY?! Those kinda of 4* will last you through the majority of Act5! Even the new Venom is a machine. Been testing my 5* out him since I took him r3 about a week ago. Feels like I’m using classic Black Panther with extra spice! Not bad for a glorified patch imo

Hector_1475

@Epsilon3 : I was asking about moving on to Uncollected before exploring Act 4...

Crazy_Jamie

Hector_1475 wrote: »

@Epsilon3 : I was asking about moving on to Uncollected before exploring Act 4...

Yes, it is a good idea to go for Uncollected before 100% finishing Act 4. Yes, your champs are good enough to do it. Very much depends on whether you have the skill to do it, and none of us knows that.

But on a side note, your point 5) in the OP is wrong. You can easily play this game without spending a penny and without spending any units in energy refills. How? When you run out of energy but still want to play, do some arena grinding for units and chips. Or just wait. Of course, if you don’t have the patience for that and want to progress quicker, you have the option of spending money to do that. That’s the nature of free to play games. But that is very much your choice, and not something to blame Kabam for. There is content in this game that people fairly claim is weighted towards encouraging or requiring the spending of units or cash, but Act 4 most certainly does not fall within that category.