It is not unreasonable to ask for the chase to be cosmetically different. But I don't think that's what most people are asking for. And it is worth noting that while Ghost gear might seem better for people who already have Ghost, such a thing would be far worse for people starting now or people who don't have Ghost yet. Right now people complain about having to get lucky just to pull Ghost, or awaken Ghost. Imagine having that only be the start, and then having to chase yet another thing to fully unlock End Game Ghost. Or multiple things. It would be like having to dup the champion several times instead of once. That could be very punishing to people who don't already have very wide rosters.
My preference would be for gear to be more generic, opening up content rather than making one champ and only that champ more powerful. For example, let's suppose you had a caltrops or biohazard, typically you're gonna take in a bleed immune. Maybe the gear allows 50% shrug off or 50% bleed resistance for any champ. This makes countering a node have more options than a handful of champs. That's very simple example, think about some of the bigger roadblocks that used to exist like acid wash Mysterio.
Or alternatively, gear works optimally with the main champ and at reduced effectiveness with anyone else that tries to use it. Hunting for gear for a specific champ would work not that differently from seeking the awakening of the god tier champ you just pulled.
I see the biggest difference being that gear doesn't work on its own... but a champ can. A champ can exist outside of gear in the same way they can exist outside of a powerful synergy.
It is not unreasonable to ask for the chase to be cosmetically different. But I don't think that's what most people are asking for. And it is worth noting that while Ghost gear might seem better for people who already have Ghost, such a thing would be far worse for people starting now or people who don't have Ghost yet. Right now people complain about having to get lucky just to pull Ghost, or awaken Ghost. Imagine having that only be the start, and then having to chase yet another thing to fully unlock End Game Ghost. Or multiple things. It would be like having to dup the champion several times instead of once. That could be very punishing to people who don't already have very wide rosters.
My preference would be for gear to be more generic, opening up content rather than making one champ and only that champ more powerful. For example, let's suppose you had a caltrops or biohazard, typically you're gonna take in a bleed immune. Maybe the gear allows 50% shrug off or 50% bleed resistance for any champ. This makes countering a node have more options than a handful of champs. That's very simple example, think about some of the bigger roadblocks that used to exist like acid wash Mysterio.
Why would i take 50% over 100%? This would do nothing to make lower tier champs better. Anything that can make classic DD viable could make Falcon or NF overpowered.
I personally don't want the game to change fundamentally at all. I think all it needs to do is to make the champions we all love more viable. So when you pull that NF, and Ghost you can say hey now I can tackle 7.2, now I can tackle 7.3. Now the Champion 6.2 boss won't be so hard. Find ways to make content fun by posing new challenges. We all asked for more fights like grandmaster 6.4 and we're still waiting.
Oddly enough I started to write this in reply to @Mattstafari then I got distracted and shuffled off before sending. In that space of time they announced "Relics" which I hope work similarly to what I type below or even better.
I think it would be cool if they made attributes adjustable.
If all champs had 100 points that could be put into attributes and you chose where they go at the start of the quest, it could make things pretty interesting.
Champs might have a few more viable uses.
Something like this actually makes sense but I propose a twist to this. Instead of 7☆s, the next "phase" could be Arenas and Crystals that grant augmentation items to a select few Champions instead of 1 Champ.
In similar cadence to the new "Rarity" our existing 6☆ rosters would get 1 by 1 (and sometimes up to by 3) become improved beyond maxed 6☆R5.
Instead of a new 7☆ Civil Warrior, he now becomes a 6☆+ and we continue the chase to turn all others from 6☆ to 6☆+. This approach is also genius in a couple ways in that we need the 6☆ Champs the item works with for the augmenting item to be worth anything, and as new 6☆s (and all lower rarities) continue to come out 1 or more add-on items apply to them too.
This way the chase continues for items [update: Relics] and for the 6☆ version of the 1-3 Champions it augments if you do not have them above 5☆.
THE IDEA IS: 1 item applies to 3 different Champions, 3 items per champion, but all three do not apply to the same 3 champions.
E.g. Vibranium Weave X - loads on BP (classic), Falcon, and BPCW Vibranium Energy Blade - loads on BP (classic), Storm (classic) and Jabari Panther, but not on BPCW or Falcon Vibranium Claw Gauntlet - loads on BP (classic), BPCW and completely new champion (for the sake of illustration, let's say Klaw), but not on Falcon, BPCW, Storm or Jabari Panther
So, each item [update: Relic] boosts 3 Champions, but each Champion needs 3 different items to get their full boost capabilities. In that example, 3 items maxed Black Panther (Classic) while teasing an ever expanding maximization of 6 other champs (2 additionally touched by each of the 3 items)
These can be designed around common materials for characters using exotic materials like Adamantium (Wolverine, X-23, OML), Carbonadium (Omega Red, Red Guardian) and the aforementioned Vibranium; but it can also apply to characters with unifying themes like their weapons types (e.g., Shields: Cap, CAWWII, Red Guardian, Taskmaster, etc.) or flag fliers (e.g., Cap, Red Guardian, Guardian, *Captain Britain*).
The appeal would be to turn our Champs that felt like they were missing an important aspect of themselves into what we know them to be in comics or other media (e.g., Hawkeye uses Trick Arrows with a range of features but only causes Bleed and Power Drain; now items can add Shock, Incineration, Armor Break, Sonics, Poison and more if they wanted to)
Cosmetically we are adding a different chase, but with the Items making 6☆s eventually perform like they were the equivalent of 7☆s (and 5s like 6s, 4s like 5s, etc.) they produce a non-linear way to take us there that is also more exciting for the the utility they can add to OG Champs.
[Update: and with Relics being Rankable, the years long process of upgrading 6☆s to R5 would be replicated as people stick with the game until they max Relics out too and another system slides in]
Kabam should add some type of prestige for 6* champions for example if you pull a champ that is already 6* rank 5/65 Sig 200 then it would be prestiged to have something extra added to it plus have a special red star or something just a thought.
The further this game grows, the more of a divide there will be in the community. This is natural and inevitable, but how Kabam decides to manage these divisions will be crucial.
I like what they introduced a few years ago with the categories of Collected and Uncollected. And now Cavalier and Thronebreaker.
I suggest that they build on these principles and create divisions for various players. For example, for lower end players/beginners, they can happily focus on their 4 and 5 stars in AQ/AW/story/EQ without having to feel marginalized by the newer content. But there needs to be a division for higher end players are on the cutting edge, where they do not feel bored.
I used be a somewhat end game player (boss killer in platinum alliances), but I retired b/c I got burned out. I got tired of the chasing and the constant pressure. But I came back after 3 years and I just want to settle in a middle/low tier alliance where I don't have to worry about getting another 6 star r3 just yet. Maybe in a year or so, but for now I just want to take things slow.
While players like me might not generate much revenue for Kabam in the short term, these players could be a huge asset for Kabam in the long run.
Comments
Or alternatively, gear works optimally with the main champ and at reduced effectiveness with anyone else that tries to use it. Hunting for gear for a specific champ would work not that differently from seeking the awakening of the god tier champ you just pulled.
I see the biggest difference being that gear doesn't work on its own... but a champ can. A champ can exist outside of gear in the same way they can exist outside of a powerful synergy.
In similar cadence to the new "Rarity" our existing 6☆ rosters would get 1 by 1 (and sometimes up to by 3) become improved beyond maxed 6☆R5.
Instead of a new 7☆ Civil Warrior, he now becomes a 6☆+ and we continue the chase to turn all others from 6☆ to 6☆+. This approach is also genius in a couple ways in that we need the 6☆ Champs the item works with for the augmenting item to be worth anything, and as new 6☆s (and all lower rarities) continue to come out 1 or more add-on items apply to them too.
This way the chase continues for items [update: Relics] and for the 6☆ version of the 1-3 Champions it augments if you do not have them above 5☆.
THE IDEA IS: 1 item applies to 3 different Champions, 3 items per champion, but all three do not apply to the same 3 champions.
E.g.
Vibranium Weave X - loads on BP (classic), Falcon, and BPCW
Vibranium Energy Blade - loads on BP (classic), Storm (classic) and Jabari Panther, but not on BPCW or Falcon
Vibranium Claw Gauntlet - loads on BP (classic), BPCW and completely new champion (for the sake of illustration, let's say Klaw), but not on Falcon, BPCW, Storm or Jabari Panther
So, each item [update: Relic] boosts 3 Champions, but each Champion needs 3 different items to get their full boost capabilities. In that example, 3 items maxed Black Panther (Classic) while teasing an ever expanding maximization of 6 other champs (2 additionally touched by each of the 3 items)
These can be designed around common materials for characters using exotic materials like Adamantium (Wolverine, X-23, OML), Carbonadium (Omega Red, Red Guardian) and the aforementioned Vibranium; but it can also apply to characters with unifying themes like their weapons types (e.g., Shields: Cap, CAWWII, Red Guardian, Taskmaster, etc.) or flag fliers (e.g., Cap, Red Guardian, Guardian, *Captain Britain*).
The appeal would be to turn our Champs that felt like they were missing an important aspect of themselves into what we know them to be in comics or other media (e.g., Hawkeye uses Trick Arrows with a range of features but only causes Bleed and Power Drain; now items can add Shock, Incineration, Armor Break, Sonics, Poison and more if they wanted to)
Cosmetically we are adding a different chase, but with the Items making 6☆s eventually perform like they were the equivalent of 7☆s (and 5s like 6s, 4s like 5s, etc.) they produce a non-linear way to take us there that is also more exciting for the the utility they can add to OG Champs.
[Update: and with Relics being Rankable, the years long process of upgrading 6☆s to R5 would be replicated as people stick with the game until they max Relics out too and another system slides in]
I like what they introduced a few years ago with the categories of Collected and Uncollected. And now Cavalier and Thronebreaker.
I suggest that they build on these principles and create divisions for various players. For example, for lower end players/beginners, they can happily focus on their 4 and 5 stars in AQ/AW/story/EQ without having to feel marginalized by the newer content. But there needs to be a division for higher end players are on the cutting edge, where they do not feel bored.
I used be a somewhat end game player (boss killer in platinum alliances), but I retired b/c I got burned out. I got tired of the chasing and the constant pressure. But I came back after 3 years and I just want to settle in a middle/low tier alliance where I don't have to worry about getting another 6 star r3 just yet. Maybe in a year or so, but for now I just want to take things slow.
While players like me might not generate much revenue for Kabam in the short term, these players could be a huge asset for Kabam in the long run.
I like the idea of relics applying to a range of champs. I guess it will come down to the availability of them.
Hopefully, relics and strikers add that new dimension to the game, giving it another direction to grow in and keep us all hooked on it