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We have not set an end-date for the new period, but we will update this banner when we have more information.
Why should we get excited about new champions?
Magrailothos
Posts: 5,341 ★★★★★
Well, it's quiet before cyber weekend and new content next week; so I thought I'd start a thread for specific feedback to Kabam. I thought it could be interesting for us, and a bit of free Market Research for them 😉.
Kabam keep developing new champions; but with >200 in the game, it can be hard for them to make their mark. And for people who don't spend much or buy many crystals, it can be hard to get excited about a champion who won't be in the basic pool for several months.
They've therefore been trying various strategies to encourage/kind of force us to use new champions lately; presumably to try and help them gain a bit of momentum. After all, if we're excited about new champs, we're more likely to go for their Cav crystals/deals/Featured Crystals or grind in their Arenas. And that's good for the game.
So, what feedback do we want to give Kabam on their strategies so far? What have we enjoyed? What have we hated? And how do we think Kabam could encourage us to get excited about new champions, without giving us all free 6*s (let's be realistic: they do have a business model, after all...)
Giving us free versions of new champions:
Kabam keep developing new champions; but with >200 in the game, it can be hard for them to make their mark. And for people who don't spend much or buy many crystals, it can be hard to get excited about a champion who won't be in the basic pool for several months.
They've therefore been trying various strategies to encourage/kind of force us to use new champions lately; presumably to try and help them gain a bit of momentum. After all, if we're excited about new champs, we're more likely to go for their Cav crystals/deals/Featured Crystals or grind in their Arenas. And that's good for the game.
So, what feedback do we want to give Kabam on their strategies so far? What have we enjoyed? What have we hated? And how do we think Kabam could encourage us to get excited about new champions, without giving us all free 6*s (let's be realistic: they do have a business model, after all...)
Giving us free versions of new champions:
- Keep giving us free 3* Versions?
- Forget 3*s, at least give us a 4* if we're going to use them in real content!
- Do you know what, actually 2* versions are the real collectors items...
- Rank up milestones?
- Win XXX fights/duels/whatever with them.
- Run Incursions with them.
- Evade/Dodge/Parry with them
- End 10/20/30/40 fights with a xxx Attack.
- Win XXX fights by causing the enemy to die from DoT
- Defeat specific champion(s) with them
- Run gated side Quests where they're basically dead weight?
- Run gated side Quests where they gain huge bonuses from universal nodes, and become amazing?
- Don't Gate the Quests; but encourage their use with Milestones, or special nodes?
- Run a month-long boost to benefit the new champs in all content?
- Run a special Arena where they score higher?
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Comments
2) Monthly milestones seem like a good way to get some easy rewards with our new champions, but considering what a pain the solo objectives were, I think it's very easy to go overboard with these. What if they make us fight like 200 opponents with the same champ?
3) Defeating specific champs is also a thin line. For example, having to defeat say, X-men or Avengers is one thing, but having to defeat say only 5 champions over and over can be a pain.
4) Dead weight gated sq, like this one, is a big no from me. Giving bonuses to say dead weights on the other hand, is a marvelous way of showcasing a new champion without having to break the game by sending out free 5* or 6*.
7) Special arena wouldn't be too bad either, tbh.
That’s why we’re so invested in the Hawkeye buff. We want to see him be useful and enjoy the gameplay.
If Kabam released a Quicksilver or buffed Captain America, everyone would pay more attention and be more invested.
It's about feedback though; as well as suggestions.
Making all 4*+ Nexuses would go a way to alleviating this issue as you’ve got a 3/170 rather than a 1/170, it’s not even a big jump statistically but it would give you a little bit more control over your roster.
The fact that it’s takes almost 6 months for a champion to become available in the basic is crazy, as are your chances of getting said champion once they end up in there. The featured have improved a lot but if you miss a champion your odds of pulling them are pretty minimal.
I think making nexuses more common, not necessarily purchasable, but more common in rewards is a step forward. Also, making class nexuses more widely available.
Others said it before, why did they lock the SQ on 2 paths requiring these champs but not make them usable? Would have been fun if they had some type of bonus that made playing epic with a 3* doable with an OK amount of skill... Or a good bonus team synergy or something that made them at least somewhat useful.
Why not a 3* boss rush event for them, or a 3* level variant type of content for them?
I get where players with ok rosters, but not big ones feel dragged down by being blocked to only 2 real champs... even though they may have some decent ranked 5* and 6*, they're not likely to have all the ones that work well for the specific path defenders or boss.
Ultimately, what was the point of the free 3* - does Kabam even know?
Because at the moment, as @BitterSteel and @Mauled said, meaningful champion acquisition for TBs who don't whale out, is almost impossible for any champ that will be usable.
So I simply don't get excited about new champions. Ever. They are effectively non existent, bar from the initial EQ fighting against them and every 4th or 5th war from that point onwards as defenders. I'd guess that for 95% of the player base that's the same.
So they are for the whales, who keep the lights on, so to speak.
@Magrailothos I think this is a topic that kabam should pay attention to, as at the moment, again guessing, I'm assuming 99% of the player base is more interested in the buff program, than the new releases.
I certainly am.
I only get excited about new champions if they’re a character I’m a fan of, if they earn a reputation, and if they’re at 6*. I rarely get excited about 5*’s, but I will rank up the good ones if I have surplus resources.
Anything below that is just ISO and/or a trophy. I laugh at the fact I’m still adding sig levels to 2*’s and 3*’s whilst getting max sig crystals from 4*’s. That whole chunk of my roster doesn’t interest me.
Even if content is added to make use of lower rarities…I’m not using them in AQ, AW, Incursions or Story…so they don’t interest me. I just let them auto fight in RTL for the objectives.
When it comes to 6*’s, I pick up little more than one a month on average. And I only have eyes for the featured champs at the moment - but then it all feels anticlimactic when it rolls over onto “Superior Iron Man”.
For that reason I’m more interested in the buff programme.
Another factor in my enjoyment of new champs used to be seeing where they end up on tier lists. That might not be to everyone’s taste, but it was part of my monthly ritual.
I therefore wish Kabam would publish some interesting metrics about champions we’d otherwise overlook. For example, highlight the content where Superior Iron Man shines, if he shines at all.
I known content creators put out a lot of videos demonstrating champions’ effectiveness in various game modes. That must be driving the hype around new champs and crystal purchases - Kabam could supplement that with real and representative data.
What I mean is, give Thronebreaker players a 3* Sersi and Ikaris and then have an event where you can use them. Not the kind of BS use that we saw this month but an actual event where they are usable and you can see what they can do and why you would want to have them in your roster. Something for ordinary players to go, huh, alright, this is why I'll save up 6* shards for the next featured crystal.
Now as a suicides user, I'm pretty picky on rank ups, but having pulled 61 6* so far, the cyber deals have almost no value in advancing my account.
An extra random chance at a champ I'll statistically not use?
Rank up materials I also won't use?
If they did actually make content focused on new champions, or a perpetual 3* "epic" difficulty monthly release, with graded progression rewards, maybe it would inject that sense of fun and excitement for obtaining champs, back into the game... Each month, you'd get a guaranteed 3*, that you'd use for progression rewards.
Because at the moment, bar possibly picking up the 6 t5b unit deal, nothing in either cash or unit awards is appealing, or enables me to get a new champion I'd use (I have 6* apoc already!).
Which is sad.
As to the 3* vs 2* thing... I agree, I'd love a 2* more. Easier to rank up for cheaper. And for some reason the 2* pool does feel like collectibles.
Last, I want to call out the clever marketing/financial growth spin to these free 3* champs. Having done some work in tech and in the "growth" departments, this free champ and objectives is quite the clever win-win for us and Kabam. By playing a champ we grow attached. Our minds wander into the thoughts of "what if I had them as a 6*"... and then the cav crystal offers come out (as they always do). Nothing in the montetization has changed, there's no new pay walls or pay to win added (which is great). And yet Kabam has found a neat way to try and hook us into spending some units for when the cavs roll around. Yes it's playing on an addictive tendency of our mind, but so is this whole game. And if you know how to keep the temptation at bay, you got a fun little 3* to play and be excited about. That's why I say it's a balanced win-win. Kudos to whomever, or whatever team thought up this strategy
I look forward to all champs. Buffs, new champs, re-discovering old ones. It’s why I play this game.
Champs that are rooted in Marvel lore. Tomorrow Hawkeye’s buff goes live and I look forward to it. We have been complaining about that for a week.
This game (emphasis on game) doesn’t define us as people - it is an escape from reality. Brings us back to our childhoods, and creates new ones.
That’s why I enjoy new champs and buffs.
Thank you all for making this community what it is.
They really need to shake it up though, as nearly every year prior to this, cyber Monday was a big thing, the forums were buzzing, even if just moaning due to not having access to the top tier of rewards.
It's my view that they've forgotten "why" (nod to Sinek) they made the game.
Which comes full circle to giving people a buzz about new champions. As presently, for most of us, there is none.
As @TitoBandito187 and @Worknprogress inferred separately, when the game goes from fun, to second job, then it's fair to say that the devs have lost sight of the why.
So bring back fun, use these new champs, let us all meaningfully use them. Bring back fun!
Strangely, with all the free potions, I've been actually enjoying war for once. Until the AQ mess up and WnP's post making me question longevity, I was genuinely thinking of spending a bit on Cyber. If every game mode was fun, if war was measured in a different way perhaps, if the reason we played the game was still to collect champions and have fun - the collector screaming when I opened a 4* from a phc - would more spend?
The why; collect your favorite marvel champions? have fun? compete? Why does mcoc exist and why was it loved by players, even with the occasional grumbling over clown fiestas?
I think for huge numbers, playing with favorite marvel champions and meaningfully collecting usable versions of them was a huge part.
Just my opinion and others are valid!!
I agree that it really is as simple as the fun of playing with the superheroes we know and lived, growing up.
That's why I think the buff program is so crucial: I think the game and it's community need the original champions to be effective and playable; since those are the characters that drew us to the game in the first place. They don't have to be god-tier; but the game suffers if every time you pull an original Avenger or X-man, your gut feeling is disappointment.
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As for how to get us to engage with new champions, my personal opinion is that they showed exactly how to do it in October with the Summoned Symbiote quest* and totally failed it in November with the 'drag Ikaris and Sersi everywhere' side quest.
*ironically of course, Steve wasn't actually the 'new champ' last month. But it was a fantastic way to get us playing with him! Whilst that gated Sersi/Ikaris quest just left us resenting them ...
"Encourage us to use them in Event Quests/Side Quests?"
If you listen to most youtubers, most of them say act 6 videos were the one with the most views. As much as I love the gated system it stops players from progressing. Map 8 you see a shift in certain champs.
Summer of pain reflected that.
EQ reflects this model currently.
I think the most important thing is to have those players stuck in the middle move to the top to replace people are bored and leaving the game, the roster development is still new to them.