5-Star Featured Crystal Change Discussion Thread

Summoners!

We've just released some more information on the future of the 5-Star Featured Crystal here: https://forums.playcontestofchampions.com/en/discussion/43300/upcoming-changes-to-5-star-featured-crystal

We know you've got questions, and this is the place to ask and discuss!

FAQ

Will you announce the pool of 18 each time it changes?
We do plan on sharing the list every time the crystal is updated.

Can you buy the 5 star featured crystal with units or only shards?
This crystal is replacing the currently available 15,000 Shard Featured Hero Crystals.

So does it means that if a new champ comes to the Battle Realm we won't be able to get them as a 5* right away?
You will still be able to get them in the Grandmaster Featured Crystal, but they will not be available in a featured 5-Star Hero Shard Crystal until they are added to this new Crystal. So, this might mean having to wait a little while to get some Champions, but it also gives you a shot at 6 New Champions at a time, as well as a smaller Basic pool.

Comments

Mahvel

This also adds way more rng and money to the prestige game.

A_Noob_Is1

Kabam Miike wrote: »

Hulksmasshh wrote: »

Just to clarify, will the new 5* featured crystal will have an equal chance at all champions in the pool or have an 'increased' chance at certain champions as the current 15k 5* crystal does? Also, does this mean the sub-feature pool is going away?

There will be an equal chance for every Champion in this Crystal. No increased chance for any particular Champion.

*pulls double iron patriots*

RSoxNo1

Any chance we'll see those champs that are currently missing from the 5 star pool added like Wolverine, Scarlet Witch, WWII Cap, OG Daredevil, Doctor Strange, etc?

SpiritOfVengeance

Guys think of the best positive here 18 champs 6 will be featured and the others will be chosen based off the most used instead of low performers. I personally never liked the featured always had bad luck so a change is always good in some way.

Daddylonglegs93

This is either deliberately malevolent or reflects a fundamental misunderstanding of progression in this game. Every once in a new moon when a champ like Blade comes along, people go for him just because they want him that much. But usually, the decision to go for any given feature crystal is made because you are looking for a decent champion of a specific CLASS to match the class awakening gems you get or buy at various stages of the game. Example: you don't necessarily go for Medusa because she's your favorite champion - maybe you'd prefer Hyperion. But you know she's way better than Drax or Groot, and you see this as your single best shot at pulling a decent cosmic anytime soon. And awakening a top-level cosmic and taking them to r4 is your best chance at progressing, given how much most signature abilities mean lately and given how much of the game's competition is still driven by prestige.

I have been cursed with the unusual luck of pulling 4 skill gems over the last few months. One went to Blade. That was fantastic. One will eventually go to Gwenpool, although I'm not holding my breath because chances of pulling any given champ out of the basic crystal are incredibly low. That will also be awesome. After that, it's less awesome, because I have to take signature stones that could go to Blade and put them in Taskmaster or Killmonger or Thor Ragnarok to make them usable. Still, this is what I had resigned myself to. Now I find out that TM and ThorR are going to be put in a crystal with Sentry, Modok, Hela, and Void, none of which I can awaken or really use. This means a 20% (roughly and estimated, could be higher, but probably isn't much lower) chance at a champ I can use drops to an 8.3% chance, and if we're being honest about the fact that I wasn't going to for ThorR, that drops to 4.1%. Again, this is my reward for making the choice to have fewer 5* champions overall by going for the featured crystal in the first place. But then if I pull Sentry, who I would never intentionally spend shards on, Kabam will tell me that I pulled a featured champion and I should be happy. To use polite language, I think that is utterly ridiculous. And don't tell me they will eventually be added to the basic. If you spend 120k shards on featured crystals right now, your odds of getting the feature champ aren't 100%, but it's a huge deal if you miss. If I buy twelve basics tomorrow and don't get Iceman, no one will be surprised.

So either you don't understand why we were buying featured 5* crystals in the first place, or this is part of a deliberate effort to boost sales of feature Grandmaster crystals and therefore game revenue through buying units. I strongly suspect it is the latter and that is not okay at all.

You guys were killing it lately! Uncollected difficulty, Act 5, the recent event Quest was awesome and actually well written! I want to root for you!

But this is a huge failure at best and a backstab at worst.
@Kabam Miike @Kabam Vydious @Kabam Loto @Kabam Zibiit @Kabam Rose

Here's hoping you can turn it around.

Mahvel

A_Noob_Is1 wrote: »

Kabam Miike wrote: »

Hulksmasshh wrote: »

Just to clarify, will the new 5* featured crystal will have an equal chance at all champions in the pool or have an 'increased' chance at certain champions as the current 15k 5* crystal does? Also, does this mean the sub-feature pool is going away?

There will be an equal chance for every Champion in this Crystal. No increased chance for any particular Champion.

*pulls double iron patriots*

Haha, my 2 medusa pulls were BPCW. Within seconds of each other. What are the odds of that.

kawasakinin

My video response to this change.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-PxYd_DeSWM

my life is over. crystal change

Kabam Miike

Dagonelle wrote: »

Kabam Miike wrote: »

BitterSteel wrote: »

So the new featured crystal is just a new version of the basic crystal that costs 5000 shards more?

What’s the point? The only way that the new featured crystal is better than the old one is if the old featured crystal had odds worse than 1 in 18 which is what the new one is. I’ve got to say I’m disappointed

The original Featured Hero Crystal had one purpose, and that was because it was originally the only chance you had at a 5-Star Champion, and potentially meant that the Champion would never come around again. This has changed, and that means that this Crystal has run its course.

5-Star Champions are coming to a place where they are now added to the regular Champion pool at the same consistency as other rarities.

Riiiiiiiggghhhtttt.....

And it has zero to do with Apple's new rule on disclosing rates in drop boxes...

Exactly. It has absolutely zero to do with that.

G0311

bradshaw84 wrote: »

So in lamens terms, it’s back to the old days of only those who spend a small fortune can get new champs before us peasants who attempt to earn them instead? @Kabam Miike fair play to you for keeping a straight face lol.

Kabam Miike wrote: »

bradshaw84 wrote: »

Sorry to repeat @Kabam Miike but could you clarify, this seems insane if I’ve got this right...

So am I understanding this right, when a new champ is released in 4* arena it could potentially be almost 3 months before he’s available as a 5* in a featured crystal at a 1 in 24 chance if his arena is early in the 3 month cycle?

Yes, this is correct. You will be able to win them in the Grandmaster Featured Hero Crystal, but some Champions will not make it into the Featured Hero Crystal for some time.

Hey not even people with jobs are guaranteed to get a featured out of a GMC, I've seen people online spend 600$ on featured GMCs and not get one 5*

SgtSlaughter78

Miike, can I explicitly ask if the changes to the crystal, the actual changes and timing are in any way connected to the Apple ‘loot box’ odds display issues?

Just it’s the first time I’ve seen you talk in clear and certain terms like this about chances of pulling a champ.

2one

Just gotta love the changes that say buy units or drop way behind the rest of the players willing to spend...again

Eccohawk

rwhack wrote: »

Here’s a solution. Quit making terrible champs.

No dev/designer is sitting around the Kabam offices, or any other gaming office, talking about ways to make terrible design decisions. This is an idiotic comment to make. These guys try to create cool, unique, interesting and balanced new characters to bring to the game EVERY TWO WEEKS!! Do some miss the mark at times? Sure. But don't sit there and pretend like they do it on purpose or set out to create a character that you feel plays like garbage. Show a little respect to the hard work being put in here.

G0311

Ron_H wrote: »

lol if you carefully read it..it the intentions are verry clear. people saved up 5* shards and got the newest champ as 5* for free. Now you can only get the newest 5* champs version from grandmaster featured crystal.. so with other words no more free featured 5*..now you have to spend 300 units for each crystal if you want the 5* version of the new released champ.

300 units for a 3*

EvilEmpire

Kabam Miike wrote: »

EvilEmpire wrote: »

I’m curious if the crystal is being changed because the feature has never been a fair shake for everyone and they don’t want to reveal that it had fluctuating odds based on an unknown set of variable that probably includes money spent.

I knew this would come up! No, this is not the case. We've planned this for a little while, and to be fair, players have been Community Sourcing drop rates on the 5-Star Featured Hero Crystal for quite some time, and they have always been consistent.

I think we all know the overall drop rate is 20% ish but that doesn’t mean that everyone has the same chance. We all know players that seem to bat 100% and others that have have little or no success on 10-20 attempts. If it was so straghtforward then I think you guys could just come out and say what the odds on those are but the roundabout and choice of wording leads us all to believe that everything is not truly equal.

Ron_H

lol if you carefully read it..it the intentions are verry clear. people saved up 5* shards and got the newest champ as 5* for free. Now you can only get the newest 5* champs version from grandmaster featured crystal for 300 units each.. so want the new 5*..fork over those $$

Vulkan7

Dagonelle wrote: »

Kabam Miike wrote: »

BitterSteel wrote: »

So the new featured crystal is just a new version of the basic crystal that costs 5000 shards more?

What’s the point? The only way that the new featured crystal is better than the old one is if the old featured crystal had odds worse than 1 in 18 which is what the new one is. I’ve got to say I’m disappointed

The original Featured Hero Crystal had one purpose, and that was because it was originally the only chance you had at a 5-Star Champion, and potentially meant that the Champion would never come around again. This has changed, and that means that this Crystal has run its course.

5-Star Champions are coming to a place where they are now added to the regular Champion pool at the same consistency as other rarities.

Riiiiiiiggghhhtttt.....

And it has zero to do with Apple's new rule on disclosing rates in drop boxes...

Nail on the head

IanMoone89

Prepare yourselves the first 2 on the list will be LC and RH lol

Maury:I have the test results in my hands. *opens the envelope*

Muary: RH and LC you aren't the worst champs in the game now!!!!

Ron_H

vd016

This makes sense. Do we get a featured 4* crystal for cost of more no. Of 4* shards when a new champ is released? No.

Im guessing the 5* arenas are coming soon

TheGodfather

Old System:
~20-25% chance to get desired Featured Champ
Immediate Chance to spin for Featured Champ the moment they are released

New System:
LESS THAN 5% chance to get desired Featured Champ
up to 3 MONTHS WAITING for Chance to spin for Featured Champ after they are released

Seriously, how is this a better system? Give us better odds for Featured champs and let us wait less. We deserve that at the least.

kawasakinin

you need to run the regular featured crystals for all champs before before this change as scheduled

Daddylonglegs93

Eccohawk wrote: »

So it seems a lot of people seem to be lacking any forward thinking here. My assumption is that in addition to this crystal being changed, they're likely also looking at how they plan to introduce a 6-star crystal, and plan to market that as the new hotness, rather than continue to promote 5-star champs as heavily. 1/24 ain't great, but it's not terrible either. Right now if you're shooting for a specific 4-star champ it's something like 1/100+. So I think perhaps it's slightly premature to claim that the sky is falling.

If that's the motivation, this should be an additional crystal, not a replacement for the primary source of advancement for the strongest part of the community.

Apache

TheGodfather wrote: »

Old System:
~20-25% chance to get desired Featured Champ
Immediate Chance to spin for Featured Champ the moment they are released

New System:
LESS THAN 5% chance to get desired Featured Champ
up to 3 MONTHS WAITING for Chance to spin for Featured Champ after they are released

Seriously, how is this a better system? Give us better odds for Featured champs and let us wait less. We deserve that at the least.

that sounds pretty accurate

unknown

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vd016

Will you release the list of 18 champs that will be in the basic pool before the release of the crystal? @Kabam Miike

Collector6789

Kabam Miike wrote: »

Dagonelle wrote: »

Kabam Miike wrote: »

BitterSteel wrote: »

So the new featured crystal is just a new version of the basic crystal that costs 5000 shards more?

What’s the point? The only way that the new featured crystal is better than the old one is if the old featured crystal had odds worse than 1 in 18 which is what the new one is. I’ve got to say I’m disappointed

The original Featured Hero Crystal had one purpose, and that was because it was originally the only chance you had at a 5-Star Champion, and potentially meant that the Champion would never come around again. This has changed, and that means that this Crystal has run its course.

5-Star Champions are coming to a place where they are now added to the regular Champion pool at the same consistency as other rarities.

Riiiiiiiggghhhtttt.....

And it has zero to do with Apple's new rule on disclosing rates in drop boxes...

Exactly. It has absolutely zero to do with that.

So, when exactly will those drop rates be released then?

SpiritOfVengeance

I like it a chance at 6 new champs and it stays for 3 months with a random small basic pool while they are also monitoring who is best to put in meaning the crystals basic pool will stay similar most of the time. You guys may dislike it but the amount of times I failed trying to get one new latest champ...

Mahvel

EvilEmpire wrote: »

Kabam Miike wrote: »

EvilEmpire wrote: »

I’m curious if the crystal is being changed because the feature has never been a fair shake for everyone and they don’t want to reveal that it had fluctuating odds based on an unknown set of variable that probably includes money spent.

I knew this would come up! No, this is not the case. We've planned this for a little while, and to be fair, players have been Community Sourcing drop rates on the 5-Star Featured Hero Crystal for quite some time, and they have always been consistent.

I think we all know the overall drop rate is 20% ish but that doesn’t mean that everyone has the same chance. We all know players that seem to bat 100% and others that have have little or no success on 10-20 attempts. If it was so straghtforward then I think you guys could just come out and say what the odds on those are but the roundabout and choice of wording leads us all to believe that everything is not truly equal.

As someone who is 10-20 with no featured 5* it is so relieving to see someone else who notices what I notice. There are some people who are more likely to pull garbage and there are some people who pull god tiers back to back to back. It's almost like they just made it so that 20% of the players are lucky. Some are meh. And some are doomed.

unknown

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BitterSteel

“When we first introduced 5-Star Champions, the pool was limited, and getting a crystal that included the 5-Star Champion that you wanted was rare... you would have a chance at the Featured 5-Star Hero Crystal twice...This wasn’t the most reliable way to ensure that the Champions you wanted would be available in the future.”

This is from the post Mike wrote. What I don’t understand is the way this is written implies that they didn’t like how the 5* crystals were structured when a summoner wanted a particular champ. But the new method is much worse when looking for a specific champ. There is no way to get more than a 4% chance of a particular champion. It’s silly.