Kabam, please stop adding old champ usability synergies exclusively with new champs!
BigPoppaCBONE
Member Posts: 2,415 ★★★★★
I just saw Lagacy posted info about Tigra and Hit-Monkey. Lots of useful usability-level synergies for some old champs that suck. Cool. But you need to:
This is so annoying! Do you really believe that people who weren't going to will decide to pursue new champs because of this? Like, "Oh, snap! I wasn't going to before, but I'll drop a couple hundred to get Tigra so I can finally get some use out of this War Machine in Act 6 when I bring them both." This won't affect the $ or desirability of Tigra and Hit-Monkey even a little. Why insist on tying usability-level synergies to new champs? So frustrating. Why can't you just release them as new solo synergies for the old champs with the update? You just keep gifting the bowling ball with your own name on it at every opportunity. So frustrating that it would take such a little course change to get some excitement in the game that doesn't mean entire new content, but nope.
- Have the new champ
- Have the old champ
- Bring them both
This is so annoying! Do you really believe that people who weren't going to will decide to pursue new champs because of this? Like, "Oh, snap! I wasn't going to before, but I'll drop a couple hundred to get Tigra so I can finally get some use out of this War Machine in Act 6 when I bring them both." This won't affect the $ or desirability of Tigra and Hit-Monkey even a little. Why insist on tying usability-level synergies to new champs? So frustrating. Why can't you just release them as new solo synergies for the old champs with the update? You just keep gifting the bowling ball with your own name on it at every opportunity. So frustrating that it would take such a little course change to get some excitement in the game that doesn't mean entire new content, but nope.
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Comments
If not, it’s the same time as a regular buff.
Take Colossus for example. He's been around forever and for a few years, he was a garbage pull. Then they released Emma Frost and Omega Red, both of whom had good synergies with him. On the plus side, bringing both of them meant that Colossus had some viability in higher-end content. However, it came at the cost of 2 additional team slots AND a player would have to willfully choose to use Colossus when they clearly have Emma or Omega, two great champs.
But these synergies gave Colossus a much-needed bump for a while. Then he got a full re-work. Now he's awesome.
I have no problems giving old champs good synergies with new champs. I just hope that eventually Kabam will figure out what makes the older champs appealing and work it into a rework for the champ in the future.
Technically, the Homer bowling ball is better than nothing. Doesn't mean you should be pumped about it.
But old champions don't need to be buffed very much, I think, it's just that the content that needs to be cleared has a list of around 20 champions that you are punished for not using, or worse, specific counters. If bad champions get a slight buff, and OP champions get a slight nerf, and content, in general, is scaled down, the problems disappear. You will be able to use less powerful champions in the latter quests of story mode, and the more powerful champions wouldn't be able to get through it too easily. However, endgame content such as the Abyss should not be nerfed - it is there for only the best of players. Story quest isn't.
(This last paragraph should probably be posted in the general game feedback, I'll post it there, but it does have a little bearing on the question)
However, back to the question. After re-reading your last post again, I thought that you were also implying that these buffs be delivered to mid-tier and upper-tier champions as well. Unfortunately, this would only widen the gap between some good champions and some bad ones. In some cases, it would work, but Kabam might end up just exaggerating the gap in other cases.
Thanks for reading this (very long) post!
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To be clear, making champs better is good. Synergies are good. Making you get a new champ to make an old champ not just better, but approach current meta usability, is bad. Reworks are good. Taking forever for reworks is bad. I didn't say they should stop reworks.
Currently, re-works are taking longer and longer to implement. I think Hulkbuster is approaching a year since he was selected to be the next re-work. I don't see the harm in adding some usefulness to older champs in the interim while we wait for them to get full re-works.
I do understand the value in giving synergies with old champs to new champs; and don't want it to stop.
On the other hand, couldn't a few of these buffs just get developed between two old champions and be added in the changelog?
Like, 28.0:
Bug Fixes and improvements:
Gambit and Rogue - Romance synergy has been updated to "Happily Ever After" Unique synergy - both champs gain +50% buff duration.
Daredevil and Luke Cage- Boring 'Teammates' synergy has been updated to "See you on Hulu" Unique synergy - Whenever he gains a Precision effect, Daredevil has a 10% chance to shrug off one debuff. Luke Cage reduces the potency of armour break debuffs by 50%.
Has a synergy with Red Guardian that makes both gods
Take away the synergy and he is just as useless as Groot
Couldn't they have just added this to his description and buff him, like "Abominations radiated body poisons the Enemy in it's presence inflicting poison that deals x direct damage over y seconds and reduces HP Regen by 30%"
However, I dont totally understand why people complain about kabam's taking a long time to rework champs (not referring to anyone in this thread;just in general) sure, the animations are already created, but designing a champ is still lots of work.
Another solution that I still consider to be an effective way to make more champs viable is similar to what @JABBA_2 said above. The problem with content currently is that it's incredibly niche and only a small list of champions can clear certain quests/paths/fights. This means that you can progress as long as you have the few counters to a fight. But when you don't have a counter, you're out of luck. I don't agree with jabba about nerfing the best champs, because I still think that some champs should be better than others, but I think small buffs to champs on the bottom wouldn't hurt. Basically, kabam should focus on making most content beatable with any champ, so skill will play a larger role. I do get that roster depth should be a factor and I agree, but there's a limit and skill should play a larger factor
Clearly if the synergies can be developed to make champs better then same stuff could be done just for the champs faster than these full blown redesigns. Like the abomination synergy could have just been rolled out as a buff to abomination to make him a reasonable champion to play.
Some synergies definitely belong strapped to other champs to limit the range because of the potency but there are definitely examples of synergies that could have been rolled out as buff packages to the lesser champs to just make them viable again.
I like the tie-ins to old champs from the perspective that Kabam cant keep up with updating old champs. It makes them have value. I'll take what I can get.