**Mastery Loadouts**
Due to issues related to the release of Mastery Loadouts, the "free swap" period will be extended.
The new end date will be May 1st.
Due to issues related to the release of Mastery Loadouts, the "free swap" period will be extended.
The new end date will be May 1st.
Comments
At this point, Act 6 is already here and I think directly toning it down beyond some limited changes to some fights (Sinister, Champion) would be a bridge too far. But I think there are ways to make it easier for average players to complete without removing the overall difficulty of Act 6 from the game for those that want the challenge (and commensurate rewards). For example, I suggested expanding on the idea of 6.3 buffs to offer less skilled players a way to buff themselves up in specific ways to make the content more achievable, for a lower but still reasonable set of rewards, leaving the current Act 6 here for if and when they can do it without those training wheels.
It isn't hard, for example, to conceive of a fury proccing buff to help players past 6.2 Sinister. Or maybe a cycling indestructible for the Champion boss to give them short windows where they can more safely attempt dexes. Something that falls into the category of not completely neutering the content, but still offering a path forward for players that aren't able to get past the full difficulty version.
Book 2 could do the reverse. The standard version could be the easier version, and then a challenge mode system could be added to give higher tier players multiple replay opportunities. You could add nodes to increase difficulty to Act 6-like levels, and even higher nodes to increase difficulty to beyond Act 6 levels for the absolute highest players. If it is designed from the start for this kind of system, we could generate a lot more endgame-like content for high tier players than we are getting now, and for much less development time.
The key is to make sure the challenge modes are sufficiently interesting that higher tier players want to match up against them, rather than just being something to survive. They have to want to beat it, not feel compelled to beat it for the rewards. And I think that's possible, especially if you beta test the ideas among the higher tier players in the first place, or even have them contribute to it, ala Boss Rush.
It's left me in a weird place where I just don't feel like there's a huge reason for me to be pushing in AQ/AW.
To try to put in perspective take your 3 stars into uncollected and see how for you go next month. We were heading in that direction in the near future. Definitely by act 7.4.
so you are saying i need to have 33 r3s to deal with act 6 lol.
with 33 r5 of course variant isn't going to be hard. Try doing it with r3s or 4*s.
people keep saying they need it to be more challenging, how many of you guys are using the OP champs like Ghost, Corvus Quake etc. If you have these champs ofc the difficulty/challenge isn't going to be there..
Take LoL , it used to take multiple revives and alot of skill to do it. Now just go in with Aegon/ Nick fury and you are literally steam rolling through it. I managed to get Maestro down by 80% with Sparky in one go.
You can argue all day that Act 6 is fine as is but the numbers don't lie. People haven't been playing Act 6, people are spending less time in the game. Kabam had already acknowledged that with their 6.3 announcement and reversal of gates and have also come out to say they will look into what they can do to improve the experience of act 6 in their announcement. If Kabam are willing to do that it clearly means they missed the mark with something and it isn't a few newbie players going into act 6 after initial clear of Act 5.
you also f2p ?
No.....because your just helping to make my point which is act 6 is not friendly to the normal f2p player. Rosters are completely based on RNG. If you spend on crystals or you spend hours in arena grinding units and even going for the 5* Arena then you can circumvent the RNG to a degree as you either grind for counters/champions or you increase the chance of pulling the champs by spinning more crystals.
There is no method in the game to work towards unlocking champions or even any crystal available which is class specific unless you buy the special class specific crystals they sell. So having very niche fights punishes players for bad luck. Also they sell crystals that contain champs that excel at a particular aspect in the game such as critical rate crystal. Again these are bought.
If you guys thing that's how the game should be then cool. Enjoy the game. If that's the direction Kabam will continue to take after they have finished sketching out a long term plan then i'll just walk away from the game as its not for me. I'm already spending less time in the game because of this. I am not the only one who feels like this, which you can see from the fact there is 83 pages in this thread as well as many other threads on the forums etc about similar complaints.
Think about it. If every fight was like the Grandmaster fight, then there would be no need for Kabam to roll out new champions, because the fight can be done with any champion. If niche fights didn't exist, Kabam would not need to make champions that could counter that niche fight.
This game relies on obtaining certain champions and using those specific champions to complete specific content. Do I think that content is going to be harder for f2p players like you and me? Of course. Should it stay that way? Yes. Because if p2p players have no advantage over f2p players, they're not going to spend any money. Do I think that crystals can be revamped, such as introducing a class crystal for 15,000-20,000 shards? Yes. Do I think that p2p players should have advantages over f2p players? Yes.
F2P vs spending would only be a significant distinction in this game if spending offered specific and significant advantages that gameplay itself couldn't overcome, and with only marginal exceptions that's not true for MCOC.
But while it isn't a useful distinction, it is a damaging one. It promotes the notion that the game prefers one over the other, and improvements for one must come at the expense of the other. *Sometimes* that's true; specifically when it comes to how to set the value of cash offers. The higher the value, the more value spenders get and the more that playtime gets relatively devalued. But in many other respects including the most important, both kinds of players face the same problems. The difficulty issues in Act 6 hit most spending players just as hard as F2P players. Heck, I suspect I have a better roster than most players who spend, and while I do spend occasionally it is almost always on rank up material offers, not crystals. I use arena grind units for that, which any F2P arena grinder could do just as easily.
Most players who spend on the game aren't spending hundreds of thousands of dollars on unlimited champion crystals. They are spending moderate amounts of cash comparable in return to moderate amounts of arena grinding, many of them to compensate for the fact that they don't have the time to grind. For those players, who probably represent most spenders, telling them they have some special advantage that the F2P players don't have only tells them they shouldn't bother participating in any discussion to improve things for F2P players.
I think this is a mistake.
I've also never considered this a p2w game as regardless of how many champs you have ranked, if you never actually play the game you won't have a clue how to use them.
And you're absolutely right that f2p players can absolutely keep up with casual players as I've played with people that we're f2p in every alliance I've been in barring one. There are a lot of players these days that seem to think that they should be able to do all content never using units (from arena or otherwise) or even items you can farm. Those are the people I don't understand complaining about not being able to beat the hardest content for extended periods of time.
I didn't say anything about doing it item less. If players want to do things item less then i would expect them to be either very skilled or very determined like BG was with his 6.2 itemless runs.
You also seem to be missing my point which isn't f2p should be able to complete the content in the same time as spenders. Spending is always going to give players advantage and allow them to progress at a faster pace. That will always be the case and thats perfectly fine as they have paid for the privilege of that. My issue is the ability to tackle content based on RNG pulls.
I'm f2p I have 100% 6.3. I didn't do it on release ( i did do intial run within first few days) i didn't even do it in a month. It took me several months. I chipped away at it while improving my roster in areas which i needed to in order to get past certain content. For example deciding to use my Mystic AG on Dr voodoo and taking him to r5 to help with poison and resistor paths as well as dealing with power gain. However the paths where i needed to use him or other champs i put off, waiting to pull other champs or better counters. Crystal after crystal i wasn't getting the champs i needed to tackle certain nodes like Mysterio Acid wash. How is this situation fair because i didn't pull Man thing or KG that i've got a hard wall to deal with which has no reflection on my skill but is solely down to my RNG luck ?
after months i ended up just throwing revives at the fight and using other champs because i was over waiting for the right counter. Is that really good design to you ?
6.2% is at about 70% . This is content that's been out for a year. A year i have waited to pull certain champs to help with the paths which wouldn't need me to throw excessive units at to get past or need me doing 400 hits just to get past 1 fight.
This is also creates a even more frustrating experience with crystal openings, when you can't pull the champs you need to get past content.
I think the highest tier players often, if not almost always overestimate the capabilities of the average player, and I try to keep that in mind. But no one should ever think I condone laziness either. You have to play the game, and if you want to be good at it you have to practice and learn, just like everything else, including every game more complex than tic tac toe. MCOC is, and should not be, any different. I don't expect the game to hand anyone a victory, even though it might seem that way on a relative basis to some very high tier players. Free victories are pointless anyway. Players need to be challenged, or winning is worthless.
We just need to make sure what we're asking of most players is reasonable. And that's subjective, but that just means we can't rely on calculus to tell us what reasonable is; we have to use values. We have to make a judgment.
My comment about doing content itemless wasn't directed at you specifically so I apologize if it sounded as such. Was just saying that I have seen that sort of expectation more frequently lately.
End game content should ALWAYS be the hardest content for the end game players. LOL was introduced before Spark, Aegon or NF. It was hard as hell when first introduced. As time goes by, rosters get better and new champs get introduced, making the content easier. That’s the whole idea.
Act 6 is similar. It’s hard as hell for people’s rosters now. But as time passes, it’ll get easier.
People are just complaining because they can’t do it NOW when they “think” they’re “end game” and the content was designed for them. It’s not.
I think it could be more adjusted to the profiles of each applicant and each experience would be unique, just like our profile. It should be clarified that obviously there must be a minimum requirement to be able to access the missions.
Minimum of 5 and 6 star characters, prestige and specific characters (at least old and common characters), include a lot of the mechanics of Incursions, minimum of stars to play the highest difficulties.Here the paths could experience the option of specific characters to make the content more complex and reviving a mechanic in which the characters that are necessary are useful and increasing the temptation to obtain characters.
Adding one more idea to this madness, they could create a link crystal in which, adding 20 common characters and 3 people from the top 10 list. Opening the crystal gives you 5 character options and you can only choose 1 character. But to obtain it you must have a fight based on the quality of the character chosen from among those 5 and have a very crazy fight against, Thanos, Knag, The Master, The Collector or the Grand Master. A very crazy skin with very difficult nodes and a single opportunity without being able to use power-ups, objects, or if you prefer, with a specific object that will give you a single upgrade. if you win you get the selected character and if you lose spin a roulette and you get one of the other options, but with the penalty of the best characters. It would have to be a very crazy and difficult battle, for the reward to be worth that contest ... hahaha
- Did the initial clear of 6.2.6 mid-late 2019 just to open up act 6.3 so I could do my legends run for that, I had to spend close to a thousand units just fighting the “easy path” Champion.
- However, I revisited The Champion earlier this year when 6.4 just dropped just so I could go for a 100% push for my 6.4 legends. When doing so I was able to get one shots on The Champion now with way more experience, practice and skill than I had back then. The plain vanilla champion fight with his 5 charges really isn’t that difficult at all, seeing as how I can consistently get one shots when I’m doing guides or testing the viability of new champs. It’s all about practice guys, none of us started out as mcoc pro players from the get-go. You just need to buckle down and invest the time and effort to get better. Countless others have already paid their dues against this boss, and I don’t see why the status quo shouldn’t hold true moving forward.
- In conclusion I would like to unequivocally state that the state of the “base” Champion boss with his indestructible charges is just fine, maybe just remove the no retreat node if it helps the less experienced players in the community, but keep everything else intact. That’s what made the whole fight fun and challenging in the first place. This is what end game content should be like and why we as players derive satisfaction from overcoming these obstacles.
- P.S. my only major complaint about 6.2 was the senseless inclusion of gates that added a needless extra layer of restriction to our rosters for that particular chapter.
The bottom line is this, endgame content at the point of release is meant to present the greatest current challenge, it is meant to test your skill, resolve and preparation. I’ve seen so many complaints about roster depth not being ready for the challenges, and if that’s the case, I’m sorry to say that you’re simply not ready yet. So, just take a step back, restrategize and tackle said content at a later date once you’re ready. There’s no need to rush headlong into clearing content due to impatience.
On the argument that getting the ideal counter champions would take an eternity; well, that’s down to this being an gatcha game at its core when pulling for champions. Some get the rub of the green early on, others not so much. That’s just how all gatcha games are designed, mcoc isn’t meant to be your typical “1 time fee” Single player console/pc game.
I do admit one of Kabam’s current dilemmas now is how to appease to both sides of the divide; those who have reached the endgame and are looking to be pushed to their limits once again, and those who are of the more casual variety. That being said, I personally play games to derive pleasure and fulfillment knowing that I’ve used everything in my current arsenal to beat it. It’s just like fighting those final fantasy secret bosses, you can’t possibly take them down without attaining the requisite skills, weapons, levels and strategies. If you rush in impatiently you’re bound to get slaughtered, and this is what I observe to be the mentality with the majority of the community. They’re not willing to put in the time, effort and patience to get to where they want to be. Sure, you can say that this game although being F2P has a pay-2-win model. But isn’t it the same as with other F2P games out there. There will always be a divide between the haves and the have-nots based on how willing one is to spend. But that’s an entirely personal prerogative.
Just saying one should git good is an oversimplification, it’s about being able to manage your own expectations and coming to the realization that ultimately not everyone will ever be on equal footing based on how the game is structured as a pay 2 win game. It’s not as if this is shocking news, I’m sure we all knew what kind of game mcoc is when we started. It’s an easy to pick up and play game, but as the saying goes “a minute to learn, but a lifetime to master”. If you want to be able to take on the hardest content, you’d best be aware of what you’re stepping into.
Finally, I’m sure a driving force behind the current discontent is also the FOMO mentality. Be content with your current pace, there’s always gonna be people ahead of and behind you. The no point in rushing to try to force yourself to keep up if you don’t have the time or financial means to do so. This is a very unhealthy way of looking at things. There’s no such thing as progression being awarded without any effort, having such an entitled mindset only breeds more discontent. I know where I stand, and I’m perfectly happy with my personal status quo. The endgame players that have such beautiful rosters and resources got to where they are because they deserve to based on the financial resources and time that they’ve invested. The question is, if you wish to be on the same level, then how willing are you to also invest what they have?
What makes certain content "end game"? I suspect it will mean different things to different people.
One common interpretation is that end game content is the latest content to drop. Clearly abyss falls into this category. However, I suspect act 6 in many eyes should also squarely fall into the terminology of end game. I'm not sure why that feeling is held though.
Indulge me for a moment. Defining whether something is end game or not can't simply be about the timing of its creation. It's the latest content made so...it must be end game. Monthly eq's are a constant addition to the game and several have dropped since act 6. Surely no one would argue monthly EQ's are end game. So maybe it's something more than just timing.
I'm more inclined to lean design philosophy. The devs create the content to be attacked by more robust rosters. That tends to make it for "end game" players in my eyes. Except, I think it is a mistake by the devs and end game players alike accepting it
Here's why. Designing progressional content for a portion of the player base will ultimately wean the game of its player base foundation either due to boredom, frustration or simply the belief it's too hard. Even if you don't believe the last statement to be true consider another issue with it: devs can't possibly design content to keep the end game player engaged.
Take abyss. It was supposed to be the content that took potentially six months to a year to complete. They had the top 300 in what a couple weeks? Maybe. That will always be the case. End game players will smash out new content within a short span of its release and pine for more. It's not really a sustainable method. Wait around for the next piece of content as a player and develop end game stuff at a break neck pace. Sounds fun lol.
So now the game stops retaining players and the end game players start to leave becuase there's nothing for them to do because content doesn't drop fast enough. Meanwhile the masses fall ever further behind because the content hasn't been created for them. So why bother. More leave.
The answer is not content driven stuff. It is competition. I've been at the very pinnacle of end game stuff in many games. E-pen is very very real.
Design progressional content for the masses and create end game competition for the end game player. Flexing against competition is far more engaging to end game players. I mean THAT is the point of building up one's roster.
In my humble opinion, end game players have been and continue to sell themselves short seeking content as their great whale. You need a better alliance competitive mode. Again, just my opinion but I've been there and done that. There point of a huge roster isn't about tackling content... but about competition.
Have a great day
While I don’t necessary agree act 6 should be toned down to the level that most of the average players would be happy with I understand their sentiment of being left out and bored. If Kabam does greatly tone down act 6, to balance that out they’d need to make more endgame content or another endgame mode for end gamers or they’ll just end up bored next.
Between story mode and event quest, aq and aw should be where all players stave off boredom and find a fun challenge more attuned to their place in the game, but no one seems to really enjoy those currently so they need to either be reworked or Kabam needs to design another game mode to fill that current void. If there was something else to really occupy their time I don’t think anyone would even really talk about acts 6 difficulty like no one really talks about lol or aol. When act 6 feels like a necessity of course average players would demand change.
All one has to do is practice with these champs, rank up the ones you’re Most proficient with and have a go. It is this kind of defeatist attitude that’s proving a stumbling block to players who say they can’t do it without actually trying.
Even if you just give someone a 10% chance at something they need it's far better than what we currently have. I've opened over 40 of the current versions of featured 5* crystal before not even getting my target but just something that wasn't useless. 600,000 shards before you get something you can actually use is ridiculous. That's not even getting into the horrendous odds on cavs .