Act 6 (and other content) is built with specific challenges in mind. The requirement of 5 and 6-Stars is a broader application of the idea, but it allows us to build a more tightly-constructed experience around a more specific box of playstyles. Making one-size fits all content for an immense player toolbox can lead to things being more watered down and general, rather than the specific moments we can make when we know the lower and upper limits of each player as a matter of fact.
Hey everyone,Thank you all for the discussion on this topic. There’s been a lot of constructive feedback and thoughts, and it’s been valuable to us for considerations and internal discussion. We wanted to be clearer with our intentions, and better clarify why we want to do this and how it aligns with our past direction in the game.This is not the first time we’ve hard-gated something behind a form of progression. We use gates liberally, oftentimes to prevent players from having frustrating experiences in content beyond their capabilities, but also because we’re game developers and we have some intended play experiences in mind that we--through both iteration and personal gameplay experience--believe smooth out the ride and make the whole thing as enjoyable as possible.At level 50-60, it's easy to forget that for much of an early player’s experience they are bumping into padlock icons all over the quests menu: - A multitude of our arenas cannot be played without specific Champion rarities, and to be competitive requires a lot of them.- Normal and Heroic difficulty event quests are locked behind levels 12 and 25, respectively. - Master was, for a long time, gated monthly behind the 100% exploration of its Heroic counterpart. - Uncollected difficulty requires not only reaching level 40, but completion of Act 5, Chapter 2. - Even entering Beginner asks you to be level 6!And this is just looking at the monthly event quests. Dungeons need you to have a sizeable count of certain rarities before you can access the very same ones. Side Quests follow similar locking mechanics to the Monthly Events, and we’ve used gating methods both inter-quest (Dimensional Rifts and their shards) and more explicit (Danger Rooms rarity requirements, the current Recon Missions) to craft a specifically targeted experience or to more tightly tune the content we’re making.On the topic of tuning, that is our goal when using more stringent requirements in quests. Back Issues #1 used this explicitly with the Class requirements; we did this so we could build areas in each quest where lesser-used Champions could stand out--Hawkeye’s power drain capabilities in Chapter 1, Quest 1, for example--and be important for strategy where they normally would not. We’re aiming to do similar things in Back Issues #2, with a different approach. (More on that soon!)One reason we do this is because of how progression changes over time. Once you’ve achieved Level 60, we lose a numerical value of your time and experience in the game. The gap between a fresh 60 and a veteran 60 can be massive, just like in many other MMO games. One of the best ways we have to continue using those gates as both protective and progression measure is targeting the baseline strength and breadth of your roster.Act 6 (and other content) is built with specific challenges in mind. The requirement of 5 and 6-Stars is a broader application of the idea, but it allows us to build a more tightly-constructed experience around a more specific box of playstyles. Making one-size fits all content for an immense player toolbox can lead to things being more watered down and general, rather than the specific moments we can make when we know the lower and upper limits of each player as a matter of fact.Lastly, this is permanent content. When we place strict requirements on a Side Quest, it’s a gold rush; there’s only ~30 days to build or enhance a team for the quest in question, and it can be a real crunch to get it done. (I myself am going to have a hell of a time with the Avengers leg of the Recon Missions.) Act 6 is going to be around forever. If you can’t get into it right away, that’s alright. It’ll wait for you!Again I appreciate the discussion around this, and when we say we’re taking your feedback we mean it. When there are lots of opinions and discourse around a topic like this, we take it seriously. I’ve already had two meetings today to chat about it with a variety of teams. I hope my points better explain our stance on gating content, and why we feel comfortable doing it here in the way we are. i get exactly everything you are sayingbutis 4* gates really the right way?was the challenger rating suggestion we saw before not a better and more practical idea?the problem people have is not the fact it is gated.just the way in which it has been decided to gate it. If the gates were put in with challenge rating rather than star rating, they would almost certainly have been put in at CR110, not CR100. The 5*/6* gate is almost certainly a compromise between higher tier and rank up necessities. With the gate at 5*/6*, you can still use 5* champions that aren't ranked up for things like synergies, and you can use specialty champs that are still strong enough at lower ranks. With the gate at CR110, you can't. If you set the gate to CR100, that essentially opens the floodgates to all 4* champs, and the gate ceases to be a strong enough gate to be meaningful.
Hey everyone,Thank you all for the discussion on this topic. There’s been a lot of constructive feedback and thoughts, and it’s been valuable to us for considerations and internal discussion. We wanted to be clearer with our intentions, and better clarify why we want to do this and how it aligns with our past direction in the game.This is not the first time we’ve hard-gated something behind a form of progression. We use gates liberally, oftentimes to prevent players from having frustrating experiences in content beyond their capabilities, but also because we’re game developers and we have some intended play experiences in mind that we--through both iteration and personal gameplay experience--believe smooth out the ride and make the whole thing as enjoyable as possible.At level 50-60, it's easy to forget that for much of an early player’s experience they are bumping into padlock icons all over the quests menu: - A multitude of our arenas cannot be played without specific Champion rarities, and to be competitive requires a lot of them.- Normal and Heroic difficulty event quests are locked behind levels 12 and 25, respectively. - Master was, for a long time, gated monthly behind the 100% exploration of its Heroic counterpart. - Uncollected difficulty requires not only reaching level 40, but completion of Act 5, Chapter 2. - Even entering Beginner asks you to be level 6!And this is just looking at the monthly event quests. Dungeons need you to have a sizeable count of certain rarities before you can access the very same ones. Side Quests follow similar locking mechanics to the Monthly Events, and we’ve used gating methods both inter-quest (Dimensional Rifts and their shards) and more explicit (Danger Rooms rarity requirements, the current Recon Missions) to craft a specifically targeted experience or to more tightly tune the content we’re making.On the topic of tuning, that is our goal when using more stringent requirements in quests. Back Issues #1 used this explicitly with the Class requirements; we did this so we could build areas in each quest where lesser-used Champions could stand out--Hawkeye’s power drain capabilities in Chapter 1, Quest 1, for example--and be important for strategy where they normally would not. We’re aiming to do similar things in Back Issues #2, with a different approach. (More on that soon!)One reason we do this is because of how progression changes over time. Once you’ve achieved Level 60, we lose a numerical value of your time and experience in the game. The gap between a fresh 60 and a veteran 60 can be massive, just like in many other MMO games. One of the best ways we have to continue using those gates as both protective and progression measure is targeting the baseline strength and breadth of your roster.Act 6 (and other content) is built with specific challenges in mind. The requirement of 5 and 6-Stars is a broader application of the idea, but it allows us to build a more tightly-constructed experience around a more specific box of playstyles. Making one-size fits all content for an immense player toolbox can lead to things being more watered down and general, rather than the specific moments we can make when we know the lower and upper limits of each player as a matter of fact.Lastly, this is permanent content. When we place strict requirements on a Side Quest, it’s a gold rush; there’s only ~30 days to build or enhance a team for the quest in question, and it can be a real crunch to get it done. (I myself am going to have a hell of a time with the Avengers leg of the Recon Missions.) Act 6 is going to be around forever. If you can’t get into it right away, that’s alright. It’ll wait for you!Again I appreciate the discussion around this, and when we say we’re taking your feedback we mean it. When there are lots of opinions and discourse around a topic like this, we take it seriously. I’ve already had two meetings today to chat about it with a variety of teams. I hope my points better explain our stance on gating content, and why we feel comfortable doing it here in the way we are. i get exactly everything you are sayingbutis 4* gates really the right way?was the challenger rating suggestion we saw before not a better and more practical idea?the problem people have is not the fact it is gated.just the way in which it has been decided to gate it.
Hey everyone,Thank you all for the discussion on this topic. There’s been a lot of constructive feedback and thoughts, and it’s been valuable to us for considerations and internal discussion. We wanted to be clearer with our intentions, and better clarify why we want to do this and how it aligns with our past direction in the game.This is not the first time we’ve hard-gated something behind a form of progression. We use gates liberally, oftentimes to prevent players from having frustrating experiences in content beyond their capabilities, but also because we’re game developers and we have some intended play experiences in mind that we--through both iteration and personal gameplay experience--believe smooth out the ride and make the whole thing as enjoyable as possible.At level 50-60, it's easy to forget that for much of an early player’s experience they are bumping into padlock icons all over the quests menu: - A multitude of our arenas cannot be played without specific Champion rarities, and to be competitive requires a lot of them.- Normal and Heroic difficulty event quests are locked behind levels 12 and 25, respectively. - Master was, for a long time, gated monthly behind the 100% exploration of its Heroic counterpart. - Uncollected difficulty requires not only reaching level 40, but completion of Act 5, Chapter 2. - Even entering Beginner asks you to be level 6!And this is just looking at the monthly event quests. Dungeons need you to have a sizeable count of certain rarities before you can access the very same ones. Side Quests follow similar locking mechanics to the Monthly Events, and we’ve used gating methods both inter-quest (Dimensional Rifts and their shards) and more explicit (Danger Rooms rarity requirements, the current Recon Missions) to craft a specifically targeted experience or to more tightly tune the content we’re making.On the topic of tuning, that is our goal when using more stringent requirements in quests. Back Issues #1 used this explicitly with the Class requirements; we did this so we could build areas in each quest where lesser-used Champions could stand out--Hawkeye’s power drain capabilities in Chapter 1, Quest 1, for example--and be important for strategy where they normally would not. We’re aiming to do similar things in Back Issues #2, with a different approach. (More on that soon!)One reason we do this is because of how progression changes over time. Once you’ve achieved Level 60, we lose a numerical value of your time and experience in the game. The gap between a fresh 60 and a veteran 60 can be massive, just like in many other MMO games. One of the best ways we have to continue using those gates as both protective and progression measure is targeting the baseline strength and breadth of your roster.Act 6 (and other content) is built with specific challenges in mind. The requirement of 5 and 6-Stars is a broader application of the idea, but it allows us to build a more tightly-constructed experience around a more specific box of playstyles. Making one-size fits all content for an immense player toolbox can lead to things being more watered down and general, rather than the specific moments we can make when we know the lower and upper limits of each player as a matter of fact.Lastly, this is permanent content. When we place strict requirements on a Side Quest, it’s a gold rush; there’s only ~30 days to build or enhance a team for the quest in question, and it can be a real crunch to get it done. (I myself am going to have a hell of a time with the Avengers leg of the Recon Missions.) Act 6 is going to be around forever. If you can’t get into it right away, that’s alright. It’ll wait for you!Again I appreciate the discussion around this, and when we say we’re taking your feedback we mean it. When there are lots of opinions and discourse around a topic like this, we take it seriously. I’ve already had two meetings today to chat about it with a variety of teams. I hope my points better explain our stance on gating content, and why we feel comfortable doing it here in the way we are.
I know I sound like a broken record but please release the 5-Star Abomination; MODOK needs the “Cubicle Mates,” synergy because without it he can’t use suicides. This reduces his damage output by over a 3rd, stops him from regenerating health, and doubles incoming poison damage. That’s harsh man... Real harsh.
I didn’t see a single good reason that justifies banning 4*s. It was all the expected rhetoric that boils down to.....money. Apparently you didn't read the explanation then. Nothing mentioned had to do with money at all. It was a thorough explanation as to why they felt it was best to gate progress at that stage. It may not be what people want, but you can't say the explanation wasn't sufficient.
I didn’t see a single good reason that justifies banning 4*s. It was all the expected rhetoric that boils down to.....money.
I'm wondering if the people complaining about this have done every other piece of content in the game 100% yet. This has been advertised as the final Act to the story. They probably intend it to be done after all other content is completed.I can empathize with those with terrible RNG though. I like @Hulk_77 post above about Challenger Rating being a requirement rather than star level.
I didn’t see a single good reason that justifies banning 4*s. It was all the expected rhetoric that boils down to.....money. Apparently you didn't read the explanation then. Nothing mentioned had to do with money at all. It was a thorough explanation as to why they felt it was best to gate progress at that stage. It may not be what people want, but you can't say the explanation wasn't sufficient. If you can't see where it has to do with money you can't comprehend the things you read.Their entire 'explanation' about previous gating was doing so based on summoner level, or PI or owning a specific character.... not about limiting a roster based on their star level. I say this as someone who has a pretty extensive five star library. It's a bogus call. Still wondering where the money explanation comes into it? Fine, I'll help you out.... it was somewhere around "...it's a protective measure..." Protective for whom exactly? Us? No. Obviously not. They're sick and tired of us beating their content with four star characters so they push this to prevent exactly that. To sell more crystals hoping people will buy them and expand their five star roster to complete this content. Then they spit in our faces and provide us with a crystal that gives us useless characters and you ask for more.I'm so glad that heroes were just released with amazing Wolverine synergies. To bad they're utterly useless now.
One reason we do this is because of how progression changes over time. Once you’ve achieved Level 60, we lose a numerical value of your time and experience in the game. The gap between a fresh 60 and a veteran 60 can be massive, just like in many other MMO games. One of the best ways we have to continue using those gates as both protective and progression measure is targeting the baseline strength and breadth of your roster.
I didn’t see a single good reason that justifies banning 4*s. It was all the expected rhetoric that boils down to.....money. Apparently you didn't read the explanation then. Nothing mentioned had to do with money at all. It was a thorough explanation as to why they felt it was best to gate progress at that stage. It may not be what people want, but you can't say the explanation wasn't sufficient. If you can't see where it has to do with money you can't comprehend the things you read.Their entire 'explanation' about previous gating was doing so based on summoner level, or PI or owning a specific character.... not about limiting a roster based on their star level. I say this as someone who has a pretty extensive five star library. It's a bogus call. Still wondering where the money explanation comes into it? Fine, I'll help you out.... it was somewhere around "...it's a protective measure..." Protective for whom exactly? Us? No. Obviously not. They're sick and tired of us beating their content with four star characters so they push this to prevent exactly that. To sell more crystals hoping people will buy them and expand their five star roster to complete this content. Then they spit in our faces and provide us with a crystal that gives us useless characters and you ask for more.I'm so glad that heroes were just released with amazing Wolverine synergies. To bad they're utterly useless now. No. It has nothing to do with money at all. That's a bitter response that's been around longer than I have, and it comes out whenever people don't like a decision they make. "Y'all are milking the whales. Money grubbing. Greedy.". All that translates to is, "We don't like what you're doing, so we're going to call you out.". Fortunately, I don't work for them, so I can put it more abruptly. They don't want people using 4*s. That's about as plain as it gets. If you read the explanation, there were a few reasons given. One of which was the quality of the experience. Meaning they don't want people having a bad experience. The other has to do with the target demographic. This content is aimed at people who have enough 5*s to do it, and enough Ranking to pull it off. Between Level 60 and Act 6 there are a whole range of different growth points, and for all intents and purposes, this is intended for a specific group of that range. Now, you could conjecture all types of reasons for that surrounding the dependency on Synergies, or trying to make money, but the bottom line is, it's not for people with a handful of 4*s and some OP Synergies. Now, as for why they feel comfortable doing it, they have explained that themselves, outlined how they have used similar gates in the past, and also went on to explain it's permanent, and there is ample time to prepare for it. The bottom line is, it's not for everyone. Although it IS for anyone who has done Act 5, and has 5*s, which let's be real here, is everyone who has done Act 5. You just won't be able to depend on 4*s, whether for use or Synergies. That's entirely possible to get around. It has nothing to do with money, and everything to do with the intended experience and level of challenge.
I didn’t see a single good reason that justifies banning 4*s. It was all the expected rhetoric that boils down to.....money. Apparently you didn't read the explanation then. Nothing mentioned had to do with money at all. It was a thorough explanation as to why they felt it was best to gate progress at that stage. It may not be what people want, but you can't say the explanation wasn't sufficient. If you can't see where it has to do with money you can't comprehend the things you read.Their entire 'explanation' about previous gating was doing so based on summoner level, or PI or owning a specific character.... not about limiting a roster based on their star level. I say this as someone who has a pretty extensive five star library. It's a bogus call. Still wondering where the money explanation comes into it? Fine, I'll help you out.... it was somewhere around "...it's a protective measure..." Protective for whom exactly? Us? No. Obviously not. They're sick and tired of us beating their content with four star characters so they push this to prevent exactly that. To sell more crystals hoping people will buy them and expand their five star roster to complete this content. Then they spit in our faces and provide us with a crystal that gives us useless characters and you ask for more.I'm so glad that heroes were just released with amazing Wolverine synergies. To bad they're utterly useless now. No. It has nothing to do with money at all. That's a bitter response that's been around longer than I have, and it comes out whenever people don't like a decision they make. "Y'all are milking the whales. Money grubbing. Greedy.". All that translates to is, "We don't like what you're doing, so we're going to call you out.". Fortunately, I don't work for them, so I can put it more abruptly. They don't want people using 4*s. That's about as plain as it gets. If you read the explanation, there were a few reasons given. One of which was the quality of the experience. Meaning they don't want people having a bad experience. The other has to do with the target demographic. This content is aimed at people who have enough 5*s to do it, and enough Ranking to pull it off. Between Level 60 and Act 6 there are a whole range of different growth points, and for all intents and purposes, this is intended for a specific group of that range. Now, you could conjecture all types of reasons for that surrounding the dependency on Synergies, or trying to make money, but the bottom line is, it's not for people with a handful of 4*s and some OP Synergies. Now, as for why they feel comfortable doing it, they have explained that themselves, outlined how they have used similar gates in the past, and also went on to explain it's permanent, and there is ample time to prepare for it. The bottom line is, it's not for everyone. Although it IS for anyone who has done Act 5, and has 5*s, which let's be real here, is everyone who has done Act 5. You just won't be able to depend on 4*s, whether for use or Synergies. That's entirely possible to get around. It has nothing to do with money, and everything to do with the intended experience and level of challenge. This isn’t a non-profit company. Of course this move was made with financial consideration.
I didn’t see a single good reason that justifies banning 4*s. It was all the expected rhetoric that boils down to.....money. Apparently you didn't read the explanation then. Nothing mentioned had to do with money at all. It was a thorough explanation as to why they felt it was best to gate progress at that stage. It may not be what people want, but you can't say the explanation wasn't sufficient. If you can't see where it has to do with money you can't comprehend the things you read.Their entire 'explanation' about previous gating was doing so based on summoner level, or PI or owning a specific character.... not about limiting a roster based on their star level. I say this as someone who has a pretty extensive five star library. It's a bogus call. Still wondering where the money explanation comes into it? Fine, I'll help you out.... it was somewhere around "...it's a protective measure..." Protective for whom exactly? Us? No. Obviously not. They're sick and tired of us beating their content with four star characters so they push this to prevent exactly that. To sell more crystals hoping people will buy them and expand their five star roster to complete this content. Then they spit in our faces and provide us with a crystal that gives us useless characters and you ask for more.I'm so glad that heroes were just released with amazing Wolverine synergies. To bad they're utterly useless now. No. It has nothing to do with money at all. That's a bitter response that's been around longer than I have, and it comes out whenever people don't like a decision they make. "Y'all are milking the whales. Money grubbing. Greedy.". All that translates to is, "We don't like what you're doing, so we're going to call you out.". Fortunately, I don't work for them, so I can put it more abruptly. They don't want people using 4*s. That's about as plain as it gets. If you read the explanation, there were a few reasons given. One of which was the quality of the experience. Meaning they don't want people having a bad experience. The other has to do with the target demographic. This content is aimed at people who have enough 5*s to do it, and enough Ranking to pull it off. Between Level 60 and Act 6 there are a whole range of different growth points, and for all intents and purposes, this is intended for a specific group of that range. Now, you could conjecture all types of reasons for that surrounding the dependency on Synergies, or trying to make money, but the bottom line is, it's not for people with a handful of 4*s and some OP Synergies. Now, as for why they feel comfortable doing it, they have explained that themselves, outlined how they have used similar gates in the past, and also went on to explain it's permanent, and there is ample time to prepare for it. The bottom line is, it's not for everyone. Although it IS for anyone who has done Act 5, and has 5*s, which let's be real here, is everyone who has done Act 5. You just won't be able to depend on 4*s, whether for use or Synergies. That's entirely possible to get around. It has nothing to do with money, and everything to do with the intended experience and level of challenge. This isn’t a non-profit company. Of course this move was made with financial consideration. So because it's a company that makes money, it's ONLY deciding factor in any decision is money? That's an incredibly jaded way of looking at things. No, the bottom line with this decision is not about money. If that was the case, they'd open it to 4*s and collect the bucks from Pots and Revs bought.
@Kabam Miike @Kabam Zibiit @Kabam Vydious @Kabam Lyra @Kabam Wolf can you clarify if the 4* restriction is just for chapter 1 or all of act 6? Might help to assuage some of the angst if we know it’s only one chapter.
@Kabam Miike @Kabam Zibiit @Kabam Vydious @Kabam Lyra @Kabam Wolf can you clarify if the 4* restriction is just for chapter 1 or all of act 6? Might help to assuage some of the angst if we know it’s only one chapter. I actually wondered this myself.
I didn’t see a single good reason that justifies banning 4*s. It was all the expected rhetoric that boils down to.....money. Apparently you didn't read the explanation then. Nothing mentioned had to do with money at all. It was a thorough explanation as to why they felt it was best to gate progress at that stage. It may not be what people want, but you can't say the explanation wasn't sufficient. If you can't see where it has to do with money you can't comprehend the things you read.Their entire 'explanation' about previous gating was doing so based on summoner level, or PI or owning a specific character.... not about limiting a roster based on their star level. I say this as someone who has a pretty extensive five star library. It's a bogus call. Still wondering where the money explanation comes into it? Fine, I'll help you out.... it was somewhere around "...it's a protective measure..." Protective for whom exactly? Us? No. Obviously not. They're sick and tired of us beating their content with four star characters so they push this to prevent exactly that. To sell more crystals hoping people will buy them and expand their five star roster to complete this content. Then they spit in our faces and provide us with a crystal that gives us useless characters and you ask for more.I'm so glad that heroes were just released with amazing Wolverine synergies. To bad they're utterly useless now. No. It has nothing to do with money at all. That's a bitter response that's been around longer than I have, and it comes out whenever people don't like a decision they make. "Y'all are milking the whales. Money grubbing. Greedy.". All that translates to is, "We don't like what you're doing, so we're going to call you out.". Fortunately, I don't work for them, so I can put it more abruptly. They don't want people using 4*s. That's about as plain as it gets. If you read the explanation, there were a few reasons given. One of which was the quality of the experience. Meaning they don't want people having a bad experience. The other has to do with the target demographic. This content is aimed at people who have enough 5*s to do it, and enough Ranking to pull it off. Between Level 60 and Act 6 there are a whole range of different growth points, and for all intents and purposes, this is intended for a specific group of that range. Now, you could conjecture all types of reasons for that surrounding the dependency on Synergies, or trying to make money, but the bottom line is, it's not for people with a handful of 4*s and some OP Synergies. Now, as for why they feel comfortable doing it, they have explained that themselves, outlined how they have used similar gates in the past, and also went on to explain it's permanent, and there is ample time to prepare for it. The bottom line is, it's not for everyone. Although it IS for anyone who has done Act 5, and has 5*s, which let's be real here, is everyone who has done Act 5. You just won't be able to depend on 4*s, whether for use or Synergies. That's entirely possible to get around. It has nothing to do with money, and everything to do with the intended experience and level of challenge. This isn’t a non-profit company. Of course this move was made with financial consideration. So because it's a company that makes money, it's ONLY deciding factor in any decision is money? That's an incredibly jaded way of looking at things. No, the bottom line with this decision is not about money. If that was the case, they'd open it to 4*s and collect the bucks from Pots and Revs bought. Of course it about money. How do you counter cold snap if you dont have a cold snap immune champ? I have almost 70 6/5* champs and no bleed immune at those rarities what happens when I encounter bio hazard or caltrops. What about aggressive regeneration without void or gully or a heal block champ (I also dont have one of those)? All of those fights are exponentially harder and more expensive (whether its potions or units) because RNGesus didn't bless you with the right champ 5/6* champ
I didn’t see a single good reason that justifies banning 4*s. It was all the expected rhetoric that boils down to.....money. Apparently you didn't read the explanation then. Nothing mentioned had to do with money at all. It was a thorough explanation as to why they felt it was best to gate progress at that stage. It may not be what people want, but you can't say the explanation wasn't sufficient. If you can't see where it has to do with money you can't comprehend the things you read.Their entire 'explanation' about previous gating was doing so based on summoner level, or PI or owning a specific character.... not about limiting a roster based on their star level. I say this as someone who has a pretty extensive five star library. It's a bogus call. Still wondering where the money explanation comes into it? Fine, I'll help you out.... it was somewhere around "...it's a protective measure..." Protective for whom exactly? Us? No. Obviously not. They're sick and tired of us beating their content with four star characters so they push this to prevent exactly that. To sell more crystals hoping people will buy them and expand their five star roster to complete this content. Then they spit in our faces and provide us with a crystal that gives us useless characters and you ask for more.I'm so glad that heroes were just released with amazing Wolverine synergies. To bad they're utterly useless now. No. It has nothing to do with money at all. That's a bitter response that's been around longer than I have, and it comes out whenever people don't like a decision they make. "Y'all are milking the whales. Money grubbing. Greedy.". All that translates to is, "We don't like what you're doing, so we're going to call you out.". Fortunately, I don't work for them, so I can put it more abruptly. They don't want people using 4*s. That's about as plain as it gets. If you read the explanation, there were a few reasons given. One of which was the quality of the experience. Meaning they don't want people having a bad experience. The other has to do with the target demographic. This content is aimed at people who have enough 5*s to do it, and enough Ranking to pull it off. Between Level 60 and Act 6 there are a whole range of different growth points, and for all intents and purposes, this is intended for a specific group of that range. Now, you could conjecture all types of reasons for that surrounding the dependency on Synergies, or trying to make money, but the bottom line is, it's not for people with a handful of 4*s and some OP Synergies. Now, as for why they feel comfortable doing it, they have explained that themselves, outlined how they have used similar gates in the past, and also went on to explain it's permanent, and there is ample time to prepare for it. The bottom line is, it's not for everyone. Although it IS for anyone who has done Act 5, and has 5*s, which let's be real here, is everyone who has done Act 5. You just won't be able to depend on 4*s, whether for use or Synergies. That's entirely possible to get around. It has nothing to do with money, and everything to do with the intended experience and level of challenge. This isn’t a non-profit company. Of course this move was made with financial consideration. So because it's a company that makes money, it's ONLY deciding factor in any decision is money? That's an incredibly jaded way of looking at things. No, the bottom line with this decision is not about money. If that was the case, they'd open it to 4*s and collect the bucks from Pots and Revs bought. I didn’t see a single good reason that justifies banning 4*s. It was all the expected rhetoric that boils down to.....money. Apparently you didn't read the explanation then. Nothing mentioned had to do with money at all. It was a thorough explanation as to why they felt it was best to gate progress at that stage. It may not be what people want, but you can't say the explanation wasn't sufficient. If you can't see where it has to do with money you can't comprehend the things you read.Their entire 'explanation' about previous gating was doing so based on summoner level, or PI or owning a specific character.... not about limiting a roster based on their star level. I say this as someone who has a pretty extensive five star library. It's a bogus call. Still wondering where the money explanation comes into it? Fine, I'll help you out.... it was somewhere around "...it's a protective measure..." Protective for whom exactly? Us? No. Obviously not. They're sick and tired of us beating their content with four star characters so they push this to prevent exactly that. To sell more crystals hoping people will buy them and expand their five star roster to complete this content. Then they spit in our faces and provide us with a crystal that gives us useless characters and you ask for more.I'm so glad that heroes were just released with amazing Wolverine synergies. To bad they're utterly useless now. No. It has nothing to do with money at all. That's a bitter response that's been around longer than I have, and it comes out whenever people don't like a decision they make. "Y'all are milking the whales. Money grubbing. Greedy.". All that translates to is, "We don't like what you're doing, so we're going to call you out.". Fortunately, I don't work for them, so I can put it more abruptly. They don't want people using 4*s. That's about as plain as it gets. If you read the explanation, there were a few reasons given. One of which was the quality of the experience. Meaning they don't want people having a bad experience. The other has to do with the target demographic. This content is aimed at people who have enough 5*s to do it, and enough Ranking to pull it off. Between Level 60 and Act 6 there are a whole range of different growth points, and for all intents and purposes, this is intended for a specific group of that range. Now, you could conjecture all types of reasons for that surrounding the dependency on Synergies, or trying to make money, but the bottom line is, it's not for people with a handful of 4*s and some OP Synergies. Now, as for why they feel comfortable doing it, they have explained that themselves, outlined how they have used similar gates in the past, and also went on to explain it's permanent, and there is ample time to prepare for it. The bottom line is, it's not for everyone. Although it IS for anyone who has done Act 5, and has 5*s, which let's be real here, is everyone who has done Act 5. You just won't be able to depend on 4*s, whether for use or Synergies. That's entirely possible to get around. It has nothing to do with money, and everything to do with the intended experience and level of challenge. This isn’t a non-profit company. Of course this move was made with financial consideration. So because it's a company that makes money, it's ONLY deciding factor in any decision is money? That's an incredibly jaded way of looking at things. No, the bottom line with this decision is not about money. If that was the case, they'd open it to 4*s and collect the bucks from Pots and Revs bought. But now you are forced to buy GMC on top of revives and potions. Revenue is the main decision making factor in any compay from smallest to biggest. So all decisions are made in kabam is with one and only goal is how to make more money than they made before and its getting out of controll because they expect for everyone to whale out on gmc to get usable champions just to offer some 5* rank up offers on top of that little bit in the future.