starlord as an essential is just wrong!!

grunth13

I totally understand what you ate saying gun slinger, but they made the essential for top 50 only...That's less than 1% of the people. And you know that most of the people that got it are also in top 50 alliance so they got it twice. Anyways, it's not a big deal in the long run, but it just feels like they don't think some of the things through our they just don't care about the average player.

rednailz

grunth13 wrote:

I totally understand what you ate saying gun slinger, but they made the essential for top 50 only...That's less than 1% of the people. And you know that most of the people that got it are also in top 50 alliance so they got it twice. Anyways, it's not a big deal in the long run, but it just feels like they don't think some of the things through our they just don't care about the average player.

They are good at marketing. They created a scramble and a demand and probably sold a bit of health packs. The average player isn't intended to get a 4* on the day it's released.

Unknown

Competition has been very light so far... I only have like 5.5k and I"m sitting in clear 1st place... and you only need 18k for R&G.

GrimSkald

In theory, the grind for new characters is fine. Sure, I think every two weeks is too often, but facing facts they do need to keep adding content to keep people interested once they've started maxxing out 3*. It seems clear that new PVEs are too labor intensive to introduce at a high rate (possibly because Marvel has to approve the content,) so new characters are it.

My issue with new characters being introduced every two weeks is that a brand new character is an albatross around your neck in the essentials. You have a minimum level character with 1-3 covers (usually one,) who doesn't contribute anything other than occasional match damage and absorbing blows. Since they frequently do this every other event, every event either a) introduces a new character or b) features a new character. I think that's just plain too much because it really messes around with the "norm." You almost never have a normal event with normal featured characters and normal rewards. Sure, sometimes they squeeze a third event in there, but usually they don't.

So you play hard to get a character who will be so very important for the next event... then become almost useless. You'll get it featured in a PVP every two months or so, and sometimes it will be boosted, but you won't have very many covers for it so it won't be any good.

Anyway, regarding the 4* characters - right there with you - it exacerbates the above problem. Not only do you need to grind that much harder to get the introduced character (as they give it to only the top 50 out of 1000 rather than the top 150 out of 1000 - 5% rather than 15%,) that character will have less covers to start, and will become absolutely useless (instead of just mostly useless) after the event is over. I may get TGT fully covered sometime in the next year or so, Electra will probably be much longer, and Starlord longer still.

Wonko33

grunth13 wrote:

Phaserhawk, I think you have hit it on the head. I think a loaner with the worst power would be fine so that I can at least attempt the node with boost and luck. right now that is 800 points in those 2 nodes that I can not even try.

worse power is purple, that's what people who grinded like madmen and finished 50th got, so basically they did it for nothing, you think that's fair? Fairness goes both ways you know

Unknown

Wonko33 wrote:

grunth13 wrote:

Phaserhawk, I think you have hit it on the head. I think a loaner with the worst power would be fine so that I can at least attempt the node with boost and luck. right now that is 800 points in those 2 nodes that I can not even try.

worse power is purple, that's what people who grinded like madmen and finished 50th got, so basically they did it for nothing, you think that's fair? Fairness goes both ways you know

It's between red and purple for me.

Purple, once you have 5 covers, seems like a pretty powerful ability.

grunth13

then the devs need to admit that roster diversity is meaningless in a game where you have to have all the characters since any of them can be essential characters

evil panda

grunth13 wrote:

Well I'm in my 3* transition, so all covers are nice since the only 3* that I game max covered is hulk and gsbw, both not the greatest although they work together. Do I'm not going to knock the dd covers, but I'm sorry if I didn't grind like crazy...I had patients that were delivering babies.

well, if it helps, grinding out a T50 finish in that pve also felt like giving birth

Unknown

I actually wished they came up with node that requires you to have Groot, Gamora and Starlord, that would be so cool

Raffoon

I'm with ya

http://www.d3pforums.com/viewtopic.php?f=7&t=20911

Here's a suggestion I had from that thread to make it better.

In short, give a big boost to covers/levels on new characters and let everyone use a powered up version of them. If you already have covers, then those get added on to the powered up version.

So here's an idea to give a substantial benefit to people who've earned the new character without completely hamstringing those that don't have it. I also think this would have the effect of increasing the FUN aspects of new characters:
-First off, dump essential nodes completely.
-Next, increase the level buffs to characters that would otherwise have been essential.
-Lastly, add a temporary buff to the abilities those characters as well. I'm thinking a temporary cover-level buff here. So for example, that Elektra that you have 1/0/0 in might act as though she's 3/2/2 or 4/3/3 or some other number when used in the featured event.

Think about it. Who actually has fun with Essential nodes that use new characters?
-Are the people that have gotten covers jumping for joy that they get to use their new barely covered character with a moderate level boost? Ooh boy, watch out for that single covered level 130 attack you can cast! Most characters don't really start to shine until they have 3-5 covers in their abilities. Bonus side effect, people would get to try out the character, so they'd be more likely to buy (see: 4* Thor previews)
-We know that the other 85-95% of people (depending on 3*/4*) who didn't get the cover sure aren't having fun with the Essential concept.

The biggest counterargument I can see is that D3 will make less money from 42 packs that people buy to try and get the Essential character. But:
A) Are that many people really buying 42 packs in that situation?
Giving a preview of the character at close to full strength instead of forcing you to use them underpowered with 1-3 covers will make people want to cover the character. More covers = more money!

That's just one idea for how to improve it, though. Even if that's not the right solution, I think that most people would be overjoyed to see Essential nodes go away.

thbrown81

Wrong was pushing out a new two star that was then essential for a new four star.