The Gauntlet - Ultron Edition (Sept. 07th- Sept. 14th, 2015)

Quebbster

theHappyDance wrote:

Or I could just play a game that respects the gamer instead. *shrugs*

If I'm going to come back to playing MPQ events, it'll be on my terms, not theirs - which means having a realistic guarantee of progression is I play through the event.

i.e. not play the entire event and then miss T10 or T20 or T100 based on what kind of bracket you're placed in - or in this case, based on whether or not I'm able to get the progression reward in PvP. Just not worth the effort. I like playing the game casually, but if they want increased engagement, they have to show that they actually respect that increased engagement.

Thanks for the suggestion regardless though.

Patience is your friend in this game. After all, those covers will come to you sooner or later.
Personally I am excited about Thor yellow since that means I just need another Red before she's done, but then I did grind enough to get three Reeds last event. Even without insane grinding I think top 100 is manageable most of the time in PvE... But I am a bit mental.

ammenell

just realized nodes are not repeatable - they are, but you get no points for beating them
i dont have quicksilver, switch or mr fantastic.

doesnt matter, im stuck at sim 31 - spidey and both (how is that even possible?) 3* and 4* deadpool

Picklechu

Is Mr Fantastic the essential in both spurs on the final Gauntlet? I ask because I assumed Hawkeye 2* would be required at some point and have a single cover version of him sat on my roster. If he isn't needed, I can kick him to add Mr Fantastic to my roster.

If Hawkeye is needed, I will have to buy another roster slot I guess:(

Unknown

Quebbster wrote:

Patience is your friend in this game. After all, those covers will come to you sooner or later.
Personally I am excited about Thor yellow since that means I just need another Red before she's done, but then I did grind enough to get three Reeds last event. Even without insane grinding I think top 100 is manageable most of the time in PvE... But I am a bit mental.

This isn't what I've found for 4* events. The more you play the worse brackets you get placed in, so eventually it becomes impossible to continue placing. This also goes for PvP, which in theory is ameliorated by 1000 progression rewards (which I haven't been able to hit since returning - I refuse to spend HP on shields).

If you grind optimally, and literally go crazy spamming nodes at the end, with luck you might be able to ensure T100, but that's the thing - a full week of grinding like hell for a reward that's entirely down to chance. No thanks. I prefer not grinding like hell, and I prefer progression to "rewards" for being lucky.

I've spent money on the game in the past on roster slots, so it's not like I'm a freeloader. I just value my time enough not to be insulted. It's okay as customers/gamers to have standards and hold devs to them.

TOFU3

Picklechu wrote:

Is Mr Fantastic the essential in both spurs on the final Gauntlet? I ask because I assumed Hawkeye 2* would be required at some point and have a single cover version of him sat on my roster. If he isn't needed, I can kick him to add Mr Fantastic to my roster.

If Hawkeye is needed, I will have to buy another roster slot I guess:(

I dont see Hawkeye as essential character in phrase 3.
For Phrase 3: Steve Rogers(SS) needed in first branch, Quick silver for first two mission in last branch and Mr Fantastic as the required character of the last mission in last branch.

CNash

Oh now that's particularly evil. Only one mission requires him? So you can get almost all of the rewards... but if you don't have Mr. F, you can't get Thor!

What happened to "making 4* covers easier to obtain", guys? Thor isn't even a recent 4*! I'd understand if it was Jean Grey...

Unknown

XandorXerxes wrote:

raisinbman wrote:

Pongie wrote:

Been stuck on 34 (KK , Carnage & Antman), since last night. 10 more health packs on various teams this morning didn't help.
Too many tiles and KK just heals their team back up.

It's one of the worst nodes they have in the current Gauntlet.

But luckily, where D3 can play dirty, we can play downright degenerate:

On my STREAM I believe I beat it with Pietro + Magnus + Danny, but, really, that one might be worth whaling if you've been saving your whales like I have.

Please stop the spam about your stream. You're just advertising the stream to get your ad revenue, which is expressly prohibited in the rules (rule 11). If you want to help, great! I (and others) appreciate it, but sending us to your stream every comment is both annoying and unhelpful. Please just leave it in your signature.

That said, I DO appreciate you also offering the written advice.

What a world - rulebook being pulled on me when the exact thing I am posting is the answer to every single question in this thread so far.

meekersX wrote:

XandorXerxes wrote:

Please stop the spam about your stream. You're just advertising the stream to get your ad revenue, which is expressly prohibited in the rules (rule 11). If you want to help, great! I (and others) appreciate it, but sending us to your stream every comment is both annoying and unhelpful. Please just leave it in your signature.

That said, I DO appreciate you also offering the written advice.

I'm pretty sure he doesn't get an ad revenue from Twitch, just donations from appreciative people. It's also not like all he said was to check his stream. He gave the team he used to beat it, and suggested it could be viewed at his stream if so inclined.

Edit: Seems he's streaming at YouTube now, so maybe he gets a modicum of revenue. Still doesn't bother me.

it's fine meekers, don't defend me, I'm the villain as usual on these forums, just need a report and/or ban to seal the deal

It is funny though....one of the initial reasons I made my stream is because everyone always asked 'how do you do the gauntlet' and what nodes were in the gauntlet, what essentials. Here I am, and they still throw stones.

theHappyDance wrote:

Flare808 wrote:

Vhailorx wrote:

Can someone who isn't YELLING confirm that fantastic is necessary to finish this gauntlet?

Yes, Mr. Fantastic is required to finish the Gauntlet completely. He is needed on the last branch of the 3rd Gauntlet.

Thanks for that confirmation. This makes me sad. I started Gauntlet earlier last night (woke up w/insomnia so decided to check the forums), but the 4Thor cover was the only thing that appealed to me. At least I now know not to bother continuing.

Like so much of this game, the focus is on encouraging you not to play unless you've meticulously collected every single character. I have 73 unique characters collected, the majority with full covers except a few 3*'s and the 4*s. IMO it's laughable that this should be insufficient to be able to play the game for progression.

Vhailorx wrote:

Can someone who isn't YELLING confirm that fantastic is necessary to finish this gauntlet?

confirmed on my stream and in this thread

Pongie wrote:

I finally got pass node 34 with hulk sw and lcap. Only to run into imhb captain marvel and iw at node 36. Their health are 10k, 14k and 18k. Too high for my 3* roster. I can down maybe 1 or 2 of them but a punch downs any one of my characters instantly. Cannot deny red too, since hitting marvel with aoe generates it. Also surprised at how good, strong and annoying iw is.

Hulkbuster is the only real threat on that node. Sounds like you aren't using any form of AP control. And yes, you definitely don't want to hit Carol with AOE because that'll go to Hulkbuster

Quebbster

theHappyDance wrote:

Quebbster wrote:

Patience is your friend in this game. After all, those covers will come to you sooner or later.
Personally I am excited about Thor yellow since that means I just need another Red before she's done, but then I did grind enough to get three Reeds last event. Even without insane grinding I think top 100 is manageable most of the time in PvE... But I am a bit mental.

This isn't what I've found for 4* events. The more you play the worse brackets you get placed in, so eventually it becomes impossible to continue placing. This also goes for PvP, which in theory is ameliorated by 1000 progression rewards (which I haven't been able to hit since returning - I refuse to spend HP on shields).

If you grind optimally, and literally go crazy spamming nodes at the end, with luck you might be able to ensure T100, but that's the thing - a full week of grinding like hell for a reward that's entirely down to chance. No thanks. I prefer not grinding like hell, and I prefer progression to "rewards" for being lucky.

I've spent money on the game in the past on roster slots, so it's not like I'm a freeloader. I just value my time enough not to be insulted. It's okay as customers/gamers to have standards and hold devs to them.

I guess our experiences differ then. I can usually hit top 50 each sub without too much work (at least by my standards). Glad you have found a way to play that suits you though. It's the foundation for enjoying the game after all.

mgallop

theHappyDance wrote:

Quebbster wrote:

Patience is your friend in this game. After all, those covers will come to you sooner or later.
Personally I am excited about Thor yellow since that means I just need another Red before she's done, but then I did grind enough to get three Reeds last event. Even without insane grinding I think top 100 is manageable most of the time in PvE... But I am a bit mental.

This isn't what I've found for 4* events. The more you play the worse brackets you get placed in, so eventually it becomes impossible to continue placing. This also goes for PvP, which in theory is ameliorated by 1000 progression rewards (which I haven't been able to hit since returning - I refuse to spend HP on shields).

If you grind optimally, and literally go crazy spamming nodes at the end, with luck you might be able to ensure T100, but that's the thing - a full week of grinding like hell for a reward that's entirely down to chance. No thanks. I prefer not grinding like hell, and I prefer progression to "rewards" for being lucky.

I've spent money on the game in the past on roster slots, so it's not like I'm a freeloader. I just value my time enough not to be insulted. It's okay as customers/gamers to have standards and hold devs to them.

You should just spend HP on shields... If you are in an ok alliance you should be able to get at least 150 HP per PvP (100 progression, 25 placement, 25 alliance) maybe more like 175 or 200, that's enough to sustainably use 1 8 hour shield, or use an 8 and a 3 when you really want a cover. If you don't, they aren't releasing 3s anymore so you don't need the HP flor slots... Like PvE is kinda terrible, but with shields PvP is where it's at for covers.

Quebbster

mgallop wrote:

You should just spend HP on shields... If you are in an ok alliance you should be able to get at least 150 HP per PvP (100 progression, 25 placement, 25 alliance) maybe more like 175 or 200, that's enough to sustainably use 1 8 hour shield, or use an 8 and a 3 when you really want a cover. If you don't, they aren't releasing 3s anymore so you don't need the HP flor slots... Like PvE is kinda terrible, but with shields PvP is where it's at for covers.

I believe his complaint was primarily about PvE and your advice seems to be mostly PvP-oriented. Just a heads up.

mgallop

Quebbster wrote:

mgallop wrote:

You should just spend HP on shields... If you are in an ok alliance you should be able to get at least 150 HP per PvP (100 progression, 25 placement, 25 alliance) maybe more like 175 or 200, that's enough to sustainably use 1 8 hour shield, or use an 8 and a 3 when you really want a cover. If you don't, they aren't releasing 3s anymore so you don't need the HP flor slots... Like PvE is kinda terrible, but with shields PvP is where it's at for covers.

I believe his complaint was primarily about PvE and your advice seems to be mostly PvP-oriented. Just a heads up.

I agree. But for PvE there's not much advice I can give besides "go insane for release events or hope to catch a late fresh bracket and then go insane-r. For non release events, doing 3 clears a day and not finding has gotten me too 50, but if your complaint is "i can't get 4*s" the answer is "use shields, hit 1k".

rakesh14021983

Any tips for node 40? Blade and Mag are wiping the floor with me...

Offtopic: I was reading on reddit, that these kind of events, bring out the "puzzle" element of MPQ. Tests strength in depth of squad etc. etc. What do you folks think?

It's one thing to make progressive nodes difficult... It's quite another to make them unplayable (and I do have a good enough roster imho )

EDIT: Finished node 40, with Loki, Thor and She-Hulk. 41 seems out of reach now

Unknown

mgallop wrote:

I agree. But for PvE there's not much advice I can give besides "go insane for release events or hope to catch a late fresh bracket and then go insane-r. For non release events, doing 3 clears a day and not finding has gotten me too 50, but if your complaint is "i can't get 4*s" the answer is "use shields, hit 1k".

Respectfully, I disagree. The answer is to continue playing the game the way I want to play it, if I play at all. If enough people do this, the devs will notice and adjust the gameplay mechanics to compensate.

I've been in two alliances: one was a PvP-focused alliance (Chaos League), and the other was PvE-focused (TinCan Kickers). They both were and are awesome alliances, but being in an alliance requires a level of commitment that I'm not willing to put into a video game on a regular basis. If you aren't in a top end alliance, shields really aren't sustainable, so it pretty much rules out just playing in an alliance just socially. You pretty much have to play every event or you're screwing your alliance-mates, which isn't fair to them. It's how the game is designed, both for PvP and PvE.

I can't honestly say I ever enjoyed the repetition or competition in PvP, only the rewards (which doesn't really apply once you start getting thrown in death brackets). I enjoy PvE more, but it's far too grindy even if you don't get tossed in death brackets (which you inevitably will start to if you keep playing and/or placing well). So grinding so much that I no longer enjoy the core game mechanics isn't a solution for me. The longer you continue playing MPQ, the more likely you'll come to see it the same way I do. Everyone burns out if they try to play it the way the devs prescribe.

The solution is for enough players to buck the trend that devs are forced to adjust to how they want to play. Anyway, enjoy the Gauntlet. I'm just disappointed that I don't have any reason to take part this time.

Unknown

rakesh14021983 wrote:

Any tips for node 40? Blade and Mag are wiping the floor with me...

Offtopic: I was reading on reddit, that these kind of events, bring out the "puzzle" element of MPQ. Tests strength in depth of squad etc. etc. What do you folks think?

It's one thing to make progressive nodes difficult... It's quite another to make them unplayable (and I do have a good enough roster imho )

I always felt that MPQ would be far more enjoyable if all PvEs were like the Gauntlet, but with each of the 3 subs internally balanced, with variety between hard and easy nodes, as in normal PvE, instead of just an unrelenting grind of increasingly difficult nodes.

In terms of the Puzzle element, that primarily comes from playing against a wide variety of NPC's in PvE so that you have to strategize which characters will make a good team for each node. I'll also add that the Gauntlet probably has, and always has had, too many nodes you have to grind through. Its primary saving grace is that it's not competitive, but they make sure it's just as grindy to ensure proper player engagement numbers for their board of directors.

Quebbster

I'm rather happy Doc Ock is boosted this week, he's quite useful for dealing with all the Drones...

razput1n

ammenell wrote:

just realized nodes are not repeatable - they are, but you get no points for beating them
i dont have quicksilver, switch or mr fantastic.

doesnt matter, im stuck at sim 31 - spidey and both (how is that even possible?) 3* and 4* deadpool

You cant repeat nodes, so without all essentials you cant get the 4* progression reward.

Regarding that node I used patches, IF and Cage, focus on 3* deadpool first gather as much green and black as you can using patches to tank the off the tops, once you gathered enough AP switch to fourpool and do berserker rage and jabs, they way I did it this only left spidey and I just slowly grinded him down

Unknown

rakesh14021983 wrote:

Any tips for node 40? Blade and Mag are wiping the floor with me...

Offtopic: I was reading on reddit, that these kind of events, bring out the "puzzle" element of MPQ. Tests strength in depth of squad etc. etc. What do you folks think?

It's one thing to make progressive nodes difficult... It's quite another to make them unplayable (and I do have a good enough roster imho )

EDIT: Finished node 40, with Loki, Thor and She-Hulk. 41 seems out of reach now

It's absolutely the puzzle aspect. There's a combo to take each of them. Not all can be done with brute force. I like it. Of course my roster might not have all the available combos...but still. Must use noodle to figure the way through.

mgallop

Just looking at Sim 41 is causing my sanity to break... lvl 395 IF/Cage/XFDP... I really need a 4th blue for my Ant-Man...

Unknown

Any tips for node 30? Shulk, sw, cyclops. Shulk just keeps destroying my ap. Trying not to give up and use superwhales

Unknown

shurak wrote:

Any tips for node 30? Shulk, sw, cyclops. Shulk just keeps destroying my ap. Trying not to give up and use superwhales

I'm stuck on that one too. I seriously came closest by using GSBW/Daredevil/HT. All three are lvl 117, opponents are lvl 160. Only Shulk was left standing with about 3k health. Use DD for stun and his Ambush, GSBW for purple and green. Thinking of switching HT with Cage (lvl 104), his yellow and black fill a gap, and Unbreakable will do wonders (though Shulk will probably steal it....)