Somewhat experienced, 2* --> 3* Transition help?

BoyWonder1914

Hey guys,

Gonna apologize in advance for the long post. I'm a returning user of the game, I had played it for a while back in 2014-2015 and then sold off the iPhone that I was using it on. I was essentially done with the game, but I re-downloaded the app a few weeks ago just for kicks. After a mission asked me if I wanted to link to Facebook, I find out that all of my old data is actually still there. It hurt to have to give up some of the nicer characters I got like Vision & Kate Bishop, but the roster I'd built before was at least somewhat respectable, and the switch was worth it. However the game has changed in quite a few notable ways since I was player back then, and I'm finding its even harder now to do well enough to earn 3* covers than it used to be. 5* characters definitely weren't a thing yet, nor were "Command Points". Anywho, I'm trying to garner what wisdom I can on moving into 3* land, and hopefully doing better in PVE and PVP. I understand its a marathon and not a sprint for sure, but I still feel like there's something I'm not doing, or could be doing better. I'm at Day 156 for Daily Supply if that helps provide any context on my experience level. Here's my roster, I'm sure it'll probably help with your insight.

2* - I have about 3 teams that can get me through a lot, but their effectiveness is limited in PVP. I don't really understand what it means to make someone a "Champion", definitely don't think that was a thing while I was playing either.

OBW (94), Mags (94), Thor (94), Wolvie (94), Hawkeye (94), Storm (80), Ares (72), Daken (71), Torch (70), Moonstone (60), Cpt. Marvel (50), Capt. America (25), Bullseye (15)

3* - I have the most out of these, though unfortunately most are useless at the moment. Even the ones that I have decent covers for I don't really use unless their buffed. I'll include their covers, in case you feel any may actually be useful to me now.

GSBW (76-2/4/3), Hulk (70-3/2/4), Iron Man (60-3/5/2), Hood (50-4/3/4), Mystique (46-2/2/1), Deadpool (45-1/1/2), Psylocke (44-2/2/2), Colossus (44-3/1/1), Storm (43-2/2/2), B Panther (43-1/1/0), Punisher (40-1/3/0), Blade (40-2/1/0), Bullseye (40-1/2/0), Torch (40-2/0/0), Luke Cage (40-0/2/0), Mags (40-2/0/0), Mr. Rogers (40-2/0/0), Patch (40-1/1/1), Beast (40-1/0/1), Daken (40-1/0/1), Cpt. Marvel (40-0/1/0), Iron Fist (40-0/1/0), Kamala Khan (40-0/0/1), Falcon (40-0/0/1), Sentry (40-0/0/1), She-Hulk (40-1/0/0)

4* - Some of them have helped when buffed in PVP/PVE events, but for the most part a lot of them just take up roster slots.

X-Wolvie (74-1/1/1), Devil Dino (72-0/0/2), Cyclops (70-0/2/0), Thor (70-1/1/0), Moon Knight (70-0/0/1), Nick Fury (70-0/0/1)


All this considered, I'm a little unsure of what exactly is the best use of my time, and money if necessary.

1) What's the best, most consistent way to acquire 3* covers? Is it worth it to spend hero points on the cover packs? Ever since I built the 2*s of my roster to where I want them to be, the cost-benefit of buying covers has SIGNIFICANTLY dropped. I have yet to buy a 40 pack, but on most 10 packs only 1-2 of the covers actually end up being 3* or better. Being able to sell for the Iso helps a little, but still doesn't help the feeling of wasted money. Due to the lack of developed 3* characters I get wrecked in PVP pretty often, though every now and then I'm at least able to earn the 300 for the recruit token. For the most part I leave PVP alone altogether, unless I KNOW I can earn something worthwhile before I get my butt kicked. I generally place in the top 200 for PVE events, though I can do A LOT better or worse depending on which characters are required/buffed for the event. For the most part I can get through the DDQ with my 2* stars, but "The Big Enchilada" Survival mission can get me sometimes.

2) Do you see any places to trim the fat? I have a deep disdain for the 2* versions of Cap, Bullseye, Marvel, and Moonstone, but I'm only keeping them because I'm reading that leveling up any 2* enough grants you 3* covers.

3) Is it actually worth it to spend money on this game? Outside of the necessary Iso to max a character, I don't really see any GUARANTEED return on investment. You can't just up and buy Command Points, and if I spend money for Hero Points, I'm more inclined now to hold on to them for roster slots than I am trying to play my luck with the cover roulette.

4) How the heck would I even get to a point where I CAN transition to 4*, if just getting to 3* might end up being my life's work? Have the people that have deep 4*-5* rosters just been playing so long and earned so many great covers that getting these covers is nothing? I get that once your roster gets to a certain level it just works like a well-oiled machine, but I'm not really sure how to get to that level. Most of the other people I see making threads like this for help are eons above where I'm currently standing.

BlackSheep101

If you look at the roster page for your maxed 2*s, you should see a button that says PROMOTE with an iso cost. This will make your hero a champion, and let you feed them extra covers. A champion gets an extra level for each cover you spend on it, and gives you a reward at least equal to the value of the cover. See this thread for details on the rewards for each level, including which characters yield which covers:
viewtopic.php?f=6&t=37687

Champion rewards, DDQ and finishing top 100 in PVE are probably your best bets for acquiring 3* covers. I would recommend holding onto any legendary tokens and command points you acquire for now. If you pull a 5* cover, it can drastically affect event scaling for a roster like yours. They're working on that, but haven't rolled out a fix yet.

Eventually you can shoot for 800 points in pvp for more covers. Once you have a few 3*s championed, you can start opening legendary tokens for 4* and 5* covers. The old rule still applies: don't open tokens unless you have the ability to roster a new character.

TxMoose

1) DDQ every day first and foremost. then, pve. if you're still in the noob brackets, you might be able to get some in pvp but as soon as you get promoted to vet brackets, getting back to t100 takes some time.

2) they do provide 3* covers eventually, but you just have to weigh the benefit those covers vs. the cost of 1) their roster slot and 2) the iso to max them. 2cap feeds 3cap but is kind of a weak damage dealer. he's still effective at controlling cds, so he has some value, but you have to decide if its worth it. I sold my 2cap right before ultron and the EotS where HB was released and my 3cap only had 4 red and I kinda regretted selling him. moonie feeds hulk, who is a decent character at times. marvel is also ok, but not essential and bullseye is fun, but not essential. if you need slot space, those are typically sold off. if you don't need slot space, I'd recommend holding them and champing them. then when they hit 144, you can sell then and get most of your leveling iso back.

3) the biggest reason to spend money in the game is roster slots. other than that, there is very little reason at your level to spend. if you have the disposable income and want to, great, go ahead. but 99% of all the spending in the game at your level should go directly to buying slots. the rng nature of tokens makes them really not worth it. and paying for specific covers is now very expensive with cp. I'd hold all cp until you max some 3s. then you can start pulling LTs.

4) ddq, pve, and the occasional pvp or token pull will fill your 3s out eventually and it will just take some time to accumulate covers and earn iso to level. once you get the core set of 12-15 3*s leveled you should have a pretty large pile of cp to pull to jumpstart your 4* transition. by then maybe you can manage to get to 1K in pvp for that cover. that might require some shields for hopping. and that is where you might get into some extra hp purchasing, depending on how aggressive you want to be about chasing 1K. but that's a ways down the road.

in the meantime, have fun with it. if you want to go hard, play all the seeds you can manage in LRs - that really helps with iso. keep boosting to a minimum. I really regretted how much boosting I did in the earlier parts of the game when I hit the point where I was leveling 4s.

remember, its a marathon and not a sprint. and there is no finish line. and we decide just how hard we run. find a comfortable pace where its fun and stick to it. resist the drive to get, get, get. you never get everything (unless you're willing to spend way into 5-digits on it). and even if you did, it sure would be boring then.

BoyWonder1914

Thank you guys so much! I apologize again for making you read all that, but your insight truly means everything. I'm the only person in my LIFE pretty much who even knows what this game is, so I'd look like an absolute fool trying to talk to anyone about this offline. I'm glad I joined, it's amazing how much collective wisdom there is in this place. Anyways, you've definitely given me quite a lot to think about. As simple as it is, it didn't occur to me that you can keep tokens forever, where as an unused cover has a 2-week shelf life. I feel pretty foolish now, I've been gathering plenty of extra 2* covers that i've just been getting rid of for Iso when I could have been getting 3* covers this whole time if I'd just promoted them.....I was under the impression that after I promoted a 2* it cost ISO to level them up even further, not covers. And if ONE LEVEL cost 5000........haha glad I had that wrong. I never would have thought to save up my CP, I'm glad its universally considered a good idea. I got so mad losing in some PVPs to people who just 1 5* and it was enough to wreck my team. I'm more than happy to drop $20 here and there for the roster slots, though I've gotta admit it will be pretty tempting if I'm at a point where those 2* covers I considered useless can now pump right into a champed one. Thanks again guys!