Scaling Tied To S.H.I.E.L.D. Clearance Levels (5/25/17)

Brigby
Brigby ADMINISTRATORS Posts: 7,757 Site Admin
in MPQ Events, Tournaments, and Missions
Hi Everyone,

We've received lots of feedback from players about the difficulty of missions, especially concerns with enemy difficulty scaling with your roster. In the Unstable Iso-8 Story Event, we are experimenting with a new way to give everyone the opportunity to choose the challenge level of the opponents they face.


When you enter the Unstable Iso-8 Story Event, you will be prompted to select a Clearance Level. For this event, each S.H.I.E.L.D. Clearance Level (SCL) will also display the minimum and maximum level enemies you can expect to play against. For most missions, enemies from each mission will start at a specific level, and their level will increase at a fixed rate for each mission completion. Hard and Essential Missions will increase in difficulty a maximum of four times and all other Story event rules and rewards will still apply. Easy and Join Forces missions will not increase in difficulty after each completion. 


This is a trial run specifically for Unstable Iso-8.  This change has been a highly requested feature, and we are excited to hear what the community has to say about it! After reviewing performance and feedback, we may make another trial. Thanks for checking it out!


SCL Levels, Rank Requirements, and Enemy Level Minimum/Maximums:

  • SCL 1 (All Ranks) - Enemy Levels 4-30
  • SCL 2 (Ranks 7+) - Enemy Levels 15-55
  • SCL 3 (Ranks 10+) - Enemy Levels 35-84
  • SCL 4 (Ranks 15+) - Enemy Levels 60-140
  • SCL 5 (Ranks 20+) - Enemy Levels 100-180
  • SCL 6 (Ranks 27+) - Enemy Levels 110-230
  • SCL 7 (Ranks 32+) - Enemy Levels 140-260
  • SCL 8 (Ranks 47+) - Enemy Levels 200-400
    Note: SCL 8 has had its rank requirement lowered for this event only
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Comments

  • Daredevil217
    Daredevil217 Posts: 3,957 Chairperson of the Boards
    Can anyone (hopefully @Brigby) give suggestions on what type of roster is recommended for each level.  I'm partway through the 4* transition (17 low-level champed 4s).  Is CL8 suggested only if you have three boosted 4's or can non-boosted 4s hang?  Under the current system I don't pay much attention to enemy levels because I know it'll scale appropriately.

    I was just getting to a place where I could finish top 10 consistently even in SCL8 so this is not a change I was looking forward to.  Because I can't really progress to 900 in PVP unless it's a good champ week (this week I have zero for example), so liked having one place I could do well and make significant progress rather than "the rich getting richer".  Glad this is a trial and am hoping to be pleasantly surprised.
  • drayviper32
    drayviper32 Posts: 123 Tile Toppler
    I don't like this! I'm forced to select SCL7 since I don't want to face higher leveled characters than the ones I face now.   :s
  • GrumpySmurf1002
    GrumpySmurf1002 Posts: 3,511 Chairperson of the Boards
    2* essential is cruel for CL8.   Basically fodder.  (not that they aren't anyway, but those nodes now are about 1/2 as difficult).

    This looks like a really good test, hope it's received well and implemented with tweaks.
  • Fightmastermpq
    Fightmastermpq Posts: 995 Critical Contributor
    edited May 2017
    broll said:
    Really?  400 for SCL8.  Come on guys!  This should have launched side by side with SCL 9 and/or 10.  Thanks for kicking many of us in the tinykitty with this, again....  

    Edit:
    SCL 8 (Ranks 47+) - Enemy Levels 200-400

    Looks at chart and highest is 300.

    Is the 400 a typo.  That would make much more sense.
    No.  It increases 25 each time you beat it 4 times total for a max of 400.
  • zodiac339
    zodiac339 Posts: 1,948 Chairperson of the Boards
    edited May 2017
    broll said:
    Really?  400 for SCL8.  Come on guys!  This should have launched side by side with SCL 9 and/or 10.  Thanks for kicking many of us in the tinykitty with this, again....  
    I suspect these are example numbers. When the event comes up, post the enemy levels for you SCLs along with your top three level characters (or was it top 5). It's probable that there's still dependancy on your roster. Otherwise, the players with level 550 heroes will lol to death at max 400 enemies
  • GrumpySmurf1002
    GrumpySmurf1002 Posts: 3,511 Chairperson of the Boards
    zodiac339 said:
    broll said:
    Really?  400 for SCL8.  Come on guys!  This should have launched side by side with SCL 9 and/or 10.  Thanks for kicking many of us in the tinykitty with this, again....  
    I suspect these are example numbers. When the event comes up, post the enemy levels for you SCLs along with your top three level characters (or was it top 5). It's probable that there's still dependancy on your roster. Otherwise, the players with level 550 heroes will lol to death at max 400 enemies
    There's not.  No roster based scaling for the test.
  • DyingLegend
    DyingLegend Posts: 1,207 Chairperson of the Boards
    edited May 2017

    Where did this come from? I would assume other things need addressing before that, IE Vaulting and why CP was backlogged in PVE.

    So now we have to complete mode nodes clears, at harder event levels to get the same ( arguably less as I say that because I use to be able to get 10CP relatively pain-free) rewards as before?? oh sorry we are given an extra couple hundred ISO for our troubles, smh.... This baffles me......

  • Daiches
    Daiches Posts: 1,252 Chairperson of the Boards
    I welcome the changes to less hard clears in Scl8, except the difference in rewards with scl7 does not compare with the immensely easier scl7. Can we get a few more charts?
  • zulux21
    zulux21 Posts: 249 Tile Toppler
    edited May 2017
    hmmmm and instantly scl8 rewards become a trivial improvement over 7 for the difference in ease of placement and well now battles in general once again (not that the recent changes to placement put scl8 a huge improvement over 7 but it was better than it previously was)

    really don't think having to deal with enemies nearly twice the level is worth an extra 3cp, 600 iso and a three star.

    hopefully scl7 gets flooded with this test because it just seems stupid to play scl8 with the current scaling.

  • broll
    broll Posts: 4,732 Chairperson of the Boards
    DyingLegend said:

    Where did this come from? I would assume other things need addressing before that, IE Vaulting and why CP was backlogged in PVE.

    So now we have to complete mode nodes clears, at harder event levels to get the same ( arguably less as I say that because I use to be able to get 10CP relatively pain-free) rewards as before?? oh sorry we are given an extra couple hundred ISO for our troubles, smh.... This baffles me......

    I welcome the idea, but as usual they take a good idea and wrecked it.  

    In the long run what this will allow people to do is more soft capping and using of undercovered / underleveled 4* and 5* characters and not be penalized for leveling 5*s.  But level 400 for SCL 8 seems extreme in the current climate until ISO and/or 5* become easier to get.
  • vinsensual
    vinsensual Posts: 458 Mover and Shaker
    This will be a +1 for those saying that we won't be getting SCL9/10 anytime because SCL8 isn't full enough yet.
  • Fightmastermpq
    Fightmastermpq Posts: 995 Critical Contributor
    Daiches said:
    I welcome the changes to less hard clears in Scl8, except the difference in rewards with scl7 does not compare with the immensely easier scl7. Can we get a few more charts?
    This was my initial thought as well.  Level 400 enemies will be a welcomed change, but I can drop down to level 260 enemies in CL7 and run 25 minute clears for placement/progression rewards that are comparable.
  • MissChinch
    MissChinch Posts: 509 Critical Contributor

    bahahaa 


    Careful what you wish for ;)


    A level 47 would get crucified by level 400 anything, might as well drop the minimum level requirements, they aren't going to be what bounds this, and honestly any sub level 47 that can cut it in this new SCL8 deserves the rewards.


    Big step back in terms of rewards for me personally...  I'm only SCL 84? no chance my handful of 4*s are going to hack it, and if they can they certainly aren't going to place anywhere near as high as they used to....  


    The gap between level 47 and level 125 is massive enough to warrant at least one more bracket, regardless of how filled they get (its not like they're renting space for these brackets at some local gym, more wont cost them anything) 


    If this is the direction, I'd love to be able to level my partially covered 5*s, but with the current state of the MMR this will screw me in PvP...   any chance MMR tweaks is anywhere on the horizon (or better yet forget matching based on roster and do it all based on score)

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