Will you be buying shards?

2

Comments

  • shardwick
    shardwick Posts: 2,121 Chairperson of the Boards
    Looks like they let you buy 20 max in one go, so 20 x 115 = 2300 HP for a 4-star cover if you have no shards on that character at all, obviously less if you've been building some up. Aside from the fact that dropping this HP nets you no other resources aside from the cover, I suppose it's not overly terrible depending on how many you need. If I'm for whatever swimming in HP and/or I'm pretty close on someone, I can see myself bending. 
    That's not quite how it works, the price increases every time you purchase...

    https://forums.d3go.com/discussion/comment/901803#Comment_901803
    SMH. I swear I learned how to read at some point in the past. I promise. Welp, that makes that decision much easier. 
    Yeah, buying all 20 packs for a character is a bit ridiculous but 10 packs (1820 hp) for 50% of a 4* is about on par with a Heroes for Hire offer. 
  • IIAlonditeII
    IIAlonditeII Posts: 150 Tile Toppler
    Didn't someone figure up the 4* Cost as something like 10K HP?

    I'd think a 40 pack is a better deal than that, since it nets you 
    Unknown number of 4* pulls
    A few 3* pulls
    A Legendary Token
    A bonus 3*
    168 4* shards
  • shap328
    shap328 Posts: 61 Match Maker
    Sounds like buying shards are a way to get whales with loads of HP to burn through it. They will likely be the ones buying covers. 
  • Ugh
    Ugh Posts: 83 Match Maker
    Talos is in my shard store today, should I jump all over that?
  • MoosePrime
    MoosePrime Posts: 969 Critical Contributor
    edited November 2019
    Didn't someone figure up the 4* Cost as something like 10K HP?

    I'd think a 40 pack is a better deal than that, since it nets you 
    Unknown number of 4* pulls
    A few 3* pulls
    A Legendary Token
    A bonus 3*
    168 4* shards
    There's a chart, it's 4,320 HP for a complete 4* cover (400 shards), if you buy them all at once.

  • bluewolf
    bluewolf Posts: 5,729 Chairperson of the Boards
    In case anyone hasn't figured it out, the shards you see are random every time.  So if you are focused, say, on Kitty, you have a 1/35 chance to get her on any flip.  There's no rotation.

    This makes absolute sense with escalating costs per purchase since if you really want someone ASAP you'd need to maximize your shard procurement each time you see them.  Not knowing the next time you will see someone means you can't wait if you "need" their covers.

    I suppose this fits neatly into a model where you remove RNG (loot boxes) but keep an element of randomness where you see exactly what you get but don't know when you will get it.  Very forward-thinking as the industry is under increasing pressure.
  • IIAlonditeII
    IIAlonditeII Posts: 150 Tile Toppler
    Didn't someone figure up the 4* Cost as something like 10K HP?

    I'd think a 40 pack is a better deal than that, since it nets you 
    Unknown number of 4* pulls
    A few 3* pulls
    A Legendary Token
    A bonus 3*
    168 4* shards
    There's a chart, it's 4,320 HP for a complete 4* cover (400 shards), if you buy them all at once.



    Ahh, thank you.

    So, 3 selected 4* covers, versus 1 4+, a bunch of 2* champ levels, a few 3* champ levels, and an unknown quantity of 4* pulls, and 168 4* shards.
  • Warbringa
    Warbringa Posts: 1,299 Chairperson of the Boards
    edited November 2019
    For 5*, I will target and buy shards only those characters I need to finish off or I am close to champing.  

    For 4*, I will target and buy shards for the best 4* in my opinion to progress them towards max champing.  I will come across all the other 4* cover eventually as I open my hoards over time and play the game.

    I will also only buy shards up to a little less than half on the scale, then wait for the next time they show and buy a little less than half again.  

    I am a veteran player with excess HP income and no roster slot concerns so this feature of shards clearly is beneficial for a player like myself.  
  • MegaBee
    MegaBee Posts: 1,018 Chairperson of the Boards
    broll said:
    I voted no, but based on the scenario I can see it happening.  Depends on how good the deal is and what it would enable me to do.  For example I can't complete SHIELD Training because I only have 1 cover for 4* Human Torch.  If there was a reasonable deal that allowed me to get him where he needs to be to complete (or at least get to a reasonable completion) it might be worth it.

    Outside of scenarios like that never.
    This is my feeling as well.
  • crackninja
    crackninja Posts: 444 Mover and Shaker
    I guess I just assumed that most 5* players were post HP and would be buying those shards for characters they were interested in, but I understand and agree that it's a slow and pricey path.
    To me, it's the lower tiers that seem crazy to purchase...it's not hard at all to get any 4* cover at any time if you are okay with at least some hoarding, and for them it only makes sense to buy the shards to complete a cover.
    One sad thought is that I typically buy 40-packs to the anniversary every day.  It makes way more sense for me to invest in the shards that will eventually get me a cover (yawn), but it's also way more fun to splash around in those vaults.
  • shardwick
    shardwick Posts: 2,121 Chairperson of the Boards
    Ugh said:
    Talos is in my shard store today, should I jump all over that?
    And that's why this store sucks. Not because of Talos but because it doesn't target the characters that you really want. I have a 0/3/5 Talos so I am targeting him right now so I can get him to 209 with that ninth cover. I actually would just throw some hp at him in the store to get him closer to another cover so I can move on to someone else. But since the store is completely random I can't do that. My current 4* choices are Rocket, Medusa and Blade. All solid but mine are champed and already some of my strongest characters so there's no interest for me there.
  • PuceMoose
    PuceMoose Posts: 1,445 Chairperson of the Boards
    I bought a few shard packs out of curiosity for 4* Juggs (mine is currently 4/3/1), but I likely won't make a habit of it, unless they raise the shards received per purchase/lower the price. Several people have mentioned buying the "first" 10 shard packs gets you halfway there, and if you can do that twice on separate offers, it's about equivalent to getting a 4* cover for 3600 HP. 
  • grumbLEGO
    grumbLEGO Posts: 124 Tile Toppler
    I’ll probably by some when Kitty comes into the rotation for me but not sure how much I’d actually spend. I don’t normally have an excess of HP laying around. 
  • shardwick
    shardwick Posts: 2,121 Chairperson of the Boards
    PuceMoose said:
    I bought a few shard packs out of curiosity for 4* Juggs (mine is currently 4/3/1), but I likely won't make a habit of it, unless they raise the shards received per purchase/lower the price. Several people have mentioned buying the "first" 10 shard packs gets you halfway there, and if you can do that twice on separate offers, it's about equivalent to getting a 4* cover for 3600 HP. 
    Yeah, I did that for Magik since mine is like 4/4/2. 1820 hp is a little easier to swallow to get you halfway to a cover and then open tokens for the other half.
  • Alfje17
    Alfje17 Posts: 3,761 Chairperson of the Boards
    Don't have the HP to spend on this store, but if I could buy Indy in a fine leather jacket, then I might do!

    Seriously, where do people get this HP mountain from? After 4 years of playing, I'm finally ISO positive, but I never have enough HP!
  • Borstock
    Borstock Posts: 2,699 Chairperson of the Boards
    Man, these breakdowns further illustrate how awful this shard system is on release. Really hoping something gives. 
  • shardwick
    shardwick Posts: 2,121 Chairperson of the Boards
    Alfje17 said:
    Don't have the HP to spend on this store, but if I could buy Indy in a fine leather jacket, then I might do!

    Seriously, where do people get this HP mountain from? After 4 years of playing, I'm finally ISO positive, but I never have enough HP!
    Farming, placement rewards and being in a solid alliance helps. But mainly farming. Almost all of my 3s are max champed and slowly getting all of my dupe 3s champed. I rostered my last dupe 3* about a week or two ago so right now the only things that I spend hp on are roster slots, pvp shields and maybe some shards if the store has anything decent.
  • DAZ0273
    DAZ0273 Posts: 10,101 Chairperson of the Boards
    This store is as frustrating as most other parts of this game. For example, if 4* Juggernaut pops up I would buy because I am over 300 shards deep on him and could probably finish his cover and move on. However, I have to beat a double layer of RNG to have any chance - not just that Juggs might be in store but when he might be in shards store. It is entirely possible through simple bad timing I might have missed him multiple times already but y'know, life and stuff.

    I know this game wants you to play on the clock which I have always refused to do. I am not going to live my life around being on the clock for buying things either.

    Surely we could get a pop-up - Juggernaut in store now, go buy!!! Maybe that isn't possible or is too difficult to code.
  • MegaBee
    MegaBee Posts: 1,018 Chairperson of the Boards
    DAZ0273 said:
    This store is as frustrating as most other parts of this game. For example, if 4* Juggernaut pops up I would buy because I am over 300 shards deep on him and could probably finish his cover and move on. However, I have to beat a double layer of RNG to have any chance - not just that Juggs might be in store but when he might be in shards store. It is entirely possible through simple bad timing I might have missed him multiple times already but y'know, life and stuff.

    I know this game wants you to play on the clock which I have always refused to do. I am not going to live my life around being on the clock for buying things either.

    Surely we could get a pop-up - Juggernaut in store now, go buy!!! Maybe that isn't possible or is too difficult to code.
    If the customer is checking the store twice daily, that's twice daily that they might make an impulse buy.