The Problem With The Grind

NemoAbernnigan

I think that there is a significant problem with the current state of the game's grind, and while I understand that they will never fix it entirely, as they have to make the game pay to win and need to make the players as incentivized to spend money as they can, the devs could still make some changes to keep people interested, regardless of what they are able to spend on the game in terms of time as well as money.

First and foremost, they could address the AMOUNT of gameplay issue, namely that there is a finite amount of it that rewards play with progress, and a required amount to see any. Some days I would play far more if it would still help my progression, some days I just ignore the game because I don't have the time to play the amount required to get any real reward. I imagine there are a lot of players who experience one if not both of these issues that occur on the opposite ends of the spectrum. 

The simplest change I would suggest is to COMPLETELY REMOVE the cool down on PvE event nodes. If I have time to do all 6 clears of a node now but I don't have time to do the last two when the cool down period is over, is there really a reason why I should be penalized for my schedule and receive a lower point total for the same number of node clears just because I did them on my own schedule rather than the game's? If I spend the same amount of time on the game does it really make sense that I receive less just because the time I have to play isn't on the arbitrary schedule of the game?

In the same vein, why limit the amount of play that has value by timegating it entirely? Why not make the full amount of points for an event available from the start, while still requiring the same number of clears to obtain the same points so players can grind as hard as they want regardless of whether or not their free time falls into these specific windows?

The other thing that would help a lot is the addition of regular non-competitive PvE events, with no placement rewards, only progression rewards. Kinda like the SHIELD simulator, and on a similarly extended time span. Like an infinity stone season for PvE sorta, something that would add a lot of potential play time with a lot more time to complete it in. Give me something to grind on that is not so restricted by my ability to play during specific windows, so I have some incentive to spend as much time and money on the game as I find enjoyable, when I have time, rather than limiting the amount of play time that holds any value to whatever portion of time I have that falls within specific windows where there is anything to be gained by playing. Maybe make a monthly PvE story event with 75 nodes gated by difficulty and required characters that is fully available all month long, with progression rewards but no placement rewards. Something to keep people interested and invested, to keep them playing, even when they can't make their free time match the narrow windows of time in which playing this game currently holds any value for their progression.