Not very noob friendly.

Aueio
Aueio Posts: 18 Just Dropped In
in MPQ General Discussion
I downloaded this game the other hoping for a good time, but I have already second thoughts since the game does nothing to introduce the player in a nice way. Events are all over the place. First Assignment is the same as X Men In Trouble, what is what and why? PVP is a mess as the game tries to match me with players 3x my level, the grind to get a nice reward is already a migraine matter, I need to "babysit" the app to max my "PVE" points, my roster is depressing with a few covers here and there which has stopped me from being able to level my heroes up, the need to buy roster slots for every golden point I find but still having 11 heroes I can't roster because of that I can't farm more currency etc. etc. etc. 
I bet this game is fun for those who have played a year or more but as a new player it feels like I walked into a poisonous swamp.
There were also some Deadpool event starting today and I think the game "tricked" me into picking a difficulty way above my league because I can't beat these nodes. Luke Cage be like "uppercut" and I die. It's like the game didn't teach me about "clearance levels" - and now I basically can't play more for several days due to both PVE and PVP being too hard for my level 50 Iron Man and 4 covers Kalama.

I'm not sure if I'm approaching the game the wrong way? 
Do noobs generally stay in the game or are they turned off by the slow and hard progress like me?
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Comments

  • Sekilicious
    Sekilicious Posts: 1,766 Chairperson of the Boards
    edited August 2021
    So I used these guides when I got serious:

    https://forums.d3go.com/discussion/74686/2019-guide-to-progressing-fast#latest

    https://www.reddit.com/r/MarvelPuzzleQuest/wiki/new-player-advice

    I ignored the recommendation to spend money on HP since I’m pretty poor, though if you do wait for the shield packs or HP sale. If you spend a lot, find a alliance with whales. They should be easy to find on here or Reddit.

    I also consult the above guides when I transition between star tiers. Good luck. There is a bit of a curve but the game can be fun if you like match-3 collecting games. 
  • DAZ0273
    DAZ0273 Posts: 10,275 Chairperson of the Boards
    Hi Aueio!
    Without knowing exactly where you are in game, we might need a bit more information to give more precise advice.
    So the first question to ask is - have you finished Prologue? That is where you generally start out as a new player and it will equip you with a number of 1* and 2* characters with which to start building out your roster as well as other rewards such as iso-8 and some Hero Points. Finishing Prologue (if not already done) is a priority. Once you reach a certain rank (sorry can't rememer what level that is), you can also apply to join an Alliance and the rewards and help you can get from your Alliance mates can be of great assistance in progressing - especially by giving higher level team-ups to help you with tricky battles.
    Story mode (or PvE) is gated - you need to be a certain SHIELD Rank before you can play at higher levels so the game will not let you join a higher level than your ranking allows. Deapool vs MPQ is a bit of tricky event for newer players because it has the vast majority of opponents as actual characters/tile movers as opposed to goons who tend to just put out countdown tiles.
    Versus or PvP is definitely not new player friendly but we can try and help with that also although you might be frustrated at first until you have built out your 2 * roster a bit better and moved into 3* territory.
    Now as a player of quite a few years I can't speak to what newer players on the Forums experience has been as MPQ has changed a lot over time so they might be able to give you a better perspective than I can.
    It also depends on what sort of player you are - it is possible to "fast track" through MPQ and there are guides etc in various places but MPQ is also quite a bit a long game or as they say "A marathon not a sprint".
  • entrailbucket
    entrailbucket Posts: 5,828 Chairperson of the Boards
    For being brand new, this player seems to have picked up some insider terminology pretty quickly.
  • Aueio
    Aueio Posts: 18 Just Dropped In
    entrailbucket said:
    For being brand new, this player seems to have picked up some insider terminology pretty quickly.
    I'm not sure what you're implying. I've stalked the forum and guides. Clearance Level and covers, they're pretty self-explained. Nodes and roster, we have those in other games as well. Other than that I can't see much terminology other than a few character and event names. I'm pretty sure "golden point" is called something else but I couldn't remember what. :smile:


  • Aueio
    Aueio Posts: 18 Just Dropped In
    DAZ0273 said:
    Hi Aueio!
    Without knowing exactly where you are in game, we might need a bit more information to give more precise advice.
    So the first question to ask is - have you finished Prologue? That is where you generally start out as a new player and it will equip you with a number of 1* and 2* characters with which to start building out your roster as well as other rewards such as iso-8 and some Hero Points. Finishing Prologue (if not already done) is a priority. Once you reach a certain rank (sorry can't rememer what level that is), you can also apply to join an Alliance and the rewards and help you can get from your Alliance mates can be of great assistance in progressing - especially by giving higher level team-ups to help you with tricky battles.
    Story mode (or PvE) is gated - you need to be a certain SHIELD Rank before you can play at higher levels so the game will not let you join a higher level than your ranking allows. Deapool vs MPQ is a bit of tricky event for newer players because it has the vast majority of opponents as actual characters/tile movers as opposed to goons who tend to just put out countdown tiles.
    Versus or PvP is definitely not new player friendly but we can try and help with that also although you might be frustrated at first until you have built out your 2 * roster a bit better and moved into 3* territory.
    Now as a player of quite a few years I can't speak to what newer players on the Forums experience has been as MPQ has changed a lot over time so they might be able to give you a better perspective than I can.
    It also depends on what sort of player you are - it is possible to "fast track" through MPQ and there are guides etc in various places but MPQ is also quite a bit a long game or as they say "A marathon not a sprint".
    Thanks for the write-up. I have absolutely completed the prologue and also all the campaigns up until Ragnarok (is that the end?) and done the First Attendance event for the Kamala covers. I have some of the starter heroes at their max level but they're too bad to be used in PVP. And so I entered Deadpool event at a too hard difficulty so that's a wall. I guess I'll have a few days of doing nothing to help be decide if I wanna keep playing or not. It's pretty harsh that I / we need 12 (13?) duplicates of the same hero to make them good, I think that alone is gonna make me delete the game but then again I knew this before I downloaded the game so I can only blame myself! :blush:

  • TarjanVK
    TarjanVK Posts: 30 Just Dropped In
    Your concerns are a reason that, for years, I've told D3 in their surveys that I am unlikely to recommend this game to new players.  There's just no real catchup mechanism to get up and running, and it's a fairly uphill battle.  I will say, I'm not well versed with 3* pvp (or even 4* pvp these days) so I don't know what the scene is like, but having so many characters out there - with many of them not being very good at all - is daunting and unless you're willing to spend,spend,spend to get yourself going and increase access to a wider variety of characters at a much quicker pace, it seems like it would be a very un-fun slog.  Even then, that's a double edged sword, because if you end up accumulating a few characters outside of your current range (IE getting a bunch of 4*s and 5*s when you're trying to get yourself going in 3* land) it can be detrimental to you, especially with PVP matchmaking.  
  • Rhipf
    Rhipf Posts: 295 Mover and Shaker
    edited August 2021
    If you have been lurking around the forums hopefully you checked out this threadl

    It also looks like you fell into the trap that I see a lot of new players fall into. You tried to got too far too fast. The biggest tip I could give new players is:
    Don't expect to catch up in a week or two. Take your time.

    The game has been out for almost 8 years so there is a lot of content. Take your time and build your 2* roster. Then move to the 3* roster. Then move up from there. Don't roster 4* and 5* characters until you have a deep roster of high ranking (i.e. maxed or almost maxed) 2* and 3* characters. Unless you want to spend serious money having partial 4* and 5* characters will only hurt you (especially in PvP).

  • entrailbucket
    entrailbucket Posts: 5,828 Chairperson of the Boards
    If you've been reading a ton of stuff and you're looking to get hardcore right away, maybe that's what I was picking up on.  This is not meant to be a hardcore game, maybe ever, but certainly not at the beginning. 

    Play casually.  The types of things you're reading about aren't going to be relevant for you until years from now, if ever, unless you're going to be spending tens of thousands of dollars to skip past huge parts of the game and get competitive immediately.
  • Aueio
    Aueio Posts: 18 Just Dropped In
    entrailbucket said:
    If you've been reading a ton of stuff and you're looking to get hardcore right away, maybe that's what I was picking up on.  This is not meant to be a hardcore game, maybe ever, but certainly not at the beginning. 

    Play casually.  The types of things you're reading about aren't going to be relevant for you until years from now, if ever, unless you're going to be spending tens of thousands of dollars to skip past huge parts of the game and get competitive immediately.
    I'm not looking to be hardcore right away, definitely not, I'm pointing at a few things in the game that are boring for a newbie to see. If a game splashes me with occasional 4 or 5 stars I'll get them of course - a normal game wouldn't "punish" my progression for doing so.
    Honestly though I think the game looks to have enough content to give enough toys for a new player to toy around with so that he can actually play the events that are running and not having to "shelf" the game for several days. Again, not talkie about having an endgame roster after a week of playing, but, you know, "welcome to Marvel Puzzle Quest, here's a little something for you to get a good start!".
  • entrailbucket
    entrailbucket Posts: 5,828 Chairperson of the Boards
    This game has been around for a very long time, significantly longer than many other games of this type, and it's been around that long *precisely* because it's had a consistent stream of new players from the beginning. 

    They're incredibly successful at converting new players into small spenders, and that's what keeps the game alive for everyone else.  I don't know how many of them stick around for years, but the mobile games industry assumes a large amount of player churn -- that's how these games are designed.  They're not made to be played seriously, they're meant to be a diversion for a few minutes while you're in the toilet.

    I strongly suspect you're an angry veteran player posing as a newbie trying to make some point, which is extremely weird but is a thing that perpetually-angry veteran players of this game would definitely do.

    If by some chance you're actually a new player, stop worrying about progressing optimally.  Roster characters if you want to, or don't.  Play what you can play when you feel like it.
  • TheEyeDoctorsWife
    TheEyeDoctorsWife Posts: 829 Critical Contributor
    Welcome , but you’re 8 years behind the vast majority of players here . Still it’s a fun game after a few years in 
  • Captain_Trips88
    Captain_Trips88 Posts: 268 Mover and Shaker
    This does feel very... Odd.

    Joining a game of this type which naturally rewards longevity of play and/or spending money, a new player can't expect to be challenging the harder aspects of the game from the off. That isn't to say it can't be enjoyable but the early weeks/months will be a slog until your roster starts bulking out. 

    As others have said, plenty of guides out there for new players, but ultimately if you aren't enjoying it then delete the app and go find something that you can get instant gratification from.
  • KGB
    KGB Posts: 3,236 Chairperson of the Boards
    acescracked said:
    Aueio said:
    ...
    I bet this game is fun for those who have played a year or more but as a new player it feels like I walked into a poisonous swamp.
    ...
    Do noobs generally stay in the game or are they turned off by the slow and hard progress like me?

    MPQ is hard.
    Actually I'd say MPQ is a commitment.
    You have to commit (30 minutes a day minimum) to playing the game to advance much past the prologue.
    KGB
  • entrailbucket
    entrailbucket Posts: 5,828 Chairperson of the Boards
    KGB said:
    acescracked said:
    Aueio said:
    ...
    I bet this game is fun for those who have played a year or more but as a new player it feels like I walked into a poisonous swamp.
    ...
    Do noobs generally stay in the game or are they turned off by the slow and hard progress like me?

    MPQ is hard.
    Actually I'd say MPQ is a commitment.
    You have to commit (30 minutes a day minimum) to playing the game to advance much past the prologue.
    KGB
    To advance much past the prologue?  I'm pretty sure you can do an SCL1 PvE with a few 1*, and the game gives you a bunch of 2* at the very beginning now anyway.


    You don't *have* to commit to anything.  Not everyone wants to be competitive.  Not everyone aims to build a top-5% roster (which nearly everyone who posts here has). 

    If your goal is to get into the top 5% of all players, then yeah, that's going to take either a lot of time or a lot of money, or both.  That shouldn't be news.  The game has been around forever and a lot of top players have also been around forever.
  • KGB
    KGB Posts: 3,236 Chairperson of the Boards
    edited August 2021
    entrailbucket said:
    KGB said:
    acescracked said:
    Aueio said:
    ...
    I bet this game is fun for those who have played a year or more but as a new player it feels like I walked into a poisonous swamp.
    ...
    Do noobs generally stay in the game or are they turned off by the slow and hard progress like me?

    MPQ is hard.
    Actually I'd say MPQ is a commitment.
    You have to commit (30 minutes a day minimum) to playing the game to advance much past the prologue.
    KGB
    To advance much past the prologue?  I'm pretty sure you can do an SCL1 PvE with a few 1*, and the game gives you a bunch of 2* at the very beginning now anyway.


    You don't *have* to commit to anything.  Not everyone wants to be competitive.  Not everyone aims to build a top-5% roster (which nearly everyone who posts here has). 

    If your goal is to get into the top 5% of all players, then yeah, that's going to take either a lot of time or a lot of money, or both.  That shouldn't be news.  The game has been around forever and a lot of top players have also been around forever.
    You must have misunderstood what I meant by commitment.
    As you said, you can always enter events at very low CL's if you just want to match a few tiles / win a couple battles and put the game away until another day.
    But if you want to advance your roster in any meaningful way (more than a handful of characters rostered, higher level characters in terms of ISO and covers) you have to play. A fair bit, not just 5 or 10 minutes here and there. And you have to repeat the same stuff (PvE events plus multiple hits on nodes within each PvE event, DDQ, PvP etc) over and over again without being bored by that (ie there is no long RPG story mode to play through like the prologue is).
    KGB
  • Aweberman
    Aweberman Posts: 436 Mover and Shaker
    Two more points that I missed on my first pass in my previous post.  I have since edited them in, but I also present them here since I see that the OP has already read my original version.

    - Since you won't likely be rostering 4* and 5* characters, opening a Latest Legends token is going to yield a reward you probably can't use.  I am loathe to recommend hoarding tokens for later progress, but if there is one area in which hoarding is probably best for new players, it is here.  Fortunately, you shouldn't encounter many of them.  But don't worry too much about selling off the results of a Latest Legends token (even if it's a 5*).  One cover won't make much difference in the endgame.

    - For the above reasons, Command Points should not be spent on Latest Legends or Classic Legends tokens.  Instead, they are better spent (at least in the first month or two) on adding covers to specific 3* characters.  I would highly recommend setting either Thanos or Doctor Strange as your 3* target for shards, then spending any Command Points on adding covers to those characters.  (Thanos will quickly wipe out the enemy team after you down one character, while Doctor Strange will penalize the enemy team for firing powers.)
  • entrailbucket
    entrailbucket Posts: 5,828 Chairperson of the Boards
    KGB said:
    entrailbucket said:
    KGB said:
    acescracked said:
    Aueio said:
    ...
    I bet this game is fun for those who have played a year or more but as a new player it feels like I walked into a poisonous swamp.
    ...
    Do noobs generally stay in the game or are they turned off by the slow and hard progress like me?

    MPQ is hard.
    Actually I'd say MPQ is a commitment.
    You have to commit (30 minutes a day minimum) to playing the game to advance much past the prologue.
    KGB
    To advance much past the prologue?  I'm pretty sure you can do an SCL1 PvE with a few 1*, and the game gives you a bunch of 2* at the very beginning now anyway.


    You don't *have* to commit to anything.  Not everyone wants to be competitive.  Not everyone aims to build a top-5% roster (which nearly everyone who posts here has). 

    If your goal is to get into the top 5% of all players, then yeah, that's going to take either a lot of time or a lot of money, or both.  That shouldn't be news.  The game has been around forever and a lot of top players have also been around forever.
    You must have misunderstood what I meant by commitment.
    As you said, you can always enter events at very low CL's if you just want to match a few tiles / win a couple battles and put the game away until another day.
    But if you want to advance your roster in any meaningful way (more than a handful of characters rostered, higher level characters in terms of ISO and covers) you have to play. A fair bit, not just 5 or 10 minutes here and there. And you have to repeat the same stuff (PvE events plus multiple hits on nodes within each PvE event, DDQ, PvP etc) over and over again without being bored by that (ie there is no long RPG story mode to play through like the prologue is).
    KGB
    I did misunderstand, sorry to jump on you!  It sounds like we agree.

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