The 4* Daily Cover is already here! ...sort of.

Godzillafan67

For quite a while now, I and others have been clamoring for an added component to the DDP, namely a 4* cover node where we can get a 4* cover every day much like we can get a 3* cover daily. (I have no problem with there being an additional, similarly gatekeeping node, especially since there'd likely be reward on that node to boot. ) I was reflecting on how I've amassed most of my 4* covers, and I realized that it's the progression awards that have given me the consistent supply. There used to be a number of pves where I'd roster the 4* on day two and admire my new shiny. 

Then MPQ added win counts to pvp, which could be used in lieu of points for progression. So, with a little work and determination, I now had a chance to get the shinier prizes there too. I did some quick math and discovered that anyone entering SCL 9 or 10 was essentially able to earn a 4* cover daily. 

Do I still want a DDP source for a new 4* cover? Heck ya! That'd be an easier, quicker reward to help combat 4* dilution. But I'm shocked that I'm usually already picking up on average a new 4* cover every day (via SCL 9... I hope to be SCL 10 soon).

Note: The below is based on in-game data and information in the thread "What's New MPQ - Updated 11/16/21" as of 11/17/2021. For last start date, I added one day to the last pvp's start date to account for the time it takes to reach the 50-win/1000-point level. 

first start date	10/24/2021
last start date	11/22/2021
total days	29
number of pvps	13
progression rewards	SCL 8	SCL 9	SCL 10
4* covers per pvp	1	1	1
4* shards per pvp	415	495	625
4* earned per pvp	2.04	2.24	2.56
4* earned for the range	26.49	29.09	33.31
4* covers per day	0.91	1.00	1.15
	wins	points
shards earned at:	10	400
	16	575
	50	1000

ThaRoadWarrior

I'd love to see a 5* crash get added to DDQ, and potentially shift the whole required stack up 1 tier (dropping the 1* required node in favor of a 2*), but it's all good.

Kolence

Does this take into account what these pvp progression rewards were like before the shards were implemented? Because people have been asking for a daily 4* since way way earlier time...

I honestly don't remember how exactly it was changed, and don't really care all that much to go checking old threads. I do have a vague impression that progression rewards did get better with shards, but perhaps more from SCL 10, like with mighty tokens and what else there is compared to lower SCLs?

HoundofShadow

Don't forget Spicy Vault: a guaranteed 4* every 14 or 20 days.

Unfortunately, it's never enough for completionists. 

Godzillafan67

@Kolence - The earliest request I found for a 4* DDP cover node on this forum was back when the number of 4* characters was approaching the number of 3* characters. We’re now past double the number.  o_0

HoundofShadow said:

Don't forget Spicy Vault: a guaranteed 4* every 14 or 20 days.

Unfortunately, it's never enough for completionists. 

I’d argue that, by the numbers, it’s woefully inadequate. At 118 4*, one cover every day just barely gives each character 3 powers over the course of a year. (When we hit 122 4* characters, that 3 power attainment will only happen in a leap year.) Definitely want to wait to empty the Spicy Vault when you’re at 40 tacos. Of course, you’re waiting for a character to randomly appear. And then you’ve got to refill your spicy taco meter, which is 1-40, depending on how many tacos it took to get that 4*. And then we’re going to spend time on pve because there are a few more 4* covers to get in each event. Hamster wheel just keeps on turning.

HoundofShadow

I have a few questions:

1) why the rush to let new players cover all 4* quickly when their iso-8 will take years to catch up? Each 4* takes 379k to champ. With 118 4*, it will take 44.8 million iso-8 to champ them. When new players would have champed all 3*, they usually have 6-8 million to champ about 22 4*. Even if they can cover all 4* within 2 years, they would need another 36 mil on top of the 6-8 mil to champ them all. Accumulating an additional 36 million within 2 years means earning 50,000 iso-8 every day consistently since Day 1. 

2) The majority of the players aren't interested in covering all the 4* quickly. They play zero to few matches in pvps and on average they hit zero to ~5000 points in pves. What segment of players are we trying to help by increasing the number of 4* covers in the game?

entrailbucket

Putting more single 4* covers in the hands of very new players is a big win for their income, as new players are less likely to trash a 4* cover they don't have yet and more likely to buy a slot for it.

I'm not sure how you actually accomplish that in a DDQ format though.  DDQ is kind of set up so that you need to already have the featured character to win the featured character.

HoundofShadow

Yes, provided that they play enough to reach that point level. 

If your general players are averaging between 0 to 5000 points in pves and they don't log in everyday, or even stop logging in for days or weeks, what kind of catching up can they do?

There's a proverb, you can lead a horse to water, but you can't make it drink. Likewise, even if the dev provided them with 3 champed 4* of their choices right from Day 1, they aren't going to be making full progression immediately. They might play an additional 1-2000 points, but that's it.

Godzillafan67

HoundofShadow said:

I have a few questions:

1) why the rush to let new players cover all 4* quickly when their iso-8 will take years to catch up? Each 4* takes 379k to champ. With 118 4*, it will take 44.8 million iso-8 to champ them. When new players would have champed all 3*, they usually have 6-8 million to champ about 22 4*. Even if they can cover all 4* within 2 years, they would need another 36 mil on top of the 6-8 mil to champ them all. Accumulating an additional 36 million within 2 years means earning 50,000 iso-8 every day consistently since Day 1. 

2) The majority of the players aren't interested in covering all the 4* quickly. They play zero to few matches in pvps and on average they hit zero to ~5000 points in pves. What segment of players are we trying to help by increasing the number of 4* covers in the game?

1) I don't know, why is there a rush? And why are you focused on new players? A 4* DDP wouldn't benefit a new player in the same way that DDP didn't help me too much at first for my 3* characters. I can attest that, during my climb to 4*-land, I certainly sold off many a 4* because roster slots via in-game HP is such a premium, and I can't imagine how much worse it is now. I have 115/118 of the 4*, and 30% of those 115 are champed. Of my non-champed, my median cover count is 8 and the mode is 11. So yes, even if my hours of MPQ playing are giving me two 4* covers a day, it's painfully slow to build and I allocate my iso as wisely as possible.

2) Playing for the 50 wins in pvp to get two covers and playing progression in pve to get two covers is for the dedicated player and wouldn't interest anyone trying to cover their 4* quickly. "What segment of players are we trying to help by increasing the number of 4* covers in the game?" People like me.  People who are in 4*-land and haven't yet started to the 4*-5* transition phase. In fact, once I get enough covers and champ more 4*, the CP and 5* shards/cover will start becoming more of a daily occurrence. You may say I'm a dreamer, and I may be the only one, but I'm still amazed that I'm accumulating, on average, at least one 4* cover a day.

Sekilicious

Looking at this thread, I would 100% be on board with another 4* and 50k more iso a day. Even if those are spread between DDQ, PvE, and PvP (not LR). I’m not holding my breath, but something to combat dilution and Iso poverty would be very welcome.