Why is SWGOH hostile to returning players?
I restarted my account last month. I enjoyed the game, but used to find the monetization made the game absolutely unplayable unless you're willing to put a car payment into the game per month.
I was told by old friends the game had not done another Darth Malak. However, what I've found is that while the game is still fun for me. as a returning player, it's completely unplayable for these reasons:
--GAC. Every single matchup is loaded with players who have the Galactic legends. The GAC algorithm is still hot garbage and apparently returning players are not invited to play GAC.
--Fleet Arena. Everyone has the newest ships, returning players can't compete or setup any crystal income.
--Hyper gear/character shard farming bottleneck. When I left the raids used to give a good amount of the g12->g13 gear. Now you have to actively farm it and the raids don't give much. So if you also need to farm character shards--as returning players desperately need to do--it's a very hard ultimatum for them to face. Again, returning players unwelcome.
In short, the game is still unplayable without a significant overspend in cash, and it's even more unplayable for any returning players. I guess keep that in mind. If you quit, it's for good, CG/EA do not care about you coming back ever.
If the Dev team disagrees, I'd love to hear about the systems you're planning to implement to provide new fleet shards for returning players, and new GAC algorithims so returning players face competition on par with where they're at.
I was told by old friends the game had not done another Darth Malak. However, what I've found is that while the game is still fun for me. as a returning player, it's completely unplayable for these reasons:
--GAC. Every single matchup is loaded with players who have the Galactic legends. The GAC algorithm is still hot garbage and apparently returning players are not invited to play GAC.
--Fleet Arena. Everyone has the newest ships, returning players can't compete or setup any crystal income.
--Hyper gear/character shard farming bottleneck. When I left the raids used to give a good amount of the g12->g13 gear. Now you have to actively farm it and the raids don't give much. So if you also need to farm character shards--as returning players desperately need to do--it's a very hard ultimatum for them to face. Again, returning players unwelcome.
In short, the game is still unplayable without a significant overspend in cash, and it's even more unplayable for any returning players. I guess keep that in mind. If you quit, it's for good, CG/EA do not care about you coming back ever.
If the Dev team disagrees, I'd love to hear about the systems you're planning to implement to provide new fleet shards for returning players, and new GAC algorithims so returning players face competition on par with where they're at.
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As fleet arena is set early on (level 60 or 65 I think) where you are grouped with those that were also around that level, of course you will find yourself to be behind in fleet arena upon your return… to think otherwise is a bit naïve.
Gear is and will always be a bottleneck for the vast majority of players, of course discounting those with a lot of money to spend. Yet raids now give you the option to pick the gear that your current roster needs, which I think is a big improvement over the past reward structure
-- Fleet arena, I have more of a problem with squad arena than FA because not having a GL limits you but FA yoyos significantly as long as you have a decent fleet (finalizer and FO ships, executor and bounty hunters, profoundity and pheonix) you can climb to the top 50 at least which is radically better than most other games
-- Raids, raids have been better than in the past as yolkywareagle1 said
-- Coming back, sure you won't have the best shiniest new characters but they generally add changes to old ones (lobot rework, addition of rose tico to buff resistance, etc.) which is really surprising given it's a free game and they want to squeeze money out of it.
Shure maybe you are frustrated that you don't have the best characters in the game but despite other games like War robots and Clash of clans it is probably the easiest ftp games to not spend money on (provided you login alot)
—> to rise back to top 50 in fleet you will likely need either Executor or FOrder…..
—> once you lose a few GAC you will rebalance - it’s not “match-making” but based on wins and loses (a ladder). There are some easy upgrades now though e.g. Zorii Bliss if you have Rey, Captain Rex If you have Phoenix, Merrin if you have NSisters…..and of course Wampa & Savage.
We really need to see your Swgoh.gg though to be any real use to you.
- Gac changes were very ‘returning players’ friendly: a) Crystal income not being linked to Arena anymore, b) you play against people with the same ‘gac score’ as you. As you didn’t play for a while, you ‘gac score’ tanked, so you’re down the ladder. If you still to high, you’ll lose and keep going down until you’ll face players you can beat.
- Raid numbers disagree with your opinion. You should get better or similar rewards as before.
- However, your point about fleet arena is 100% valid. You will have a hard time going back up the ranks and your crystal income will suffer greatly. If you want Devs to help returning players, that could be your main reason why.
I am a very passionate new player.
I have always liked Star Wars.
I am not afraid of spending money.
I don’t mind making a splash.
However, I can confidently say the game has horrible gear packs!
I don’t know what makes you think G12 -> G13 is pay to win.
Every Gear pack the game has shown me has been laughable.
100$ to get 3 G13 pieces for left side.
100$ to get 3 G13 pieces for right side.
It’s literally 200$ for 6 item’s.
A person could spend 100$ in gems.
Than use those gems on energy refreshes.
They would farm the G13 materials + Extra Gear + Currency.
It literally makes no sense to buy Gear packs.
A person would have to be on drugs to buy those packs.
Maybe, the game has gear packs which I haven’t unlocked yet due to being new player.
However, the ones I saw seem horrible.
They are not P2W or F2P or anything.
Account Started: August 12, 2023
1- This is about returning players, not new ones
2- Write in sentences and paragraphs people can actually read, and stick to the topic at hand.
I agree with this statement. However, I believe the OP is stating that if someone quits, then decides to rejoin the game, that it is impossible for him to catch up. Which in all honesty, should be that way. How fair would it be for someone to log on EVERYDAY, grind everyday then all of a sudden someone who hasn't been in the game for x amount of days suddenly is right there with you. You can accomplish that, but it won't be for free....
Some games offer a ‘welcome back’ basket to returning players. It’s not enough to make up for the time lost (and I agree it shouldn’t be), but it’s not the worst idea out there. Tbf, maybe it’s already there and i just don’t know.
Yes. A welcome back pack would usually be there "depending how long the player was gone for". However, I don't know long OP has been out for. It becomes two choices for the OP, either start fresh and be in line with the pod they begin with OR continue to play the account OP currently has but be drastically behind.
GAC isn't a problem if you learn about the matchups and build a few of the good teams + use your Omis for GAC teams.
The most important thing in this game right now is getting in a good guild that's right for you.
And yeah, it's a game that you literally have to play every day if you want to progress. You have to grind. Otherwise you need to spend money. If you do both then of course you have the edge. In my experience even people who are seemingly spending 5 figures over just a few months can and will simply quit the game out of the blue. You can always catch up but you do have to play often/efficiently, the turtle can beat the hare over a long distance.
My advice to returning players would be to make a plan of building GAC teams (ex: Savage Omi, Iden Omi, QGJ Omi, Mon Mothma, Bounty Hunters, Wampa Omi, etc). 3 Defensive teams, 3 Offensive, and 2 Flex. There are still a few teams that can punch up and even beat GLs. Most of these teams don't need investment past G11/12. Your priority is your fleet though, figure out if you're going for Malev/Endurance or Exec/Profundity. Pick ONE and bulldoze towards it. Your cap ship commander should be R7+ and the rest of your fleet pilots at relic. It's hard to give a straight recommendation to a returning player since I don't know what has already been worked on. You will eventually want more teams and cap ships/fleets as you climb in GAC.
But like I said, most important thing is a good guild. To get into a good guild you need to be active.
Another thing you can do is start a fresh account and get into a new shard. New players get a bunch of stuff now and guild shop has opened up the new player builds. New arena/fleet shard can be a gamble (will I get a bunch of whales/krakens?) but you have best odds when theres nothing new & shiny to whale on. A player with experience and a plan on a new account (and in a good guild) can accelerate really quickly.