Arena FTP dynamics

Lorenzo

I'm wondering if my recent experience is mirrored elsewhere ...

As a FTP player, I had worked myself up to finishing regularly in the top 10. However, in the past 2 days I've struggled a bit. This despite continuing to improve my team. There just seems to be fewer beatable teams in the top 10 and even top 20. Basically more and more I'm seeing well constructed PTP teams that just outclass my FTP team. Are other FTP players seeing this?

Raves

I'm more of a PTP player to start so far but I'm transitioning to palying for free now that I'm at a level that I should be able to continually maintain a top 10 arena team, but even as a PTP player I was having a hard time for a few days staying in the top 10 as some of the opponents made a drastic jump in power from 15k to 20k almost overnight with my current set-up being unable to compete.

I'm guessing you might end up dropping to the top 20 for a little while as you have to continue to farm up to 7* and purple gear on your characters till you get back into the top 10.

Abyss

Lorenzo wrote: »

I'm wondering if my recent experience is mirrored elsewhere ...

As a FTP player, I had worked myself up to finishing regularly in the top 10. However, in the past 2 days I've struggled a bit. This despite continuing to improve my team. There just seems to be fewer beatable teams in the top 10 and even top 20. Basically more and more I'm seeing well constructed PTP teams that just outclass my FTP team. Are other FTP players seeing this?

If thats the case then i would say its as it should be tbh (no i dont drop tons of cash)

I have spent some but it wasnt to gain an advantage, it was to have toons i wanted cause i liked em. I think the paying players who drop the big money ritefully should have an advantage and rank higher tho even tho that means players like you and me rank lower.

Preemo_Magin

You cannot be in the top 10, because there are 10 of those, and with the cap, everyone catches up to 7* and ability 6, but not everyone has Leia and Qui Gon 7, etc. A month fom now you'll be like 30 and the next month 70 if you (and I and the rest) are lucky.

When recently starred players get out of the "Nursery Servers", you wake up from that illusion that you can be anywhere nearbthe top 10.

Lorenzo

Yeah, I guess what worries me is team composition. There are just more options available for PTP.

AligatorSam

lol there's infinitely more. Anyone who is FTP pretty much has to go with Sid, Lumi, JC, Talia and like Daka/Chewy to start off. I really don't see anything else FTP can do unless they got lucky pulls. Instead of synergy you need to go with simply the best characters on their own.

Anyway I easily get first every day with this team but I'm putting all my resources in just those characters and when I say all, I mean all. Problem is I got lucky with a few droids and want to move over to a droid team slowly but if I stop maxing my top 5 to focus on the droids I won't be 1st.

Raves

Well there is a point when you need to realize what you need to do to maintain a top spot. Eventually you're going to fall out of the top spot with just those 5. Only Sid/Lumi can be considered true end game champs out of those 5, granted JC does the best impersonation you can find. If you swap to a droid team, 86, 88, and HK are all farmable, though some faster than others, and are a legit endgame team once they are all 7*.

So the question becomes do you want to maintain status quo until eventuality drops you out of the top spot, or do you want to drop to the top 10 and then farm up your eventual endgame team?

dajabec

Yeah even if you get a lucky pull early, they just get less and less valuable as your f2p characters grow.

I am currently looking for a replacement for my lando. He is a beast against same level opponents but sadly will just stay the same forever. Luke, lumi, Sid and phasma make him look weak now.

Time

It's hard to compete with a well put together fotp/leah/quigon etc lineups.

Lorenzo

I did just hit 6, my best rank, and almost beat 3, but it may be my last hurrah.

Thundergod

It's not as hopeless as people are making it sound. I consider myself a low spender only spending about $20 and I usually end up top 10 at reward time in one of the early hard launch arenas. Once you hit the level cap, it's mainly about compositions. There are plenty of farmable characters that can make strong teams.

Lorenzo

Thundergod wrote: »

It's not as hopeless as people are making it sound. I consider myself a low spender only spending about $20 and I usually end up top 10 at reward time in one of the early hard launch arenas. Once you hit the level cap, it's mainly about compositions. There are plenty of farmable characters that can make strong teams.

Strong yes but not the strongest. Soon the top 10 or 20 at least will be exclusively PTP. Ironically because you are right about one thing - team composition is increasingly key, and FTP can't compete on team composition.

But I was a bit premature as it turns out - that's not the case YET. At least not on my sever - I topped out at #2 today (though I've since been knocked down to 28). But attacking #1 gave me a glimpse of the future - a strong PTP team that absolutely destroyed me.

DanTom

While I see both sides here and even as a P2P player, I hope options are available for everyone. I know that big spenders will always have a time advantage but I really hope that all heroes become available even if slower to free players. The game dies without the numbers brought by the free players.

Lorenzo

I'll be satisfied if they make qui-Gon Jinn available in Arena shipments.

Seriously, they are doing a pretty decent job as it is of making FTP viable. But I thinks it's hard to balance it perfectly over the long run - any edge for PTP players (and there has to be one for the game to be financially viable) inherently grows as time goes on.

Heronmar

Top_Quark wrote: »

Raves wrote: »

Well there is a point when you need to realize what you need to do to maintain a top spot. Eventually you're going to fall out of the top spot with just those 5. Only Sid/Lumi can be considered true end game champs out of those 5, granted JC does the best impersonation you can find. If you swap to a droid team, 86, 88, and HK are all farmable, though some faster than others, and are a legit endgame team once they are all 7*.

So the question becomes do you want to maintain status quo until eventuality drops you out of the top spot, or do you want to drop to the top 10 and then farm up your eventual endgame team?

Was gonna say the same. Droids are a good prospect for f2p. I'm gonna start pushing it firstly with 86-88 and see where it goes.

Droids are your best bet against p2w characters, there only a handful characters that are able to dish out more damage than a droid team and the only way to beat those QGJ/FOTP/Leia teams is through droids. You can try to field Dooku/Sid/Lumi/Barriss/Kylo in whatever combination you like but you simply cannot win unless RNGesus has died for your sins, with droids tho you can win a fair amount and EASİLY place top 10.

I still haven't cracked 60 yet but finished #1 after two days, and even on those days that I can't I still manage to climb to top 10 rather swiftly.

ilyanor

I think it is a very common scenario.. For me the top ten is untouchble.. I usally stay in 20-50 rank, hoping not to see to too much Qui Gon Jin-leader teams climbing from 100-200.. And in these days i've seen about 5 of them..

Thundergod

Lorenzo wrote: »

Thundergod wrote: »

It's not as hopeless as people are making it sound. I consider myself a low spender only spending about $20 and I usually end up top 10 at reward time in one of the early hard launch arenas. Once you hit the level cap, it's mainly about compositions. There are plenty of farmable characters that can make strong teams.

Strong yes but not the strongest. Soon the top 10 or 20 at least will be exclusively PTP. Ironically because you are right about one thing - team composition is increasingly key, and FTP can't compete on team composition.

But I was a bit premature as it turns out - that's not the case YET. At least not on my sever - I topped out at #2 today (though I've since been knocked down to 28). But attacking #1 gave me a glimpse of the future - a strong PTP team that absolutely destroyed me.

I highly doubt that, the only P2P characters I see in my arena are Leia, TIE Pilot, QGJ, and sometimes Old Ben. Out of those, Leia and TIE will most likely be taking a hit next update. Most of the hardest teams I face mainly have farmable characters. The star level difference is probably making some of the p2p squads/characters better than they actually are as they are likely 7* while yours most likely aren't.

SlyGambit

Preemo_Magin wrote: »

You cannot be in the top 10, because there are 10 of those, and with the cap, everyone catches up to 7* and ability 6, but not everyone has Leia and Qui Gon 7, etc. A month fom now you'll be like 30 and the next month 70 if you (and I and the rest) are lucky.

When recently starred players get out of the "Nursery Servers", you wake up from that illusion that you can be anywhere nearbthe top 10.

I have only spent $10 and started a day or two into the hard-launch and am consistently able to pull top-10 with just one recharge. Yesterday I was top-5 w/o a recharge and just got to play for the top spot in the final hour. I'm EST so it's pretty competitive to get in the final minutes.

Just be smart with your team and judicious with your crystals and you'll eventually be fine. Remember if you can use 50 crystals to jump a prize tier it basically pays for itself and you'll be in better position to move the next day.