I started out ctp, transitioned to ftp. I set goals for myself (like completing buildings, ascending heroes, getting avatars). I only play events and missions that I enjoy. I was going to quit. I found playing this as a game (not as a competition with others) makes it fun for me.
I found a 100% active alliance with people that use chat.
I’m past the 3 year mark and getting tired of just more and more heroes to chase with no loyalty rewards etc. I have spent maybe $20 or so on vip a few times on sale plus a few gem sales but mainly ftp. I have 1 joon from a portal after 8 months. My only s2 is mitsuko and I LOVE her esp in events.
All my other s1 5s are from 3 tc20 and I have all but marjana who I really want and then thorne, azlar and quintus who I don’t want. I have spare joons magnis and sartana oh and lianna. I have elena and Khagan but sitting at 3.70 despite 23 rings lol.
I got grimble on a event coin pull and I got glenda with saved ehts . The true miracle was Krampus who I got on eht number 16 though I said I’d only use 10 and save rest I got mad but it paid off. I guess overall I’m lucky except for reds as I have 4 of each color maxed in 5s except yellow though w joon number 2 at 3.70 it’ll be 4 soon. Maybe I’ll get marjana in costume chamber.
My ha10 has 1 week until I can research after he final food store is done. So that week then 2 for research and then 1 goes in, likely horghall.
I’m finding it harder to play but today I finished s3 normal and can see it’s gonna be very hard on hard mode. I also haven’t pulled in costumes or events etc since they’re adding things so fast I don’t want to waste them. I have nearly 150 keys and with only free keys managed to get costume rigard, mel. Kiril, caedmon a bunch of 3s and maybe others I’m forgetting.
My alliance is h second one as I let my first after 2 years with 1 as leader. This new one recently had killa, that dad, TCCap all at same time and we were killing 12* and winning wars etc. They all left as have others as the leaders(by name only) don’t care. Were now down to killing 8s and passing on 9s.
POV is a chore for one mat, challenge events aren’t worth it idk I guess I’m lucky as well since I’m in beta so I at least play w new toys but then hey get taken back and the devs dont listen at all. See Wu Kong cos, or new costumes or etc etc etc.
Sorry for rambling but I told my old alliance when emblems came out that it was the start of downfall and it was. Remember when 4* were the backbone of game? You had 5s but lots of 4s that had the useful abilities.
I also hold my coins, keys, etc because until I use them they are potentially thor or Odin frigg etc. But one you use them and they become pricas it’s over the dream is gone! While they sit at least they’re potentially great.
I just don’t think they care at all. Giving a person a hero for a year of play or beating a season isn’t a game breaker. It actually would motivate people to play to finish seasons. And we already have season 4 and a second event besides villians, it’s a circus event but hasn’t been in beta just the 2021 announcement. The lack of contact is maddening with staff .
I’m gonna stop as most likely have quit reading but I’ve never played a non console aka xbox or pc game this long. It’s a mobile game and they have a great fan base but now there are clones that have better features but they just milk is dry. Maybe were now just a test ground for puzzle combat, their other match 3 game.
Thanks for the posts and it’s good to know I’m not alone.
Nah, I read your entire post. 
Congrats on completing S3 Normal!
Yes, this game can definitely improve on rewarding loyalty.
So I did some checking on the Global charts and out of the 500 heroes from the top 100 players, only 15 total heroes were season 1 un-costumed. What does that tell you?
Sure, you can be in the top 100 for a few minutes with season 1 heroes as I’ve done it myself - but it doesn’t last because season 1 heroes without costumes fail in comparison to newer heroes.
I have no 5* costumes and out of those in the top 100 without costumes, 12 of those 15 are Juno and Marjana - two season 1 heroes I don’t have.
Don’t try to tell me having certain 5* heroes doesn’t matter. The numbers don’t lie.
I read your entire post too. You mean I wasn’t meant too😉.
Its obvious you still care about the game… After investing that much time you’d have to… Right?
GL with future summonses. I’ve become F2P as a good friend inspired me to follow his lead @ThePirateKing , being F2P since downloading the game over 2 years ago. But, theres no end to the Great offers. I’m not even tempted anymore - that’s progress.
Example…
With Valhalla coins I just pulled…
A fun new project, that didn’t cost me a cent. Bonus!
Amazing pull @Sarah2 ! Congrats!
That @ThePirateKing guy is pretty smart 
Certainly don’t blame you for listening to him 
Cheers
Thank you all for sharing. I have been re-evaluating my time spent playing this game. I really have nothing else to do (health and lockdown) after 3 years, being both regular member and leading alliances, multi accounts.
Having so much to do, perhaps it will be the end of multiple accounts. Perhaps that is part of their plan? 
my main account has received all season 1 -5* heroes from tc20, except Dom. Got a handful of HotM, 1 each event & S2. I do awesome in 3* events and tournaments!
I stay mostly for my alliance family and friends. I’ve been incredibly lucky t have recruited amazing long term people, and we don’t push there, we never leave flags, we always do our best on titans. We are not the biggest, strongest, but we are happy and still have fun.
Once again, thank you all…writing this has reminded me how lucky I am.
Good luck and have FUN!
Before responding, let me tell a bit on myself:
I am practically F2P. I am actually paying to the game but treat the payment as a donation to SGG. I only buy things like cosmetics, hero slots, team slots and alliance gifts. I never buy things like summons, ascension materials or embelms.
I play a bit more than a year.
I have 12 5* heroes. They include Telluria, Glenda, Ranvir (from ToL), Rana and Elena with costume. The rest are Vanilla S1.
My personal point of view is that the main progress bottleneck in the game is Emblems, neither heroes nor ascension materials. I also want to add that there is no game objective in the game that cannot be obtained with S1 heroes. Being in the top of the raid ladder provides no reward, and staying at the highest arena is easily done with S1 heroes. I was even able to consistently get the Diamond Wanted chest with S1 4* heroes (emblemed and with costume bonus).
I can say that my main personal objective is to have maxed and fully emblemed heroes for all the tournament modes. Since this includes 3*, 4* and 5*, defensive and offensive, non rainbow on offense, and suitable for buff booster, no healing and very fast - this becomes a many years long objective. There is no problem to pursue this objective as a F2P.
Off topic, but congrats Sarah, couldn’t happen to a nicer person
On topic, I am to the point of just playing what I want when I want. Don’t feel like a war? Opt out. Can’t be bothered with that god awful ninja tower? Don’t bother then
I have a wonderful alliance, and I try to enjoy this game for the PLAYING, not necessarily the winning.
I also keep my expectations in check. Like… if I gain too many cups, I get attacked by players with +100 defenses full of non-vanillas that I can only beat with a fairly lucky starting board and a mono squad. So, I try to keep my cup gain in check and not rise above, like, 2550 cups…
If I get frustrated by summons, I look at the bad-luck threads here and remind myself I’m not alone.
And I avoid threads on the forums that are like “which 8th Blue 5* should I ascend, 2nd Lepus /2nd Krampus / 2nd Ariel / 2nd Finley…” because I will just get sick with envy
Still hanging on as an FTP and taking joy in the small wins. Like on this wonderful thread
I’m coming up on three years, 100% f2p. 47 x 5*, most from TC20, but still far from the full S1 5* pack. Among these, I was lucky enough to get 5 HOTM (4 actually, Malosi being a double) 2 x S2 and one event 5*. Two weeks back, I got Kageburado with a lucky Atlantis single gem pull, and he was the first 5* I power leveled, to 4/80, just to get a taste of what that feels like (no big deal after about a week’s preparations). In time, my daily play time took a dive, from up to 8 hours a day in the glory days, to a current one or two hours on average. I restricted my self to 9-10* and the ocasional 11* titans, this being my “no battle items needed” area. I’m sure I could aim higher, as I usually hit 150 - 200k and above on 9 and 10*, a lot more if I push with a flask and battle items, and I could also go for harder wars, as I’m usually getting at least 4 one shots against the hardest targets available, but I feel good where I am, playing casual with no pressure what so ever. What else can I say? I’m a hardened raider. Just hit 12500 wins, never been down into platinum for more than a few hours since I got into diamond arena and had the opportunity to make it to global #1, back in the Telluria glory days, a mile stone I chased for some time. Back to the OP, I think setting these personal mile stones might be a good way to motivate one self to keep grinding this game, my current one being getting my defense line to 4600 TP (not far now).
