Today marks exactly the 1 year anniversary since I started playing this game. I thought it’d be a good time to sit down and take inventory.
The left screenshot is how I can tell exactly when I started - “Complete tutorial” achievement on August 30, 2017. You can find this (on Android anyway) in Options in the bottom left corner, just left of the sign in/sign out button for Google Play Games. It is interesting that these are the same accomplishments you can see in Play Games, but in there it does not seem to show the date. Also interesting to look back and see that it took almost a month back then to kill 500 monsters or win 20 raids… today that would be done in less than 3 days typically.
The screenshot on the right is from today of course.
I should note that my level of activity has gone from rather casual in the beginning, to very active now - I play multiple times throughout the day, try to make maximum use of available World Energy and so on. Someone who is highly active from the very beginning could do better of course, while perhaps someone playing more casually over time may not quite have accomplished all the same things just yet.
Money spent
Total money spent: US$101.49 (I pulled my bank account history to get this number accurately)
That comes out to $8.46 average per month. I’ve paid for the VIP pass 5 times, it was active roughly from the end of February till the end of July this year. I didn’t spend any money the first couple months (not until the Winter Event), and is getting less again now too since I no longer have need for the 2 builders of the VIP pass, and also I’m realizing more and more the odds for 5* at the summons are just not good, and so I don’t want to spend all that much on gems (=mostly real money) for summons pulls any more.
Buildings
Barracks are at level 10 (their max); it was converted from a Forge, as is probably most common. I have one open space where I am allowed to build another Forge and nothing else, but I have absolutely no need for another forge with 2 already at level 20 (honestly I really could do with just 1 forge).
Three of the 4 training camps are at level 20, and the 4th is at level 19. I’ve ran 3 of them at level 20 for some time, and scaled it back down to 2 now as I’ve gotten several 5* from them to work on recently. For F2P or low spending players like myself, TC20 seems like the best source for 5* (and also 4*!).
Besides that, every single building is at level 20, which has a lot to do with keeping 2 builders going nearly the whole time I had the VIP pass for those 5 months. If you’re inclined to spend some money, the VIP pass I think is quite good value.
Ascension materials
Here’s what I’ve gathered in one year. I have never tracked these items, but their totals are easily calculated from what I spent on already leveled up heroes and what is in my inventory now.
I will note again that in the beginning, the first few months probably, I was not as active as I got later, and also probably didn’t realize the rarity of some of these items and could’ve had more if I fought harder in the rare quests and so on.
4* materials (for 5* heroes):
- Damascus Blade: 8 total, 6 in inventory
- Tome of Tactics: 8 total, 6 in inventory
- Farsight Telescope: 9 total, 3 in inventory
- Mysterious Tonic: 7 total, 7 in inventory
- Mystic Rings: 12 total, 6 in inventory
- Poison Darts: 10 total, 10 in inventory
- Royal Tabbard: 10 total, 10 in inventory
3* materials:
- Compass: 33 total, 16 in inventory
- Fine Gloves: 25 total, 8 in inventory
- Hidden Blade: 24 total, 8 in inventory
- Orb of Magic: 31 total, 15 in inventory
- Sturdy Shield: 23 total, 11 in inventory
- Trap Tools: 34 total, 14 in inventory
- Warm Cape: 21 total, 5 in inventory (these I need the most! I’ve got Isarnia and a 2nd Magni and a couple Sonyas and Kirils that could use these…)
I have gotten some of the 3* materials from the various $2 event specials that included them. I have not tracked how many exactly, it is less than 10 total. I’ve never bought anything that included any 4* ascension material.
Heroes
First off, I have done dozens of summons, can’t give a number exactly because I haven’t tracked that either, but I’ve done 2 10x pulls and many times individual pulls using gems and I’m guessing easily 2 dozen or so epic hero tokens. But clearly nothing close to some of the higher spending players.
So far I do not have a single HotM, or 4* or better event hero. I’ve got two 3* event heroes. This is probably the major difference with bigger spenders. I’m fairly ok with that, but I do think it would’ve been nice after playing for this amount of time, and having spent some amount on gems, to have had maybe at least 1 HotM or good event hero. Maybe I’ll still get lucky in the future. If not, I’ll still be quite ok with the “regular” heroes available from TC20.
5* heroes
I have 7 total, with 1 from the summons (one of the 10x pulls, it was during the Summer Event this year if I remember correctly), which is Isarnia, and 6 from my TC20s, which I absolutely love (of course!). I did not get my first 5* till I had played about 9 months. I’ve mentioned this before, it was frustrating for me not to get any 5* before then, but looking back it’s done me a favor, as I have a very nicely developed set of 4* that is continuing to serve me well today. But I digress.
Maxed 5*: Khagan and Magni
5* being leveled up: Sartana (3/41), Isarnia (2/47), Kadilen (2/15)
Unleveled 5*: Obakan, a 2nd Magni
4* heroes
They are probably too many to list individually.
- Fully maxed 4*: 15
- 4* at 3/60: 12 (and another one is close)
- Other 4* (unleveled or barely leveled): 20
These, in combination with Magni, Khagan and Sartana, give me a nice bench of heroes for the war… I do not need to use any 3* or less in war any more, really all but one are at least 4* at 3/60 or above.
And I have materials to bring some more of the 3/60 ones to their final ascension level. But I’m holding some materials in reserve for use with 5*. Several of them are being level up now as noted above.
3* heroes
Again probably not very interesting to list them all. I’ve got 14 maxed 3*. I’ve got 2 event 3*, one being Squire Wabbit which I maxed, and one being Hisan (3* green sand horse) which is unleveled. Actually I got a 2nd Squire Wabbit but I used him as food some time ago, realizing that in the big picture I was not going to need a 2nd one of him.
Alliance
After about one month of playing, I’ve joined the “Phantom Legion” alliance. It is the only alliance I’ve ever been in, and they are a great bunch of people, with great leadership. I know from others on this forum of other good alliances, but I am quite pleased with my alliance and I have no desire to change to another. I have progressed to a co-leader position in this alliance, which is not something I set out to become, and I am greatly honored by their trust in me. I do my best to fulfil this role well.
Conclusion
Thinking about it, it is really quite an accomplishment for this game to still be fun and interesting after a whole year! Part of that is that growing seems never ending… even after this time I have plenty to do to level up new heroes and strengthen my team. As much as we all want more 5* and all the ascension materials, if we could all get a full stable of 5* quickly I think the longevity of the game would become much less.
And alliance wars - which I know not everyone loves equally - to me, have brought a whole new dimension, and have given new meaning to previously mostly useless duplicate heroes. Our alliance like some others has had some struggles with less than great matches, but we take it in stride and I do love how it brings our alliance together as a team (and we certainly do win some also!).
Thank you @Petri, @mhalttu and all the SG staff for what you’ve built.
Here’s to another year of E&P!