I have been messing around with the costumes - and it seems like a very bizarre way to introduce new heros.
If this is a permanent addition, then there needs to be a VIP pass tie-in, i.e., players get a free key everyday or something, because otherwise it is an extremely redudant game mechanic. That way your subscription players get funny versions of the season one heros as a loyalty reward.
The costumes level slightly faster, and when you level them up completely you get to share a talent grid and a bonus with the original hero. It’s not particularly engaging.
Costumes are a well understood game mechanic. Typically, you skin a charcter differently and they may get a stat bonus or change. P&E is not using a costume mechanic, they are effectively adding new heros that you cannot access until you have other heros.
This seems to function primarily as adding new season one themed heros that you can’t use in wars because you used the main hero already.
The features of costumes are mainly redundant. We have a talent tree and families for adding hero bonuses.
The costume adds another source of hero bonuses. We have portal summons for adding new heros, the costume keys are a different way to get new heros. Costumes require levelling and ascension materials, which is already a hero gameplay feature. The only thing I can think of for creating the costumes feature is to make ascension materials even more in demand to drive $20 ascension pack sales?
So I started levelling a costume on my level 1 Bane as my maxed and emblemed Bane was in a defense line up and I could not modify the costume. Then, I get access to fully levelled Bane again, and learn that the costumes need to be individually levelled per hero copy. So if I get one copy of a costume, all heros of that name can use it but then each one becomes its own instance and then needs to be levelled individually? Wouldn’t it make more sense for one costume copy requires one set of leveling? A very odd approach to a costume inventory.
Spending gems on costumes and receiving costumes for characters you do not have or costumes you already have but you can’t use them to level up said costumes is very annoying.
Not only is is annoying to spend your hard earned money on something you can’t use because you don’t have that hero. I made 8 pulls and got double heros on three of them!!! You don’t have to worry about me spending anymore!! So angry!!
we are slightly irritated that they didnt mention that you need to level all over again, and if you do get a costume for a hero that is low level you can not ascend the costume until you ascend the original which creates double work just for a few crappy stats
It is challenging enough and a grind to level up a 5* hero–not to mention that ascension items are very rare. So to have to start to level up all over just because Vivica changes outfits seems incredulous.
Would love to be able to gift my alliance members for in-game quests & contests amongst team members. My mpney, my time…why do we not earn gifts that you can later gift to another. What’s wrong with that? We need a choice!
… and if you don’t read the Beta Beat, the release notes state “Costumes need to be leveled separately from the heroes”: Introducing Hero Costumes! (yes, from the first version on).
… and if you don’t read the release notes either, even the (usually sparse) in-game info mentions “ascending and fully leveling up a Costume of the Hero”:
This would actually be a very cool thing to include with the VIP. One key with the daily gems, emblems, and loot tickets would be awesome. I know that would definitely get me to keep my VIP pass.
It appears that no matter how many times the developer lets you know what to expect, a non-enjoyable game mechanic fails to create engagement.
Though in this case, it may just be a question of effort and balance, it appears that people see a leveling process associated with their current hero as diminishing of their original leveling experience. It should be possible to reduce the effort involved in leveling costumes to a balance where people feel like it’s a bonus and not a chore. Right now, I am on the slow Road of leveling up two 5 Star Heroes, and I don’t find it annoying, it’s part of playing the game and I like it. Yet, levelling up five costumes for my all-Bane trolling team doesn’t seem worth it. Enjoyment depends on how the player views the payoff in relation to the investment. Also, resource scarcity is an issue, if I upgrade my Bane costumes then I’m not maxing out Ranvir. The mechanic of costumes is in complete competition with major goals of the game.