Ratio of 3:4:5 heroes per season and loss of the 4* backbone heroes

I just checked s4 and from what I counted I get a 16:5:5 ratio of 5:4:3 heroes and of course I know there are at least 2 more 5s that have been in beta.

Season one is obviously better balanced as they were likely created all at once with balance in mind to a point. I know there are 20 5* and roughly the same with 3 and 4.

Does anyone know the count for season 2 and 3? I’m just wondering to see if there is a trend where the 5s outnunber the 3 and 4s by larger amounts each season. While s2 was likely created all at once and had a longer lead time but we still released slowly there was still some semblance of a balance both within s2 and also to work with s1.

We already know 5s are more important for SG especially with events but the seasons have gotten released faster so I wonder if all the heroes are known before the season starts or if they still develop as it goes on.

Anyhow if anyone has the hero counts for 3,4 and 5s from s2 and 3 and could post them it’s be interesting to see how the ratio changes. I will try to get a count of s1 and edit the post unless someone replies with it before I get a chance but I wanted to post this while I was thinking about it.

Also what bought this up I that we are nearing the end of s4 so I assume we will see beta of s5 soon since s4 came out so close after s3. Are there any mechanics that can really be added or will we just see more powerful heroes? Will the onslaught of 5* heroes continue? Will we return to a time where key r* heroes were essential since there were no 5* that did what the 4* was doing. Heroes like Rigard, Melendor, Kirik, BT, Sonya, Caedmon as healers and boosters plus the latter 2 as debuffers and then with costumes made even better.

Oddly Melendor and Kiril were my first non 3* and I was angry cause I wanted the attackers but I still use them nearly every day. There seems to be less of them as seasons go on as well. S2 had Wilbur and Proteus (though 4 years in I have no Wilbur so I hope they get into haXX or tc2x). Triton was a mini Magni of sorts and sadly gadeirus was slow or would be up with the rest. But in s3 almur is obviously a great one with mist and Bryn being decent but the groups gets smaller and in s4 there’s hardly any.

So besides the ratio of 5:4:3 changing over seasons, the old backbone of the game, aka the epic heroes, seem to be disappearing. And while great event 4s exist even they are now getting lost as the events are gone and heroes will likely go behind a paywall so forget jackal, falcon, Merlin, hansel, Gretel. And while so e may not need them since they have Frida, Evelyn, panther, or other 5* versions , the majority really want and need them as evidence by the love for Sergei, a 4* tarlak/miki and bertulf, a 3* version.

Just some ideas as the epic heroes were and for most still are the backbone of the game. And as the ratio shrinks between 5:4:3 this means more don’t have the hero skills needed to compete or even COMPLETE certain things. Not that it can’t be done w s1 heroes but it’s much harder with non costumes s1 heroes.

I look forward to comments about the shrinking ratio from each season(if someone can post 2 and 3, it’s be a help but I will try to edit this if not once I go get them). I also want to see if people agree that these epic heroes are still the backbone of many rosters and what people are doing as the push towards less 4* seems inevitable as they appear behind low odda portals that appear only every few months.

Thanks…

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I think you’re right about the changing of the ratios. It is following the trend of profit driven (which is fine IMO) game design. The work to make a hero is the same regardless of the number of stars, but fives bring in more revenue to SG.

And yes, the fours are the backbone heroes still in my roster. Of a typical 30 heroes used in attacks in a war, I bring a bunch of fours and have fives and some with emblems that aren’t used do to synergy reasons. Some of that has to do with the “classic” nature of the S1 fours. And it’s hard to keep making classics I think. Wilbur and Proteus were great 4* backbones from S2. And I think Gulli and Mist are a great fours from S3. I do use Tettukh from S4 but I’m not super excited about some of the other ones. Also, you don’t see them on tourney Ds alot. Seems like they really didn’t make any special four stars from S4.

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You can easily know how many more 5* will come in S4 as one gets released each month when the 3 new provinces open.

9 provinces left so 3 more heros to go.

There have always been vastly more 5* heros I’m going to be 2 years in the game in late February and I’ve managed to collect all the 3* in the game

It was interesting to realize the colors aren’t at all balanced as well.

I’m 6 heros away from having all the 4* as well but I’d still need over 100 new 5* to complete every hero in the game which I will never achieve.

So I think in a way im glad that they have a more limited set of the 3-4 so you can get to know those heros better and they’re generally less niche than many 5*s

Also there are new key heros in this range joining in each portal. Bertulf a 3* has transformed my hits on purple titans massively and Sergei is the first Purple EDD that’s far more accessible than panther has ever been.

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S1 was 20-22-24 (5*-4*-3*)

Atlantis was 10-9-7

Wallhalla was 18-10-10

And approximately for underworld we will have 19-5-5 if we take your numbers and look how many provinces are still missing.

So now looking at percentage

province 5* 4* 3*
S1 30% 33% 36%
S2 38,4% 34,6% 27%
S3 47,3% 26,3% 26,3%
S4 65,5% 17,2% 17,2%

We can see, the percentage of new 5* is always rising and faster in the last time, the percentage of 4* heroes started slower to decrease and became faster in the last time. 3* made a huge jump from S1 to S2 and were constant between S2 and S3 and decreased again between S3 and S4 which directly influenced the percentage of 5* heroes.

I counted those numbers, so no guarantee that I didn’t overlooked one or just miscounted, someone checking those numbers would be welcome…

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I count 18, 5* here

Spot on for S2:

27dfb287335683db822a834b1a080912df658e04_2_690x319

Yes 5* have increased!
Not to mention events…
The decrease in rare and epic is what’s noteworthy! Especially for these new generation of fanboi’s that have no idea how the game has progressed.

5* for the most part, are purchased…

@ferg if you add costumes separately,
As you should! They do not come for free… then the percentage of free content will become even more gross when plebs rush to defend SG

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Ah thanks, forgot salmon loki :see_no_evil:

Updated the percentage too

Was thinking about for Atlantis, but that would dilute the picture somewhat. Because they are now added and that shows the change over time. We can see that back than during Atlantis the ratio between 5* 4* and 3* heroes was still somewhat OK, at least far better than now.
If I add costumes there it would look like the ratio was bad from nearly the beginning, although those are changes from the present and not something that already happened in the past.

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Adding events focuses the picture
The keyword is:

It will double…

S2 costumes arriving
S3 on the way.

The math is ugly when S4 costumes get here!

:disappointed:

Unless your counting dollars.
Plenty of plebs will love the S4 costumes

Cruel

Yes

Because SGG is cruel

Click for notes, er, rest of post

Testing

SGG occasionally tests abilities with 4* heroes before giving them to 5* heroes

Especially with Challenge event 4* heroes ( see notes ) like Falcon, Cheshire Cat, etc.

Pseudo 5* heroes

Boldtusk, Wu Kong, Rigard, Guardian Falcon, Wilbur were pseudo 5* heroes ( see notes )

I do not have costume for Gormek, but potentially a Pseudo 5* hero until SGG added Fiend Meta ( Really. costume Gormek cannot remove Fiends. You are the worst SGG spend depth analysis team )

Regardless of how useful his special skill, Melendor was always too much of a glass cannon ( still awesome for Wu Kong Cascade Squad, Grinder Gang, Duo Debuff, etc. )

Grimm, Scarlett, and Guardian Jackal had insane attack stats for 4* heroes but tended to die before using their special skill ( see notes )

Proteus was a watered down Hel ( first 5* HotM and start of HotM Pay 2 Play business model )

Notes

Click for notes

Testing

Challenge event 4* heroes

Pseudo 5* heroes

Boldtusk

With Emblems, Boldtusk

Pre nerf, Boldtusk

Wu Kong After Tarlak / Miki

Base Rigard

When I was still active ( beginning of Map Season 3 ), Rigard 4*+18 was still a Pseudo 5* hero

Costume Rigard

A quick search seems to show costume Rigard ( emblems, aethers, 4* crit troops, etc. ) is still considered a Pseudo 5* hero

(Search results for 'c.Rigard purple heal' - Empires & Puzzles Community Forum)

Falcon before Costume Marjana

Jackal before costume Leonidas

Scarlett

Wilbur pre Aegir

Before Aegir, many players used Wilbur as a Pseudo 5* , especially against titans

FIN

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Thank you for doing the hard part with the chart but it solidifies my point. I know someone said here have always been more 5s in the game but I’m leaving out events as they skew things even further and unfortunately those who haven’t been here since pre s2 don’t remember balance and careful skill tests.
I was aware and I think it was even mentioned in an old AMA that often 4s were tested with new skills so a new 5 doesn’t break the game(must have forgot that with the telluria vela mess…lol).
My point and I’m glad to see it does hold up to math is the move toward not letting average players get a taste of the power that the new heroes have by restricting 3,4*. I Know defenders will point out Sergei, Anton, dolgoon, bertulf, gramps who all have 5* skills but they are mostly event heroes which while they are not 5s they are still harder to get than a season X hero.

Also I think many forget that s3 had the shortest time to get coins for ftp since s2 had AR with coins guaranteed from sea horses and while there were less provinces and less coins overall there were less heroes and longer time to play AR after you got all the coins from normal and hard. S3 once done they pretty much released s4 and thus no more coins in chests or other places and that goblin isn’t a guarantee like the seahorse so you get less.
ANd @Gryphonknight I absolutely love the notes within notes post. Its ok one of those Russian nesting dolls that has another doll inside another and so on…but good stuff as usual. And thanks to @ferg for the table, I got busy yesterday and came to see if anyone even replied but you did the table with stats so thanks. I’m glad to see I’m not crazy and while conjecture I always about how things are speeding up this shows actual proof.
Thanks!

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Art

My muse^1

FIN

I must say I’m especially disappointed in the number and quality of the 3* and 4* heroes in season 4. I was hoping for a 2nd round of them, but it seems more unlikely now.
I would of also liked to see more 4* and 3* ninjas. That would have made me want to spend gems on the ninja summons. I’m not going to spend any chasing 5* that I’m not going to get.

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I think it is a bad move on their part to not release more 3* & 4* when they release more 5* during events.

I have all of the sub 5*'s in season 4? With no desire to spend to get a .6 or 1.0% chance of a 5* and just more dups. No thanks.

Frankly, it is colossal joke that they basically value 1 - 5* hero at $100. 1% chance. No thanks.

I play World of Tanks and I can get a top tier tank for around $30 to $50.
Keep their greed, I am keeping my money.

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I couldn’t agree more. I was never afraid to spend. My main goal was to get the important 4 star heroes from any season or challenge portal. If 5 stars fell along the way, great. First time around I got all the 3 and 4 star slayers with minimal pulls…along with two 5 star. Im done there now. They could add 77 more 5 star and I would still be done. My money isn’t worth a 1% chance at a potential dupe at worst. If they added more 4 star to any portal, they would get me back in. I understand the bigger money is in the 5 star heroes, but I suspect there are many like us out there too.

Ninja is unappealing for the lack of 3 and 4 star in general.

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