Thank you for the 5-star Holy aether and other improved POV rewards!

[AdmiralEnzo]

Let me be the first one to thank you, whoever you are that decided to replace the [almost] useless omnia harvester at Path of Valour reward level 49, for putting a 5-star Holy aether there instead! It’s loads more useful than the previous reward, along with the other 3-star and 4-star Holy aethers! Also, thank you for putting more EHTs in there! This is a step towards good, beneficial change.

[Nexus1254]

I’m also happy to see some improvements here, after so many critiques regarding the loot.

[Myrddin]

I agree with my colleagues, it’s a joy to see the changes… maybe I’ll be encouraged and buy the value pass

[Luna_Lovegood]

I agree on this. And by quick view looks like all rewards are bit raised

[JGE]

100% agree that such changes were warranted…
Hope they continue this trend in future POV events
It’s a thumbs up from me

[ajly19]

I like new POV a lot, finally some amazing stuffs like 20 tornados, 6 epic tokens and aethers. Thank you SG

[Aragorn_God]

Really nice loot in the POV now!

[Yarthan]

Yep that’s a very nice addition, thanks a lot ! I was a bit afraid that aethers could replace 4* ascension materials when I opened the POV this morning, fortunately it’s not the case.

[Cheds]

Players yesterday

After 5* Aether in POV

[L33tVortex12596]

I hadn’t noticed the new loot until I saw this post. POV is one of the things I spend on so I will definitely have to work on finishing this time. Thanks!

[Gryphonknight]

( half teasing / half serious / 100% glad to be Empires and Puzzles semi retired )

Saw topic title and I was worried I was going to have to join a non dead alliance for PoV

Checked my game

Relieved sigh and back to breakfast drinking chocolate^ beverage

( end half teasing / half serious / 100% glad to be Empires and Puzzles semi retired )

Notes

Click for notes

@From a very good friend of mine

Point System

@Retired player ( apparently also retired Beta tester according to posts on main forum )

This point system is way out of whack.

I agree.

Real lives

I feel players should only need 25 days to finish a 50 day Valor Path. Without using any flasks, or mercing, to finish early.

This lets people with real lives go on vacation. Spend time with their family. Enjoy a hobby like photography. Get sick. Miss some days due to a work project.

Additional by only needing 25 days to finish, a 50 day Valor Path has a built in cool down for ultra rare drops ( see below) and gives 50 days to prepare the next Valor Path.

Goals

Click for discussion of goals. Really long. Very design oriented

Seasonal passes/ Battle passes are designed to replace loot boxes, and grinding, while also limiting the amount of ultra rare drops for the outliers in the user base.

So far it is not helpful with the grinding.

Not helpful with summons.

Not giving ultra rare drops.

This could be such a game changer.

Currently I intend to buy 1x Valor Pass just for the resource bundles on my live account so they will clone to my Beta account.

Depending on the difficulty, I will skip, or participate in the free path until I get bored. I am currently back to skipping all challenge events since my retirement from 8* titan killing.

Changes

Changes I would like to see

Costumes

Add a 3* and a 4* and a 5* costume.

Maybe free path gets the costumes.

This would help with grinding for Costume chamber.

This would work well with the introduction of non Classic costumes.

Fully leveled heroes

Add a 3* 3.50 and a 4* 4.70 and a 5* 4.80 hero, preferably that matches the costume. This would work well with the introduction of non Classic costumes.

Maybe paid path gets the fully leveled heroes. Gunnar, Li Xiu, Quintus could be used as Hero XP for players that already have them.

If priced reasonably, a fully leveled 5* 4.80 hero would be a huge draw.

This would help with grinding for 4* / 5* heroes and grinding for 3* / 4* ascension items.

Unfortunately 5* costume cannot come pre leveled.

It would mitigate the impact of a HotM business model on the rest of the user base.

Fully leveled troops

Add fully leveled troops.

Maybe free path gets 1* / 2* fully leveled troops.

Paid path gets 2* / 3* fully leveled troops.

These troops could be used for Troop XP for players that do not need them.

If priced reasonably, a fully leveled 3* troop would be a huge draw.

Gryphonkit, my wife, is now a huge color stacking convert and regrets all the duplicates 3* troops I told her to keep. I keep 3x each type ( so 9 each color, 45 total )

Since troop drop rates are best in Season 1, but most loot drops are better in Season 2, using fully leveled troops for Troop XP would be helpful for players leveling 4* Troops.

This would help with grinding for 3* troops summons ( looking at you Recruits II rare quest) and Troop XP for 4* troops.

Ultra rare foil cards

Like Ultra rare foil cards, you could include an old HotM like Perseus.

Players without a HotM would enjoy Perseus.

Players with HotM could use a fully leveled 5* 4.80 Perseus for Hero XP.

It would mitigate the impact of a HotM business model on the rest of the user base.

This would help the RNG paywall, and IAP paywall, currently locking huge parts of the game away.

I think players would love Perseus ( see notes), but how many that currently have him level him and use him?

4* troops

Unlike the gazillion HotM in the game, there are only two types of 4* troops.

4* troops must remain solely in the troop portal to continue generating IAP to pay the investors so SGG can continue to improve Empires and work in its replacement.

But a fully leveled 3* troop ( see above ) is very powerful. So keeping 4* troops as currently in Empires will still let outliers who grind a lot, and outliers who spend a lot, and users who do both, still have a possible improvement without locking away huge parts of the game world and game experience.

Fully leveled

With the 50 day built in cool down,

the diminishing returns of 4* 4.70 / 5* 4.80 heroes,

the need for 3x to 5x of each color 4* 4.70 / 5* 4.80 heroes for color stacking ( and war ),

the fact that most heroes are not good, the fact that most heroes are not bad,

the fact that most heroes are just okay,

means fully leveled 4* 4.70 / 5* 4.80 will not destroy game balance or the casino revenue of the summons portals. This can already be seen by big spenders still spending to get, and power level, the new HotM.

250 days to a rainbow 5* 4.80 team,
500 days to a 2x rainbow 5* 4.80 team,
750 days to a 3x rainbow 5* 4.80 team,
1,250 days to a 5x rainbow 5* 4.80 team,

will not destroy Empires or its business model.

But it would unlock so much of the game play.

But it would mitigate the impact of a HotM business model on the rest of the user base.

This is a great opportunity to make the playing experience less like looking at a rich owner’s mansion through a dirty window while making T-shirts in a sweat shop and more like exploring the vast, beautiful, fascinating, world the Devs have coded. You cannot give everyone “God mode” software clients, but you could make every user feel like a god, goddess or non binary entity with great cosmic power.

Avatar

I am disappointed that no avatars are included with the Valor Path. Even a placeholder avatar.

Limited time cosmetics are a huge draw for seasonal passes/ battle passes.

Notes

Click for notes

Troops

@Gryphonknight

In general, a 3* lvl 3 troop is better than a maxed 2* lvl 15 troop and a 4* lvl 1 troops is better than a 3* lvl 9 troop, so I keep three of every 3* and 4* troop for use with my 3 color teams since you don’t even have to level a 3* or 4* troop to have them become immediately useful, see above, but if you don’t have them,

@Gryphonknight

In other words, @Pois1 is correct–you won’t find better troop drops than 8-7 anywhere else. But I’d note that you should find the same troop drop rate in all of season 1, provinces 5~8, (Also provinces 1~4, but it isn’t a good place to farm, and consequently my data is thinner and so is my confidence.)

@Gryphonknight

All troop drops appear to be ~75% 1* / ~25% 2* Hero drops appear to be the same 75/25 mix.

Perseus

@Gryphonknight

Perseus

@Poippels

For those who get him, any recommendation to level or not?

Gryphonkit, my wife, and I have Perseus since the first time they were available. We both have every blue paladin HotM in the game. merciless RNG is weird

Roster

( say it all together) Leveling Perseus really depends on your roster.

Field Aid

And how much you hate enemy healers / Field Aid ( WR ).

(Can we just get rid of Field Aid already? - #103 by Gryphonknight)

5*+1

Gryphonkit, my wife, loves Perseus at 5*+1 .

5* 3.70

I use my Perseus 5* 3.70 all the time, especially in Field Aid ( War Rule ). Usually in a 3x neutral blue stack. Non dispellable, -100% healing for 4 turns on a fast mana speed special skill will usually take out 2-3 enemy heroes during Field Aid (WR). Was really helpful with Rigard in a corner during old Revenge bar. Arrow Barrage is significantly weaker.

I have a ton of blue in my roster, so unlikely to level Perseus to 5* 4.1+ .

5* 3.70 heroes, and 4* 3.60 heroes, are also cheaper. Good for heroes you use mostly in war or tourneys. Hero XP, and 4* ascension items, are deliberately rare to increase IAP of summons and ascension items.

Magni

2 years, and 3x Isarnia, before I got Magni. I finally had to run 3x Legendary training to get purple 4* Cyprian, blue 5* Magni and purple 5* Sartana ( still missing green 5* Lianna and blue 5* Richard).

So lots of play styles concentrate on what you have in your roster, especially for 5* heroes.

4* ascension items

It also depends on how many ascension items you have.

@Gryphonknight

Play style- No remorse

([Play style] No Remorse 4*/ 5* leveling )

FIN

[MuadDib]

I’m going to go against the grain here.

Why put it on the pay side of the reward tree?

Why not actually reward players for completing POV without having to pay?

So you have successfully found a way to reinvigorate spending on POV, whilst keeping the same boring and completely lacklustre challenges?

Meh. Highly disappointed.

We want creativity.
We want diversity.
We want obtainability.

Alarms are going off. Time to wake up SG.

[ferg]

As someone who doesn’t buy the pov it’s not changing much for me personally, but I still think it’s a welcome change. The harvesters were rather useless, so pretty much everything else instead is an improvement.
I don’t think people who don’t buy pov will pay for it now, it already was one of the best deals in the game, so the majority of people not buying it was probably f2p anyway and won’t change. And those who bought the pov till now, will now get even a better deal.

I think one of the better changes in the last time.
And of course I wouldn’t mind if I get more things on the free side but it’s not worse than before so why shouldn’t I be happy for those paying getting something better now…

[Myaghi]

I’m glad they added the aether reward. It’s just the wrong colour for me so i’m not buying it

[Tortumini05]

I like the new reward of the VIP pass, but I feel bad for the people who don’t buy it, they should have given some 3* ether in free reward

[Jack.O.Kent]

Not happy, it should be the first reward rather than 49th sigh.

[Gryphonknight]

@ferg

harvesters were rather useless, so pretty much everything else instead is an improvement

TZS probably revamped PoV because shortly arriving Underwild Descending, plus Valhalla Forever, plus Atlantis Rising means harvesters are starting to work less, and less, of the time

FIN

[2puttshaqur]

Agreed. I stopped buying the pov, then eventually i only bothered getting up to 48 for the ascension mat… But now… Getting to 50 seems like i should… And buying the pov… So… They are trying to make money and I think they sold me on it. I’ll buy it towards the end though.

[CaptainFurface]

Yes those harvesters are worthless. Was going to use one recently during the Atlantis event but then I read the fine print and it said I couldn’t use it during special events like that. Very lame.

[dawnsempires]

except that the only event that boosts loot is Atlantis, and unless they decide to have the same perk for whatever the S4 event is going to be and then add it to Valhalla Forever, i don’t see the point of completely nuking the harvesters from the game. i personally liked them (most of them, anyway), but i can appreciate that more people would prefer the Aether III in that spot.