🧪 The Beta Beat (v23) [NOW RELEASED] – Sharing the Big Picture on What's Going on in Beta: Stronghold 22/23 & Alchemy Lab, New Challenge Event Heroes, New Knights of Avalon & Pirates of Corellia Challenge Events, Costumes, November/December HOTM

[zephyr1]

Beta Update

Beta for the new Knights of Avalon Challenge Event is now closed.

I’ll update this thread when the next Beta Version is released.

[Nikitas82]

Does anyone know how much iron was needed in the beta for the lvl22 and lvl23 stronghold??

[Bukefal]

The Beta Beat (v23) [NOW RELEASED] – Sharing the Big Picture on What's Going on in Beta: Stronghold 22/23 & Alchemy Lab, New Challenge Event Heroes, New Knights of Avalon & Pirates of Corellia Challenge Events, Costumes, November/December HOTM

NOTE: Please do not, under any circumstances, share IMAGES OR VIDEOS from Beta in this or any public Forum thread. Violations can cause players to lose their Beta accounts, or threads to be closed down. UPDATE: Version 23 Has Been Released (Release Notes) What’s this all about?

Click Here for Details About This Thread's Intention & Format

<a name="often-players-on-the-forum-wonder-about-whats-going-on-in-beta-3" class="anchor" href="#often-p…

[Bukefal]

@zephyr1 , @Kerridoc merge or close.

[Bud]

OP, your question is answered near the top of the “Beta Beat” thread above.

[zephyr1]

Merged, thanks!

[FraVit93]

The answer is “too much”.

[zephyr1]

Beta Update

Beta is now closed for internal testing. A new version of Beta is planned for release soon, aiming for tomorrow.

[KLinMayhem]

2.5 months since v22 came out. Whoa.

[zephyr1]

Yeah, definitely a big change from past release cycles.

I’m actually glad to see them taking more time on big features, and not rushing them out the door. Though Finnish holidays have definitely been a factor too.

The sheer number of different items they’ve been working on at once is interesting, though. It feels like we’re destined to go from a dry spell of releases to a deluge.

[DaveCozy]

@zephyr1

I’m actually glad to see them taking more time on big features, and not rushing them out the door.

As a full time developer that has worked in an environment where features are prioritized over quality, I agree with this 100%

[Obsidian]

@PeachyKeen

This sounds great… if today is opposites day. It’s not playing a game any more… this is not fun. this is grindy busy-work that is devoid of any sort of pleasure and the incentive to do so diminishes by the second.

I get that this (and many other games) is a superlatively-boring grind-fest with fleeting moments of satisfaction and extended periods of frustration. Have we all become slaves to the machine here?

“here let’s have them do more stuff that isn’t actually a game… I know… let’s have them move the data around to get them more stuff they think they need…”

At its core, it’s bejeweled with cards and the supporting mechanisms make the cards and jewels more powerful. I get that. But it just all seems overwhelming and too much.

The grind and the “it’s not a game anymore” is exactly why I quit playing other games I enjoyed. I started out lpaying a fun game. THen it started to resemble a job with balancing things. I have these things going so when there done I can do that. Then when that is done I can build X. With X I can make more Y. Then I can also do something else at the same time so that I don’t waste idle hours… I get that the games take server space to run and that money is the end goal but SG seems to really be pushing this approach. They have more money than most devs ever dream of. They have a RABID fan base from a MOBILE game that resembles a AAA console game from XBox or PS. While we don’t have insight into the metrics I, like many others, can’t see the harm in letting people have things that make sense. I get not giving everyone 5* from the gate and those that have them can’t use them since they can’t level them. The game balances that way. However, after 15 months there is no more content that is new. I spend more time here and other sites reading about the game than actually playing it. Why? because I really love it. I love the heroes and the new costumes and hoping that one day they will pop out of my TC20 or the portal. I have finished heroes in TC20 now but I collect them in batches which is hard since I want to know if that icon might be hiding a 5* and its sitting there waiting for me! I posted my last results and a few people asked how I could be so patient to pull 30x (3 x 10) from TC20. Its hard.
And Mythwars, for as bad a clone as it is, does have the one thing most people want here. They have free gold tokens that can actually be earned. The odds are the same as here(well actually everything is since it is an exact copy, hero skills and all, HOTM, etc) but at least you get a chance to summon something and see the flashing lights and hope that a sweet 5* pops out…LOL. And that summon portal is very captivating. Look at the videos of pulls on YT. Tons of views, people living vicariously through those that can do 100x pulls or more in atlantis or events. Waiting to see what will pop out and hoping you will be that lucky.
SG, remember this is a GAME, not a job for us. It is a job for YOU. You get paid, we are here for fun. I love the game. I actually installed it after I kept getting the little demo as an ad in another game I played for months daily all day. This is the longest I played any mobile game and most I ever spent on a mobile game. I have so much time and effort invested that I don’t want to walk away like most people. Just give us a bone…or a free 5* hotm(pleaaaaase)

[grzechol]

@zephyr1

Though Finnish holidays have definitely been a factor too.

And remember they have 5 weeks of paid holiday leave in Finland

[Saphira38]

In the Beta tests are the titans still not over 12 *?

[zephyr1]

There have been 13* and 14* Titans in Beta for a long time.

[KalamityKaspar]

@MysterySpin

1. Ascension material rarities need re-classifying

It’s pretty obvious when you look at the numbers of each ascension material in your inventory that farmable 3* materials and unfarmable 3* materials are not remotely the same rarity tier. Given how they’re treated differently by AL6 and AL9 in current iteration the developers acknowledge this. Re-classifying 3* unfarmable AMs as 4* AMs and the current 4* AMs as 5* AMs could simplify a solution here…

Thank you, I’ve been meaning to suggest this very thing for awhile… I second this proposition, as it would make AM Inventory much clearer!

[It also makes more sense in that it would make unfarmable AM’s match the respective heroes they are to ascend: 4* AM’s for 4* heroes, 5* AM’s for 5* heroes.]

[zephyr1]

Beta Update

A new version of Beta has been released with a large number of updates. This is also the first time we’ve seen both Challenge Event updates (currently Knights of Avalon) and Alchemy Lab in Beta at the same time.

Some of the items included in this Beta version:

• Alchemy Lab has returned with changes to the Alkashard amounts. I’ve updated the top post to contain all of the Alchemy Lab Level information.

• Marie-Thérèse and Bauchan have had balance changes, which I’ve updated in the threads on them

• Challenge Event completion reward will be given even if final stage completed after event ended

• Two new HOTM added: Neith, November 2019 and Grimble, December 2019

• 13- and 14-star Titans (these have been in Beta for a long time, but are specifically mentioned in the Release Notes this time)

• New Pins added to the Avatar Shop

[Rfm]

Great News!
Specially the titan ones!
Cant wait for… (your updates😂)

[zephyr1]

@Rfm

Cant wait for… (your updates😂)

I’ve created new threads for the two new HOTM, updated the Alchemy Lab details in the top post of this thread, and updated the threads on Marie-Thérèse, Bauchan, and Black Knight.

[Rfm]

You are the Man!