Any 3* work? Including tall boots and battle manual? If they get rid of the gem requirement, I do think this would be really good.
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Yes, the example I saw used boots.
Wow, that one sounds like itās actually worth spending gems on then. I mean, 200 is way too many, butā¦
Wow, 2000 gems and 120 3* items to get a damascus blade. I donāt see myself using that recipe tbh.
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1 Damascus blade and 9 3* unfarmable materials for 120 items and 2000 gems. Make it the other way around(2k items and 120 gems) and youāve got a deal for sure.
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I really canāt get passed the gem cost. One of the aspects that made this game fair for F2P and P2P is that you really couldnāt buy ascension materials. You could buy a couple, but for the most part, we are all in the same boat. I donāt like ascension materials switching to P2P friendly that way. I am a moderate spender, but I donāt see myself spending on thisā¦
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And to think I expected something like a simple random convert with a lengthy wait time.
I honestly thought this building would be something like āhey, youāve played for 2 years already, weāll give you a chance to slowly convert some stuff you got more of into random stuff of the same rarityā.
Something like:
3* ascension mat + resources + lengthy wait time = random 3* ascension mat
4* ascension mat + resources + lengthy wait time = random 4* ascension mat
Which, while not guaranteeing to do it in short time, would let you convert mats you are overflowing with into other mats of the same rarity.
But spending loads of gems on a random re-roll? And usually getting less mats, too? Iām not even going to comment on that idea.
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To be clear, I would absolutely pay 2k gems for 1 4* and 9 3* unfarmable ascension materials
There is indeed.
Level 9 of the Alchemy Lab makes it possible to turn 3* Ascension Mats ā including farmables ā into Unfarmable 3* and 4* Mats.
But current testing indicates that a 4* mat is obtained roughly 5% of the time. So itās not a reliable way to get a particular ā or any ā 4* mat.
And it still costs gems.
And the math on getting a specific item you want is stillā¦
ā¦describable mostly with words I canāt use on the Forum. 
Thatās good, because that wouldnāt be anywhere near enough, on average.
Youād be lucky to even get any 4* mat from that many runs, let alone the one you actually wanted.
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I would have no problem with 2 day wait times and doing that many runsā¦ if they get rid of the ridiculous gem cost. Getting ascension mats has always supposed to be about putting time into the game. Not money. You get event heroes with money. Mats with time. I hate that they are changing that now.
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First - thanks for taking the time to put this together. It IS appreciated. If nothing else it helps to prepare for the next pushes.
Iām C2P on this account and have an alt that will remain F2P. In both cases, as it sits, Alchemy Lab wonāt even be considered for use due to the gem cost. With the quests, events, chests, and mystic vision I can afford to be patient for the mats I need to ascend my heroes.
I definitely agree this is widening the gap between those that spend and those that donātā¦and its the wrong way to be headed.
Iāve already heard similar feedback from my alliance members.
I like the suggestion of making it available earlier like the barracks. SG you listening on that one???
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True, if the chances are close to 5% I imagine people will run out of 3* items and gems before getting the 4* item they want.
Kind of like TC 20, people get their first 5* hero after some months.
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Sure.
If tc20 also cost 200 gems per hero trained.
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At the current cost, youād probably be better off buying the ā2-3 of the followingā RNG packs from the store, actually. (Which I wouldnāt buy because Iām a cheapskateā¦)
If the gem cost stays, Iām simply not going to waste my time with the alchemy lab. Without the gem cost, I could see using level 9 to reduce the backlog of scabbards, chainmails, battle books and tall boots. Without the gem cost, I could even see converting a 4* mat to a different 4* mat over the course of a couple weeks of tries ā it would likely be faster than waiting for said mat to drop ānaturallyā.
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I agree. I also have never bought those RNG packs. They arenāt worth it. You are better off saving gems to do Atlantis summons and fill the ascension chest.
I really do think the levels are decent as is, as long as SG gets rid of that gem cost. I have a ton of tome of tactics, more than I could use anytime in the foreseeable future. Iād be willing to convert a 4* mat. I need more scopes and tonicsā¦ it just takes so long to get all those buildings maxed, if a free player manages that and then sees they are priced out of using the buildingā¦ no. Thatās horrible.
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If SG is really adamant on gems being a part of this. Maybe instead of a cost in gems for every trade, doing the research to be able to perform the conversion should cost gems. That way a free player could save up to unlock the research(which would just cost food, items, and time after being unlocked). SG gets their gems and everyone can use itā¦
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Buildings need to produce f2p accessible products.
If they want to make money, and keep a thriving community, they need to be more creative in what they offer outside of the common ground that is the stronghold and its buildings.
Itās the core of the game. The place where money is not really imbalancing the game.
It needs to stay that way, I think, on a moral levelā¦
Also as it is I just agree with what most people have already said.
Too expensive in mats, time, gems,
Not rewarding enough, and the ridiculous possibility of ending with the same mat we wanted to tradeā¦
Not well targeted and leveled to usefulness of featuresā¦
Butā¦
There is a lot of very reasonable , interesting ideas posted here, some of which I would spend gems onā¦
Iām curious and willing to be impressedā¦
SGā¦?
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@zephyr1, thank you, as always, for this information. I donāt think I need to add my thoughts, as that wouldnāt really add to the conversation in this thread. However, I do want to ask: It was mentioned in the AMA that training troops may be a future possibility. Has there been any further indication of where or how that may happen?
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That was mentioned as a possibility for the Advanced Training Camp during the AMA, which has been rolled into plans for the Hero Academy, from what weāve been told.
Since thatās not in Beta yet, I have no insight into whether that will still end up being a possibility.
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Who here would pay 50 gems to convert 10 3* farmable materials to 1 nonfarmable material with a 95/5% of 3/4 stars and a two day wait time? I would
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