The New FTP Strategy

General Discussion
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With the arrival of Fated Summon, this is the strategy I will be personally implementing as an FTP.

Happy for anyone to critique.

Step 1: Save and hoard gems. Mystic vision and all that. The usual.

Step 2. Choose the portal with the cheapest* summon rate
[*Note: be sensible about this. Balance this with the type of portal, obviously don’t do a stupid portal like elemental summon; ideally pick a portal that has no classic heroes eg Challenge Festivals].

That would be 10 summons for 2,600 gems.

Eg. Challenge Festivals 1 & 2:

This is still cheaper (30 summons for 7,800 gems) than the other portals (Eg. Atlantis is 30 summons for 8,400 gems; Covenant is 30 Summons for 9,400 gems)

IF POSSIBLE DON’T go for the expensive portals. [PS WHAT IS THE COST OF BLACK FRIDAY SUMMONS?] Because you want to maximise the number of summons with your gems, for the Fated Summon.***

Step 3: Reach 100 summons exactly; don’t go over and don’t do a 10 pull when on 95 as that is a waste.

Step 4: When you reach 100 summons, pick a hero from Fated Summon

Step 5: Repeat, for as long as the list of Fated Summons is available.

Step 6: While doing Steps 1-5, have at least 3 TC20s running, to hoard 5* heroes, in anticipation of Soul Exchange. Keep HA10 running too…

Step 6b: Check this store for weekly gifts, which can include coins: http://empiresandpuzzles.com/ [MONDAYS]

Step 7: Rinse and repeat…

Tagging @Muchacho because I kept forgetting to tag him but there are plenty of others I’d like to tag… :slight_smile:

What do y’all think?!

Thanks!

*The above strategy assumes the heroes on offer aren’t around forever (or that it is time sensitive)…hence the manic rush to get to 100 and be a relative portal “cheapskate” but this could well change if, for example, the Fated Summon heroes are around for a long time… It also assumes that you really want a handful of heroes in the Fated Summon; admittedly they may be behind the current meta, but still, if that’s what you want…

** The above strategy is also subject to new info on the next round of Fated Summon heroes. If I see a good one in the next round, I will hoard gems.

*** Of course I will still be using my reward pulls after completing various quests for different events…

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Solid advice. You gotta maximize if there’s a fated hero you want. Nice job!

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Yup. It doesn’t hurt than CF1 and 2 don’t have any S1 heroes, so they are a better place to pull anyway.
I asked about Black Friday and the answer I got was 350 a summon 3000 for 10 and 8400 for 30

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you will eventually get to 100. don’t waste your possible desires to come true even if it comes 1 month later. i’ll do the black friday pulls

fyi: except the cheapest portal part, i already applied that since i started this game.

gl to you, my fellow f2p! :smiley:

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I agree with everything except for using the cheapest summoning portal

That’s a solid strategy as those portals don’t contain season 1. I’ll be using my gems on Black Friday and Summer Solstice only for the near future. Cost is fairly normal,

It’s not the cheapest gem wise, but I figure if I’m doing a lot of summoning, this is my best chance to get more of the heroes I don’t have.

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I’m out of likes but excellent points from everyone above, I have added a caveat to the description “cheapest portal”; best to pick the most sensible, cheapest portal if possible - that means no classics, if possible

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I think the absolutely critical question, is: How long do we have before the list refreshes?!

The above strategy assumes the heroes aren’t around forever…hence the manic rush to get to 100 and be a relative portal “cheapskate” hahaha…

@PlayForFun, do you happen to know when we might find out the answer to this question? :slight_smile:

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Just a thought, but it doesn’t matter as long as there is always one active. There is always going to be one good hero that you don’t have. So no need to really push for it.

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You’re sacrificing a whole lot to get a single hero. I’d say you’re giving up chances for some really game changing pulls in order to get a single hero that’s not going to be all that important in the long run.

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This obviously varies on where you’re at in the game. For me personally, I am not going to target the cheapest portal.

I lack so many heroes in so many portals, as likely most F2P of any level do, that would be very beneficial. I also currently have a deep enough roster to get by. Given there isn’t a urgency due to my existing depth I am going to summon at every portal that has heroes that add value, which is most as a FTP. The difference in time between good portal and cheapest-only to get to 100, which is still a lot, is minuscule comparatively. Maybe you reach 100 1-2 portals sooner :man_shrugging:. I am guessing at best this table changes quarterly. Given how many good heroes I DON’T have, I am sure the next table will have good heroes too if it changes on me.

A speed, or cheap portal argument could be made if you’re newer, but if you’re newer the number of heroes to add value is even higher than mine currently. Also, nearly every hero you get is going to be mat stuck if you summoning that many that fast. Generally not a fan of cheapest-only.

As for gem use, my gems are solely reserved for non-S1 portals at this point. I won’t summon CF1 because I have all the 3’s and 4’s from HA and the odds of 5’s are garbage. Another factor is how few heroes in CF2 I have. I will happily use gems in CF2, Black Friday, and Summer Solctice. After another round or two of CF2 I will likely stop summoning there too as I will have a lot of 3’s and 4’s. It also means I pretty much never have enough for a 10 pull before the next non-S1 comes around. I am fine with this for now given the high percentage payoff of new unique non-S1’s.

This same model is generally true for challenge event coins. That being said I have the following stipulations:

  • Last time I summoned gargoyles with coins because they are not in the CF portals and are good. I will not summon gargoyles again though. I think gargoyles are mostly jerks now.

  • Every time CoK comes around I spend my gems too. It has gotten me Wren, Ferent, and Aderyn. Those are nice heroes, but the true target is Franz. CoK coins are unique to CoK, so I will always burn those. I am unsure if I will continue to burn gems. Given you only get a single summon per event for completion that means I am basically throwing in the towel on Franz from CoK except for a lucky SS or BF pull.

I say it elsewhere, but in terms of picking a hero from an SE or FS table I do it slightly different from others it seems. My highest priority is a titan booster. The reason being titans are the most frequent and best source of mats for F2P. Literally daily opportunity. Nothing else comes close to frequency except maybe a D team hero, but you get crap as a bonus for D team performance in general.

I WOULD NEVER DO AN SE OR FS TRADE FOR A D TEAM HERO.

Now back to titans. I have Ranvir currently. My main hope for a boost is Franz as they stack. That being said I really think Tarlak would be my first hero taken from the FS chart once I hit 100. No one else seems to have this view point, which is fine. They probably have Franz already, like @sleepyhead . They’re re not wrong, I am just more right :wink: Experiencing a life of titan hits without misses is something I have not known in 4 years of play. I literally can only imagine…

Second is an EDD in green, purple, or blue. Red and yellow you make do from HA alright enough. These make you better in multiple facets and are hard to get. Unfortunately no one fits this bill on the proposed FS portal. Moot point.

Next is mana control, so Onatel would be my second choice. I am essentially looking for most frequent benefit to the game. Mana control is great in events, PvP, PvE, etc.

After these there are too many variables and too many worthy heroes to specifically list. Given how long 100 summons takes me I am only getting an FS table hero 1 maybe 2 times a year anyway. That’s still 2 non-S1 heroes I wouldn’t have had before, don’t get me wrong, it’s great. I am just not worried about running out of viable FS table options or anything.

Good luck out there!

:beers:

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I’m curious-what level titans is your alliance hitting? Have you changed alliances to increase your Titan loot?

I have not prioritized Titan heroes for the simple reason that I do not find that area of the game to be as much fun-it is mostly monotonous without the ability to auto play like I do when farming. I do sometimes wonder if I would feel differently if I was hitting stronger titans (we max out around 8 stars)

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It can be monotonous. I do enjoy it in general though. We fight predominantly 9’s and 10’s. Depending on timing and color we can take an 11 here and there.

Part of it is I enjoy big scores, but I also do get more good loot from titans than anywhere else. They are challenging enough too at this stage I still have dud attacks and can die before the timer. Previously at the 7-8* range and under dying was never a concern.

:beers:

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I would also add I don’t prioritize hitter highly, especially pure hitters. Secondary effects are different and are almost necessary for me to consider a trade in. Ever portal beats the previous ones hitters. They’re getting to be so strong you’re splitting hairs of they kill a hero with 30% extra damage wasted where as this weaker one only has 25% extra damage wasted.

For damage alone my emblemed S1’s and few lucky pulls are fine. I win more by buffs, ailments, and other effects that pure damage dealers are not valued highly. F2P don’t win by shoot out typically and one good pull won’t change that on a whole.

:beers:

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@Muchacho makes some great points and he is absolutely correct: it varies on where you’re at in the game.

I have never ever obtained a 5* from a challenge event. And I don’t expect that to change. I like to go for sure things.

Of course, I will still use my free pulls from quest rewards. To me, that is enough.

But if I see two or more heroes in the Fated Summons that I really like, I will aim to get them all.

Of course, if new information comes to light and I see that there are better heroes at the next Fated Summon after a refresh, then that is a different story. Until I see that though, I plan based on what I can see right now.

Some excellent points made by everyone about going for the portals with the game changing heroes; but I have been disappointed too many times to pursue that path. Hence I don’t mind devoting my energies to CF2 for now and the relatively cheaper portals…

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Concur with the reasoning here, but that I think a 10 pull at Black Friday for 3k is worth it compared to a 10 pull challenge at 2600, just for potential access to some of the other heros I don’t have. But otherwise 100% agree. I have been saving all my gems for months waiting for it, hoping to have enough for two 10 pulls and hoarding all my free pull coins as soon as I heard about Fated, just so I can maximize my counter… especially since the RNG treats me like I wronged it in a past life somehow

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My general strategy is: use summons to make my roster better, not just bigger. Currently for me, that means red heroes first, blue second. I try to “increase” my odds by including HoTM’s in my decision.

This means that I hold summons until the “right” heroes are featured. I’m not putting excessive weight on the gem cost, as a new, roster changer is more important to me than one of the older heroes.

I like the titan killer heroes, especially EDD heroes. I do have Tarlak already, otherwise he would be my first choice. I rarely use Tarlak in raids/wars, but my other titan killers are the foundation of my teams.

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So, let’s set aside the speed of getting to 100 for a moment and talk about portals: We have had lots of posts about saving for Black Friday, but I’m starting to question whether It is really any better than CF2, especially since it is more expensive. It might have a slightly better upside in the W3K heroes, etc, but it also has a bigger downside in offering us our 9th Muggy.

For those who are prioritizing it, what makes it so appealing to you?

(Also, for the record, I love my Muggy)

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Me too. I am wondering this as well.

Indeed, we’re on the same page! The problem is I hardly have any non-classic 5*, so by definition, any of the Fated Summon non-classic heroes would make my roster bigger and better LOL

And any of the CF2 heroes (even 3*, 4*…) would be new heroes for me, as I’ve been away from the game for 2-3 years…

So I guess it is a bit different if you already have enough CF2 and CF1 heroes; having said that, even if I were in that position I would probably still summon at the cheapest ~most sensible~ portal to speed up / maximise the number of Fated Summons I can get, if possible…

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At that’s what I am questioning. Last time, it kind of went well, but I’d be hard-pressed to remember any key heroes that I got. Capt Kestrel was my only legendary (useful as I need the red damage dealers), but I think I got a bunch of dups (even if they weren’t S1 dups). And sad to say, my most used hero out of that batch is Kornel who I use against green titans.
I think CF2 for me is a better deal as I have a slightly lower chance of dups there. I have no Slayers, just the 3* Villains, but got the 3 and 4 star circus… as well as Zhabog. Hard to say I guess. I have 4600 gems, but not thinking of spending them on summons.
Edit: But then I save my challenge coins for CF2, so no need to really spend gems there.

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I was studying the Slayers cards - is it just me or are most of them not that good? Or am I completely missing something here… Maybe Cathal is decent.

They seem to be mainly stack driven but it seems to me that most battles end well before the stack goes up (of course, there is the odd exception or two)