Same issue. I got to level 7 yesterday. Today I am stuck at 7 because I can't do anything to increase damage and you can't get mats to level up without increasing damage. Either we are missing something and they think it would be fun for us to waste time discovering it on our own or this is the same math they used when they said the raid rewards were going to be better when going to the new raid system.
You can buy packs with crystals, which is technically "free to play", but you have to spend time hoarding them, and not everyone can afford to allocate them as a resource if they are developing their accounts anyway.
I'm waiting for the executor event now, so I'm not using 1-2k crystals to upgrade an era character I can't even use in the game.
It was a bait and switch by CG. f2p without packs won't be able to get era characters to level 65. No shot. Even with crystal packs, I think you'd struggle getting anywhere near level 65. The sheer amount of materials and currency needed is too high compared to what you generate in-game and in those packs. It's simply a pay-to-win feature.
Capital Games Team
