New Player Experience (Gear/Credit Crunch)

"_Marec_;d-258106" wrote:
Long post, sorry.

So I started nearly 4 months ago after the May the 4th events this year posted by some content creators. Saw some really cool community members and guild leaders, so figured I'd give the game a shot. So far, really enjoying things being a huge SW fan, but the new player experience leaves alot to be desired.

For starters, the Hyperdrive or Lightspeed bundle (forgot the name) is nice at bringing your account to level 85 and gear 8 for a few dozen characters/ships. I added in some other packs to buy credits, gear, & relic mats (about $500) and it got me 1 character at relic 3 with the rest at gear 8.

But, after a few months, I realized relic 3 is pretty much the current minimum. Otherwise, you can't experience current things like datacrons, proving grounds, and other recent content.

Now before I say anything that may sound bad, I understand the time/effort put in by the older players, and that is certainly commendable to be at the game from the start. Your time, money, & effort should stand out, more so than a new player's. So by no means do I expect for new players to be lifted to relic 8-9 with aptly-priced packs through this feedback.

Back to my feedback, my overall issue is the significant price tag and time gate to be a new player with access to the currently advertised content. This game is almost a decade old and with the beginner pack stopping at gear 8, you need to spend thousands of dollars or years of play just to have a few viable teams at relic 3+ to access current things like datacrons. Being placed so far behind is a punishment to any who want to start playing this game, especially when other hero collector games like MSF or Raid actually bring you up to a decent starting point as a new player with significantly cheaper starter packs.

In SWGOH, there never seem to be enough credits, ship building materials, gear, or early relic mats. The entry gates to each gear or relic tier are massive. Older content, like individual character leveling to 85 or gear 12, that should have been made easier as new gates arrive just aren't there. Imagine telling someone that they'll never catch up, no matter how much time/effort they invest, all because they started the game too late. It's just not a feasible long-term model.

It's a longshot, but ultimately I hope this feedback helps CG in providing a better new player experience. As older players take breaks or stop playing, it would be nice to incentivize more new players to join and catch up. That way they can help fund the game for the future.

I will say this community of players and guild leaders holding the game together are really great from what I've experienced. There are so many helpful people and videos/guides out there, which new players like myself are very grateful for. With such a great community of existing players, it would be awesome if the developer did more to attract and retain newer players.