The datacrons destroyed the game

The main thing on my mind is your definition of 'equality'.

What was the equality and what do you feel should be the equality?

I pay very little on this game and nothing on datacrons.  Yet, in most PvP match ups, I have the datacron advantage.  Unless you're in the top half of Kyber 1 where they consistently farm for certain stats, they're not P2W.

I don't think they've destroyed the game.  I'm also not sure how positive they are.  I think in 3v3 GAC they can be awful, but on the whole I don't dislike them.  However, I probably would if I knew just how many crystals I have invested, which was probably CG's goal.

There are positives though.  They give you rewards for farming the extra nodes in Conquest for you feats.  They also continually update the meta without permanently power creeping.

I think the FDCs of the batch before last were ridiculous.  However, it appears that CG took note of that and have released a much better batch this time.

DC's brought a much needed refresh to combat.  With the "short' lifespans, it causes spenders to spend more often to remain competitive and theorycrafters make CG testers look like, well I don't know what but it's not good.
Yes, many DCs are "broken". We are going to be stuck with a JMK, Ezra, Hyoda cron based squd that times out for months.  I wish CG would be transparent on their testing.  I assume they do not theory craft much.  Same with the Rolo cron that is much better with CLS or Bokatan and not a Rolo FDC-specified toon on the squad.  Look at the DV FDC, it's a big old resource sink that results in winning against B/C level squads only, if used as intended otherwise just use it for stats.  
What was the comment or question again?

It's a pay to win feature of the game. Working as intended.

When will people like OP realize that dcrons bring much needed variety to PVP? Without dcrons there is no Sidcron, no current Wampacron, no QA + Krennicron, no SoJ/Fennec FDC from the previous set. 

Without dcrons, the only variety in PVP would be new characters and given how much whining there is on this message board about new characters being awful, or not lore-approved, or being whale-bait not afforded to F2P, I am absolutely certain that if dcrons didn't exist, OP would be here complaining that F2P need a new mechanic to spice things up and give them a chance to punch up against new characters, which is exactly what dcrons are. 

I get your point, and yes—there is effort and strategy involved in Datacron deployment. But the issue isn’t whether players invest or not; it’s how disproportionate the impact of that investment can be. The gap between those who can afford to chase optimal Datacrons and those who can't is wider than with rosters, because Datacrons rotate and expire, forcing constant reinvestment.

Also, while strategy exists, it’s layered on top of mechanics that often feel arbitrary—like RNG stats or limited reroll options. That randomness can undermine strategic planning, especially when two players of equal skill face off but one has access to vastly superior Datacrons.

So yes, effort matters. But when effort is gated by resources and RNG, it starts to feel less like strategy and more like chasing luck. That’s where the frustration comes from.

Its not random- you invest (effort or paid) in Datacrons or you don't (no effort). One gets you an earned advantage the other doesn't.

Its similar to how some players will have superior rosters due to either a paid or time investment and others don't. Its not as if Datacrons are purely accessible to heavy spenders.

Also nonsense to say strategy isn't rewarded, there is strategy in what Datacrons to put on defence and what to save for attack, its just an extra layer to similar stratagies for team deployment.

This further takes away from your "random advantage" claim as in GAC players can't just stick all their best Datacrons down on defence as a skilled opponent who has chosen balanced or perhaps all out attack Datacron use can potentially clear more effeciently and the defence heavy player may struggle to clear at all..

This of course can work vice versa where the defence heavy gambit will win because the balanced or attack minded player is less skilled at attack and the defence minded player is good at off-meta couners.

Either way there is a good mount of strategy involved both prior to a battle and during battles. Any advantage players get from Datacrons is not random as thy have chosen to invest in certain ones and deployed them in such a way to try and get the maximum advantage from them. That's both "effort and strategy" not "random".

Not necessarily. It's more about creating a fair playing field where effort and strategy are rewarded, rather than random advantages.

xyki5ni5ygcu wrote:

When will they realize that the datacrons destroyed the game and broke the equality between players?

How so, by separating the folks that are trying to improve and those that don't?