Where is the fun?

The fun is when you can win a GAC or TW against the whale players while spending little to nothing. Those instances are increasing few and farther in between because not only are the new characters always broken, and not nerfed until everyone has them, but also because they get a ridiculous datacron to make them unbeatable for a few months.

So yeah, a chore to not fall behind while waiting for CG to make the game great again…

You said it.

It wasn't for nothing if you were enjoying it at the time you spent it.

I can agree with that sentiment. Still makes the game harder to put down which I guess is by design.

And I'm even in support of Datacrons as it keeps GAC interesting. But new set every month has just added another stressor in trying to not fall behind. Rush to sector 4 farm it for a week then finish red crate the next week. It's a very time consuming chore in hopes of having fun in GAC or to atleast not be obliterated in it.

So, here are my feelings....I'm kind of a fence sitter.

I started at the end of 2017 and I feel the game is significantly better than it was then.  There wasn't a Grand Arena. The characters were very simple; one person's CLS was alike to another person's CLS. Teams were very basic; we had a few squads but not like it is today.  There was no conquest.  TB has so much more depth now, etc., etc.

I feel the game is much, much better than it was then.  I don't think I could go back to that game.  However, the pressures on players have increased and because of that, maybe some fun has been lost along the way.

I also feel that the game is in a lot worse of a state than it was a year or 2 years ago.  It is extremely worrying that the game is regressing with CGs clear intention to chase every nickel and dime. They appear to be OK with sacrificing player satisfaction for a penny.  Up to 6-8 months ago I trusted that CG knew what they were doing and would do the right thing. I no longer believe this to be the case.  I feel they have absolutely zero perspective from the players' point of view, are totally unaware about how the game is interacting with us (current squish in high Kyber, for example) and care little for something or someone if it isn't going to bring in money.  For me to lose the trust like this is quite the realisation. 

As I said, I started in 2017 and was extremely casual to mid 2020.  After this, I started watching content creators and adapting.  I could visibly see my progress, which was extremely rewarding.  From that point until November last year I was really dedicated and quite satisfied.  From then on though, I have not been.  Like the OP, I have so much invested in this account.......I doubt I'd quit, but in all honesty another year like this last year, and I may change my mind.  I certainly wouldn't recommend this game to a new player and I'd avoid another CG product like the plague now.

Raids came up as a topic in the forums a day or so ago and that's an archetypal mode where things have just become grim.  OK, this has been happening for a few years, but the example is still valid.  In the old days, raids were exciting.  They were launched, and you did your bit and you got unique rewards.  Then a different raid opened up, you did different things and got different rewards.  Now, you only do one raid.  I dread repeating the same 5 battles again and again and again.  I get frustrated at spending half an hour trying to recreate what I have been doing for the last 6 months.  I'd rather my score just magically appeared and I didn't have to look at the wretched thing.  Then eventually it'll get replaced..................which should be positive but isn't, as you have to collect all the new teams before you can get back to the same rewards again.  Of course, the new raid will be tied to the new characters.  "What? That GL fits thematically to the raid?  Oh! but he's not new, so that's a no-no".   CG has a weather maker and is intent on making cloudy, cloudy days.

That said though, it's not all negative.  I'm a big fan of GAC and that transformed the game for me.  Even there though, with recent changes it isn't what it was a year ago. 

The game's certainly better than it was 'in the good ole days'. It's just not as good as it was not that long ago, in a galaxy not very far away....

Honestly, I try to get most tasks done quickly in the morning as I'm getting ready for work.  GAC is terrible as ftp as I am always fighting whales and facing tons of r10 with a thousand datacrons that I just can't match.  Even ship arena is a chore due to more and more people getting their 7* levis and taking their shot at the top.

Conquest has gotten better and I can consistently hit red box after six to seven days, with only doing the 50 crystal refreshes each day.

Current raid is fine because I have my r9 Hondo, JMMW, and Tarkin short man teams that are pretty easy to run.

The problem, especially as a ftp, is the constant power creep.  Datacrons and relic delta are a constant problems for me as is the slow rate of omi progress.  With the current era system, my crystals have been eaten up by the 12 pack pulls.  I am probably dropping that due to the changes that make those packs worthless due to the lack of upgrade materials and the inability to g13 era toons.  That will allow me to get back to farming signal data to raise relics.  Pre relic delta, I would say the minimum viability for any new toon was r5.  Since then, it is at least r7 if not r8.  I'm currently working on various toons that were r5 to get them to r7 to finish off teams that weren't all r7.  Then it is working on teams that are all r5 to bump them to r7.  Of course, that will get derailed with next GL to work on and the eventual new raid.  As for omis, it is about time we get some ships again in conquest.  To constantly be given 3 omi characters every three months is just too much.  No ftp can keep up.  Granted the conquest characters don't always need the omis, but sometimes you feel obligated to do so.  At this point, I have managed to finish them all except Jocasta and Cobb.  However, we now get the era toons that also require 3 omis on the legendary toon at the same pace.  It is just not sustainable.

More or less, this has become more of an obsessive daily chore than a fun game.