It’s a Trap! Avoiding 20 Common Newcomer Pitfalls in SWGoH
I’ve been playing this game since hard launch at the end of November, and I’ve been very active on the forums since around the same time. Probably too active. :) But my presence here has given me a unique opportunity to read a lot of comments from other players, especially new ones. I’ve observed some common trends in the complaints and laments that are frequently posted, so I put this together in the hope that it will help some of you avoid common mistakes.
Note that, of necessity, nearly all of this is my opinion, and I’m sure there are folks who will disagree with some or all of what is below. Also, this guide assumes you know the basics. If you don’t, here are two great sites to help:
http://www.swgohcantina.com/
https://swgohdb.com/heroes/
The items below are not listed in any particular order except for the first one, which is at the top for a reason: it is the single biggest and most costly mistake made by new players.
1. Going “half-in” on chromium cards
Basically, there are two ways to get and power up characters in the game: buying chromium card packs, or farming shards in various ways (missions, shipments, etc.) Of course, you can do both. Chromium cards offer the lure of instant gratification: you can open a pack and instantly receive an entire character. You can also get shards to level them up very quickly. There are also characters that are only available in chromium packs (Old Ben, Leia, Aayla Secura, Lando and others) and some that are so slow to farm that they are only practicel to get from these packs (Ewok Elder, etc.)
But there are two serious issues with chromium cards.
First, they are random. People who have good luck with these packs race to the forums with excitement and tell everyone what great stuff they got. But you are just as likely to get shards for Royal Guard and Ugnaught as you are for Old Ben or Count Dooku. Probably more likely, in fact, because there are fewer great characters than mediocre or bad ones. It is entirely possible that you spend $20 and get junk. It is entirely possible that you spend another $20 and AGAIN get junk.
You must remember this and be prepared for it. Chromium packs are gambling. They are designed to appeal to those who like to gamble, and even to those who do so impulsively.
Second, the chromium-only characters can be unlocked quickly and easily, but can only be leveled up by getting more shards from chromium packs. So you might get lucky on your first pack and unlock, say, Princess Leia. But she starts at 2*. If you want her any higher, you need to keep buying packs. Some characters, like Vader or Barriss Offee, are viable at 4*. But most are not when competing against farmed characters that are 6* or 7*.
The really big spenders (“whales”) get around this problem easily: they just buy TONS of packs. There are people who have bought so many packs they not only have gotten all (or nearly all) of the characters to 7*, they have over 1,000 extra shards on top for some of them! But doing this requires spending literally thousands of dollars.
If you are willing to do that, great. But if you only spend, say, $100 or $200 on packs, what is most likely to happen is that you will end up with a bunch of shards for characters you don’t want, a couple of characters you like but can’t farm, and shards for characters you could have gotten in a few days by farming. And then you will feel frustrated.
The bottom line is this: if you are going to go the chromium route, be prepared to go “all in” by spending at least $1,000, and possibly double that. If you aren’t willing to spend this much, do not buy chromium packs. You don’t need them -- I have never purchased one and I do fine. You’re better off using any small amounts of spending on bundles or crystals for energy recharges.
The forums are filled with people lamenting that they spent $100, $200 or more and ended up with nothing useful. In the days before writing this guide I’ve seen more than one person say they spent $500 or more and didn’t end up with what they considered a viable team. Don’t become a statistic.
2. Spending money on the game before you are sure you like it
Wait at least 3 days, preferably a week, before you buy anything in the game. For some people the excitement wears off quickly. There are people I know who spent north of $1,000 on this game in the first week and I haven’t seen them since.
Note that, of necessity, nearly all of this is my opinion, and I’m sure there are folks who will disagree with some or all of what is below. Also, this guide assumes you know the basics. If you don’t, here are two great sites to help:
http://www.swgohcantina.com/
https://swgohdb.com/heroes/
The items below are not listed in any particular order except for the first one, which is at the top for a reason: it is the single biggest and most costly mistake made by new players.
1. Going “half-in” on chromium cards
Basically, there are two ways to get and power up characters in the game: buying chromium card packs, or farming shards in various ways (missions, shipments, etc.) Of course, you can do both. Chromium cards offer the lure of instant gratification: you can open a pack and instantly receive an entire character. You can also get shards to level them up very quickly. There are also characters that are only available in chromium packs (Old Ben, Leia, Aayla Secura, Lando and others) and some that are so slow to farm that they are only practicel to get from these packs (Ewok Elder, etc.)
But there are two serious issues with chromium cards.
First, they are random. People who have good luck with these packs race to the forums with excitement and tell everyone what great stuff they got. But you are just as likely to get shards for Royal Guard and Ugnaught as you are for Old Ben or Count Dooku. Probably more likely, in fact, because there are fewer great characters than mediocre or bad ones. It is entirely possible that you spend $20 and get junk. It is entirely possible that you spend another $20 and AGAIN get junk.
You must remember this and be prepared for it. Chromium packs are gambling. They are designed to appeal to those who like to gamble, and even to those who do so impulsively.
Second, the chromium-only characters can be unlocked quickly and easily, but can only be leveled up by getting more shards from chromium packs. So you might get lucky on your first pack and unlock, say, Princess Leia. But she starts at 2*. If you want her any higher, you need to keep buying packs. Some characters, like Vader or Barriss Offee, are viable at 4*. But most are not when competing against farmed characters that are 6* or 7*.
The really big spenders (“whales”) get around this problem easily: they just buy TONS of packs. There are people who have bought so many packs they not only have gotten all (or nearly all) of the characters to 7*, they have over 1,000 extra shards on top for some of them! But doing this requires spending literally thousands of dollars.
If you are willing to do that, great. But if you only spend, say, $100 or $200 on packs, what is most likely to happen is that you will end up with a bunch of shards for characters you don’t want, a couple of characters you like but can’t farm, and shards for characters you could have gotten in a few days by farming. And then you will feel frustrated.
The bottom line is this: if you are going to go the chromium route, be prepared to go “all in” by spending at least $1,000, and possibly double that. If you aren’t willing to spend this much, do not buy chromium packs. You don’t need them -- I have never purchased one and I do fine. You’re better off using any small amounts of spending on bundles or crystals for energy recharges.
The forums are filled with people lamenting that they spent $100, $200 or more and ended up with nothing useful. In the days before writing this guide I’ve seen more than one person say they spent $500 or more and didn’t end up with what they considered a viable team. Don’t become a statistic.
2. Spending money on the game before you are sure you like it
Wait at least 3 days, preferably a week, before you buy anything in the game. For some people the excitement wears off quickly. There are people I know who spent north of $1,000 on this game in the first week and I haven’t seen them since.
