Just to clarify, plat gear is still the best

[Blaquehaaart]

You cannot farm lvl 21 pinks. The only way to get it is through plat purchases and the grab bags.

The best items in the game are still purchased through plat.

[Late]

Not everyone is 21, but they changed the stats of regular weapons to match plat weapons

[bronislav84]

By very little.

I'm 21 and wouldn't buy the packs. Content with farming.

[Mrsberry]

Agreed but im still happy about the increase of stats on the droped items. Shows me that sts listens and they care.
Maybe in the near future they will implament dropable lvl 21gear.

[Blaquehaaart]

Not everyone is 21, but they changed the stats of regular weapons to match plat weapons
...and lvl 21 pinks are better than lvl 20 pinks. Just like lvl 20 pinks are better than lvl 19.

My point is that plat gear is still the best in the game. A level 21 in full 21 plat will have better stats than a lvl 21 that farmed the best items in game.

People are making the argument that you can farm equivelant pinks. Which is only the case being under 20, in end game, plat gear is still the best for lvl 21 and ultimately for the entire game.

[Cjon]

Lvl 21 Weapons are better. Lvl 21 Gems are not.

[Late]

1point difference -_-

[Elysse]

So at 21... what makes the most sense to buy? The 50 plat pack? The 25 plat pack? or the 15 plat packs?

[Blaquehaaart]

Lvl 21 Weapons are better. Lvl 21 Gems are not.

Lvl 21 gems are slighty better. True one gem won't do much, but 4 will give a decent boost to the overall stats.

[Ripper McGee]

You cannot farm lvl 21 pinks. The only way to get it is through plat purchases and the grab bags.

The best items in the game are still purchased through plat.

Level 21 gear doesn't drop? Is that simply a matter of there only being 20 levels of content currently available (hence the huge amount of experience needed to reach 21, I assume)?

[xfrzen]

But nobody even bothers but a select few and its unlikley to have them all in 1 match ornpve... it doesnt really matter, please stop this qq over the plat items.

Like the little bridge over the stream, get over it. Take care

[Artemis]

I think the plat stuff is better thing is SOOOOOOOOOOOOO stupid. Why play the game when you can buy experience and gear? Its rediculous.

[Blaquehaaart]

I think the plat stuff is better thing is SOOOOOOOOOOOOO stupid. Why play the game when you can buy experience and gear? Its rediculous.

That's the point. It cheapens the game. Why farm for hours when it is better to drop the 20 bucks and get the best gear in the game. Of course it will cost a lot more than $20 to get the best plat gear, but lesser 21 plat pinks are still going to have slightly better stats than lvl 20 in-game pinks.

I don't really care that much. My point is that this game is still a pay to win system. The time you are going to spend farming, the guy that bought his gear is going to spend pvping. I know not everyone cares about pvp, but that's primarily where the biggest imbalance in the game is, and pvp is the endgame. vs/stop is still the dominant spec and people in 21 plat have an advantage.

[Lowlyspy]

Eh im content with my non plat gear, mainly because it doesn't matter. I frequently stomp most players who come at me with full pink plat gear, and the only pink I have is my weapon, my gems are green.

Deal with the hand your dealt, even the less powerful gear can put you out on top if you try.

[Cahaun]

Eh im content with my non plat gear, mainly because it doesn't matter. I frequently stomp most players who come at me with full pink plat gear, and the only pink I have is my weapon, my gems are green.

Deal with the hand your dealt, even the less powerful gear can put you out on top if you try.
We have a winner! Eh just saying I agree :p

[Cahaun]

I think the plat stuff is better thing is SOOOOOOOOOOOOO stupid. Why play the game when you can buy experience and gear? Its rediculous.

That's the point. It cheapens the game. Why farm for hours when it is better to drop the 20 bucks and get the best gear in the game. Of course it will cost a lot more than $20 to get the best plat gear, but lesser 21 plat pinks are still going to have slightly better stats than lvl 20 in-game pinks.

I don't really care that much. My point is that this game is still a pay to win system. The time you are going to spend farming, the guy that bought his gear is going to spend pvping. I know not everyone cares about pvp, but that's primarily where the biggest imbalance in the game is, and pvp is the endgame. vs/stop is still the dominant spec and people in 21 plat have an advantage.
Why pay $20 when you can farm for hours for perfectly fine gear ;)

[Artemis]

Why pay $20 when you can farm for hours for perfectly fine gear ;)

Because you can pay 20 and get the best gear.

[Lowlyspy]

I think the plat stuff is better thing is SOOOOOOOOOOOOO stupid. Why play the game when you can buy experience and gear? Its rediculous.

That's the point. It cheapens the game. Why farm for hours when it is better to drop the 20 bucks and get the best gear in the game. Of course it will cost a lot more than $20 to get the best plat gear, but lesser 21 plat pinks are still going to have slightly better stats than lvl 20 in-game pinks.

I don't really care that much. My point is that this game is still a pay to win system. The time you are going to spend farming, the guy that bought his gear is going to spend pvping. I know not everyone cares about pvp, but that's primarily where the biggest imbalance in the game is, and pvp is the endgame. vs/stop is still the dominant spec and people in 21 plat have an advantage.
Why pay $20 when you can farm for hours for perfectly fine gear ;)
And it's free d__(^_^)__b

[Blaquehaaart]

Eh im content with my non plat gear, mainly because it doesn't matter. I frequently stomp most players who come at me with full pink plat gear, and the only pink I have is my weapon, my gems are green.

Deal with the hand your dealt, even the less powerful gear can put you out on top if you try.

Well, most of the top pvper's are walking around pretty decked out. I can't think of any that stand out and are not using full plat.

Are you 21 and do you pvp often? What's your ign, I'll keep an eye out for you to see how well you do.

[Fyrce]

Yes, but some people look at their bad stats and blame their gear... and only their gear...

[Lowlyspy]

Well, most of the top pvper's are walking around pretty decked out. I can't think of any that stand out and are not using full plat.

Are you 21 and do you pvp often? What's your ign, I'll keep an eye out for you to see how well you do.
Nope, 20. I don't pvp constantly, mainly because I don't like spending all my time on DL. I have however played against quite a few good pvpers and done fairly well, top kills in most my games.

That 1 extra point of whatever doesn't make as much of a difference as you think it does, practice makes perfect.

[Otukura]

Yes, but some people look at their bad stats and blame their gear... and only their gear...

I just realized... G, y u steal name?

[The Flash]

Not everyone is 21, but they changed the stats of regular weapons to match plat weapons
...and lvl 21 pinks are better than lvl 20 pinks. Just like lvl 20 pinks are better than lvl 19.

My point is that plat gear is still the best in the game. A level 21 in full 21 plat will have better stats than a lvl 21 that farmed the best items in game.

People are making the argument that you can farm equivelant pinks. Which is only the case being under 20, in end game, plat gear is still the best for lvl 21 and ultimately for the entire game.

Stop complaning so much its been like that for all low lv gear of there 3 games just wait for higher lv caps. And buy some plat if you want the slightly beatter gear. I hate cheap people that complain, its a free game for godness sake.

[Ripper McGee]

Before the patch, plat gear was substantially better--especially in terms of physical damage--than non-plat gear. Now, in-game plat gear is on par with plat gear of the same level. That being said, apparently one can purchase level 21 plat gear, but one cannot loot it. As such, the level 21 plat gear is technically the best, but only because the game only has content for levels 1 - 20. Regarding the level 21 plat gear being the best, how much better is it? Is it simply a matter of a "point" as indicated by some? Would having a single level 21 item really then be that big a deal, even over non-plat players? Even with a full set (weapon + four gems), is the difference so significant that it still merits a pay-to-win argument? Can we see some screenshots of level 21 legendary items compared to their equivalent level 20 legendary items? By equivalent, I mean comparing a level 21 "vitality" weapon to a level 20 "vitality" weapon. Yes, I know the plat legendary weapons have unique names, but their stats still follow the basic attribute schemes, don't they?

I keep reading statements like:

* "people in 21 plat have an advantage"
* "If someone is rocking full plat gear and you are not, you will most likely die from the combo."
* "In the endgame, plat gear is still vastly dominant."

So, let's see some stats? How superior is the level 21 plat equipment? Is it as unbalanced as it was before? I've been fighting a lot of 21s in my PvP matches and I'm still having fun and doing well enough that I'm not bothered in the least. I have different concerns, like how can any enemy keep a charge through a stun, players using macros, unbalanced teams, etc...

[xfrzen]

The people that buy plat gear tend do burn out faster then the farmer the plat users are used to the same DMG and the farmers see it progress. The plat users are here to donate get bored and leave. Same stay but that's like 10%

[Blaquehaaart]

Before the patch, plat gear was substantially better--especially in terms of physical damage--than non-plat gear. Now, in-game plat gear is on par with plat gear of the same level. That being said, apparently one can purchase level 21 plat gear, but one cannot loot it. As such, the level 21 plat gear is technically the best, but only because the game only has content for levels 1 - 20. Regarding the level 21 plat gear being the best, how much better is it? Is it simply a matter of a "point" as indicated by some? Would having a single level 21 item really then be that big a deal, even over non-plat players? Even with a full set (weapon + four gems), is the difference so significant that it still merits a pay-to-win argument? Can we see some screenshots of level 21 legendary items compared to their equivalent level 20 legendary items? By equivalent, I mean comparing a level 21 "vitality" weapon to a level 20 "vitality" weapon. Yes, I know the plat legendary weapons have unique names, but their stats still follow the basic attribute schemes, don't they?

I keep reading statements like:

* "people in 21 plat have an advantage"
* "If someone is rocking full plat gear and you are not, you will most likely die from the combo."
* "In the endgame, plat gear is still vastly dominant."

So, let's see some stats? How superior is the level 21 plat equipment? Is it as unbalanced as it was before? I've been fighting a lot of 21s in my PvP matches and I'm still having fun and doing well enough that I'm not bothered in the least. I have different concerns, like how can any enemy keep a charge through a stun, players using macros, unbalanced teams, etc...

Keep in mind there also different levels of plat gear, some weapons are better than other as is the gems. For the lower tiered plat gear, I don't think they make a huge difference. However, the someone will to drop to the cash to play for the best gems and weapons are gonna have a pretty strong toon.

Never the less, even if it was equal, you still have to spend hours farming it. However, the point is at minimum you can get a decent set of weapons and gems in the time it takes to run your card, and have gear slightly better than it would take you hours, maybe days, maybe weeks, to farm.

[Xaphan Fox]

plat gems are not better than dropped.. only slightly tweaked/stats +4 here -3 there.

The gems are actually what the plat packs should be. Pretty much equivalent to what is dropped.

The firebrand/pestilence is the only concern.

It is a minor increase in potency that really does not amount to much, but to someone already dominating... it is the edge that can make them godly.

It shouldn't exist.

Firebrands would still sell well if it was the only weapon with a particle effect... but it doesnt need to be the best.

Period

[Ripper McGee]

Keep in mind there also different levels of plat gear, some weapons are better than other as is the gems. For the lower tiered plat gear, I don't think they make a huge difference. However, the someone will to drop to the cash to play for the best gems and weapons are gonna have a pretty strong toon.

Never the less, even if it was equal, you still have to spend hours farming it. However, the point is at minimum you can get a decent set of weapons and gems in the time it takes to run your card, and have gear slightly better than it would take you hours, maybe days, maybe weeks, to farm.

How long it takes to farm equivalent gear is irrelevant to the discussion. That's how good f2p models work, players either invest in time/convenience or money for equivalent items. That's also not the point of the various arguments you keep making, which is that the plat gear still seems to make a huge difference. It doesn't, in my experience. Until somebody posts screenshots showing a clear advantage, it's just unsubstantiated opinion.

[Blaquehaaart]

How long it takes to farm equivalent gear is irrelevant to the discussion. That's how good f2p models work, players either invest in time/convenience or money for equivalent items. That's also not the point of the various arguments you keep making, which is that the plat gear still seems to make a huge difference. It doesn't, in my experience. Until somebody posts screenshots showing a clear advantage, it's just unsubstantiated opinion.

A good f2p model only works when farmable gear is the best in the game. If you can get equal gear though purchase it kills it, because someone that has an extra $50 bucks can get it simply and instantly.

The best weapons in the game should be farmed, and hard to get. Lazy people shouldn't be entitle to the best of the best because they afford it. It's a play to win system.

I totally agree with Xaphan, make the plat gear look cool and give it special sparkly effects and make them look cool, make the gems give characters horns and a dark aura. However, when it comes to function, the superior gear (stat wise) should be farmed.

Purchasable gear should be more vanity based. It shouldn't make you into a pvp god.

[Ripper McGee]

A good f2p model only works when farmable gear is the best in the game. If you can get equal gear though purchase it kills it, because someone that has an extra $50 bucks can get it simply and instantly.

The best weapons in the game should be farmed, and hard to get. Lazy people shouldn't be entitle to the best of the best because they afford it. It's a play to win system.

I totally agree with Xaphan, make the plat gear look cool and give it special sparkly effects and make them look cool, make the gems give characters horns and a dark aura. However, when it comes to function, the superior gear (stat wise) should be farmed.

Purchasable gear should be more vanity based. It shouldn't make you into a pvp god.

Still irrelevant to the "In the endgame, plat gear is still vastly dominant." discussion.

[Aliye]

What you people don't understand here (even if it were the case that plat gear was vastly superior or whatever the point was), is that NO ONE makes this kind of game simply out of the goodness of his heart. This game (like any game in the end, except for those maybe that are made for grades in school/university projects) is a BUSINESS, paying users in the end are the ones keeping the game/servers alive, paying the bills, motivating developers to release updates.

For the developer of a game there's no such thing as F2P, one way or another a game has to generate income to stay alive or else it isn't a viable solution to keep it open to begin with. F2P is only perceived by the user as equal to no monthly fee required to play and not feeling under the obligation to buy any cash shop item to reach end game, while having AT BEST EQUAL opportunities with a paying user. If the provided platinum products of choice were purely cosmetic, I am pretty sure that they wouldn't have even half the customers they do. Further more, it only seems normal that the users which pay have to get some sort of compensation for their spent money. Most people discussing in this thread only look at time through the perspective of time spent in game, but did it ever occur to you that the time for a paying user equates in time spent performing a job in real life to be able to spend in game. In some countries, with poorer economies (like mine) 50$ can be equal to up to a week of real work (as the salary is around 250ish $).

Thus, who is f2p is by choice...Also we are not talking about some huge MMO with incredibly large player base, where doing this would unbalance the game and provoke a massive outrage (and even in those type of games it happens). While I do admit that it imbalances the game, the impact is minimal because this is the type of game that is not meant to be played more than a few months (3-6 tops), or some players just "burn out" even quicker like someone mentioned in previous posts, therefore most of these bought gears are not even in the game constantly. The fact that the plat gears are pretty close stats wise to what can be obtained in game, diminishes the impact even further.

If there should be a discussion like this at all, it's debatable. The only valid topic would be: to take it up with the developers and suggest other type of things they could sell with platinum and that users would actually want and buy, instead of gears, which is a pretty hard topic to grasp. One such utility item is the "starter pack" for example, which even if it does not offer gears, it offers some additional functionality for the money spent (but lately this item is not available anymore at the end stages of the game when users actually can perceive it's usefulness).

[Rare]

A good f2p model only works when farmable gear is the best in the game. If you can get equal gear though purchase it kills it, because someone that has an extra $50 bucks can get it simply and instantly.

The best weapons in the game should be farmed, and hard to get. Lazy people shouldn't be entitle to the best of the best because they afford it. It's a play to win system.

I totally agree with Xaphan, make the plat gear look cool and give it special sparkly effects and make them look cool, make the gems give characters horns and a dark aura. However, when it comes to function, the superior gear (stat wise) should be farmed.

Purchasable gear should be more vanity based. It shouldn't make you into a pvp god.

F2P doesn't mean "free to have the best gear". And I completely disagree with your opinion on "lazy" people with money. They are paying money for the best gear. I'm not sure why that's so difficult to understand. That's the way the world works. I've said it over and over, STS (or any other developer) does not run a charity business.

I think having the best gear in the game (and not best by very much) is perfectly reasonable. Other players, myself included, will still strive to get the best lootable gear. I choose not to spend a lot on the plat gear. I won't have the best, but that's part of the deal. There is still motivation to farm and to make gold.

Its simple to understand really. Sorry if this sounds harsh, but I've seen a lot of posts from you that are basically about the same thing. "I should get the best for free".

[Xaphan Fox]

Of course they need to make money. It's why, even with as critical and suspicious as I am of their revenue generation, I still buy things.

The point is that there are unlimited ways to make money that doesn't involve carrot and sticking the best gear, however minute or great that power difference is.

Plat bought:

Faces
Hairstyles
Vanity
Weapons that aren't supperior, but look the best (particle effects)
Gems that add esthetics (tracers as you walk/edward-esque sparkles)
Maps and pvp arenas (like PL)
Elixirs instead of only dropped (usable pve only)
Titles
And on and on...

I could name things that would generate plenty of revenue without ever affecting people's pvp potentcy for an hour.

STS could also make things cheaper. Probably make more money that way.

I might not buy a 20 or 50 dollar item... but I'd sure as hell buy 5 or 6 different 5 to 15 dollar items. Probably spend more in the long run too.

Keep the best items dropped in the game. They should institute game design that promotes playing the game and not just level in 5 days, buy what you need, then pvp with increased efficiency over others who attempted to play all of STS's hard work from within.

Woof...

[Blaquehaaart]

One again I agree with xap. Yes plat equipement should be more vanity and customizable based. There is lots of money to make there.

Buying the best gear kills the playbility. The best gear should be acquired through in game achievements, because it rewards people for playing the game. Simply getting to 21 and buying your because you have to be competitive is a sham andd it just makes for a crappy game. Frankly, people in the enddgame are already getting bored...they have the best gear and don't need to grind gold.

At this point the end game is pvp and that's unbalanced. To compete, you have to have plat gear and be running a VS/stomp spec. The vast majority of the serious pvpers are...I can't think of any who aren't that are effective.

Eh, I really don't care. I'm still planing on moving on after my current gear goes obsolete.

[Snakespeare]

The "plat gear should never be better than gear that drops" ideal seems very polyannaish to me. If there were no need to pay the devs for their work, no need to have the DB on a cloud server somewhere, no development computers, no Austin commutes, no building for the devs to work in, no breakroom with organic cupcakes, then yes... free players would all be equal. But that stuff all costs money, in case you didn't know.

"The game" is not a pure thing. It is a capital enterprise. It exists to make profit.

If you want an edge in your PvP, then play to elite cap and buy several plat packs. If you are unwilling to pay, then make do.

I totally disagree. People who support the game should have the best gear.

[Roc]

So in summary, yes, you can buy better gear where better is defined as a couple extra points here and there, but it has already been stated that the difference is not insurmountable by skilled play. Those resting on the size of their pocketbook may never become the best at pvp as those who know how to select their gems. If anything by not buying plat gear you are forcing yourself to think smarter and save yourself a hole in your wallet/purse/money carrying device ;)

[Rare]

One again I agree with xap. Yes plat equipement should be more vanity and customizable based. There is lots of money to make there.

Buying the best gear kills the playbility. The best gear should be acquired through in game achievements, because it rewards people for playing the game. Simply getting to 21 and buying your because you have to be competitive is a sham andd it just makes for a crappy game. Frankly, people in the enddgame are already getting bored...they have the best gear and don't need to grind gold.

At this point the end game is pvp and that's unbalanced. To compete, you have to have plat gear and be running a VS/stomp spec. The vast majority of the serious pvpers are...I can't think of any who aren't that are effective.

Eh, I really don't care. I'm still planing on moving on after my current gear goes obsolete.

Well, from my personal experience, I don't agree with much of this. But this is my experience.

I am at end game with two toons, and I still find it interesting.

I am still very competitive with my "lesser" gear. The "best" gear only helps a little more. It does not make you win. And you can certainly win with lesser gear. If it were impossible, then THAT seems like something that would need to be fixed.

There are at least a few reasons to grind for gold:

1. To buy the currently available vanities. If someone has already bought all current vanities with gold... kudos to you.
2. To have money for future campaigns' gear and vanities.
3. To stockpile blood packs (because yes those are pretty expensive).

Also, keep in mind that the game isn't all about pvp. It may be most important to you, but not to everyone.

[Lady_Pebbles]

Well, Im level 21 with all non-plat pinks & PvP often. Im doing ok thus far. I did try for an Immortalus box with Tapjoy plat but got all rares which didn't stack up to the gems Im already using. However, I know people using the pink gems they get from the Firebrand boxes and the small point differences really do make a difference when you have all plat pinks or a mix of level 21 plat pinks and/or rares & regular level 20 pinks and/or rares.

The major differences are the weapons. For starters, Pestilence adds a poison effect that currently no other weapon available has. There is no droppable item that has any type of effect that gives other players an advantage like that. Then theres the Firebrand, the -best- weapon to have because it gives your stats a nice boost. Yes, the boost might be relatively small (if thats what you want to call it) but as I mention before, all plat pinks with small differences from regular pinks equals a hefty advantage.

It doesn't make any sense really. It sucks & somewhat limits us in PvP but thats why you team up with people who have pink plat gear and strategize. If you happen to be in a team without anyone having pink plat gear but the other team has at least one person with pink plat gear... You'll get wtfpwned more than usual & those would be the ones getting the crown most of the time. Lets not even get started on the farmers with that top gear on and why they wonder people leave their games too.... Lol.

[Cero]

Yes, but some people look at their bad stats and blame their gear... and only their gear...


yea, i did blame my pink set ....at the end. but i first blame sts for the uber plat gears they offer.

[Blaquehaaart]

Why do people make the argument impling that people that play with plat aren't good? The best players are using plat. Even average players with full plat are decent. Coupled with vermin swarm, 5v5 DMs comes down to gear because it's all nuking.

Also, I'm not against making money. I just think there are better ways to do it than selling the best items in the game for real money...especially through a gambling system...because it cheapens the overall game. Sell game expansions, vanity sets and items, special titles, different missions, etc...

Just to be clear, I have a plat set and I do decent in pvp. Frankly, I'll wtfpwn someone in greens, they don't stand a chance...no matter how good they are. If someone isn't geared they won't last through my opening, there is no skill to it, an uncharged stomp and vermin swarm will kill them.

I'm recognizing that the endgame is imbalanced. All the top pvpers are using a vs/stomp spec and are in full plat...there isn't much variation in build and playstyle, and at the end of the day it comes down to gear, which very well makes this game a pay to win system.

[Rare]

Why do people make the argument impling that people that play with plat aren't good? The best players are using plat. Even average players with full plat are decent. Coupled with vermin swarm, 5v5 DMs comes down to gear because it's all nuking.

Also, I'm not against making money. I just think there are better ways to do it than selling the best items in the game for real money...especially through a gambling system...because it cheapens the overall game. Sell game expansions, vanity sets and items, special titles, different missions, etc...

Just to be clear, I have a plat set and I do decent in pvp. Frankly, I'll wtfpwn someone in greens, they don't stand a chance...no matter how good they are. If someone isn't geared they won't last through my opening, there is no skill to it, an uncharged stomp and vermin swarm will kill them.

I'm recognizing that the endgame is imbalanced. All the top pvpers are using a vs/stomp spec and are in full plat...there isn't much variation in build and playstyle, and at the end of the day it comes down to gear, which very well makes this game a pay to win system.

I agree with what you are saying about other ways to make money. I think those suggestions you made are great ideas. I would love to see more optional content that could be bought with plat.

Also, keep in mind the game is in its infancy. There should be a good amount of content to come (hopefully).