Arcane Legends: Retrospective (by Veterans to Devs)

[Kiritobozz]

This post functions as an initiative for all experienced veteran players to give their own view on how the system/gameplay-mechanics of AL have changed over the past +-9 years for better or for worse. It is very important to keep our overall standpoints as objective as possible in order to provide actual useful and concrete feedback for the developers. Avoid subjective or redundant statements like "I don't like awakening gems" while not providing any strong arguments. Our focus here as "dedicated" players is to give a proper reply to all the software input/updates of the developers in order to make Arcane Legends the best game that it can be. I will start off with my very own retrospective to give an example:

"I think that the difficulty level for this game game should be somewhere between simple and complex. Conform my experience as a 2012 veteran player myself, Sts really found a near perfect balance during the tindirin expansion. Xp/Locked farming in brackenbridge and kraken mines offered newcomers a fair chance to earn Xp/gold in preparation for big events, while endgame players were focused solely on the elite aspect of the game in order grind for expensive loot and acquire the best stats with items like the elusive arcane rendtail ring.

The last truly interesting expansion was the somberholt light/darkness expansion with mausoleums (The devs should REALLY add more difficult and more rewarding mausoleums in the future. For example 1-3 new mausoleums with every new expansion release. The randomized dungeon generation really gives you a dynamic experience. For example, make mausoleum level 10 super difficult, but with a relatively high chance for ultra rare arcane/arcanite loot/eggs that is usually found during the big exclusive energy events).

The awakening mechanic is okay, but the entry price for newcomers is really high at the moment, with as a result that endgame can become more difficult/frustrating for them as they progress through the newer maps with overall lower stats.

Now, the biggest flaw of all that absolutely needs to adressed, in my honest opinion, is the crafting station. It is still considered by many to be completely overwhelming. Yes, I am aware of all the organization options, but even with that, Sts should really just delete all the outdated and unrelevant crafting options and just keep it as simple as possible. Or even better, Tip!: just add an organization option for each separate expansion/event, not just item class. Also, 5 crafting slots was more than enough back in the old days and also offered a good initiative to maintain time management.

All in all, some great additions/adjustments were made, and some core problems haven't been improved/fixed in the last few years. Sts has to always keep in mind that AL was always meant to be just a balanced on-the-go mmo mobile game, and when you add a ton of complex stuff in it, it is bound to discourage newcomers to keep playing. Therefore, keep it balanced: implement an incremental difficulty system that allows for newcomers to easily understand and play the game, and as the player progresses, gradually introduce him or her to the more complex/intricate gameplay-mechanics like awakening, pet combination, crafting, etc, so that AL still retains its great and fun challenges/objectives for hardcore endgame gamers."

~Summary~
Pros:
-Many enjoyable events with useful and valuable gear and loot (HOWEVER, vanities/recolors are not to be considered as sufficient gold or platinum tier rewards. Only items like a limited rare multi-statistical gem that enhances the gameplay experience create a proper incentive for players to actively play main energy-events. Lastly, most of the event related locked crate items should become lootable again in the future.
-Deep learning-curve with statistics and skillpoints, but please add a clear in-game guide on how all the stat-bonuses work to prevent much confusion amongst players.
-Good elite content (but can be much better!).
-Free-to-play players now also have a fair chance to open locked crates with crate keys and event tokens.
-A strong and involved community that gives much usefull feedback.


Cons:
-The recent expansions have too little maps and content with low replayability.
-Too little options for xp-gain and gold-income to help new players due to xp and locked chest-drop removal from the older maps (+ the total xp requirement from 0 to max.level should become a constant).
-Crafting station is still too overwhelming/unorganized. Please add a new categorization option for each separate expansion/event.
-The statistical power gap right now between 'Legendary' and 'Arcane' rarity gear is TOO big. This causes a substantial reduction of the effectiveness of newer/poor players in the newer maps and even events... (take good notes on the more BALANCED weapon implementation of the Somberholt expansion release).
-There is no 'mob/boss difficulty scaling system' for lower levels so that newer players also have a chance to participate/compete in the main energy events (special bosses like Bloodgrub should be excluded).
-The shift from high-value lowdroprate items to gold-loot based income through farming has caused an unreasonable price-inflation of gear (especially newer/poor players are suffering because of this).