Anyhoo. Finally made it to Liyue after getting distracted by a hundred other things. I'm currently at AR 25, and I've got a crazy amount of quests active, there's so much to see and do and I don't want it to stop.
It's a game that just does everything well, and it might not be groundbreaking in any one aspect, but the overall package is so solid and enjoyable that it absolutely becomes more than the sum of its parts.
The art design and world-building really can't be overlooked here. These things add extra layers of narrative beyond the simple story, and have really added to my investment.
The easy-going story quests, the exploration, the combat/reward/levelling loop; it's one big warm and fuzzy blanket of a game. And I've still only spent a fiver.
Edit: I can already see resin being a problem later on, but with my leisurely pace I don't think I'll get to that point before the next couple of updates drop. And if I do, fine, I'll just take a break.
Aye, they AR gate a few of the main quests. It was never an issue for me as I always felt I had plenty of other things to do, be it side quests, exploration, or world bosses. Fingers crossed it's the same for you, Reg.
I'm assuming they're expecting most paying people to pay the £4.49 a month for the blessing thing which isn't even that outrageous considering the quality of the thing - FFXIV is £7.69 a month and the Kingdom Hearts phone game is something ridiculous like £11 a week premium subscription for your standard mobile non-game.
"ERE's like Mr. Muscle, he loves the things he hates"
Aye, the £4.99 blessing will be hugely popular, and I do like that even that is entirely optional. The game gives you more than enough to play everything it has to offer for free.
Of course, I'd rather be able to outright buy whichever of the extra character or weapon I wanted rather than rely on a gacha system, but I appreciate that that's not how these kinda games work in China.
In other news; I hit AR26 and World Tier 2 this afternoon. I've started the Liyue story and I'm now back out in the wilds and enjoying the added verticality of this region with its scattered ruins and hidden caves.
All four of my main party are at level 40 and waiting on ascension materials, but my weapons are way behind with only one ascended past level 20. I have no artifacts above level 10. I should probably sort that out.
The Blessing of the Welkin Moon, £4.99 for 90 primogems each day for a month and 300 crystals available immediately. You get it from the in-game shop via the menu, but iirc you don't get access to the shop 'til you reach a certain point in the game. I've just checked my abandoned PS4 save, it's AR 4 and there's no shop available in the menu.
There aren't any party optimisation options afaik, but your optimal party can change depending on the enemy you're facing so I kinda get why it is this way. Each domain (dungeon) will let you know which elements are recommended before you enter, however, and is a nice touch. Although this doesn't really matter early-game as any domains you do will be story-based and build for your starter team.
Right I've bit the bullet and downloaded this. Although I ain't gonna be playing with my usual groups as they're all grinding it 5-6 hours a night like mad men.
I've to pick my battles these days, one hour a night is my usual allotment. Will see how it plays anyway. Have about six million Steam games I need to clear as well...
It's worth noting for new players that when you get access to the shop you should get 10 free wishes. It's well worth putting 8 of these into the beginner's wish as you're guaranteed the Noel character at that point. And don't worry, it'll all make sense when you see it.
Beyond that, it's worth concentrating your wishes on a specific banner, and the limited-time event banner has better odds of getting one of the characters available with every ten wishes you make.
What surprises me is that in something like Dragalia I just do my dailies and there is so little interaction, here there is actually game to play. I can't get over it and I love it.
The hardcore grinders have already hit that point where dailies, dungeons, and world bosses are all that's left, but I'm probably 40 hours in and I've got more quests to do than ever, and I still haven't unveiled all of the map.
Plus we're getting the next big content drop in December complete with a new region. It's all looking good to me.
It's not £4.99, it's £4.49. If you get discounted PS credit from ShopTo it would actually be around £4 although for the better discounts (12-14%) you'd have credit left on the account.
"ERE's like Mr. Muscle, he loves the things he hates"
It's all pretty straight forward to start with, and you'll pick most things up as you go. It's worth practising hot-swapping your characters during combat and experimenting with the various elemental combo's as and when you get new characters added to your party.
Speaking of combat, dashing is OP. Use it to close ground, animation-cancel staggering attacks, and for the iFrames right at the start of the dash. That shit will save your life.
Pick up everything that sparkles.
Manage your stamina.
Check your mail.
The community is really good, YT vids and forums are your friends for any info you need. I might have posted this before, but hey, it's worth a watch.
Those two things seem to be a big problem for many. I switched the voices off and have no problem with the characters so s'all good here. But honestly, if you can't get past those things don't force it.
Would't mind but some tutorial had kicked in with the character who has the bow at the start of the game and somehow the camera had gotten stuck at a low pivot point while the instructions were been given...