It takes me no more than two weeks of casually playing to get a 5* weapon fully heated (assuming I forge at 100% each time). If you're playing the game, you likely have a decent amount of crystals accumulated by now, and you can likely just .. make something.

I don't get why people are so upset about it taking a while to get their weapons maxed out. It's not supposed to be fast. You're /maxing it out./

I don't get why people are so upset about it taking a while to get their weapons maxed out. It's not supposed to be fast. You're /maxing it out./

We need more people like this. Its like Addy is the voice of reasoning or something. (Hey I found the "p" :D)

"Back in the old days" is such a SEGA thing, though. That's the problem. It's not the 'old days' anymore. You can't go from 0* to 5* in a few FSC runs anymore. It actually takes... *gasp* EFFORT?!?!?!?

@Whimsicality
For F2Pers, you couldn't go from 0-5* in a couple FSC runs either. In fact, the entire forge update made the entire beginning of the game more bearable while the endgame slightly longer. I did the math and no one liked the results.

P2Pers on the other hand cannot breeze through the game like they used to.

I've gotten barely any new stuff since November and am banking 3kCE for the eventual coming of the gunner update.

Let's assume the casual player actually has the mind to do something other than FSC (hint hint: Jade Queen gate and Ruby King gate)

@Pellipper

How much is "significantly longer". Because I happen to do T3 arcade runs faster than FSC runs.
Also, you are completely ignoring that prior to the forge update a casual player would take even longer to even craft the items (because farming rates were abysmal due to the 10E cost per depth).

"Let's assume the casual player actually has the mind to do something other than FSC (hint hint: Jade Queen gate and Ruby King gate)"

Let's assume that going from Emberlight to level 26 where there's a remote chance of Radiants to start dropping takes a fair bit of time. Longer if you have to wait for a decent level to roll around (ie: Not a compound).

"Also, you are completely ignoring that prior to the forge update a casual player would take even longer to even craft the items (because farming rates were abysmal due to the 10E cost per depth)."

It hardly takes any time at all to actually get the heat for a 5* item, as long as it's the only item you're trying to heat so all the heat gets dumped into one place. On a typical run from Emberlight to Core on elite, if there are no Arenas or Treasure Vaults on 26-28, I consider it a very GOOD run if I get as many as 3 radiants for the entire trip.

60 runs for radiants takes several orders of magnitude more time than the runs to just get heat.

I really wish there was a smaller crystal cost option that didn't have those bonuses. The 25% heat bonus is actually a penalty. The prize box is a myth. The double level up is nice when it occasionally happens, but I'd rather just pay fewer crystals to begin with. And don't start on using the #2 option. I gave that up permanently when it took me THREE tries to get an item from level 9 to 10...210 freaking crystals.

@Fehzor
Because psychology.
Quite a few people are much more willing to partake in events at a smaller progressive cost rather than a larger single bulk cost.

Also, the numbers got significantly larger, so it seems as though there is more cost. It feels bad to old players to spend more than 800E on a 5* weapon because that is all that it used to cost. Resource acquisition has increased as well as the rate at which is is spent. Comparing these two through a constant (such as time to gather resources, craft, and heat a 5* item), my math shows that its about the same.

If someone had 80kce, like Dragonuity currently claims to have, before the forge update... they would be considered extremely rich. Nowadays, that would fall under "just rich" to me. In fact, my alt who is currently running in the fastest vanguard race has less than 24hrs and 1kE farmed already (with more spent).

The reference to mist was because you said the 10E cost per depth was abysmal, when in fact a casual player wouldn't use all 100 ME in a day.

And fire crystals are by no means the same farming rate as prior to the forge.

Old System:
You'd only have to grind for as long as you needed to get the money to buy CE
Heating requires time.

Costing in total (let's say 9k cr per 100CE), 72000cr for energy alone, and time.

New System:
You have to spend time farming for orbs of alchemy.
You have to spend time heating.
You have to spend time farming for heat crystals.

You could get everything for free, and you end up in profit. But it takes ludicrous amounts of time and grinding.

Lets say you only gain half the fire crystals you need to heat up an item in the time it takes for you to get the orbs of alchemy, you need roughly 200 more. That, however, would cost you 2800CE or 252000cr, and take away your profits (being generous), would cost you 150000cr, and a lot more time.

@Pellipper

Did you even read my math thread I linked here?
I took into account mist generation and usage*, difference in crowns for farming, rates of crystals (now outdated because it was before the last buff) and everything.

My conclusions still stand and your math is incomplete at most.

* refer to the "elevator pass" data for casual players whom use mist for 100% of the depths they run.

No I did not read the math thread, and furthermore that thread generally supports my argument; that it costs a lot more to use crowns earned from runs to progress, and if you try to not use the crowns you earned to buy crystals, and rather just farm them, it will take you a lot longer.

My math is incomplete because there is no need to make it so precise when the time spent farming varies greatly from player to player, and some people don't log onto SK just to run levels non stop, ie talk to guild members, which would further eat into a time limited person's play time.

If you're willing and have time to pour tens of hours a week into the game then progression would be slow and steady, since you can grind enough until you have the rarities you need.