Board 8 > Xenoblade Chronicles 2's "loot box" thing is the worst thing in gaming

(+) Yeah! (+)

How did somebody honestly think this is a good idea.

I keep running into bosses where the suggestion for how to beat them is basically "Have so-and-so use such-and-such. If you don't have it, grind for blades." And it has just completely and utterly sucked the fun and joy out of a game I was otherwise enjoying.
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My strategy was to get all the good blades early and it worked!
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Is grinding for blades worse than normal jrpg grinding?
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redrocket_pub posted...

Is grinding for blades worse than normal jrpg grinding?

it's gacha bullshit so yes
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Steiner posted...

redrocket_pub posted...

Is grinding for blades worse than normal jrpg grinding?

it's gacha bullshit so yes

oh no

why is gacha invading AAA console games

why

what even is this world anymore
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It's not a good system, but it doesn't really cause that much trouble. None of the bosses are really that hard that you need a specific combination of blades, and it's more about elements than anything else, so it's not hard to get a good team.
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and this should go without saying, but...

10 spins (with a guaranteed 4 star or higher step!) closer to the Crash!
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The problem is besides the gacha bullshit, grinding for anything, period, is just not fun. Even battles against enemies that are of no threat to you take too long.
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i'm only a few hours into xenoblade 2, first xenoblade game, and i hate everything about it so far
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StealThisSheen posted...

The problem is besides the gacha bullshit, grinding for anything, period, is just not fun. Even battles against enemies that are of no threat to you take too long.

It gets better over time when you can use all of your arts immediately and cancel arts into arts and have both your arts and specials charging automatically through pouch items.
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the worst part isn't that they exist, it's that slowwww process of unlocking one each time. augh I can picture it perfectly without even playing
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And the song
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I tried to think of the song but I'm currently stuck with the lyrics of Theosoir's theme.
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okay I haven't been entering the main Xenoblade topic since I started late but this ice world is possibly the best in location in Xenoblade history

every second I'm in it I'm just in awe
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For the record the main topic has remained very good about spoilers.
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Wait, are they microtransactions?
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No.
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tazzyboyishere posted...

Wait, are they microtransactions?

No. They're basically loot boxes that drop from enemies that function on a gacha mechanic
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They should have just limited the amount of rare cores in the game to exactly the number of rare blades you can get if they want it to be RNG, and each one is a guaranteed rare blade.

So if you miss out on a rare core during the course of the game, you might end up one rare blade short. Punishing for completionists but it's better than opening 200 rare cores and getting 1 rare blade in the process.
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Oh

There are worse things in gaming, then.
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tazzyboyishere posted...

Oh

There are worse things in gaming, then.

Nah. Microtransaction loot boxes typically stay in multiplayer games. This is a single player game bringing in the mechanic for pretty much no reason.

Basically, you have your party characters, and those characters have things called Blades that are pretty much their weapons/skills/etc. Each character has certain blades that are best for them.

The problem is that you get these blades from cores. When you use a core, you must first select a character. From that point, only that character can use the blade that comes from that core... But at that time, you have no idea what blade it will be, or even what type. Then, after a lengthy cutscene, you get a blade based purely on RNG/gacha mechanics. If your healer character got an attack blade? Tough, only they can use it, so it's a waste and you gotta try again.

And then there are levels of cores, like "Common" and "Rare." Of course the good blades are in Rare and up, which are tougher to get. And they do not guarantee a rare blade. You can and will most likely still get common crap.

Basically, it's all the worst parts of loot boxes, but in a single player game. And while it's technically "optional," the elements of the blades and such come into play pretty heavily, so unless you want to power level for days on end, you need good blades.

Microtransaction loot boxes are bad, but forcing the mechanic into a single player game manages to be even more infuriating.
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Don't forget you can overdrive a blade to another character, but they're incredibly limited in terms of ones you find via story.
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StealThisSheen posted...

And then there are levels of cores, like "Common" and "Rare." Of course the good blades are in Rare and up, which are tougher to get. And they do not guarantee a rare blade. You can and will most likely still get common crap.

That's not quite correct. You can get any Blade from a Common Core, even the rarest Blade in the game. It just isn't particularly likely. Although even with the best Cores don't give you that great a chance at getting that Blade.
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tazzyboyishere posted...

Wait, are they microtransactions?

No, they used a microtransaction mechanic because apparently there exists a developer who is under the impression that they're fun rather than just an efficient tool to make money
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Team Rocket Elite posted...

StealThisSheen posted...

And then there are levels of cores, like "Common" and "Rare." Of course the good blades are in Rare and up, which are tougher to get. And they do not guarantee a rare blade. You can and will most likely still get common crap.

That's not quite correct. You can get any Blade from a Common Core, even the rarest Blade in the game. It just isn't particularly likely. Although even with the best Cores don't give you that great a chance at getting that Blade.

Well, yeah, technically you can. But the chance is so small you might as well say you can't.
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Oh yes, randomized loot is awful, and that seems particularly time consuming and poorly designed, and I'm glad I know about it now.

But Shadow of War made it's endgame into a massive grind that can be significantly alleviated by using real money to buy loot boxes, which is significantly worse.

Hopefully this is just a bad idea for a loot system from Monolith and Nintendo isn't looking to get in on the loot box craze.
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I have a significantly large vocabulary
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tazzyboyishere posted...

But Shadow of War made it's endgame into a massive grind that can be significantly alleviated by using real money to buy loot boxes, which is significantly worse.

Eh, I disagree, since this is the same massive grind, with pretty much mandatory loot boxes, and no way to alleviate it.

Like, this took what you're describing, but instead of it being used as an optional way to alleviate the grind, it's your only option.
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As long as we can agree both are terrible
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I think the difference is the grind tazzy is talking about is actually required for the endgame.

You never really need a large collection of rare blades in Xenoblade 2, the game is a cakewalk even if you only use what the story and quests provide you. That said it's still a really bizarre and poorly thought out system, easily the biggest detractor for the game IMO.
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No argument there!
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i dunno what about the writing? the dialogue and characters is what's killing me more than anything.
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I'm not sure I would call it mandatory. There are almost enough guaranteed rare blade cores that you can give all but one playable character two blades that complement their style.
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Pyra's meh and Tora's no Riki but I love the cast otherwise

and Tora is better than Tatsu, plus he comes with the greatness that is Poppi
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Am I the only one who hates Rex?
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Rex is inoffensive and I enjoy the inadvertent sexy time situations he finds himself in

He's just not the Luke Skywalker that is Shulk
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LordoftheMorons posted...

Am I the only one who hates Rex?

no
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Rex improves over the course of the game.

Poppi is lowkey the best character.
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mnkboy907 posted...

Poppi is lowkey the best character.

Yes
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tazzyboyishere posted...

Hopefully this is just a bad idea for a loot system from Monolith and Nintendo isn't looking to get in on the loot box craze.

Maybe not Monolith but Nintendo is already in the gacha game. Fire Emblem Heroes is a mobile game with a gacha system that uses real money.
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ninkendo posted...

mnkboy907 posted...

Poppi is lowkey the best character.

Yes

Nia: Poppi? What exactly is your skin made out of?
Poppi: Poppi would tell you, but then Poppi would have to kill you.
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I don't have strong feelings about Rex, but he does every now and then say what what I'm thinking so he's fine with me

Poppi best of all characters yes, I only wish she was attached to a cooler Driver though
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Oh man time to abort topic

Poppi is worst
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StealThisSheen posted...

the suggestion for how to beat them is basically "Have so-and-so use such-and-such. If you don't have it, grind for blades."

What the hell? The game never tells you to use specific blades to beat specific bosses.
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Mac Arrowny posted...

StealThisSheen posted...

the suggestion for how to beat them is basically "Have so-and-so use such-and-such. If you don't have it, grind for blades."

What the hell? The game never tells you to use specific blades to beat specific bosses.

I didn't say the game
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So you're saying the game's bad because shitty forum posters tell you to use specific blades to beat specific bosses? And you can't figure it out yourself? I could maybe understand if it was one of the post-game superbosses, but if you need help with the story bosses I don't know what to say.
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grind for blades doesn't even make any sense, blades don't start off powerful or anything they start off weak
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I didn't say the game was bad, either.

I said the blade gacha is terrible.

You don't gotta be so defensive. Maybe just read what is actually said instead of assuming and getting hostile?
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Nobody said anything about the quality of the game, just you having trouble with the bosses.
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the more I hear about this game the more I feel like I shouldn't play it
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