Increasing the Level Cap of 3-stars

Marvel Puzzle Quest MPQ General Discussion
1

What if 3-stars could continue leveling up for another 100 levels to 366? Only, the cost of levels past 266 would keep increasing more and more past 1 cover or 300 shards per level? Like, for example, the first 10 levels would take the equivalent of 20 covers (6k shards) applied. Then, the next 10 would need 30 covers, and so on.
The idea would be to make life easier for newer players in their 3*->4* transition.
Make the total number of covers (shards) required to reach 366 roughly take the same time it takes to get a 4-star to 370? More time? Less time?
Maybe longer to encourage moving to the next tier?
Or just prevent leveling any 3-star over 266 in this way unless a player has a 4-star of a same or a higher level already.

Anyway, I’m curious to see how others feel about something like this. Would it matter/change things at all? Would some top tier 3-stars, if allowed to be boosted ~450+ in pvp, make everything even worse? :smiley:

2

No.

3

First of all, people farm 3* characters. This would change farming and that would need consideration.

Second, I would prefer reasons to use new characters over the ones I’ve had rostered for years and cycled through about 800 times in PvP and required PvE nodes.

Third, there’s something to be said for graduating from one tier to the tier above it. Transcending the 3* tier is an accomplishment. I don’t want to go backwards.

4

As much as i like change… I think the current leveling system is fine.

5

I mean, I see no reason why this would need to change farming. We currently get a total of X, Y, Z of resources for 100 champ levels (or 113 covers). With slowed gaining of higher levels, they’d just need to give several current levels worth of stuff (as they would eat several covers worth of shards/covers).

I love using lots of characters. I believe allowing 3’s to continue leveling just slightly below your 4’s would make more team combinations viable and help chars (with) powers that rely on tanking mechanic.

Also, for mmr purposes, if 3’s and 4’s were more or less equal or closer in power, there’d be no reason to look at 3* and 4* pvp differently. And 4-stars would still remain stronger, as their abilities are in general better than those of 3-stars. There are duds of course (in both tiers!) and outliers, but 4’s usually have stronger, more complex powers with good passives and such.

As for graduating… Well, once you start leveling and champing 5-stars, even these reinvigorated 3-stars would begin falling behind.

Besides, I’m not sure if I have made it clear quite how slow leveling 3’s like this would be (for average to somewhat hardcore, veteran players for instance). I can give my roster progress as an example.

When champing was introduced in '16, I had all but a few 3-stars already at 166. Pretty much champed them all in a few months, I want to say? Also started champing my 1st 4’s at the same time. I’m now nearing 266 with my 3rd generation 3’s (that’s ~220 extra covers). And that’s only those 3’s fed by 2-stars, some others are only nearing 266 as the tail end of 2nd generation right now (~110 extra covers). At the same time, I only have two 370 4’s (boosted heavily with bonus heroes). The bulk are in 310’s to 330’s and a few 340’s.

So, in my case, with that 20-30-40-50-…-110 example progression, my 3’s would be level 300 to 320. With all 4s champed save for the newest few and most 5’s (baby) champed.

That’s 4 years after champing started… :slight_smile:

6

I think i see your point.

Youre picturing 3s with enough levels to almost make them 4s.

That way, they become another tool for 4* players to use. A nearly 4* version of Hood, L3ki, Magn3to, Hawk3ye, etc. That tool kit, but nearly 4* strength.

Could be fun. But yeah… It would have to take more resources to level them up higher, because 4* covers are harder to get than 3*, and making a faux 4* in this fashion would probably be seen as a cheap way to play the 4* game.

The champ rewards would be CRAZY too. I mean, you end off getting a LT, some major CP, HP, etc, in the last few levels. So if the leveling continues, the prizes would ramp up too, and would actually NEED to if we’re expected to spend more shards and/or covers per champ level.

Thats a big amount of work, and probably too many rewards for them to hand out. But i dunno… Maybe im not thinking straight about it. The implication of having your 3* roster help ease you into 4* fights is nice, but is that prize worth the remodeling of this farm system?

7

I’m not going to dismiss this out of hand. While it would hugely shake up the meta for many players, I’m not sure it would be bad. Things it would do:

  • Widen the 4* playing field and introduce some new and exciting combos.
  • Make it easier for new players to break into 4* play (vs having to hoard until you are ready to champ 2 or 3 4*s at once).
  • Make 3* PvP more interesting since it seems 4* PvP isn’t likely to ever become a serious thing.
  • Inject new rewards into the game. These 100 levels would be a great place to add more of the 3*/4* tokens which are nearly non-existent in the game currently. This would also allow for more double and possibly eventually triple feeders of the showing no signs of stopping ridiculously over-bloated 4* tier.
  • Make people actually care about 3* rewards until the majority of endgame players have new max champ 3*s for PvP.
8

Is the jump from 266 (max champed 3*) to 270 (fully covered 4*) so large that it needs adjustment?

9

I don’t think that they should have levels increased but they should be utilized in some other way, perhaps on the daily mission of sending characters out as floated years ago?

10

I would be surprised if they ever put more effort and time on 3*, unless it’s part of a general change, like the shards were

11

You know, I’m not really sure anymore, as I’ve been playing 5-star pvp for 2+ years.
What I remember from my 3-star and 4-star pvp days, is that 3-star tier powers were seriously weakened when champion levels were added.
Either way, it’s more about the number of characters available in the beginning stage, probably? IDK.

12

Honestly, given the huge amount of 4s and the inability for all of them to feed 5s, I’d like to see 4s feeding 4s (along with more 4s in vaults). No need to make 3s more powerful if transitioning into 4* land is sped up.

13

I mean…in a very real way, 4’s (who do not feed a 5) do feed 4’s since LTs are 85% of the time another 4. The only problem is that it isn’t a specific 4.

14

Also: how many people with max champed 3* characters still consider themselves as transitioning to the 4* tier?

15

I don’t like the idea of it costing extra covers and extra shards to level up. I do like the idea of 3* characters being able to complement 4* teams for a little longer. I barely made the transition from 3* to 4* land and most of my 3* roster has already become irrelevant. I don’t know if that is just nostalgia, because I remember going through the same feeling when I went from 2* to 3*, and kept trying to use the 2s with my 3 champs.

Dear God, yes! My MMR level is currently some 220 (I have 3 lvl 255 5s, a few of softcapped 4 at 200* and championed 3* at various levels ranging from 166 to 205. Every 3* has become uterly irrelevant unless boosted and they aren’t even max leveled yet.

16

Here is a novel idea…how about 5* characters be better than 4* characters, which in turn are better than 3s, which in turn are better than 2s, which in turn are better than 1*s.
I know, its a revolutionary way of thinking but heck, i just may work.

17

It already takes way too long to turn and burn a 3 star.

18

I find this is only true since the removal of BH. The progress for 3* via shards is far too slow.