End of Vet Rewards?

May have something to do with the extreme amount of time to acquire rewards. 66 months? This game will hopefully keep going for 5 or more years but some people will never see 66 months if that doesnt happen. I think thats part of the reason why they stopped costume parts and temp powers earlier.

I myself am still hoping that we can one day either buy veteran rewards ahead of time by purchasing mass amounts of subscription time or by just buying the rewards via micro transactions.

Personally the luster sort of disappeared from the Vet Reward System in my opinion. I'm approaching the 48 month mark and kind of looking for ward to that but let's face it... I have older characters that have as many as 60 free costume token (in game) plus all the ones I get as a VET. That does come in handy occasionally when I design a Holiday outfit or whatever but just how many times do I need to keep changing outfits on a 50 level that I have tweeked the costume on numerous times already?

The Respecs are the same way.. I have been around long enough that between Paragon Wiki, Midi's Planner, and just a good knowledge of the game and power sets from teaming I can't recall the last time I did a Respec trial for any other reason than the badge and the merits I could earn plus most of my characters have one free one sitting in game as well.

Costume pieces?... Okay when wings and Trenchcoats first appeared I was thrilled like everyone else but I have over 40 characters on the Virtue server now, between 2 accounts, and not one wears a trenchcoat and all of two have wings. Wings in particular lost it's shine when they turned right around and started offering recipes for ones that looked cooler and even started selling them (The Valkyrie set).

Base Items ... are sort of cool but unless you are the base leader, or designer/archetect, how many players actually use them? Not to mention the players that don't even bother joining a Super Group making that whole "REWARD" pretty much useless.

Vet powers?... They come in handy at lower levels but with no ability to enhance them at some point they just become an End drain that misses as often as it hits and unless I am in a battle against an AV and nothing else has recharged (Yeah that happens a lot) I rarely even use them so they are just another all but worthless icon taking up room in my trays.

Don't get me wrong it's all nice and I can't recall the last time I ever had to PAY for a costume at the Tailors and the few times I have messed up a power selection it's been nice to just click a badge and fix but they are hardly anything I consider earth shatteringly important. It may be time to just end the system or, as one poster suggested, cut back to a yearly reward and make it something good.. like an accolade style power that ups my Hit Points, End, Recovery rate, Etc. Or how about added power slots so at say 72 month I get to pick another power, from any pool or my mains, and enhance it sort of like I was a 52 or 53 level. (No I am not suggesting adding any new powers to primary or secondary powers.. just giving a player the chance to say add a pool power and one or two sets of enhancements to make it worth using).

The Power Packs they sell offer up better rewards, in most cases, than what we get for being loyal to the game and a brand new player with zero vet badges can buy those their first day in game. Maybe it is time to just end the system or at least revamp it so it actually seems like a reward. And Devs if any of you actually read this.. try creating a vet reward and then not turning right around and offering it, or better, to a 1 week old player. The excuse that some younger players complained "But I want wings too and that seems so far off I will never get to have them" just doesn't hold water with me. My response to that would be.. "Well when I started I had to RUN everywhere until level 14 because there were no Newpaper/Radio missions and Raptor Pack available to anyone above level 5 or that wanted to buy one for 30 days. There was no Wentworths and I had players in their 30s still using Training Origin and Double Origin enhancements because it was all I could afford. If I wanted a particular BADGE from a contact in some cases I'd have to purposely let my self get defeated so I didn't outlevel the contact before they finally gave me that mission..since there was no Time Travel Portal that let me do them any time and even award merits for waiting and doing them after I outlevel that contact. I'm a VET and there are others even older in game than I am so if you want a bright shiny new power, or whatever.. Try playing the game a while and earning it instead of whining until someone gives or sells it to you!" LOL

I think that vet power is a very good one really. It's useful for a lot of people, but it's not so useful or desirable that it's unfair on the newer player. That's kindof the level they need to be. If they do a power or a costume, it has to be something that is vaguely replicable or not something that someone REALLY wants or needs, especially when we're now at the stage when, let's be honest, we're getting to the point where a new player might not be able to get a power because the game finishes.



I don't think they should end the system, it's a nice little thing and encourages people to keep their accounts going. Tweak it maybe, have some system where you choose your powers with some system to stop someone picking all the best stuff first, but not remove or end it.

To the people who prefer to end the vet reward system (or make it annual at some point) because they can't catch up otherwise or feel that they're always be behind:
What you are actually saying is, that you prefer to have NO vet rewards at all, if the alternative is that someone who is playing (and paying) longer can get something you have still to wait for. I'm glad that you are the minority.

And to those who seem to believe that the devs are out of ideas:
I haven't seen any hint at all that this might be the case. Just leave it to the devs. And if they really do need fresh ideas they just need to read through the forum and they'll find more than enough to create vet rewards for several years.

As to the OP, I personally find the +5 recipes VERY useful. But I use both the market and the inventions system regularly. The increased slots means not having to choose between deleting booty vs. interrupting a good roll of play with a trip to the blackmarket or wentworths.

As to the larger question of what could be given to vets in the future? How about vanity powers of all sorts that summon NPCs for silly emotes for one:

• blueside:
  
  • [autograph session]
    
  • [photo shoot]
    
  • [journalist]
    
  • [groupies: female]
    
  • [groupies: male]
• redside:
  
  • [shakedown]
    
  • [mug]
    
  • [backalley deal]
    
  • [insight dissent]
    
  • [evil assistant]

Another approach to make LATE LATE vet rewards acceptable in general:

Hows about vet rewards that offer similar SHARED functionality, like the portable workbench. The vet chooses between a few aesthetic thematic options (as we can now with our combat pets) and summons a magic ward/grows a tree/unfolds a device/etc. that allows all nearby players or teammates to:

• Access their personal vault storage
• Access and drop a limited number of items on the market
• Purchase inspirations
• Access a tailor (of either full or limited capabilities--i.e. costume only, no powers?)
• Sell enhancements
• "Slow time" by adding time to a currently active timed mish
• Reveal ALL glowies or prisoners on the map (granted we actually get the reveal last glowie functionality for everyone)