Ok, listen, this is starting to get to a critical mass

First, hello. How ya doing?

Now that that's over with we can get started.

As of this writing its Wednesday, June 29. Yesterday issue 20.5 hit live servers and my brain hurts. Yes, not my head, but my brain. Why you might ask?

I am beginning to experience now, looking in-game and on these boards, the same frustration that I have to deal with in every-day life, so I'm writing this in one part therapy, one part trying to prove something, and one part just trying speaking my mind.

As I said, I'm looking at a lot of people in-game and on these boards going on about the same exact thing in one way or another, but essentially, it seems to me, it boils down to this (this list is in no particular order, and all of these are equally expressed):

1)People don't like the new Keyes Island reactor trial, be it because it requires, as of this writing, more healing than the other present Incarnate trials either because of the mechanic of it (the pulses), or, honestly, when I read between the lines it seems some expect the trial to be a paltry task, or to put it another way a "smash and grab".

2)Some seem upset that this new trial is, well, essentially a trial, with 16 people required minimum to run it, rather than having this half issue (I think that's the right term) concentrate on other things (Honestly, I'm not sure what the ones expressing this view wanted done in particular, but I've seen everything from fixing bugs to making new costumes, so, take your pick there).

3)Others seem concerned that this is the third trial added, and with Issue 21 I believe there will be another trial (Underground I thin) added, and these ones are expressing concern that the core gameplay is changing.

These are just the biggest ones expressed, and there are others I can mention at this point, but I wont.

CoX is NOT becoming a "raiding game". This game just celebrated 7 years about two months ago. Of that time, only about the last year has had these incarnates show up. There is still SIX YEARS of team and solo play available to everyone right now, and once Freedom hits STILL available for everyone.

The three current trials/raids DOES NOT mean the end is near, cats and dogs living together, or human sacrifice. As I said, SIX YEARS of small team and solo development, and three larger group trials will NOT kill the game. Just because there has been, of late, a greater concentration on I guess you would call it "end game content" does not mean that the rest of the game is being ignored and thrown by the wayside. Hardly. In fact, it means the opposite, with greater depth being explored.

To those saying this issue should not have introduced another trial, well, what else would you have preferred being done? I am serious about this, please say exactly what you would of wanted rather than an advancement to the incarnate system, not "this is bad" but "This is bad and I want XYZ" Also, show support for your reasons this is bad.

Finally, and this topic is the most annoying to me really, there are people who criticize that the trial requires only particular classes, or requires a particular powerset, etc... Well umm, no it doesn't. Yes, people have to be smart and stay together to survive the pulses, but it does not REQUIRE you to bring a particular powerset. Empathy, radiation, dark, these are just three powersets that can heal, and honestly, trials are not supposed to be easy. Once we master them, yes, they are a breeze, but it takes team play, understanding of the situation, and knowledge of the environment to succeed.

Also, sort of as an appendix to the final thing, there are people saying that they are being forced to play the trials. They are not. Let me repeat that. No-one is forcing people to do these trials. If you wish to, do them. If you do not, don't. Simple as that. Technically speaking, you can not set foot in a trial zone, and unlock all of the current five Incarnate slots, and slot them up. Would it take longer than doing the trials? Yes, it certainly would, but you can do everything solo, and if you wish only do it with yourself or your friends. Yes, the conversion rate from shards to threads and then to, especially, rares and very rares is kind of bad right now, but it still stands that you CAN do it all with incarnate shards.

There are of course many more arguments and discussions going on that I am able to mention all in a short amount of time, like I said, these are the ones I consider to be the most vocal, them, and their variations. If I think of more, I will of course post it, but so far, I welcome all of your comments.

Hi there

I'd just like to add, not only do trial haters never have to step foot in a trial, but that some of the endgame tf's (Apex and Tin Mage, specifically) now award an Astral merit once per day, so everything that those unlock (and breakdown into) are also available. It's still the slow route, but people will conveniently ignore those routes and demand to be satisfied with a fast/easy way to unlock incarnatedom.

/agree

Winterterminal summed it up perfectly. I only have one thing to add: I am beyond sick of people trying to act like not enjoying this incarnate glurge is the fault of the player for being too selfish and wanting the rewards too much.

It is not selfish or gluttonous to expect the path to advancement to also be fun. The only thing stopping me from incarnating my characters at this point isn't "challenge." It is how insanely tedious this system is. And then on top of that they've thrown costumes, emotes and auras behind this wall of absolute, endless tedium.

We have great developers, a good game, decent enough missions, and a friendly playerbase, but I have never hated a system in this game as much as this one.

Incarnate is the new PVP.

I'm not enjoying Keyes because of the random excessive damage that we can incur when we don't even do anything wrong. It would be one thing if it was like, "hey you touched that thing that kills you, now you're dead!" but this has "oh you're running back from the hospital, you didn't aggro anything, you're just trying to catch up with your league mates... But that's ok. You're still dead."

how about through the paragon Store?

as far as the difficulty of the new trial goes...

Seems to me that the same complaints were levied at the early trails. Then people played 'em till they mastered them. Now they gotta new chore to master...

I give it a week before the grumbles stop. Plus, who knows, the devs might tweak Keyes...

My main issue with Keyes is that despite being a more challenging trial, the rewards are the same as the previous two. I understand that it will become easier the more people become familiar with it, but even at that point it'll be more of a hassle/challenge than BAF/LAMBDA. If there was a greater incentive to run Keyes I wouldn't grumble at the thought of running another one.

I like the trials, I don't run them over much, I like that the game now has end-game content beyond hami and ship raids and a few extra-tough Tfs/SFs. I think it makes sense that end-game trials have some sort of special reward. I know people will complain that they want the reward without running the end-game trial, but if you make the end-game trial rewards available without ever running the end-game trials, then they aren't really rewards.

I like that there are things in the game that you can't have at level 1.