Resisting the urge to use replays on content

Bless you!

I think people can use replay badges however and how often as they like. Me personally I don't really use replay badges to redo content that often. I mostly spend them to transfer feats to another character.

Just gonna drop this here

Which is why I've been saying for a long time the best gear can't be obtainable via solely marks that you can get from a billion sources easily - unless they make it so that gear requires a specific mark again. I see why they unified the marks but that just increased the restraints on them. People argued over stupid things on forums like symbols and now we're here and nobody wants to eat the crow.

And that's great for you (really! Not being sarcastic) however most of the rest of us like to play the game and not just watch it unfold. And your viewpoint is totally valid as well.

Does it really matter where people get their gear from, though? You're not one of these players who believes the best gear should be distributed at random to those who beat the hardest content are you? because that's a complete fallacy.

Right now, best in slot Hands, Feet, Shoulders and Head are available from Demon's Plan Alert. Not only has that Alert never been too challenging (I will praise it for being harder than desecrated cathedral, though), but it's even easier now that our CR's have gone up greatly. Next month, Nekron's raid will be even easier than it already is and Prison Break will be easier thanks to increases in CR. Yet both will still drop the best gear. So to say players should be earning their gear from the hardest content and what they're doing now is the right way to do it is just completely illogical and makes absolutely no sense.

Personally, I'd rather ALL 12 pieces of content in the content relevancy window were useful for gearing up. Why even bother having 12 if you can only really use 6 to progress or 3 if you're not using R&D gear (and why would you when it requires so much effort for 2nd best reward that people can get by being lucky).

Yep. It was just an epiphany as to why I get frustrated at videogames after a while. I want to see how the story ends and then go BACK to a challenge. Used to be with games you purchased, that I would start on the easiest level, just so I could finish the story with the least amount of effort. Then, once I enjoyed the story, I'd go back and challenge myself if I enjoyed the story.

That play style doesn't work here, so I need to adjust my thinking. Might change my purchasing habits too in the future for all online games now that I realize this.

2014 the developers stated this for DLC when they were making them still they were to go

Small, Large, Small, Large, etc...

Meaning the focus would shift from raids and alert to Alerts, solo, duo, etc...

The game shifted from almost balance to imbalance with monthly content and map reuse has been a thing too. We have gotten two new maps in 7 months; they are Flash duo and Bomb. Everything else has been recycled maps.

Previously with DLC we would get 1-3 recycled area and the rest of the content would be new to explore. Because content is now released monthly, developers have less time to create content that would give us new areas.

With DLC for instance, they could create smaller solo areas - Central City, Gotham Wasteland, etc...Monthly content does not provide them with the time to use the resources to execute such designs.

This is an issue and was a concern for many. I like the idea of monthly content as it does encourage players to keep up on the Legendary status and as I have shown monthly sub now provides over $15 worth of stuff. The issue I have is a lack of alerts and a lack of new maps to check out.

I know many of us would have preferred the DLC and all the possible new maps we could of had, now we are stuck with recycled content and lackluster mechanics with a narrow focus on getting top CR.

I agree I probably won't use replays after trying out the elite riad on the 1st day of release. I'll probably keep using them just for that because I like to run stuff on the first day when groups are willing to resort to 2222 if they struggle with 5111.

I did unlock elite with RB because my PB reg group was really awesome and I wanted to see if we could beat elite. We didn't, but I didn't mind spending them because it was a really nice group that communicated well and was willing to listen to everyone else.

I never got the elite chest from BD after using replays on that, so I probably won't use anymore replays this episode. No purple drops from PB so far. One person in my group did get 2 chest drops on regular. I would like to not worry about CR so much, but LFG groups are already filling up with CR 154+ requirements. I have 2 sets of healer gear, my full elite set is 151, my 6 piece set is 153. I prefer my full set because of the free HoT from the type D mod, but I'm pretty sure I won't get into any LFG groups unless I use my 153 set.

Well in MY opinion, even the addicted relpay badge spenders will get tired of running the same stuff. Then what?how does the game thrive now?

Why waste money on replays when gear is no longer used to beat the raids but we chase gear now to beat SM. If you do not play SM simply stop supporting RB usage. I have.

I do not run SM. Instead I run content 1 a week for each toon and some times I'm lucky 2-3 rare drop and other times zero.

On Hal I think I'm up to drop 21 or so without anything rare. Which is unusually.

I ran BN, BD, BP, DP, DP, DC, and DCE and have not gotten any rare drops. Now I'm going to run the duo daily until BP is reset for free and hope I can get a rare drop after so many runs without seeing one rare piece of gear.

If the devs re-released the bottle duos exactly as they are now but scaled up to the current CR, put the best drops in them and doubled the replay cost to reset them, people would still spam their paychecks at them on day 1 for the gear. They simply do not care about the content, they just want the shinies.

And that is why the shiny award should not be dropped gear. It is a unfair system, even with the improved drop rate.

Instead players who are unlucky have to replay the content if they want the best gear. Having best gear not dropped, ensures players who earn MoV playing smaller content more often are awarded for their effort and players who run raids, will earn MoV and can use their award as well. That is a more balanced approach. The only problem with this method is that the devs have made it clear that RB sales from players seeking a golden carrot is worth more to them than losing multiple membership on all platforms.

I know many XBox 1 players and many do not enjoy the play to win or pay to get the best mentality of games. And these players when I told them DCUO was coming to XBox were excited until I explained the current model to them. Most stated, they would stay F2P.

I'm with you, OP.

I used to use more, but it's become crystal clear that trying to get gear from raids with replay badges is like flushing your money down the toilet buying lottery tickets. I ran BN every week of its release month and reset once, no weapon box. Oh well. I just resigned myself to not getting it. I refuse to reset to chase around items that should be earnable without RNG. Furthermore, the monthly cadence makes gear feel even more disposable. I've come around to supporting best gear in the vendor for an increased mark amount or via some other solution.

"take advantage of"
Perfect explanation of the unrestricted replay system, players (not unlike addicts) taking advantage of what originally was created to help people 'catch-up' for lost gaming time due to real life.

When you have enough players taking advantage (as we do now) it becomes the norm/expectation for the entire population thus creating this relentless rat race just to keep up.

This devalues progression as well as the content created to foster more players to "take advantage of" a system that should've had restrictions on it to begin with, so they can milk your wallets, on top of a subscription no less.

Makes whatever excuses for it, reasons for it, all you want, fact is at the end of the day, you're the one getting "taken advantage of".

In fact by extension, we all are. Even those who choose not to replay have to suffer from its side effects. So, thanks for that.

I have used replays on this content only because I have a lot of them and nothing else to really use them on. No plans on buying replays but since I get some for free each month and some in each booster bundle no sense in not using them.

It is no longer players that are taking advantage of this system. We as players have been taken advantage of by the corporate company by allowing them and supporting such a product for so long. The by product is the continuing usage of RB and the corporate company not wiling to let such a profitable short term product go.

I have seen more and more players stopping replay usage and more and more are getting annoyed with how content is designed. More and more are ready to leave for good and go onto other games.

IMO, DCUO is a cash cow for DBG other games. This game is helping to generated the needed revenue to create their next big money making game to hit multi platforms.

I agree you don't need the gear (for higher CR) to beat the regular raid, but the nature of LFG is that you may be excluded from groups if you are not near max CR. That is why I have 2 sets of healer gear now, to make sure a non-elite one is near max CR.

I simply do not care any more. Seeing the lack of support roles and seeing I have all my toons primed for support roles I simply put my CR and support role for X content. Rarely am I not picked up. Only recently have I had a hard time getting into BN. As for PB I have had no issues.

Funny thing is in one of my PB runs, there was a player that was already 156 CR that was on day 1 for PS. What a waste of money that is IMO.

I forgot to add this...We were both Gadget DPS...I did about 10% more damage than him. That is why I state skill is greater than CR.

Than it is CR > Stats.

Well....let me put this as blunt as I possibly can:

I am Retired Navy. This may mean little to you (and some here on this forum)...maybe most of you all, I don't know.

I am also a working man.

I am also a Family man. Happily married for almost 18 years, and with 2 boys - one that is 12, the other 17. The youngest one plays this wonderful game from time to time, too.

My time is rather limited, and when I am on, sometimes I'm not "really" on, due to family stuff I have to attend to.

AFK is my middle name.

With all this being said, my time is limited, as you can see.

If there is a system in place, called "Replay Badges" that allows me to - well - replay content - then this helps me TREMENDOUSLY in my rather LIMITED time I have to play.

While I see your point, I take it - from your tone - that you could be blaming ME for some...."abuse" of the system?

If you are waiting for an apology from me please don't hold your breath. I enjoy this game, enjoy my role AND enjoy helping other players in this game, as I've done since I first started playing in 2012.

If "Replay Badges" allows me to enjoy MORE content in my SHORT TIME ONLINE, then I will continue to do so.