In light of some of the concerns voiced by our newer players, I decided to develop a thread with some helpful tips and precautions. The hope is this will become a sticky in the General Discussion board and the Game Guides board. I'm not going to rehash the Starter Guide created by N3, so this thread won't be touching on game mechanics or the like. This is meant to demystify certain elements of the game and provide some level of tutelage for those finding themselves overwhelmed or confused about what to do. This is by no means a comprehensive list, so feel free to add suggestions.
1. What's this Premium Pack and should I buy it?
The Premium Pack is a collection of 4 items at a cost of 500 gems. It contains (1) 3+ star hero, (1) miscellaneous catalyst, 50,000 gold, 50 stamina. Newer players should avoid this pack at all costs, for a number of reasons. First, the hero card, which is the most important aspect of the pack, is highly likely to be obsolete and useless in building a quality deck. Second, while it may not seem like it at first, you'll be able to amass large amounts of gold as you participate in events. Third, if you really need extra stamina, you can acquire it in Honor XP Packs without having to waste precious gems.
2. You mentioned Honor XP Packs. What are those?
Honor is a fifth type of currency (behind gems, gold, mana, and stamina) that can be used to purchase certain items in the game. It's most frequently used to purchase keys during Commander and PvP events, but it can also be used to purchase Honor XP Packs. The Honor XP Pack, which costs 350 honor, gets you 1 Hero, 1 Catalyst, stamina and gold, which is fundamentally the same thing you get with the Premium Pack without having to waste 500 gems. You can also purchase a Guild Gift Pack for 3000 honor but it's generally not worth the honor since it only gives you more stamina and gold plus a gift to send to a guild member.
3. So how do I get this honor?
Honor can be acquired in a few ways. The quickest, and easiest, way to get it is to make friends. You'll receive 100 honor for each friend you add, eventually capping out at 100 friends. That will allow you to get 10,000 honor, which is more than enough for a few Honor XP Packs if you find yourself needing a little stamina for a key fetch mission. The other way to acquire a steady source of honor is to be sent on missions or to be used as an ally. The former is something you don't have much control over because it's simply random; your friends and guild mates will eventually select your card by process of elimination and send you out on a mission, which will get you 20 honor. The latter is something you have more control over because you can select your profile card. This is the card that will participate in other players' battles, so it's important that you pick your best/most useful card so other players will take you along with them. This is especially true in Commander events where there are a lot of stages to clear. If a non-friend uses your card as an ally, you get 10 honor; if a friend or guild member does it, you get 30 honor.
4. What are gems and how do I get them?
Gems are the major currency in Legendary, which makes them extremely valuable and something that should not be used lightly. You can acquire them in a few ways. The quickest, and most expensive, way is to simply purchase them. $1 = 100 gems, with $100 getting you 12,500 gems if you buy the 25% bonus pack. You can also purchase a Daily Pass for $6, which will get you 200 gems per day for 14 days. Finally, you can subscribe to VIP for $30/month, which will get you 200 gems per day for 30 days. There's also a one time only offer that will get you 10,000 gems for $20, something I highly recommend you take advantage of if you believe this is a game you plan on sticking with. If you can only do one of those options, though, the Daily Pass is the most economical, getting you 5600 gems in 28 days for $12.
The second way to acquire gems is to simply play the game. You'll receive 50 gems every time you increase your rank, with bonuses coming at certain milestones, and you'll receive gems for getting three stars in the campaign stages. You can also earn gems by participating in PvP, GvG, Bounty Hunter, and the weekly events, the amount of which varies based on how well you and your guild perform. With enough time and patience, you'll find yourself amassing a tidy sum of gems and a world of possibilities awaiting.
5. What should I use all these gems on?
It's very easy to find yourself with a lot of gems and start feeling like you need to spend them on something. Resist that temptation! The best way to get a quality deck that will allow you to consistently compete and contribute is to exercise patience. That means not spending your gems on the useless packs that are released every week. Remember: your gems are valuable and have a real world cost associated with them. The average cost of a complete deck (with VIP guarantee) is 43,200 gems. That's the equivalent of $432. That cost can increase or decrease depending on your luck and how many relics you believe are necessary to "complete" the deck (I used 2 in that example).
There are really only a few things that should ever be purchased by a newer player: Tier 2 of the Day 2 pack and Tier 2 of the relic pack. Both of these packs will allow you to slowly build up your roster over time and require a minimal investment of gems, the majority of which you'll earn back through playing the game and participating in the actual event. Keep in mind that you don't have to buy every event card and relic; there are some that are worthless out the gate and not worth the investment. If you're uncertain, don't be afraid to ask the community or your fellow guild members.
6. How do I know which event deck to get?
By asking the more experienced players, many of whom you'll find are more than willing to help. Because many players are investing real money, they won't hesitate to tell you whether a certain deck is worth the investment or whether you should avoid it at all costs. Regardless of whether you take their advice, you should always have a plan of attack before you purchase anything. These decks are investments and should be thought of as such. You want something that you can use for awhile, giving you time to save up more gems for the next deck.
Think about what you want to accomplish and whether the deck you're thinking about purchasing can meet those goals. Think about whether the deck will have utility once the event is over, whether it's in GvG, PvP, or the alternative event type. Consider whether the deck is one that might be able to synergize well with future cards, thereby further adding to its utility. Most importantly, ask yourself how far you're willing to go to complete the deck, especially if you're not getting a VIP deck. Have an understanding of how much you're willing to spend should you find yourself incredibly unlucky with the pulls. There are many horror stories of people spending upwards of $1000 and not getting the card they wanted. So, while it sucks to spend on a deck only to leave it unfinished, it's far worse to realize that you spent far more than you should have. Don't be afraid to ask before you pull the trigger.
7. Do I really need to buy a deck every week?
Not unless you want to compete at the highest levels week in and week out. The event deck gives you the best opportunity to move up the leaderboard but plenty of players compete without buying the event deck during a particular week. Most players would find it prohibitive to do so. The goal of many players is to acquire a good/great deck in each affinity over time, with the ultimate goal being acquiring a good/great deck in each affinity for both Commander and Slayer events. Just remember that there's always going to be something better down the road. There's nothing wrong with skipping a few decks to wait for one that's going to give you a good amount of longevity.
8. Should I buy anything other than event packs?
Not until you've gotten some more experience under your belt and have a better understanding of the mechanics and the types of cards you need to make a stronger deck. As a general rule, you should stay far away from Bounty Hunter packs, PvP relic packs, GvG packs, and random buff/debuff packs. These packs are not worth the gems, particularly for a newer player. They may have some benefit to you later on, or contain a card you might find useful, but they should be avoided at all costs for the time being. Likewise, you should avoid Revival Packs unless the guaranteed card at Tier 2 can help one of your existing decks (i.e. it's the same affinity and would benefit from the leader bonus and/or relic).
Occasionally, you'll see Legend Packs and Legend Relic Packs, which are both worth it to a point. The Legend Pack will allow you to get a 2 star Legend card for 100 gems, which is a good way to acquire all 5 Legends. Similarly, the Legend Relic Pack will get you a few 3+ star relics and 2 crystal shards for 100 gems total (after a 300 gem refund at Tier 2), which is one of the best ways to spend 100 gems. Finally, packs that offer mana and relic XP orbs are also useful and are generally a good use of gems at Tier 1 or 2.
9. What's the deal with drop rates?
It's understandable you may be confused about your chances of getting a card, or even with interpreting the pack information provided by the developers. You can find rudimentary drop rate information for event packs by tapping the ? icon and scrolling to the bottom of the page. Once there, click the "Drop Rate Info" button. What you'll find is a breakdown of each major pack released during the course of an event. Events run from 8 PM on Wednesday to 8 PM on Monday (in the US) but they technically start on Tuesday with the release of the Day 1 event pack and the headstart pack. So, when you see Day 1, the developers are referring to the hero pack released on Tuesday. Day 2 refers to the hero pack released on Wednesday and Day 3 refers to the relic pack released on Thursday.
In terms of the actual odds:
Day 1 Pack: The featured hero card is guaranteed at Tier 6 and Tier 7 Step 4. You are also guaranteed one of the featured heroes at Tier 7 Step 1. You have a 10% chance, per tier, of obtaining a featured hero card at any of the other tiers.
Day 2 Pack: The featured hero card is guaranteed at Tier 2 and Tier 6. You also have a 26% chance for every hero card pulled of getting the featured hero and a 6.5% chance for every hero card pulled of getting the UR (ultra rare) at any of the other tiers.
Day 3 Pack: The featured relic is guaranteed at Tier 2, Tier 6, and Tier 7 Step 4. You also have a 3.5% chance for every relic card pulled of getting the featured relic at any other tier.
Unfortunately, there's no concrete information regarding non event packs. Should that information be provided, this section will be updated.
10. Awakening Cards
Don't awaken cards!
Unless:
11. Is there anything else I should know?
Setup your defenders for War of Guilds (aka, Guild vs Guild, GvG) as soon as possible.
Don't buy gold or stamina. Both are a waste of gems.
Don't dust any card until you need to or until you've evolved it to 5 stars and no longer have a need for it.
Do pay attention to how packs are described and worded. If a pack says you're guaranteed to get a featured card, make sure you figure out what the featured cards are because it may very well be something other than the 4 cards displayed adjacent to the requisite tier.
Do ask lots of questions. We were all new once and we all would have done some things differently when we started out if we knew what we know now.
Do take your time and plan out your purchases. There's nothing wrong with being patient. Something new and better is always coming along so don't feel like you "missed out."
Do have fun and make friends. One of the things that keeps many of us around is the community and people we play with.
11. Where can I find more information?
You can check out the Game Guides section in this forum for more tips and tricks or post in the General Discussion section if you have a specific question.
You can also find useful videos from TBone here:
https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCgF...US8yhHTLjdEdBQ
If you have a question for me, feel free to shoot me a PM or find me on Line.
Now, go and enjoy the game!
Senior Member