While being a guest on The Escape Pod cast recently, the topic of future raids briefly came up. Amongst the many other topics we touched base on, this was one that stuck with me. A new raid is typically the Next Big Thing-and when sitting back and considering the State of the Galaxy, I realized that Capital Games may indeed not be ready for one, at least for another year. The semi-recent addition of the Challenge Pit was indeed a spectacle, and one with a significantly higher threshold than any other, though not without just rewards. (On a personal note, I greatly appreciated the change made so guilds could actually accomplish it without god-like levels of time coordination). But what exactly is holding CG back from the next raid? Let’s delve into the problems CG is likely facing.
Having covered the topic of potential future raids in the past, and prior to the release of Sith Eternal Emperor/Jedi Master Luke/Challenge Rancor, we can sadly say that I was wrong in my assumptions then. But why not now? The raids we currently have are set in the Original Trilogy (Rancor raids), the Prequels (HAAT), and the Old Republic (HSith). Capital Games seems to strive on some form of balance, and if that remains true then the next raid will either be from one of the better films in the Star Wars Universe (Solo or Rogue One), or would come from the Sequel Trilogy. This leaves the door open to a number of ship-related battles, which many players are starting to support as at least a part of the next raid. Additionally, it can open the avenue for characters like Galen Erso, Tobias Beckett, Veteran Smuggler Lando, and others to join the game. The Battle of Scarif, the Kessel Run, Exegol, and other locations all lend to highly plausible destinations for the next raid. Wherever it turns out to be, however, the raid in itself should be able to stand out and be separate from all the ones that come before and after it.
Challenge Rancor was originally a slap in the face. With a Rancor claw. While you sleep. The level of coordination and base requirements was vaguely understandable when you consider the power level Galactic Legends brought to the game, however the original setup meant that an unprecedented level of coordination needed to take place in order to complete it. Fortunately, while CG saw the error of their ways and changed that, the power level remains. In a time where many people have “inflated” rosters due to GL requirements, or may have sailed smoothly across the new raid on the USS Visa, the focus required to participate and complete this raid as a guild is still yet unmatched by any before it combined. I will clearly state that I believe the power level was appropriate, if originally disheartening, but those sweet sweet relic 8 rewards (and other crumbs they drop) are worth it in the end.
The next raid, however, will need to be of a higher power level than even Challenge Rancor. For those that remember when the Tank and Sith raids first came out, they respectively were far more challenging than their predecessors, and took time to learn and master. The next raid will be no different-which begs the question, how do you make a raid where GL’s get eaten, demolished and out-shone by Jawas seem easy?
Without rewards, raids would be relatively pointless. Each raid has rewards needed to upgrade characters to higher gear and relic levels, with the Challenge Rancor being the only to drop relic 8 supplies. As each raid is released, their rewards are often scaled towards the high end of players during that time. While they seem to have added the always-needed Mark V Stun Guns as a staple reward (therefore fulfilling player’s wishes to have them more accessible), right alongside the power level, is what the rewards will look like.
Relic 8 was only released alongside the Challenge Rancor December 9th last year-and it’s highly likely that the next raid will not only herald another increase in relic levels, but supplies needed to achieve such power as well. Currently, the Challenge Rancor is the only way to gather the Aeromagnifiers required for relic 8, though the aptly-named Impulse Detectors can be scavenged at great cost. As time (and the game) goes on, the chances that you can either purchase the current top-tier supplies will increase, though for many players that option may as well be nonexistent.
The other issue is if it will bring in a new character. Challenge Rancor was the first that did not reward players with a character; OG Pit had Han Solo, HAAT had General Kenobi, and HSith had Darth Traya. If a new raid is to come to the game, will it go the way of CPit or return to the classic style? Which faction(s) will it support and become a valued part of?
The first time a raid was able to be simmed was with the oldest, the original Pit, and only within the last year guilds could sim the HAAT raid. The original pit raid is over five years old now, and the AAT raid approaching its own five-year anniversary this October. The Sith raid, however, is “only” three years old. Is that aged enough for CG to turn it into a simmable raid? That is easily debatable, however I think the answer turn to a solid “absolutely” if they come out with a new raid (and wait several months) prior to making that an option.
If there truly is anyone at CG that reads what I post, I say to you this-don’t do this.
Players were truly excited for a new raid to come out, only to be disappointed by a re-vamped version of the oldest raid. From a creative perspective, it felt like like a lazy patch; give top-tier guilds something to be challenged by, by tuning the difficulty to 11 and lock specific rewards in it. Now, I’m not saying the newest addition to our raid collection is bad, overall-it just lacked the flair of raids that came before it. No new character to unlock, no new lore to bring in players-merely a significantly difficult raid with specific gear rewards. As someone who enjoys the thrill of speculation, CG releasing a “Challenge” version of either the AAT or Sith Triumvirate raids would be sorely disappointing, to say the least. They have an entire universe of epic battles to pick and choose from, dozens upon dozens of legendary characters they can tie to the raid to boost or even revamp factions gathering dust at the bottom of our rosters (both as part of a team and as a weird but incredibly effective strategy [see Rey Jawas for the Challenge Rancor raid]), and while they always do tend to take care of their late-game/endgame players, why not throw a small bone to greener holotable heroes?
I sincerely hope that CG opts to make the CPit a one-trick pony. It is certainly useful and has its purpose, but in the end lacks the creative flair we have previously enjoyed from the game’s creators. However, I can’t help but fear that CG sees the power of a revamped raid for specific rewards-like relic 9, 10, or the mysterious “untapped power” CG mentioned in their relic amplifier announcement. Some may believe that they were talking about the Galactic Legends Ultimate ability; for others, it’s yet another trick CG has stashed up their sleeve for later use.
And there we have it! While I have no experience creating and maintaining a billion dollar game, as a long-time player I feel like the reasonings stated above are prime issues the creative team is currently facing as they look forward. To them, I wish them luck-as I continue to enjoy the game and what they bring into it-but also openly offer them to contact me if they have ideas they wish to bounce off an outsider’s perspective.
Best of luck, CG! And until next time, Holotable Heroes!
CommanDollar 