I agree…
as an example, there seems to be an heavy armor proposed… I think about taking it to not miss it…
that’s the FOMO effect.
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You literally cannot miss out. The armor is the same, the price is the same. If I’m not misunderstanding the concept completely, the intent to facilitate anxiety over armor that simply won’t be there and you have to acquire it now is impossible.
My point here being - if one really cares for the shop, they literally already know what bundle follows what in the rota. They know precisely when to look for what they want. If someone doesn’t care (like myself) - I check the rota once in a while, and if I like something, I pick it up. For myself, this has already become unnecessary - I already have 90% of the armors in the shop, the rest I literally do not like.
I’ll go so far as to make the following point - the store is so irrelevant as it is, even with the stats on the armor, not a single drama has been stirred yet. In a community that will go apeshit over literally anything in the game, and the peak of the game’s popularity, had it really been more than a meme, there’d be some outrage. At least a little.
Essentilly:
…if you have to have it, might as well have it like this. Unless something drastically changes, like, say… the prices changing or the rota becoming overwhelmingly large, this is the best way I’ve seen it done. Which brings me to…
Because in DT it’s theoretical. In reality, the prices rose, the same gear available at launch came back for twice as much. Which is why there was outrage, the system was updated and now there’s technically less FOMO. Hell, DT has players asking for certain sets to come back. HD2 - nobody really gives a damn, even if they care about the unique stuff in the shop.
What a disparity, wouldn’t you say?
But it really is. From the people I play with regularly, many already own everything in the Superstore. And just as many don’t engage with it at all. A FOMO system wouldn’t really allow for either of these outcomes two months after release, specially with earnable currency that equates to one armor set per play session.
Personally, I don’t really care about the shop in HD2, nor did I care for the one in DT. As far as I am concerned, both are a way to support a dev. As it should be in a Live Service, which one game is the best example of, and the other is still unclear about and some say never was, but sports every annoying aspect of, mtx included…
But you’d think:
Turns out (much to my surprise), it’s irrelevant. I promised I’d pay attention to how their mtx evolves, and I have. During the largest success AHGS have had, the store remained the same. The prices - the same. The quality - the same. Had any Superstore armor really been crucial or even remotely important to success, the meta gang, you know, the one that drove a storm for weeks on about the first balance patch, would’ve said something by now. Not generating a lot of FOMO, come to find out.
Let me try to, once more, explain, as well as I can. This time with 2 months of HD2 behind us, instead of at launch, when we first had this conversation:
The impact any mtx product has is subjective and personal. Cosmetic items or gameplay-impacting items is largely irrelevant to the matter. If a player is pressed for time, they’d throw cash at progress. If they simply want to look cool, they’d throw cash at cosmetics. What’s key to “is it FOMO and how much FOMO is there” is the manner in which it’s implemented, and how much does it detract from the core game while being in your face. How much is the game built around your attention being driven towards the mtx?
The mtx system in DT is FOMO largely due to its implementation - Hallowette (or whatever her name was) is placed ahead of the Ordo Drip shop, the option to buy Aquilas prominently displayed as soon as you engage the NPC, along the main way to the Surgeon. An instance of the Mourningstar will have tens of players running around in 3rd person. The latest rotation is on the launcher (at least was when I played) and every minor patch carries with it gigs of files with the new rota, while addressing a few minor issues here and there.
You can see how this causes many frictions in a game that is scarce for content and patches are looked upon with hope and cynicism.
Add on top of that the reality that the only real money gets you drip and voila - FOMO. Will I ever see the Krieg set again? Will they even fix it? If this ever rotates in, will it have the same price?
The mtx in HD2 are on Page 2 of a menu that first shows you main progression (Warbonds) that you have to go into and can’t easily back out of on the UI. The option to buy SC is Page 3. Your ship houses you and any players you’re currently in a party with. 3 of them at most. There is nothing showing you the latest (repeating) set. People that cared made a fansite to track the rotation. The store so far hasn’t received any new entries and the prices haven’t changed. But the most obvious anti-FOMO is the actual economics of it - sets are cheap and the currency is abundant.
IF the single unique perk combo or the look of some set is really really what you’re going for, you can acquire the SC in multiple ways, all within a single afternoon.
This is why HD2 doesn’t have a crowd shouting “FOMO” - it’s accessible, not in your face and not detracting from what you started the game to do.
Largely because of
in HD2 you have an example of how even that might be shifting, as AHGS figured out a way to implement some of the worst the industry has come up with and make it… a meme.
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It was always good, especially against automatons. It is simply better now and you get lower TTK.
Dude, what you are saying is pure false. I gave you example of farming just to show you that if someone really doesn’t want to spend $ and doesn’t play for whole month, he can do that in literally ONE day.
If you want me to prove you more wrong, here I go:
You get 300 SC from Warbond. New Warbond costs 1000 SC.
1000SC - 300SC = 700 SC.
On average you get ~15 SC per mission if you are doing all objectives just playing normally.
700/15 = 46 missions. And not even succesfull ones as SC are added to your account the moment you pick them up. You don’t even have to finish mission.
One mission is on average 20-25 minutes. But let’s take 25 min just for the sake of argument.
46 x 25 minutes = 1150
1150/60 = 19 hours.
So you need to play on average 19 hours in a MONTH to get to 1000 SC for next warbond. 19 hours, that’s what… 0.6H per day?
So I think casual player is more than fine.
Especially that casual player will spend way more time trying to get Medals for unlocking stuff in warbonds than he will have to worry about getting SC for next one.
If you didn’t notice, unlocking warbond stuff still require gameplay, no $ will cut it. And even if casual player will unlock warbond little later - doesn’t matter, Warbonds stay forever. There is no FOMO for Warbonds.
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In what Earth does less stagger mean less- what? The stagger was one of the few things that made the Punisher worth taking over the Breaker, now the Breaker is just straight-up superior. Can I please have whatever you’re on so that I can watch Shrek in a whole new light? Of course, the Sickle Lasrifle still trounces both of them and is what every other Primary should aspire to be 
I don’t think there will ever be a consensus, but my little “stake on the ground” will be that I agree with @Shaamaan in general. Locking content behind Super Credits doesn’t give me a good feeling. Especially when you get punished in the Super Credit department for playing on higher difficulties.
Same with the armor shop. I agree that armor perk combos etc don’t matter too much, but if you want the warbonds and a couple of armor sets from the store? That is a lot of playing or grinding you have to do.
I wish that SCs were just for cosmetic sets, and didn’t effect stats or anything else.
If people didn’t love the game it would’ve been a huge issue.
Still love the game and am playing it, excited for all the new content, and am happy you can earn SC in game, but I’m still not a fan of the system.
I like Darktide’s monetization over Helldivers. 
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Well there’s your mistake (or mine, depending on perspective). If you’re playing diff 4-5 then missions can be that fast. Try that in 7-8, especially with a random team. You’ll need the full 40m and SOMETIMES you can get by with 30m. And I’ve already done the math on both cases (i.e. getting a bond for the full 1000 if you need the medals for non SC stuff) or 700 before.
It’s not undoable, certainly, but it’s a non-trivial commitment.
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If bad feelings and personal taste is where we’re at now, I subside. Fair enough.
Till the next time, in another two months of HD2. Maybe by then the shop will finally show it’s cracks, the honeymoon will be over and we can debate how it was all another long play by a greedy corpo…
By then there might actually be some kind of development in DT, so we can talk about that as well, instead of updates about future plans for updates…
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Dude, I am playing only 9. 25 minutes is AVERAGE. Sometimes we finish in 15, sometimes in 35.
And your complain was ABOUT CASUAL PLAYER no having enough SC and having to pay $. Why the hell you bring missions 7+ into argument now? You think CASUAL players play there? Casual players mostly play 4-6. Becasue they are casual. Even 7 is easy once you know stuff and unlock. Who needs 40 minutes to finish map on average below 7, jesus. Maybe with turned off monitor.
7+ play more hardcore players that play everyday and we have thousands of SCs (I have 1600 from last Warbond just from playing +300 I got from Warbond) so we are fine. I don’t even bother picking SC anymore. When I need them I can easy get them.
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I only play casually on HD2.
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For previous warbonds I choose the pathing to grab all the SC.
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When new warbonds get released. I wait and check out online what is fun/viable/effective weapons and go for those first, leave rest for later and path to SC first.
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If there is a good armor effect go for that.
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But I skip banners/helmets etc as they don’t have gameplay effect to conserve medals.
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If at the end I got plenty models then will unlock everything, but basically as casual player I methodically plan the pathing of warbonds as to what I want first knowing I won’t 100% it before next warbond comes out.
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If casual player you do have to be picky and plan ahead and perhaps leave things unlocked on previous warbond whilst working on latest one, then go back to it if spare medals if you want to or save for next warbond.
It is almost like an economy game in itself on expenditure vs time efficiency to get to desired gear, but leave 1000 SC by month end to prepare for next warbond.
Just like in DT if you start HD2 say next year you’re are faced with much bigger time commitment required to catch up. Imagine a new player starting in 2025 and 10 warbonds. You have to put yourself in the shoes of non day 1 players and what would attract them not just now but ones that decide to buy later on.
Currently DT hurts new players with massive time wall. HD2 a lesser wall, but still a time wall. Well at least HD2 the time wall is completely linear but DT you can go backwards by losing materials and bricking weapons.
But what they could do is put new weapons on first page so you can unlock those faster and cosmetics on later pages. That way the amount of items per warbond can remain at same amount to accommodate hardcore, but at the same time let casuals get what they want and move onto next warbond without having to over commit on gameplay time. People want to try new weapons day 1, so I say let them.
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Oh frabjous day! Callooh! Callay! The time has come, the Automatons will pay!
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Actually, SC can spawn equally on any difficulty, so it’s even easier to find them on less difficult/smaller maps.
Well, that’s how people farm it.
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Helldivers 2 has their equivalent of earnable Aquilas. How?
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I agree on this. However, a new player would not be forced to complete the 10 warbounds.
Must say that having a good primary weapon change everything.
I was hesitant about the Jar Dominator… Tested it in 2 missions (from someone that had it) and must say that it is a game changer (at least on bugs). When you use a simple breaker and take in your hands a Dominator… my god!
And as sometimes you cannot recover your stuff from stratagems (especially against automatons, I defy everybody to get back his equipment if a tank is close to it), a good primary weapon can change this.
Also a good primary weapon can help to deal with problems… with a breaker I cannot kill big bugs… with the Dominator, it was possible.
Took the heavy armor, this is also a game changer. You are sloooooooooooooowwwwwwwwwww… but it protects you a lot.
Nothing is essential in this game… but sure there are parts of it that are game changers (like in any game). I suspect that someone that would start the game in 1 year could focus on last warbounds and the first warbound (essential stuff there) and they would be good.
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HD 2 has content behind those costs. DT does not.
And this is still a problem for me. Still can’t get over punishing players for playing on hatder difficulties.
There was another point in favor of HD’s monetization system over DT’s someone brought up to me I would like to talk about however I am very sick rn and I don’t think I could articulate it correctly. Maybe later today.
Counterpoint, you can earn that content (weapons and cosmetics) by simply playing the game.
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Oh frabjous day! Callooh! Callay! Rest now, for the Automatons have paid!
Yes and I’ve stated my issues with the system they have with it still. Not going to resay all of it. Maybe if I felt better lol. (Not trying to be mean or anything).
Either way doesn’t matter too much. If you like the system that’s awesome and glad you can enjoy the game more because of it. I personally don’t.
As the only bug enjoyer in multiple groups of people who play bots only I am thrilled rn.
Map pickups are universally the same throughout difficulty. Rewards aren’t. Higher dif operations will grant the most medals, which is really what can speed up progression.
tl;dr: all have the same access to SC and accessing a warbond/drip. Those who’d like to rush progress as fast as possible or simply enjoy higher diff can hop on above and get to it. It’s literally the least amount of punishment possible as far as SC is concerned.
As to the Medal rewards - that’s literally a curve, so anyone can find their optimal difficulty and aim to progress…
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Medals are not a barrier. In the slightest. With personal orders working again alongside the major orders you get flooded with medals. SC are really the only thing that matters, at least after finishing the free warbond.