How to maximize 3 Stars

[robofish126]

1: Buy only Tier 1 heroes at first. No exceptions.
2: Fill out your bench. Sell only when it can be replaced by a multiple.
3: Skip the 'buy 4 exp to jump to Level 5', buy exp only once to get to Level 6. At that point switch to buying Tier 2/3 heroes.

On my first try of this, I was able to get six 3 Star heroes with a seventh 8/9ths complete, twice as many as any other player... then lost in 6th place because they minimal compatibility as a hero comp and satisfied few alliances:
https://i.imgur.com/fk5pJD9.jpg
Lesson of the story: Having the most 3 Stars isn't an auto-win. Once you get a 3-star or two active, its probably time to shift towards a good alliance, so that your 3 star tough guy can get some buffs to make the most of his big stats.

[BalthierGR]

is just pure luck and rng , you maybe cant even get 3 stars hero on 30 round

[robofish126]

Originally posted by Albert Wesker:

is just pure luck and rng , you maybe cant even get 3 stars hero on 30 round

I got six 3 stars heroes in 32 rounds and another 8/9ths complete on literally my first try of this strategy. The issue is that maximizing your chances of getting 3 star heroes means minimizing your chance of getting specific or synergistic ones.

Overall my impression is that the big meta choice in Underlords is:

A: Commit overwhelmingly to getting a perfect set of Alliances and/or hero combinations, even if it means no 3 star heroes or even having to field 1 star heroes to round out the comp.
B: Commit overwhelmingly to getting 3 star heroes, even if it means sacrificing synergy, coherence, and planning.
C: Go for something inbetween. Get a 3 star hero or two, then build a comp around it rather than trying to endlessly max out your stars.

The reason why a lot of people are getting frustrated is that they commit to A then get frustrated when they can't get the benefits of B as well. Underlords has a lot in common with deckbuilders and roguelikes, you can't 'force' a build or go for everything unless you are super lucky, you have to make the most of what you get, and accept that sometimes even that isn't enough.

But it says a lot that I got the most 3 stars in my lowest ranking match; in practice I've usually gotten in the top 4, which is unlikely if its pure luck and rng.

[forcecomdr]

Anyone can get blessed by RNGsus a time or two, the question is does your plan work 8/10 matches, or at least a high percentage.

You mention only one match.

[BalthierGR]

i maxed 6 heros on round 22 for the first time is just rng

[Tariff Mike Hawk]

Originally posted by Albert Wesker:

is just pure luck and rng , you maybe cant even get 3 stars hero on 30 round

I get 3 stars every game bruh, not even that hard

[robofish126]

Originally posted by forcecomdr:

Anyone can get blessed by RNGsus a time or two, the question is does your plan work 8/10 matches, or at least a high percentage.

You mention only one match.

I get 3* basically every match, as does most every other player. I'm not inclined to do the plan suggested above again because 30-45 minutes is a lot of time to spend on a strategy that is suicidal and bad.
https://i.imgur.com/Dib3sjv.png
Here I achieved two 3*s, and defeated an opponent that had 4*s, despite him somehow managing to get them to all have a shared alliance. It just turns out that 6 Warrior plus 3 Ranger beats 9 Warrior.

[Psam]

Stupid players think that it`s all just rng. Stupid players think that number of 3* heroes does not depend on your level or reroll quantity. But clever players know how to calculate probabilities to maximize profit and have 4-5 3* every game if they need to. Or just go into level and t4-t5 but have fewer of 3* heroes.

[robofish126]

Just played again, and took 1st again:
https://i.imgur.com/g5yNsWl.png
Only had one 3*, though technically with Druids it was two. The other guy had three 3* heroes. He lost despite that, because he only had 8 in the field, which completely offset that advantage.

Originally posted by Psam:

Stupid players think that it`s all just rng. Stupid players think that number of 3* heroes does not depend on your level or reroll quantity. But clever players know how to calculate probabilities to maximize profit and have 4-5 3* every game if they need to. Or just go into level and t4-t5 but have fewer of 3* heroes.

Overall I understand the frustration. Pursuing 3* heroes usually comes at the expense of team synergy or size, you have essentially no control over which heroes you have climb up to 3*, and I'm not sure why they even bother to include stats for 3* heroes of Tier 4 and 5 because that's never gonna happen.

I wouldn't mind if they added features to make pursuing 3* heroes less frustrating, like having it so that recruitment market indicates remaining hero count, or reducing pool size. Having mechanics that are technically balanced and fair but extremely frustrating to everyone but the pros is not good.