Okay - Ascension makes this game TOTALLY different, in a good way. Should it be unlocked by default?

[some (momi)]

I know the question part of the title is going to cause a lot of discussion, so let's get that out of the way now - I got my first taste of what Ascension is like when I did the final story dungeon, and man, is it actually what I wanted from the game.

The story dungeons are fantastic, but as so many people experience - they're more puzzle than deckbuilder. I almost think that Ascensions should be unlocked by default, with a disclaimer about potential game spoilers by doing them first; and the usual 'you can unlock more cards through playing the story' (ie: Characters, Masteries; the current way of doing it).

After someone explained to me in another thread the basics of Ascension - in that you select a starter deck and character, but then after that, get to combine it with one or more decks over the course of your run - I decided to push forward with the Queen deck and see if I could get there/how it would be, and it was worth it.

It was - the game is actually a puzzle deckbuilder; not a puzzle game with extremely minor deckbuilding (to the point where at least one starter deck was better by removing some cards and taking zero new ones).

The final story dungeon, in which you get the first taste of Ascension with the new unlock, is what prompted me to make this post. I launched up the actual Ascension 0 trials, and then decided to come here...

If you liked the game, but quickly found it too puzzle-y : push forward.

Get to the end with the Queen deck. The Queen deck, by it's very nature, HAS to be capable of handling any threat combination the game throws at it - and combined that with the experiences of the dungeons you'll make along the way (ie: if you play through them first without Queen deck), you'll be able to clear it with minimal difficulties.

I'm just starting Ascension - but from my taste through the story - it's far more in line with the game people wanted Quantum Protocol to be.

...which is why I think it should be unlocked by default. Not necessarily all the cards, or characters - though there could be a button to unlock everything, should a player just want to play the game more generally.

:shrug:

On the other hand, playing through the story and banging my head against the walls made me appreciate the more nuanced aspects of the game and design. All I can say is, I'm glad the Queen deck is a thing - it's fun, and it's good enough to get you to the end.

[glass]

Trails of heart with queen tho... XD
You'll get there soon and suffer

[some (momi)]

The above all said however, the character you unlock near the end of the story really allows for the decks to gel together - with other characters, they still have the flaw of being more limited to one name.TYPE, with all the effects.
(Though to be fair, I do have a hilarious .Mage+.Eden deck going on at the moment; don't know how strong it really is, but it's fun if nothing else.)

However, it does allow us to answer the question of: "what would deck X be like, with Execute ability Y".

@Glass: Now I'm curious just how awful that'll be - probably very. XD

[HeraldOfOpera]

Originally posted by glass:

Trails of heart with queen tho... XD
You'll get there soon and suffer

The upgraded bosses and Heart's Trial were intended to be "bonus" challenges and thus didn't get the "Queen can beat this" check that dungeons did.