What am I missing?

[Terrible Terry Tate]

Where does this game go after you discover a few decent builds and are pretty much always capable of achieving them? Every playthrough feels the same. You inevitably become godlike, make it to 30 minutes and get instakilled. My suspicion is there's a way to avoid and/or kill the bosses, but really, if I just have to grind these 30 minute sessions over and over, I don't think I want to find out.

TLDR: does the game become more interesting with time, or after 10 hours of playtime, is this pretty much it?

[Arc]

The gameplay loop itself doesn't change, you just keep unlocking new things that keep it interesting. Can you just use one build forever? Yeah, if you're okay with that. I tend to switch them up even if I don't need to. If you don't enjoy the game after finding Evolutions and Arcanas, it's probably just not for you.

[Hyper Realistic Blood]

Most of the game is chasing unlocks. It's not enough to win a stage, you have to also get those cheevos. There is a way to beat Red Death, but you'll find it later, and you'll still get killed after that because being killed that way is how the game announces you've beaten that run.

I highly recommend playing with different builds and figuring out what's fun, instead of just picking the same winning build over and over. Personally, I like to do goofy gimmick builds or stick with the sort of things I think a given character wants to use.

And ultimately, if you're giving the game a fair shake and you're not having fun, it might just not be a game for you. I know I've bounced off plenty of games I thought were cool but couldn't stick with

[Kranst]

Going to be honest here. I think Vampire Survivors is great, and have played through all the content, but once you have the feeling that you just described, that will very likely be your experience for the rest of the game.

[Hyper Realistic Blood]

Originally posted by Kranst:

Going to be honest here. I think Vampire Survivors is great, and have played through all the content, but once you have the feeling that you just described, that will very likely be your experience for the rest of the game.

That's when you take a break and play other things for a couple months, or the next cool-sounding update

[Kranst]

Originally posted by Hyper Realistic Blood:

Originally posted by Kranst:

Going to be honest here. I think Vampire Survivors is great, and have played through all the content, but once you have the feeling that you just described, that will very likely be your experience for the rest of the game.

That's when you take a break and play other things for a couple months, or the next cool-sounding update

While I would like to agree, taking a break does not change the core gameplay loop. The OP is not describing being burnt out, but rather the tedium that comes with Vampire Survivors.

[Arc]

Darkana are so broken that effectively every character is the same beyond the first not even 10 mins once you get "spawn items on levelup" and "frozen enemies increase growth on kill", so you have to actively avoid those for any unlocks to particularly matter.
Not even considering the free chests which can contain more arcana and weapons and passives over the cap
Oh and the golden fingers which make even items like trollbombs spam constantly

[Westwindgeist]

There are a lot of other broken things in the game besides darkanas.
You can kill the red death even without ending the game, with the
right build. This game gives you a lot of options and power.
It's on you how you choose them. You can make this game challenging
or a cake walk. There is quite a big build variety but the core gameplay
doesn't change. I would suggest to use different builds and unlock some
stuff to see if this brings you a enjoyable experience. If not, than this
game is simply not for you.

[Moonbane]

Originally posted by Arc:

Darkana are so broken that effectively every character is the same beyond the first not even 10 mins once you get "spawn items on levelup" and "frozen enemies increase growth on kill", so you have to actively avoid those for any unlocks to particularly matter.
Not even considering the free chests which can contain more arcana and weapons and passives over the cap
Oh and the golden fingers which make even items like trollbombs spam constantly

I decided Hail to the Future is too unbalanced and never using it again.

[Daydream King]

I have fun trying builds. Maybe building around an Arcana to see how it performs. Solo weapon limit breaks can be fun as well to see how crazy you can make 1 weapon do.

I also like to to see how powerful some characters are with certain weapons. Cosmo, and the Imposter tongue weapon scales really hard. Specifically on that character, or with Mina.

If build creativity and theory crafting aren't your thing. Then the game doesn't have much long term value for you.

[Tornadoawe]

tbf about Darkana being op, to unlock them (without code inputs) you must:
- unlock Hyper Mode for 3 Stages to unlock Bone Zone
- collect the Morb Scroll from Bone Zone (somewhat difficult level)
- look online or at the Secrets tab to find "forbiddenbox"
- Beat Room 1665 (I believe it strips you of any Arcanas, so reasonably difficult)
Thats just for Moonlight Bolero.
Hail from the Future has the additional steps of:
- Collect 33 Rosaries to unlock Laborratory
- Survive 20m in Laborratory to unlock Santa Ladonna
- Evolve Santa Javelin and grab a Rosary

At that point, I think the game has appealed itself enough that you either love it or have already left.

[SpiralD]

Originally posted by Terrible Terry Tate:

Where does this game go after you discover a few decent builds and are pretty much always capable of achieving them? Every playthrough feels the same. You inevitably become godlike, make it to 30 minutes and get instakilled. My suspicion is there's a way to avoid and/or kill the bosses, but really, if I just have to grind these 30 minute sessions over and over, I don't think I want to find out.

TLDR: does the game become more interesting with time, or after 10 hours of playtime, is this pretty much it?

I mean.. If you finish an offline single player game, Normal people usually pick it up when they feel like it.
Just for the fun of it.
If you want that forever game your looking for something like wow.

TLDR Response: If your in the mood. Imo it's fun to try different builds and challenge yourself with really weak characters on hard levels.
Sometime i just allow everything and go full RNG.

[FrigidMoon]

I can personally confirm that the gameplay loop in the game does tend to feel a bit stale, and your experience with the game was mine as well, i actually have had the game since before any of the DLC was released. The only reason i came back to give it a second chance was the Castlevania DLC. I definitely believe that the DLCs are necessary to prolonged enjoyment of the game, having a massive roster of new and better weapons is the solution to the base game only having a handful that i liked. and also, there are MANY MANY SECRETS to unlock that keep the game interesting.

[BigRowdy]

Roll a die for your choices to prevent from always the same build.

[CyanDoomdragon]

Originally posted by BigRowdy:

Roll a die for your choices to prevent from always the same build.

The game already has this built in, the Random Level Up option.
You unlock it with the Relic you get in the bonus level, Space 54.

[noisyturtle]

It is not some long progression journey game. It is meant to be played in short bursts, when you're not really paying attention.

Also, did you get the Yellow Card and Randamazzo? You can certainly go beyond 30mins in a run.