JWA Update: Game Changing or Game Breaking

First, I want to say I still love this game. I love the community that has been created because of this game and the relationships I have built as a result of this game. But the player base is frustrated and I feel like this next update is a make or break for many people. I see the forums and our discord riddled with conversations of people about to give up and it truly makes me sad. Many of them are top-performing players ready to throw in the towel. And I understand their frustrations. 

The arena feels stale, there are still exclusive creatures that can’t be hunted, and we haven’t had a major migration in several patches. Many of us are still stuck at home and that only reinforces these issues.  And then there are boosts. This seems to be the number one complaint by most players frustrated with the game and I have to agree they have turned into something they weren’t originally advertised as.

Boosts were supposed to be a fun addition to the game. In fact, when stat boosts were introduced and then revamped to Boosts 2.0 they said:

“From an end-game point of view, we want them to be part of the game as a fun customization element rather than a chore to stay competitive”

Right now, it feels like a chore. I vehemently defended the changes to Stat Boosts 2.0 and I still stand by my opinion piece as I still enjoy the customization aspect of boosts and allowing us to customize our creatures in different ways. But since boosts have now been in the store every day since the last boost reset, it’s just expanding the gap between the hardcore and casual players.

This is not another boost rant as you can just go to the forums for those, but with the boost reset coming up, I feel like this is a chance for Ludia to start bridging that gap. Give the free to play and more casual players’ incentive and a feeling that might eventually be able to catch up and don’t make the top players feel like they have to purchase every boosts in the store every day just to maintain their position. In fact, not selling boosts every day would probably be a good start.

The only thing keeping people going is this big summer update and I really hope it’s a good one. We need balance, we need creature migration, we need something that makes the game FUN again. Based on the information we have received so far (the Co-Op mode and the Creature Families) I am cautiously optimistic about the potential changes. I also appreciate the boost reset since it sounds like there will be major creature changes and allowing players to change up their teams without a penalty.

I am looking forward to the next update and I really hope it brings life back into the game. I still love it and play it on a daily basis and don’t plan on going anywhere anytime soon. I hope other players find a way to stick it out as well. At the end of the day, most of us started playing this game because of a love of dinosaurs and I hope we can find that joy and passion again soon. Because if it isn't the update many of us are hoping for.....well hopefully we don't have to find out.