To provide some background info beforehand, I have started playing this game somewhere mid last year when emissaries were about to be introduced.
So basically since day one of my SoT carreer I rooted for playing as emissary to boost the money output for delivering loot so I could buy that expensive stuff from the now former Black Market.
After a long break of several months I'm back now and about to complete the emissary special event. Also still grinding for money.
I recently completed the event task to open 2 vault doors of skeleton forts which was also the first time that I ever touched these forts.
What I have to note about this whole fort experience is how underwhelming it was. The tuckers that ruined one of my attempts were even the smaller annoyance.
The thing is, the loot just isn't that great compared to what I get for doing missions and afterwards emissary tasks for my respective company. The emissary grade 5 boost is just enormous.
Completing the fort grants an insta-boost for a new emissary flag to grade 3, but only a part of the fort loot is even relevant for the emissary grade and affected by the boost unless I sail as Reaper.
What is disappointing about the fort battle as well is also that it just doesn't feel like I'm actually assaulting a fort. The whole fortification structure, except the cannons, isn't manned by any skeletons, instead the AI behaviour of the whole wave is just the same as when doing an OoS mission on a generic island.
As my last gripe, what direction are streamer fanboys and other crews who wish PvP usually heading to? Not to some random islands where I stop by to get my easy emissary loot, that's for sure. So why even bother with that risk when there are other lucrative ways? Only when I'm bored, drowning in money already and just want to meet that final boss and perhaps other players (if they even come in great numbers nowadays)?
I know that these skeleton forts were once really hyped but I have also seen a recent post here describing how no one seems to be really interested in forts anymore.
In context with the emissary feature this rather confirms my impression that the forts, as they are right now, are dated and need to be put more in line with everything else.
Like by adding more or just better loot (instead of a lot of minor GH trinkets) into the vault and make the fort more challenging or immersive to complete. The worst that could happen here is that it re-ignites greater PvP action.
The only upside I see in forts right now is that they're completed rather fast together with a halfway competent crewmate and serve well as additional runway to get higher emissary grade as mentioned above, PvP risk put aside.
