Shrouded Ghost spawn rate may NOT be unbalanced, but related commendations ARE

  • Many players have complained about the extremely low appearance rate of the Shrouded Ghost (SG) ever since it was released. However, the idea behind such a low spawn rate is really cool: it is such a rare sight that it becomes a fabled creature that one only dreams of ever laying eyes on. I think this is an absolutely brilliant element of storytelling and lore/community build-up.

    HOWEVER, the fact that there is a Grade I to V commendation for defeating it (5 times in total) may not be as good an idea. My reasons for that:

    • As soon as a mythical encounter is turned into a grind (and by that I simply mean something you look to do repeatedly through a number of times), a big part of the magic is lost, which in some sense defeats the very purpose of the low spawn rate.
    • If you actually go for the commendation (and that should certainly be a legitimate goal within the game, because otherwise the commendation itself makes no sense from a playability perspective), then you are left to pray to rng, as there is nothing you can do to improve your chances. If anything, this commendation would deter you from actually doing anything else other than just sailing around to maximise the time you spend meeting the conditions for the spawn. In other words: looking to defeat the SG 5 times is in direct conflict with playing the game in its current form.
    • Even if you have found a SG at some point, and given the current spawn rate, one can figure out how many EONS it can take to find 5. Some players have completed all commendations in the game except those Shrouded Ghost-related. I myself am relatively close to reaching that state without having seen it once. So two issues arise from this. First, is it fair to ask for so much in-game time as to find 5 SG's? And second, is it consistent to introduce a commendation that will show 0 progress in the same amount of time that players have taken to complete all other commendations?

    The solution I propose to these issues is simple: eliminate 5-Grade commendations for the Shrouded Ghost. Make it a one-time thing for the Legendary Hunter of the Shrouded Ghost commendation, just like the one in the Bilge Rats Shrouded Spoils. It is still true that some players may complete almost all of the other commendations in the game before ever seeing it once, and it is also true that the encounter still depends on chance, but at least the expected duration of the commendation becomes something realistic, whilst keeping the aura of mystery and fable around the event. And it brings the expected duration of that commendation closer to that of the rest.

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  • @john-gold8985 no, it's fine like that...and just if you didn't know...grade V was 50 when it was added...

  • @john-gold8985 I think it's fine to have a handful of super rare commendations. This one doesn't need adjusting and people need to get over their obsession with 100%ing something. I might never see the Shrouded Ghost in the wild, and that's ok, but when I do I will drop everything to kill it which makes it a unique encounter.

  • Over 50 Days played. Played beta release and have been playing since drop. Never encountered. Not even once :,)

  • @dabpick sagte in Shrouded Ghost spawn rate may NOT be unbalanced, but related commendations ARE:

    Over 50 Days played. Played beta release and have been playing since drop. Never encountered. Not even once :,)

    Over 130 days played...same

  • I don't have an issue with the commendations. They should remain consistent for others.

    What people should be offered imo is consistency with meg spawn rates.

    Megs spawn less (outside of this temp adventure)
    They aren't as consistent as they used to be and they aren't as frequent. This has a devastating effect for someone in the meg hunting business.

    My suggestion is that megs be a priority for consistent spawning. If not through a ritual/summoning process with the same shrouded rarity, through a consistent rng that allows everyone to hunt megs based on a timer that is consistent with how it was for a few years.

    As a serious meg hunter I was able to hunt with a 3.5 per day average meg encounter. That has not been the norm for around 8 months or so. Outside of the adventure situation it's literally not possible with recent rates for someone to organically pull in the numbers I pulled in. People need the encounters to have a chance and I don't think encounters are where they should be or where they have been in the past.

    I'd never even go a day without seeing megs and now someone with consistent play time can go 3 days or even a week without an encounter.

    Megs should be common, it's solid content, the loot falls in line with a common spawn not a rare spawn, and it allows people a realistic chance of putting in the effort to hunt one through consistent encounters.

  • @schwammlgott welp, sounds like I shouldn’t get my hopes up anytime soon lol

  • @dabpick sagte in Shrouded Ghost spawn rate may NOT be unbalanced, but related commendations ARE:

    @schwammlgott welp, sounds like I shouldn’t get my hopes up anytime soon lol

    It's rng based, so the hours played aren't relevant...you could be in the first day of playing and it spawns on you...

  • I’ve read that a lot of new players encounter it very early on :0

  • HOWEVER, the fact that there is a Grade I to V commendation for defeating it (5 times in total) may not be as good an idea.

    Keeps the players coming back. That 'World of Warcraft' sorta grind where the npc or mob only spawns in certain locations at certain times of day but has a quick flee if not killed. You keep doing it.
    Players in this sorta game, NEED more types of these commendations/achievements. That .5% completion that hasn't been done. It may sound "dumb" but it so far the second reasons I even bother playing....

    Meg sound effect
    Me: OH OH PLEASE BE SHROUDED!
    Meg Appears, Shadow
    Me: AWWW

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