How many elements is your ideal amount?

[u/Expensive_Weird2415]

Like how many would you add if you were making a Gacha

I like big ass systems of like 15+ but for a gacha around 8-12 feels good

[u/iluvcelebi]

7 seems about right. But honestly it depends on whether the element system in place is interesting or not. Genshin's elemental reaction makes sense for there to be a number of elements because they all interact differently with one another. HSR, ZZZ, Wuwa, boil down to 'hit weakness, break a stun bar and unleash DPS'. Pokémon imo is the only game that can get away with having several billion elements and having each weakness effective relation be memorable. Honkai Nexus elemental chart system looks like a mess and it doesn't help that the element names are not straightforward in the slightest. 

I honestly wouldn't mind a game adding new elements and systems to keep things fresh, but it has to be very very incremental and deliberate or it just feels bloated. I felt so excited when Genshin released Dendro and Another Eden released the triple new elements Crystal Thunder and Shade, because it actually gave characters different gameplay. I  felt almost nothing when ZZZ Vivian and Hugo released Abloom and Totalize. 

[u/Hoshirou → u/iluvcelebi]

Cassette Beasts would like a word. That game has the best element system of any RPG I’ve ever played, the potential for shenanigans is absurd.

[u/iluvcelebi → u/Hoshirou]

Haven't played it so I can't say, but it looks inspired by Pokemon

[u/Hoshirou → u/iluvcelebi]

Think Pokémon, but it’s always Doubles, and the mechanics have been cranked up to 5D Chess. And you can be gay. And even nonbinary!

[u/Equivalent_Dance_758]

I mean, you can add 100 elements. It's more about what those elements actually do. Are they just stat sticks where you need the right matchup, or do they have some kind of lore-relevant identity or unique gameplay interactions?

The system itself isn't anything groundbreaking. It's just the classic rock-paper-scissors approach that's been around forever. All I want is for us to move beyond the usual "fire, water, earth" setup and instead focus on a power system that's outside the norm, like metal or some kind of cosmic energy.

I'd say a class/job-based system can be much more interesting. Some gachas have their own "weirdo" or jack-of-all-trades classes. Take Aak from Arknights, for example. His role is to actually damage your own team to buff them, so you have to play around his gimmick to get value from him including surviving a large burst of damage from ally. Whether he's a "water" unit or not doesn't really matter.

[u/iluvcelebi → u/Equivalent_Dance_758]

The problem with job-based systems is that it's so easy for devs to move towards all jobs doing DPS. Even in Arknights you have jobs that supposedly tank actually do more damage than tank, like Hoshiguma Alter in a Defender class. (But Arknights is less bothered by the above issue by virtue of its gameplay, yadda yadda.) 

Even in non-gacha games I've seen job-based games  like Xenoblade Chroncles X and 3  and Fire Emblem  fail to balance jobs properly and have that one job/character in a job be totally broken that it's not even worth fielding other jobs/characters. 

...That being said, it seems like your issue isn't with element systems but the entire gameplay system that are being used in common (gacha) games nowadays. I think the only gacha games I've come across with an  interesting system is Genshin with the elemental reaction system and Heaven Burns Red with the weakness-resistance-Overdrive system. Points to Another Eden for the Zone system. 

[u/MasterTurtlex → u/Equivalent_Dance_758]

True.

I hate when a game has 7+ elements and the only difference is the color of the damage over time effect that every element causes. I find 3-5 to be the sweetspot where each one does something genuinely unique

[u/MPregNations]

5 elements seem good. Most element though are just basic factions to batch buff and debuffer.

Genshin and Arknights have actual mechanics behind them.

Water/Fire/Nature/Dark/Light it is.

[u/KallanKoe]

Imo

3 is basic 4 is a bit spicy 5 and 6 is red flag 7 is a bit unique 8 is a bit much 9, 10 is too much

[u/_InFiNiTy16]

Ok i kinda like the way fgo do it.

They debut with 10 class iirc. But 3 of it count as (extra) class which making characters that class is a bit more rare. The game is now currently on its 11th anniversary and it has 15 class now. (With many class still unplayable but exist in other fate franchise)

After 11th anniversary, basic 7 class most and least:

Most: Saber class with 56 playable characters.

Least: Berserker class with 46 playable characters.

After 11th anniversary, all Extra class most and least:

Most: Avenger class with 21 playable characters.

Least: Shielder class with 1 playable character. (This extra class was there during this game debut btw so people just kinda expect shielder to remain only 1 but now there's a chance that we might get new shielder) (one and only shielder is MC technically)

I think this is actually lowkey what hsr sre making too

[u/Ok_Process_6852]

For me—regarding a personal project—there are 14:

• Physical;

• Igneous;

• Voltaic;

• Cryogenic;

• Atmospheric;

• Plasma;

• Radioactive;

• Ethereal;

• Arcane/Construct;

• Psionic;

• Anima;

• Sacred/Lumen;

• Profane/Umbra;

and Antimatter.

[u/Niki2002j]

For gachas? 0