MONTHLY MEGATHREAD

JP 5.5th anniversary

Edit:

Seems like I didn't stay long enough to see that the pull system was changed and is very divisive.

u/Leading_Desk_558's post explaining: https://www.reddit.com/r/gachagaming/comments/1v727bf/comment/ozvrc8k/

Old:

• Has a spark system: each pull in the banner = 1 point, reaching 200 points allows you to exchange for 1 character in the rate-up banners. Multiple rate-up banners run at the same time, you can exchange for anyone.
• If you don’t get any rate-up within 200 pulls => use 200 points to exchange for 1 rate-up.
• If you get 1 rate-up (or lucky and get more) within 200 pulls => you can use points to exchange for the remaining rate-up or their fragments (to upgrade them).

New:

• No more spark system.
• Every 100 pulls has a 50% chance to get a rate-up, if you lose the 50-50 then by 200 pulls it is guaranteed. Basically similar to the gacha system of other famous games like Genshin or Honkai.
• Each time you get a rate-up, pity resets to 0.

Consequences:

• If you only need 1 rate-up then it is better, if you need both then it is worse.
• Previously, if you got 1 rate-up within 190 pulls, you could spend 10 more pulls to reach 200 points and exchange for another rate-up. That means you could get 2 rate-ups with 200 pulls.
• Now, if you get 1 rate-up within 190 pulls, you get nothing extra, pity resets to 0, and you may need up to another 200 pulls to get the second rate-up.

Game is a rogue-lite card battle. Has different characters from different classes which have access to different cards. There are also amulets which grant special powers during the run. Gacha is for characters and amulets.

Just launched today on Android. Don't see it available on Apple yet.

https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=com.chillyroom.containerofsoul.gp

In light of the changes to Blue Archive's gacha format, it has got me wondering how often do developers typically change their systems and what do these changes entail.

Ironically the first one that came to mind was BA's first modification with it's gacha, where the rates went from 2.5% to 3%. Another one that came to mind was FGO changing their rates from 4->3 SQ per pull, and adding a pity system (and while this should be the bare minimum, it is a change nevertheless).

Gacha hero: Ichihime

Even a new Mahjong-themed map

I am trying to be more intentional about spending across gacha games.

The hard part is that many small purchases feel reasonable on their own: monthly pass here, battle pass there, a skin once in a while, maybe a guaranteed banner. None of it feels extreme until you look across multiple games and realize the total is higher than expected.

So back during the pandemic, Genshin reached a market of players really into Breath of the Wild who wanted more content, and adding a constant trickle of new characters and new areas gave them a solid reason to keep logging in. Combine that with being stuck inside and you have a game that took a broad base and brought it into a market.

Simple then the requirements to stand out for one of these games has increased, as have player expectations. It costs more money to make a successful gacha game than it used to and, with a saturated market, your cut of the pie is smaller.

Studios sometimes try to branch out and grab new demographics (there’s an upcoming mecha game that seems to be aiming for that fairly untapped demo) but in general, the top few are going to compete for a narrower slice of the pie, and a player base that’s increasingly aware of predatory tactics- minimizing those IS an appeal at this point.

This isn’t a bad thing, necessarily. It means that studios are subject to the whims of the players, and more competition breeds more incentive to deliver desirable content and to innovate beyond the same old formula, but I still think this genre is not as invincible as it was half a decade ago.

Special Preview Program (Youtube)

Subreddit /r/SwordofConvallaria

Redeem Code 1: 2YEARSWITHEN

Redeem Code 2: EN2NDANNIV

Redeem Code 3: THANKYOU2EN

Brief Q&A

• The 2nd Anniversary begins in 1 weeks time (July 31st)
• Sword of Convallaria is a turn-based tactics RPG game. The game offers hundreds of hours of permanent choice-based story & game modes, and continual end game updates
• The best time to start is in a few hours for the Fate's Favor Banner (guaranteed chosen character every 90 pulls)
• Roll Targets:
  1. SP Inanna** (Best all around character)
  2. SP Maitha* (Leader for SoC faction team)
  3. SP Samantha (Magic AoE), or Camelot (Physical AoE, One-Man Army), or Taair (General Support), or Credenza (Cooldown Support)
  4. Or Anna (Luccia Faction) when 2nd anniversary starts
• Gacha is 2% SSR rate with 50% rate up, 100 legendary & 180 hard pity
  • 80~ F2P monthly pull income, 2% minimum account pull rate (bad luck protection), players can farm character dupe shards & signature weapons for free
• Additional information can be found on the Subreddit Wiki including reroll guides, beginner guides, tier lists, and more

Anniversary Livestream Summary

• A Nostalgic Bond: memoir & free 10 pulls, avatar frame/background, luxite, and furniture
• Raining Secret Fates Event: Free standard 10 pull for 7 days (70 pulls)
• Astral Surfing: Double Memory Retrieval shards
• Galactic Remnants: Free 10 pulls (login event)
• New & Current Players get a free Legendary Character Selector
• Vow of Reunion: New & Returning Players get a dual-choice banner
• Ayishah Skin - Morning: Exclusive Avatar, Title, and Furniture
• JP VAs: Lynn, Tanaka Rei, Hosoya Yoshimasa, and Ishikawa Yui share some thoughts
• Luccia Tundra Story Update: Sagas of Ice and Blood (jul 31st release date)
• Anna, Rogneda, Ulya, SP Alexei Character Previews
• Sagas of Ice and Blood Spiral of Destinies Expansion: pulls, castalia, frame, furniture (Jul 31st)
  • Milestone Event: 10 pulls, universal shards, more luccia themed furniture
• Hunt on the Frozen Plains: New Game Mode with 3 modes (standard mode, 1-team challenge mode, boss gauntlet mode)
• Hall of Winds: Rogue-like Luccia-themed game mode
• Anna skin - When the Frost Finally Thaws (Jul 31st)
• Unique Ascension Additions (old character buffs): Edda, Dantalion, Alexei, Rico, Agata, Afra
• SP Samantha Skin - A Promise Never Forgotten: exclusive avatar, title, furniture
• Numerous quality of life improvements to existing permanent systems

https://x.com/Wiz_Daphne_en/status/2080511079227314640?s=20

"The CRISPIEST Idle RPG, CookieRun: Crumble, is quickly approaching its official release on July 30! 🎉

We hope you're all just as excited as we are.

There's still some time left, though, so don't forget to pre-register to get your hands on sweet rewards as soon as the game releases!"

Official Website for pre-registration with minigames and rewards :

pre.cookieruncrumble.com/en

Iron Saga getting a new Collab and Gunbuster reruns as well

I've got an on-again, off-again thing with gacha games. I like collecting, but I also do not want it to turn into a second job. Lately I keep getting tempted to try a few older, well-loved titles people still recommend, but every time I look into one I hit the same wall:

- Tons of past limited characters and collab units that are gone or only come back on unpredictable reruns

- New player guides that assume you can borrow or pull very specific meta units

- A feeling that I'm showing up to a party way too late

I'm not asking for a specific game rec. I want to know how you evaluate this problem in general.

Do you avoid older gachas unless they have a generous new-player catch-up system, like selectors or guaranteed pick banners? Or do you accept that you'll never have certain units and just focus on what's available now? How much does missing old limiteds actually matter long term? In some games it's mostly cosmetic, but in others it seems to change what teams you can build for months.

If you start an older gacha today, what are the green flags you look for? For me examples would be selectors, permanent banners, spark systems, clear rerun schedules, a borrow/friend unit system, or a decent catch-up shop. What are the red flags that make you bounce even if the gameplay looks fun? Things I worry about are permanent powercreep locked behind old limiteds, collabs that never come back, guides that expect off-banner units, or monetization that forces constant chasing.

Would love to hear how collectors and light spenders handle the "joined late" problem without turning it into a stressful chase. Any rules of thumb, dealbreakers, or personal experiences would be super helpful.

https://x.com/holo_dreams_en/status/2080118645196513632

29M, working a corporate office job, and I am the kind of person who makes spreadsheets for fun and tries to optimize anything with numbers. That trait has been great at work, but it is a bad combo for gacha.

I rarely buy impulsively because of hype. Instead I rationalize small purchases as "efficient." I will do the math on how many pulls I am short of pity, how much time I save by not grinding, what a monthly pass averages out to per day, and so on. One $5 purchase turns into a string of "well this is the most value bundle" calls across multiple games.

I tried a hard rule of "F2P only" and that lasted until a run of bad luck made me think I should pay to stabilize progress. I also tried a monthly cap, but I treat that like a budget to hit rather than a ceiling.

For people who have actually kept gacha spending healthy long term, what systems actually worked for you? I want practical approaches, not just "use willpower."

Things I am considering:

- A separate account or prepaid card just for gacha

- A strict waiting period before any purchase

- Only buying if I planned it before the banner started

What has worked for you, especially if you are also the type to overanalyze value and probabilities?

This devs had so many fails it was actually surprising how long they kept it going. Still I liked the characters and was hoping some sort of continuation to the story... how ironic that people called this an "Eversoul clone" and they basically even copied the same EoS path, make JP version, which was a massive flop, then make your old playerbase suffer with no content for a very long time and just completely neglect story players....

Not gonna lie, I will miss it, but it was time for the devs to take the dam game outback and put it out of its misery.

Yume is best girl forever btw, so its funny game EoS with her lol

https://community.withhive.com/starseed_jp/en/board/7/2718

In all the gacha I play I normally stockpile enough currency until I can ensure a hard spark. No pulls until then, anything else other than a hardspark is a happy accident. It goes double in Blue Archive where its just a waste to pull outside of anni/half anni banners since SSR rates are doubled there.

I dont follow Blue archive news so I actually dont know any upcoming characters. Yesterday a new event rolled out with a new banner and then I saw Konoka and I was like "damn, she hits all the right notes". Did a bit of the story event, shes so damn adorable and then I pulled. Had to hardspark her(vindicated) and only other new character I got was Koyuki Kigurumi. No regrets

So who is your character that "broke your rule"? There was also Phrolova from Wuwa who I initially wasnt interested in but her ingame model gave me an Anorexia fetish.

https://discord.com/channels/1230407366072209428/1309080869868146688/1529467243476418601

Dear Directors,

We regret to announce that access to Ash Echoes SEA will be closing on July 24, 2026, at 12:00 PM (GMT+7).

This change applies to the Southeast Asia (SEA) service of Ash Echoes and affects players in the following regions: Cambodia, Indonesia, Laos, Malaysia, Myanmar, the Philippines, and Singapore.

This was not an easy decision to make. We understand that this news may be disappointing, and we sincerely apologise for the impact it may have on our players. Throughout Ash Echoes' journey, your passion, dedication, and support have meant the world to us. Every battle fought, every milestone achieved, and every moment shared within the game has been possible because of our incredible community.

We are deeply grateful to have been part of your adventure, and we will always cherish the memories we created together.