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[FINAL] Enhancing Guardian Radiance and Enlightenment Mechanics
UPDATED: 13-Feb-2025
Final Update
Greetings Commanders,
Thank you to everyone who has provided feedback. We’ve cataloged your questions and concerns and aim to address key points in this update. We are pleased to see a consensus that this change is a step in the right direction, with community members particularly appreciating the removal of RNG, the simplification of existing systems, and the ability to unbrick Guardians. With this positive feedback, we will proceed to develop and implement the final confirmed design.
However, concerns remain regarding XP compensation and tier advancement costs. We’ve carefully considered community suggestions and propose the following updates & adjustments:
Validation & Adjustment of Resource Costs
Some players questioned the cost values shared in the previous appendix and requested validation using historical data. Unfortunately, due to data integrity issues with earlier logs, we cannot provide exact historical consumption figures.
To address this, we ran a large-scale simulation of Radiant Soul advancement costs under the optimal Radiance Advancement flow (using Duplicate Radiant Guardians during Enlightenment and filling with Radiant Souls). The results showed:
- Theoretical values were 5.9% higher than simulated averages.
- Proposed XP costs were 8.7% higher than simulated averages.
Based on feedback that Radiance feels overly expensive, we have adjusted XP progression to align with the simulation results, making overall XP costs approximately 10% cheaper than previously proposed. Updated appendix tables now compare the current system’s Radiant Soul costs against the adjusted XP system.
Adjustments to XP Required per Tier
Community feedback was divided on XP distribution per tier. Some supported a linear progression, while others favored a logarithmic increase. The debate centered on higher XP requirements for Tiers 6–8, despite reduced Radiant Soul usage.
To address this, we propose maintaining parity for total costs to reach 15/10 while redistributing XP requirements:
- Reduced XP for Radiance Tier 7.
- Slightly increased XP for Radiance Tiers 8–10, with the largest increase at Tier 10.
This results in a ‘linear’ cost progression to Tier 7 and a logarithmic increase beyond, All adjustments made are within 10% of the previous proposed values with the exception of Tier 10 where the increase was 17.7%. We believe these adjustments represent an acceptable compromise that balances community concerns.
Full Hearts Crafting will be removed from the Altar when this feature is implemented and no Full Hearts will be able to be crafted. Players will still be able to consume existing Full Hearts (The GOG team will never sell Full Hearts but reserves the right to use any unminted Full Hearts up to the mint cap for promotional and marketing purposes).
XP Compensation for Failed Radiance
Some players requested compensation for all failed Radiance attempts. This is not feasible due to:
- Data Integrity Issues: Historical failure data is incomplete.
- Ambiguity in Advancement Flows: We cannot determine whether players used Radiant Souls, Duplicate Guardians, or mixed methods for advancements.
Additionally, full compensation would:
- Inflate Radiant XP and devalue high-tier Guardians due to increased supply of 15/10s.
- Penalize players who sold or transferred Guardians after failed attempts, as refunds cannot be accurately allocated.
Instead, we propose additional scaling Radiant XP compensation for high-tier Radiance Guardians:
- Guardians with a Radiance success chance >0% (indicating prior failed attempts) receive 50% XP toward the next tier.
- Players will receive additional XP proportional to the number of failed attempts against the maximum number of failures possible
- Players will also receive the base case 50% Exp for a Radiance level if they have failed a combined Enlightenment and Radiance level increase even if they haven’t failed a Radiance only increase attempt.
- Example: 15/9 Guardian has a 20% success chance for its next Radiance attempt.
- This means that they’ve made 9 attempts based on the Radiance success table
- The maximum number of attempts for Radiance 10 is 100% at 12 attempts
- This player has completed 9/12 = 75% progression
- This player receives a flat compensation of 50%
- This player receives a further scaling compensation of (50% x 75%) = 37.5%
- Hence the Radiance XP for Radiance 10 will be filled to 87.5% requiring another 8,500 Radiant Souls to get to Radiance 10
Please note that due to Radiance Attempt Increase Chance being a Web2 value, it will have been reset from any moves out of Inventory into Vault. You will still receive Base Failure compensation (50% of current Radiance Level) for all eligible Guardians in your Inventory before maintenance on 18th PDT/19th AEST
- Example: A 15/9 Guardian has a 20% success chance for its next Radiance attempt. This player has sold/transferred/moved the asset in a way such that the success chance is reset to the baseline minimum success chance.
- This means that the current owner will not receive any XP compensation
This approach balances fairness while preserving game progression and Guardian value.
TLDR;
- The RNG Radiance system has been replaced by a reliable Radiance XP progression system. Radiant Souls provide 1 XP point, and once per Radiance Tier a player can consume a Duplicate Radiant Guardian for bonus Radiance XP. To increase Radiance players fill the XP bar to 100%.
- The structure for the number of Duplicates used Enlightenment progression has been flattened and simplified (1x Duplicate Guardian required per Enlightenment Tier)
- The total cost to achieve Max Enlightenment & Radiance for a Legendary Guardians is approximately the same as the old system. Epic and Rares have overall costs slightly reduced.
- The optimal progression path to fully build out your Guardian and minimise total costs under this system is:
- Ensure Guardian is Ascended (i.e. a NFT)
- Make sure to use a Duplicate Radiant Guardians during Enlightenment Advancement
- Fill Radiance XP bar to Max Value before undergoing advancement to the next tier of Enlightenment
- If players deviate from the optimal progression path they will receive a notification advising that this is an inefficient use of resources
----------------------------------------
UPDATED: 22-Jan-2025
Response to Feedback & Next Steps
Greetings Commanders,
Thank you to everyone who has provided feedback. We’ve cataloged your questions and concerns and aim to address key points in this update. We are pleased to see a consensus that this change is a step in the right direction, with community members particularly appreciating the removal of RNG, the simplification of existing systems, and the ability to unbrick Guardians. With this positive feedback, we will proceed to develop and implement the final confirmed design.
However, concerns remain regarding XP compensation and tier advancement costs. We’ve carefully considered community suggestions and propose the following updates & adjustments:
Validation & Adjustment of Resource Costs
Some players questioned the cost values shared in the previous appendix and requested validation using historical data. Unfortunately, due to data integrity issues with earlier logs, we cannot provide exact historical consumption figures.
To address this, we ran a large-scale simulation of Radiant Soul advancement costs under the optimal Radiance Advancement flow (using Duplicate Radiant Guardians during Enlightenment and filling with Radiant Souls). The results showed:
- Theoretical values were 5.9% higher than simulated averages.
- Proposed XP costs were 8.7% higher than simulated averages.
Based on feedback that Radiance feels overly expensive, we have adjusted XP progression to align with the simulation results, making overall XP costs approximately 10% cheaper than previously proposed. Updated appendix tables now compare the current system’s Radiant Soul costs against the adjusted XP system.
Adjustments to XP Required per Tier
Community feedback was divided on XP distribution per tier. Some supported a linear progression, while others favored a logarithmic increase. The debate centered on higher XP requirements for Tiers 6–8, despite reduced Radiant Soul usage.
To address this, we propose maintaining parity for total costs to reach 15/10 while redistributing XP requirements:
- Reduced XP for Radiance Tier 7.
- Slightly increased XP for Radiance Tiers 8–10, with the largest increase at Tier 10.
This results in a ‘linear’ cost progression to Tier 7 and a logarithmic increase beyond, All adjustments made are within 10% of the previous proposed values with the exception of Tier 10 where the increase was 17.7%. We believe these adjustments represent an acceptable compromise that balances community concerns.
Full Hearts Crafting will be removed from the Altar when this feature is implemented and no Full Hearts will be able to be crafted. Players will still be able to consume existing Full Hearts (The GOG team will never sell Full Hearts but reserves the right to use any unminted Full Hearts up to the mint cap for promotional and marketing purposes).
XP Compensation for Failed Radiance
Some players requested compensation for all failed Radiance attempts. This is not feasible due to:
- Data Integrity Issues: Historical failure data is incomplete.
- Ambiguity in Advancement Flows: We cannot determine whether players used Radiant Souls, Duplicate Guardians, or mixed methods for advancements.
Additionally, full compensation would:
- Inflate Radiant XP and devalue high-tier Guardians due to increased supply of 15/10s.
- Penalize players who sold or transferred Guardians after failed attempts, as refunds cannot be accurately allocated.
Instead, we propose additional scaling Radiant XP compensation for high-tier Radiance Guardians:
- Guardians with a Radiance success chance >0% (indicating prior failed attempts) receive 50% XP toward the next tier.
- Players will receive additional XP proportional to the number of failed attempts against the maximum number of failures possible
- Players will also receive the base case 50% Exp for a Radiance level if they have failed a combined Enlightenment and Radiance level increase even if they haven’t failed a Radiance only increase attempt.
- Example: 15/9 Guardian has a 20% success chance for its next Radiance attempt.
- This means that they’ve made 9 attempts based on the Radiance success table
- The maximum number of attempts for Radiance 10 is 100% at 12 attempts
- This player has completed 9/12 = 75% progression
- This player receives a flat compensation of 50%
- This player receives a further scaling compensation of (50% x 75%) = 37.5%
- Hence the Radiance XP for Radiance 10 will be filled to 87.5% requiring another 8,500 Radiant Souls to get to Radiance 10
Note that this compensation will only be provided for Guardians that have remained in the same account (i.e. no transfers or vault movements have occurred)
- Example: A 15/9 Guardian has a 20% success chance for its next Radiance attempt. This player has sold/transferred/moved the asset in a way such that the success chance is reset to the baseline minimum success chance.
- This means that the current owner will not receive any XP compensation
This approach balances fairness while preserving game progression and Guardian value.
TLDR;
- The RNG Radiance system has been replaced by a reliable Radiance XP progression system. Radiant Souls provide 1 XP point, and once per Radiance Tier a player can consume a Duplicate Radiant Guardian for bonus Radiance XP. To increase Radiance players fill the XP bar to 100%.
- The structure for the number of Duplicates used Enlightenment progression has been flattened and simplified (1x Duplicate Guardian required per Enlightenment Tier)
- The total cost to achieve Max Enlightenment & Radiance for a Legendary Guardians is approximately the same as the old system. Epic and Rares have overall costs slightly reduced.
- The optimal progression path to fully build out your Guardian and minimise total costs under this system is:
- Ensure Guardian is Ascended (i.e. a NFT)
- Make sure to use a Duplicate Radiant Guardians during Enlightenment Advancement
- Fill Radiance XP bar to Max Value before undergoing advancement to the next tier of Enlightenment
- If players deviate from the optimal progression path they will receive a notification advising that this is an inefficient use of resources
Response to Feedback & Next Steps
Greetings Commanders,
Thank you to everyone who has provided feedback. We’ve cataloged your questions and concerns and aim to address key points in this update. We are pleased to see a consensus that this change is a step in the right direction, with community members particularly appreciating the removal of RNG, the simplification of existing systems, and the ability to unbrick Guardians. With this positive feedback, we will proceed to develop and implement the final confirmed design.
However, concerns remain regarding XP compensation and tier advancement costs. We’ve carefully considered community suggestions and propose the following updates & adjustments:
Validation & Adjustment of Resource Costs
Some players questioned the cost values shared in the previous appendix and requested validation using historical data. Unfortunately, due to data integrity issues with earlier logs, we cannot provide exact historical consumption figures.
To address this, we ran a large-scale simulation of Radiant Soul advancement costs under the optimal Radiance Advancement flow (using Duplicate Radiant Guardians during Enlightenment and filling with Radiant Souls). The results showed:
- Theoretical values were 5.9% higher than simulated averages.
- Proposed XP costs were 8.7% higher than simulated averages.
Based on feedback that Radiance feels overly expensive, we have adjusted XP progression to align with the simulation results, making overall XP costs approximately 10% cheaper than previously proposed. Updated appendix tables now compare the current system’s Radiant Soul costs against the adjusted XP system.
Adjustments to XP Required per Tier
Community feedback was divided on XP distribution per tier. Some supported a linear progression, while others favored a logarithmic increase. The debate centered on higher XP requirements for Tiers 6–8, despite reduced Radiant Soul usage.
To address this, we propose maintaining parity for total costs to reach 15/10 while redistributing XP requirements:
- Reduced XP for Radiance Tier 7.
- Slightly increased XP for Radiance Tiers 8–10, with the largest increase at Tier 10.
This results in a ‘linear’ cost progression to Tier 7 and a logarithmic increase beyond, All adjustments made are within 10% of the previous proposed values with the exception of Tier 10 where the increase was 17.7%. We believe these adjustments represent an acceptable compromise that balances community concerns.
Full Hearts Crafting will be removed from the Altar when this feature is implemented and no Full Hearts will be able to be crafted. Players will still be able to consume existing Full Hearts) (The GOG team will never sell Full Hearts but reserves the right to use any unminted Full Hearts up to the mint cap for promotional and marketing purposes)
XP Compensation for Failed Radiance
Some players requested compensation for all failed Radiance attempts. This is not feasible due to:
- Data Integrity Issues: Historical failure data is incomplete.
- Ambiguity in Advancement Flows: We cannot determine whether players used Radiant Souls, Duplicate Guardians, or mixed methods for advancements.
Additionally, full compensation would:
- Inflate Radiant XP and devalue high-tier Guardians due to increased supply of 15/10s.
- Penalize players who sold or transferred Guardians after failed attempts, as refunds cannot be accurately allocated.
Instead, we propose scaling Radiant XP compensation for high-tier Radiance Guardians:
- Guardians with a Radiance success chance >0% (indicating prior failed attempts) receive 50% XP toward the next tier.
- Guardians at Radiance Tier 8 or higher receive additional XP proportional to their current success chance.
- Example: 15/9 Guardian has a 20% success chance for its next Radiance attempt. The player will receive: 50% XP + (50% × 20%) = 60% XP toward the next Radiance Tier
This approach balances fairness while preserving game progression and Guardian value.
----------------------------------------
Originally published: 15-Jan-2025
TLDR;
- The RNG Radiance system has been replaced by a reliable Radiance XP progression system. Radiant Souls provide 1 XP point, and once per Radiance Tier a player can consume a Duplicate Radiant Guardian for bonus Radiance XP. To increase Radiance players fill the XP bar to 100%.
- The structure for the number of Duplicates used Enlightenment progression has been flattened and simplified (1x Duplicate Guardian required per Enlightenment Tier)
- The total cost to achieve Max Enlightenment & Radiance for a Legendary Guardians is approximately the same as the old system. Epic and Rares have overall costs slightly reduced.
- The optimal progression path to fully build out your Guardian and minimise total costs under this system is:
- Ensure Guardian is Ascended (i.e. a NFT)
- Make sure to use a Duplicate Radiant Guardians during Enlightenment Advancement
- Fill Radiance XP bar to Max Value before undergoing advancement to the next tier of Enlightenment
- If players deviate from the optimal progression path they will receive a notification advising that this is an inefficient use of resources
Introduction
Hello Commanders!
We understand that enhancing your Guardians’ Radiance and Enlightenment is a core part of the game experience. We’ve listened to your feedback and know that the current system can feel frustrating, costly, and sometimes lead to situations where Guardians are rendered inefficient — or “bricked.”
To address these challenges, we’re proposing significant changes to improve your experience. These changes aim to make Radiance progression more reliable, reduce frustration, and ensure that all Guardians, even those previously “bricked,” can become viable assets again.
We acknowledge that any changes to the Radiance and Enlightenment system can have a significant impact on Guardian value, we want to take special care to ensure that we can improve the player experience and minimise price impact. Therefore, we are clearly and transparently outlining the proposed change so that the community has the opportunity to comment and give feedback. We will not deploy this change unless a very high level of reasonable consensus has been achieved.
We invite you to read through the proposed changes below and share your thoughts, suggestions, and concerns. Your feedback is essential to making this system better for everyone!
Problems with Current System
There are three major problems we have received feedback from with respect to the current radiance system
Problem 1: Fatigue from Real Money Costs & Random Success Rates:
Many players feel disheartened by the real-money investment and randomness associated with upgrading Guardian Radiance.
Problem 2: “Bricked” Guardians:
When Guardians repeatedly fail Radiance upgrades but succeed in Enlightenment, they can become “bricked,” making further investment inefficient and unrewarding.
Problem 3: System Complexity
It is difficult for players to understand the interlinked Radiance and Enlightenment systems and their interactions
Design Goals
To solve these issues, our proposed changes focus achieving four objectives
1. Guaranteed Radiance Progression:
Eliminate the randomness in Radiance upgrades and provide a reliable progression path.
2. Eliminating “Bricked” Guardians:
Ensure Guardians can’t be “bricked” by design flaws and offer a way to revive already “bricked” Guardians.
3. Preserve Guardian Value:
Maintain the relative costs and values of Guardians that have already been upgraded under the current system.
4. Simple Rules for Advancement
Players are able to explain the rules for Enlightenment and Radiance advancement in a simple and intuitive way to new players
Proposed Design
New Radiance Progression System
We’re making Radiance progression straightforward and failure-free:
Radiance XP System
- Radiance will now increase by filling a “Radiance XP bar” to 100% for each tier of Radiance
- Please refer Tables in Appendix for numerical values and comparisons
Radiance XP Sources:
- Increase Radiance XP by consuming Radiant Duplicate Guardians or Radiant Souls
- Radiance XP cannot be reset or recovered
Duplicate Radiant Guardian XP Bonus:
- Using a duplicate Web3 Radiant Guardians will provide a one-time XP bonus per Radiance Tier for the each of the final 9 tiers of Radiance (i.e. excluding Rad 0 to Rad 1 advancement)
- Using higher duplicate Radiance Guardians does not confer any additional Radiance XP bonuses when compared to using Radiance 0 Guardians
TIP: Players can obtain the one-time XP bonus at any point per Radiant Tier, however to make efficient use of resources it is recommended that players make use of this bonus during Guardian Enlightenment
Radiance XP Overflow:
- Excess Radiance XP will carry over to the next Radiance tier (e.g., in the case of using a Radiant Duplicate Guardian).
Radiant XP is a Web2 Value and is not transferable
- XP is tied to your account, meaning it does not transfer if a Guardian is sold or traded. If this Guardian is transferred back to your wallet the XP bar to the next Radiance Tier is reset
Number of Radiance Tiers is Unchanged
- The number of Radiance Tiers is unchanged
- The rules for Radiant Advancement are unchanged. You cannot advance through Radiance Tiers faster than Enlightenment Tier
TIP: Is it optimal to advance Radiance to max, before undergoing further Enlightenment. This reduces the number of duplicate Guardians required and optimises for maximum Radiance XP generation
New Enlightenment Progression System
You will be able to increase Enlightenment through existing methods:
- The structure of duplicate guardian consumption for enlightenment has been flattened and simplified. Sacrifice 1x Duplicate Guardian (Web2 or Web3) and Faction Souls (variable) to advance Enlightenment
- Guardians that are Ascended (i.e. Radiant) can opt to sacrifice a Radiant Duplicate Guardian whilst Enlightening to also receive bonus Radiance XP (This bonus is only available only once per Radiance Tier)
- Please refer Tables in Appendix for numerical values and comparisons
TIP: It is recommended that players first reset their Enlightenment before Ascension to maximise their Radiance XP Bonus
Cracked Hearts Functionality
All Cracked Hearts will continue to operate as wildcard duplicate Radiant Guardians for the purposes of advancing Founder & Early-adopter Radiance XP
Full Hearts Functionality
Any Full Heart used in substitute of a Duplicate Radiant Guardian during Radiance Advancement will instantly advance that Guardian to the next Radiant Tier
- Full Hearts will generate 100% of the Radiance XP required for the current Radiance Tier (Any excess Radiance XP will overflow into next Tier)
- Once the new system is implemented future Guardians will no longer have Full Hearts available to them
- [EDIT] Once the new system is implemented no future Full Hearts will be mintable
Consultation Period
We will take feedback and consultation until 24-January-2025. We believe these changes will improve your experience by making progression reliable and ensuring that no Guardian is left behind. However, we want to hear from you:
- What do you think of the proposed changes to Radiance and Enlightenment?
- Do these solutions address your frustrations with the current system?
- What concerns or suggestions do you have to improve these changes?
Your feedback will directly shape the future of the Guild of Guardians and shape our design for Gen 2 guardians. Join the discussion and let your voice be heard!
Thank you for being part of our incredible community. We’re excited to build a better game experience together!
Share Your Feedback in our Discord here
FAQ
I just failed Radiance in my previous attempt. How will I be compensated?
[EDIT] Due to the change from a probabilistic system to a deterministic one, we understand that players that are currently in the process of increasing Radiance but have failed will feel as if they have “lost” their progression. Therefore, when this system goes live, we will provide a one-time bonus to filling Radiance XP for these players.
To determine whether you are eligible for compensation: Your current Radiance Success Chance must be greater than the Minimum Radiance Increase Chance. The formula for calculating the amount of compensation is:
Where current Radiance Success Chance > Minimum Radiance Increase Chance:
- XP Compensation = 50% + ((Attempts - 1) / Maximum Attempts) x 50%
Example: You currently have a 15/9 Legendary Guardian having failed Radiance advancement to 10. You have made 9 attempts at increasing Radiance but have failed each time. Your current Radiance increase chance is 20% (outlined in red in image below). This value is greater than the Minimum Radiance Increase Chance of 1.0% (found in the tooltip table outlined in green)
Based on the following table as reference you can determine the XP refund you’re entitled to:
- Minimum Radiance Increase Chance Table located in the green tool-tip. The minimum Radiance Increase Chance for this advancement Tier is outlined in Green and is 1%
- The number of attempts is outlined in yellow, and shows your current progression to Max Attempts (you have attempted 9 times. On your next attempt will yield a 20% success chance under the current system)
- The Maximum Attempts is 12 and shows the maximum number of possible radiance attempts in order to guarantee Radiance, outlined in blue.
With this information you can determine how much XP you will be compensated under this system:
- XP Compensation = 50% + ((10 - 1)/12) x 50% = 87.5%
Example 2: You have an Enlightenment 8, Radiance 4 Prielle. As is noticeable, this Guardian has failed a combined Enlightenment and Radiance attempt. Even if you have attempted no additional Radiance only attempts and failed those, you will still receive the base 50% Radiance Exp Compensation for this Guardian.
What happens to my compensation if I transfer/sell/move the Guardian to my vault before these changes take place?
Any asset movements that result in your Radiance Success chance being reset. If the Radiance Increase Chance is below the Minimum Radiance Success Chance under the current system will not be ineligible for XP compensation.
Example: You have a Legendary Guardian and have attempted to advance from 8/3 to 9/4 but failed. You currently have a 9/3 Guardian. You have then attempted to increase Radiance via additional Radiant Souls. You then move the Guardian from your inventory and your current Radiance Success Chance for your next attempt is reset to the Minimum Radiance Success Chance. You will not be entitled to compensation.
I have an unascended Guardian (i.e. not Radiant) that is at Enlightenment 10. What happens to the Guardians that are “stored”.
Currently a Enlightenment 10 Guardian has 3 Duplicate Guardians that are “stored”. As a non-ascended Guardian the player can choose to reset this Guardian and extract the 3 Duplicate Guardians (plus the base Guardian).
Under the new system the number of duplicates required to get to Enlightenment 10 will increase from 3 to 4.
This new system still sounds complex, couldn’t you have simplified it more?
We considered various options to simplify the system further. One option was to allow unlimited Duplicate Guardians for Radiance Advancement (with an XP bonus to Radiant Souls), thereby further unlinking Enlightenment and Radiance progression. However, this would have affected the relative value of Radiant Souls.
We concluded that the harm to the overall value of Guardian NFTs would outweigh the benefits of a simpler system. However, we are open to community feedback and can consider additional tweaks either in this update (i.e. applied retrospectively) or in a future Gen 2 update (applied only to future Guardians)
Why even offer the option for players to pursue a suboptimal path?
A key part of GOG’s meta-game is the strategic use of scarce resources. We designed the new system in a way that does not irrevocably punish players for making mistakes (see the question on bricked Guardians below). However, players are free to pursue suboptimal strategies based on their resource budget.
We will provide notifications and warnings to inform players attempting a suboptimal strategy, ensuring that new players understand the availability of more effective approaches.
I have a Max Enlightenment Guardian, you are requiring me to provide additional Radiant Duplicates to increase Radiance, what happened to all the Duplicates I already used?
If your Guardian has already Ascended, we cannot refund or compensate for Web2 Duplicate Guardians used to increase Enlightenment. These duplicates have already provided their benefits during Ascension and Enlightenment. Additionally, there are cases (e.g., Founders and Early Cases) where Web2 versions of these Guardians do not exist.
If your Guardian has not Ascended, we recommend resetting that Guardian’s progression to retrieve the duplicate constituents. You can then Ascend one of those Guardians and pursue the optimal advancement path.
What do you mean by “bricked” Guardians?
Deep Breath: Under the current system, players attempting to maximize Radiance Success face a risk of failure during Radiance Advancement when using a Radiant Duplicate for Enlightenment. If a failure occurs, the total expected cost to advance to Max Radiance is higher than for a Guardian that succeeded. This happens because the Radiance Bonus % modifier is only applied when Radiant Duplicates are used during Enlightenment. Failures effectively “exhaust” the number of Bonus % modifiers possible.
Under the new system, while it remains more efficient to use Radiant Duplicates during Enlightenment, the Bonus XP can be obtained at any time. As a result, the expected cost to advance to Max Radiance no longer depends on prior actions. In other words, it is no longer possible to “exhaust” the Bonuses for that Guardian.
For example, consider a Legendary Guardian listed as En: 15 / Rad: 9 on the marketplace. A buyer knows that the seller either did not attempt Radiance or failed during the 14/9 to 15/10 Radiance advancement. To max this Guardian to 15/10, the buyer now must use only Radiant Souls (68,500 XP) because the Enlightenment % Chance Bonus has been exhausted. Therefore, the expected cost is higher compared to a 14/9 Guardian that has not failed Radiance. This issue can occur for any Legendary Guardian that has previously failed Radiance.
Under the new system, regardless of whether the 15/9 Guardian failed Radiance previously, the buyer can still use 1x Duplicate Radiant Guardian to receive the XP Bonus. Thus, the total cost to max Radiance for a 14/9 and a 15/9 Guardian becomes identical.
How do you know values will be preserved?
It’s impossible to know in advance how the market will respond to these realised changes. We expect a more simple and intuitive system will help retain new users, we also expect more demand and utility for duplicate radiant guardians, however the “unbricking” on existing guardians could result in more 15/10 guardians eventually existing in the market. Overall we believe these changes benefit ecosystem health more than it harms.
The Full Hearts experiment for current Gen 1 Guardians shows that there is a positive reception to removing RNG mechanics in Radiance and creating a more intuitive advancement path based on Duplicate Guardians. We believe that the current changes represent a Radiance v1.5 adjustment, and is a partial step to a more complete revamp, the requirement to preserve value means that we do not have the freedom to make more sweeping changes and we will reserve some options for Gen 2 Guardians in future.
Appendix
Optimal Cost to Max Guardian Build
Resource Conversion Table
Radiance Cost Comparison
- The table below shows the costs under the most efficient advancement method in the new system (i.e. using radiant duplicates for bonus XP) vs the most efficient advancement method using the current system (i.e. using radiant duplicates during enlightenment).
- The costs for building out a max Radiance Legendary Guardian is similar under both old and new systems. The costs for Rare and Epic Guardians have been reduced slightly.
Enlightenment Cost Comparison
Note: Using Radiant Duplicate Guardians for Enlightenment will also confer Radiant XP Bonus
