http://dbd.game/killswitch
Devs, the rift stresses me out way too much
Well, it's been a few months I didn't post on the forum, but now I feel like I have to talk about it : The rift is completely destroying my enjoyment of the game, and possibly, deteriorating my mental condition.
See, I love the game, it's been more than a year that I play it, and I just love it, and it's very painful for me to admit it, but since the rift was implemented, I started to get more and more anxious. I always was the type who's really obsessed on collecting stuff (collectathons are my nightmare, hello Mario Odyssey) and DbD doesn't make exception. I'm okay with buying only a few and select skins for my characters, it doesn't matter so much too me because I know my financial limits. But with the rift that changed, in an unhealthy way. Since the rift contains a lot of cosmetics, and for a low price, of course I bought it, and I did the first rift without a problem. Then the second one came, and I struggled more to finish it. And then this one came, and this is where it became a lot more messier.
I really, really started to struggle, even if I never had this much free time because of the quarantine, I started to really feel how slow it was going, and how terribly long some of the challenges were to do because of diverse reasons (character I'm not used to, terrible perks to use, very grindy stuff). And this started to really hurt me, like, for real, I started feeling bad playing the game like usual, because I felt like I should be more efficient, grind more, do that stuff, gain that experience, and it started having repercussions on my personal life too, as I would start to feel bad randomly because I would not be playing the game, and in a vicious cycle, if I feel bad, I can't play games, so I feel even worse because I'm wasting time not doing anything when I could be grinding the rift. It's messing with me so much I started feeling awful for days, and couldn't play for days, and then when I came back and tried to catch up on my late, playing 6 to 7 hours a day, I would feel even worse, and my matches were feeling even more unsatisfying, and I couldn't complete any challenges, and here we go, with 19 days left, and yet I'm only tier 35.
You could say to me "Well, in that case, don't buy the rift" but as I said before, it's, like, a lot of stuff you get in it, and it almost feels like an obligation to me, because I got my money back during the previouses rifts, and stopping to grind makes me feel terrible because that would basically mean I just thrown my money away, even if it's to support one of my favorite games, admit it doesnt sound really good. Even taking a break from the game makes me feel bad, and if I try to return to the game while I feel bad, it makes it just worse. I know I'm the obsessive type so I'm used to being focused on something, but this truly makes it terrible for me, having to farm for my collection, and knowing that if I can't get to the end of it, it will be gone forever. Plus, I don't have any friend who enjoys the game, so I could at least spend that time with them and feel a little less lonely while playing it (and less frustrating to run in solo-queues as survivor).
So yeah, I love this game, like, I got 2k hours on it, but since the rift is there, it's been awful to play for me, and it's having consequences on my health, and I fear I'll have to just stop playing it because of it. And I'm thinking about the future too, what about when I'll have a job again ? How will I be able to complete that rift if even now, with 6h per day on the game, I'm still struggling so much ? And I won't have the financial capacities to throw my money for tiers neither. If any dev happens to read it, please, I'm not asking you to give me unlimited free rifts and tiers or whatever, I just ask you please, make it less long, or less grindy, because it's really hurting my experience and I think (even if I hope the contrary) that I'm probably not the only one, to feel like they HAVE to grind it and spend their whole day on it. It's just hurting people who enjoy the game, and want to support you, but the length, the hard and long challenges, and the grinding changes the game in a pure anxious and stressful experience for me.
Update : Thanks to all those who gave a bit of their time to read my loooong post, and for being super kind in the comments. I'll follow your advice, and take a break from the game, like, a real one. And come back when I'll feel okay enough to not care about that stuff. Thanks everyone, I wish you the best in the fog and the real world.
Comments
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I think it would be wise if you just play and don't buy the rift immediately. Just see how far you get and if you feel like the tiers you got are worth your money buy it on the last day. Now it will probably feel less grindy. I myself pick what cosmetic I want and decide if it's doable for me and if it's worth buying the whole rift.
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It sounds like you've got bigger problems than simply the rift being grindy or annoying.. problems that you're avoiding.
First step I would suggest is take a break from the game
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That Huntress and Legion challenge is PURE BS.
They're not challenges at all. They're "be a god tier Huntress and Legion at time of this tome being out".
HTF are average Huntress players supposed to even have a chance to do this? Not to mention surely toxic survivors will be on the lookout to make the Legion one even more impossible than it already is.
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I'm sorry that you're feeling like that, unfortunately that's kinda one of the aims of the battlepass - to stress people out and feel like they're missing out, so they buy tiers at the end. I can understand that you're feeling pressured, but try and put things into perspective if you can.
You said you're not worried about getting all the characters cosmetics in the store, and while there is a pressure to do that in the rift, at the end of the rifts they're listed in the same count as other cosmetics in the store. If you look at it that way you're not missing out on something completely different - but instead just one of the cosmetics for a character which you wouldn't have them all anyway. I believe the devs have said in the past that rift skins will eventually be available in the store as well, so in that case you haven't missed them forever.
Also I would suggest perhaps holding off on purchasing the rift pass each time until you feel you've gotten where you want! I personally wait until I hit tier 70 before I purchase, to ensure I earn all my currency back. That also makes it better if you don't reach the end, since you haven't invested any money. It makes the rift less of a commitment and more of a challenge, and gives you more control in a sense.
I hope this helps somewhat and I really hope your experience improves in the future!
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It's good that you recognize you're suffering from OCD. The next step will be to devise a plan on how to properly treat it.
You're going to have to set some boundaries for yourself at some point- to where you can compartmentalize this game, and not let it consume you.
This is as intense and engaging as any game I've ever played really. Do your best to work with a professional to devise a structured plan. Gl to ya
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Buddy I understand, I've been through this and I agree the challenges do suck literal (badword). But my advice would be don't by it unless its a kilelr your okay playing, like I will never buy a rift pass with nurse in it oh hell no. And as @Equus said take a break from it just a few days and you'll be better, trust me this game is not worth all of this. I think they should at least understand that not everyone can do what they are asking. And yeah man your not alone in this I've been there don't worry though we as a community will get through this. I buy it to support this game as well it really has helped me with my depression a bit, and with challenges that are in the rift currently aren't fun. So remember that don't buy it unless you intend to I might not for the next rift. Besides I heard they planned on releasing the cosmetic later down the line. But anyway keep your hopes up that it will get better and I hope you do as well, and I will see you my friend in the fog.
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I agree. This rift was absolutely horrible, I didn't enjoy pretty much any of the challenges and some of them were extremely painful to get. I played the a ton since it got released and I'm only at tier 51 at the moment. I was almost done around this playtime in the previous rift. I barely have enough time to play other games and I feel like I'm forcing myself to play to complete the rift, this was not the case in the previous rifts.
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I work 10-12 hour days (from home right now) and have a young kid, so i can't play the game until after she is alseep. I get to play the game maybe 2-3 hours a night. And i still am currently level 65 in the rift even though it is about to be over. Add on the fact that i also play other games like valorant which has a similar battle pass, to which i am almost halfway through as well.
it is not hard to max out the rift. You literally only need to get a single level per day, which can easily be done with an hour or 2 of play a day when combined with doing a challenge or 2.
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that's nice for you but in my case i would need to do 35 tiers in 19 days, adding that plus my personal problems makes it terrible to try grinding as i said- but i guess at least it makes it less "scary" for me for when i'll have a job again and all
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You are addicted. You need to put it down. As a tobacco and sugar addict i know thats way easier said than done but you should try.
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it's not addiction tho. it's obsession, it's different. In normal times, having obsessions is pure fun, like, if i hyperfocus on a series, it will be lots of fun and cool things for me, and i'll suddenly drop it one day maybe and that's all, in contrary to addictions which have more and more unhealthy effects with time and become harder and harder to let go.
To make it more clear, if I feel like I have to, I'll just drop the game forever (with regrets, sure) and just talk about it and never play it again, without having to go through long periods of time. It's not the fact that I spend a lot of time on it that is a problem to me, it's the fact that it's becoming unhealthy because of a new thing they put in the game that is attacking my obsessive side, and it's making me really think of not playing the game anymore
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I'm suprised you were okay with the 1st rift. For me the 1St rift was already overkill, I was grinding the ######### out of it despite me having a level boost at the beginning. 2nd rift completely burned me out and the 3Rd I don't give a single flying F about it anymore.
The cosmetics are lackluster anyway, especially the free track.
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I have straight up OCD so I feel you. I've made it to around tier 50 everytime with about 6 hours a day,and I completed most of the challenges. I don't know if theres even enough time to get to the end. I just say 'oh well'. I got what I could,you know? There's some challenges I wouldn't even attempt. Do the ones that you can do or think might be fun. I don't care about cosmetics at all. For any game. It's not really going to enhance my experience. I just use the rift to have an extra set of goals.
I'd take a little break. I was getting so frustrated playing killer. Going against bullies that were already better than me to begin with. I switched to survivor for awhile. I can see a game not being "fun". I don't have fun a lot of the time...but feeling negative is way different than not having fun. I'm a trophy/achievement Hunter type guy. A completionist... probably because of my OCD. I know some stuff is beyond my skill level,and I know the difference between something being a chore,and something negativity effecting my mental health. You gotta try and learn that,with help if necessary. I applaud you for talking about it though. I know the feeling but never put it into words.
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I think were splitting hairs on obsession vs addiction, neithers good. Heres an interesting article on the topic:
Obviously you know you better than me, but its something to think about. Gaming addictions a real thing we all have to be vigilant of.
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This is the purpose of an obligatory grind where you can get your money back. Sunk cost fallacy, anxiety, making the game into work. You just feel it slightly more than most, and you're honest with yourself about it; feel no shame about that. This stuff is predatory.
First of all, I would suggest a decently long break, and perhaps a new obsession, as another obsessive person. The money you spent on the Rift is not worth this. Very little is. What you're feeling is probably a helluva lot sorer for all this playing, and needs rest to heal at all. Easy for me to say, I know. But I hope some part of it validates or helps you.
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I disagree with them being predatory.
Loot boxes are predatory. Battle passes are actually pretty fair, especially DBDs. Look at all of the cosmetics we get. Imagine how much we'd have to pay to buy individual ones we want, or even worse if they were in loot boxes.
On top of that, it rewards you for playing the game. If they were like DotA's battle passes where you can only get to level 100ish for "free" and they continue to give rewards up into the thousands i'd agree. But you can max out a DBD battlepass just by playing the game, you don't have to buy extra levels. Even better, is that the battle pass gives you more points. I only paid for the first one, and the first one paid for my second one, and my second one paid for the 3rd one, and its going to be the same with the 4th one.
Battle passes, when done well (like DBD and valorant) are the most fair least predatory system of all, because i am rewarded for playing the game and i end up with more content than otherwise for less money. They also give you a goal to achieve which keeps you playing the game. Granted it's Skinner Box type stuff, but i'd argue video games in general are a Skinner Box
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The prices for cosmetics are set by the devs, and the point of allowing cash or a lengthy grind is to make the grind juuuust miserable enough to incentivize payment. This is basic f2p game design. The grind is not optimized for your pleasure; it is optimized to extract money 'this guy removed a burden he placed on me, for a price! what a champ!' is not something I can agree with.
'rewards you for playing the game' seems to be working out great for OP. The reward of playing a game is the fun of the game. That's what games are for. They don't exist to perpetuate themselves. When the fun of a game doesn't keep you playing, that's because you want to do something else! The point of these systems is to cement playing the game in your daily routine and terminate thoughts of if playing the game is the most fulfilling use of your time. With a chaser of anxiety about losing your money, losing out.
The 'most fair system' is nothing of this kind. The existence of more predatory systems does not mean this one's clean. To this you can respond 'well, they need to make money'. I would agree. But an imperative to do something doesn't render it harmless, as we see in this thread.
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The day Nurse rift comes live i will derank to 20 rank everyone fear that day.
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its ok, purple feng is here so all of you can check all 3 exclusive and never get the chance to get em again charms ;D
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TL:DR
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But the point i'm making is you don't even need to play the game a lot. literally 1 level per day. Thats like an hour a day tops if you do the challenges. It is so easy to do, and on top of that, if you do complete the battle pass, they give you all your points back for free. It's pretty damn fair.
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It's not that bad.
Finished with 24 days left. It would have been even sooner but I played some on 2 other accounts. Probably would have finished with at least 30 days left.
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