Hi all!

I wanted to take a moment and talk about a new and exciting feature we have recently added to our Hypercrates – Platinum Packs!

What is the Platinum Pack?

The Platinum Pack is a new pack found in addition to the 24 Packs already received within a Hypercrate – think of these as bonus packs! Each Platinum Pack contains a random Super Rare or better item from the pack contents. So for the Deep Core Pack, this could include the Armored Coastal Varactyl, a piece of the Dark Legionnaire’s Armor Set, or the Throne of Enlightenment!

So now that we know what this new pack is, let’s take a moment to discuss it some. The Platinum Pack is currently a test feature, and as such, it has not been determined if the Packs will exist past Shipment 7. While we feel it brings additional value to the Hypercrate purchasing experience, we also want to ensure this is something everyone finds value in and enjoys. Our continuation of these packs will be entirely up to you!

As we continue moving into the Mid Rim Packs, we will be tightening down on the contents of the Platinum Pack to only include select Super Rare or better items. This means that while the pack will have less items in it, the items should be more desirable. This update is being made based on the feedback we have already received from the Deep Core Platinum Pack, so we want to thank you for that!

We hope you enjoy this addition to the Hypercrate experience, and look forward to your feedback!

That's a great idea IMO! As long as the items in the Platinum Packs are not exclusive but can also be found in the normal packs, and the drop chances of the normal packs remain the same (i.e. you don't have to open a Platinum Pack to get a realistic chance at a superrare item), then I'm all for it.

I sometimes buy a Hypercrate just to sell the individual packs on the GTN, so now I could just open the Platinum Pack myself and sell the other packs. And I'm sure all of the big spenders are only buying hypercrates so they would be happy about it as well.

I like the idea of getting a bonus for spending the money on a hypercrate.

As long as the items aren't "exclusive" to the platinum packs and are just an extra bonus item, I think it's a great idea.

I was really excited about the idea. After putting down the cartel coins for a Hypercrate, the idea of being guaranteed at least one good item was awesome. I figured it would be one of the mounts, a really cool chest piece, something a guaranteed win.

Really disappointed when it was a random hat! Lol.

As we continue moving into the Mid Rim Packs, we will be tightening down on the contents of the Platinum Pack to only include select Super Rare or better items. This means that while the pack will have less items in it, the items should be more desirable. This update is being made based on the feedback we have already received from the Deep Core Platinum Pack, so we want to thank you for that!

Please and thank you!!! This can be the "unique" mounts (in Deep Core the Vrake, the Monocycle, the Podracer), chest pieces of the rarer armor or a full set of rarer armor.

Hi all!

As we continue moving into the Mid Rim Packs, we will be tightening down on the contents of the Platinum Pack to only include select Super Rare or better items. This means that while the pack will have less items in it, the items should be more desirable. This update is being made based on the feedback we have already received from the Deep Core Platinum Pack, so we want to thank you for that!

Yesterday, i bought my first hypercrate after a long time. Main reason why i bought a hypercrate was the platinum pack. What did i get? An indigo endurance crystal... My excitement had instantly vanished. -.-

It sounds like you already addressed my major complaint with the platinum pack which was that when I opened mine I got junk (an End color crystal... ).

I do really like the idea of a Hyoercrate guaranteeing at least one valuable item and having a (worthwhile) platinum pack come with them will make me more likely to buy them in the future.

As many have said, this is a cool idea. If I *know* I'll get one of the sweet items from a shipment in a hypercrate, I know I'd feel much more likely to try and convince my wife to let me buy one.

Not sure if this would mess with market values too much, but rather than a piece of the big armor set, why not the whole thing?

couple things i would like to see

1) as others have said, don't make them exclusive items ONLY to the pack,

2) the other thing would be make the platinum packs BOUND to the user, not sure I want to see these showing up on the GTN as individual packs. The item from the pack obey normal rules but the pack itself cannot be sold (otherwise people would never buy the regular packs and/or these packs would become excessively high priced compared to rest).

3) as others have said, keep the other drop rates the same, so the single pack just has a increased chance at specific items.

Other than that, I found it a great addition to the hypercrate as someone who spends more than i probably should on these. maybe could have saved myself a few crates back in the day going for first varactyle (was still worth the $$ when finally opened).

As long as these don't mess with the chances of finding anything in the other packs then what's not to like?

It's just bonus stuff.

If, however, it results in a lower (or non-existent) chance of finding certain items in regular packs because they are reserved for the platinum packs in order to make both the platinum packs and the items more special, then no.

That customer opening up a regular deep core pack should have a chance to find any of the advertised items and find them at the same frequency as before.

I just want to chime in with a 'thank you' for detailed communications like this - in the past there were price changes, Stronghold items being a separate 'slot' in a pack changing to being a possible drop in the 'rare' slot, etc.

I know you guys aren't obligated to share the rationale of every change or even announce it (so long as the product actually matches the description given for it in-game), but it is very much appreciated when you take the time to discuss such changes.

I just want to chime in with a 'thank you' for detailed communications like this - in the past there were price changes, Stronghold items being a separate 'slot' in a pack changing to being a possible drop in the 'rare' slot, etc. As long as the Pack matches the description for it.

 

I know you guys aren't obligated to share the rationale of every change or even announce it (so long as the product actually matches the description given for it in-game), but it is very much appreciated when you take the time to discuss such changes.

Agreed.

This is communication done right.

Frankly a far better QoL improvement would be to remove the random XP boosts from the Cartel packs. Especially now with 12x but even before, the random XP boosts are trash that just takes up inventory space with no value whatsoever. I'd rather get gift fragments, low level mission discoveries, credit voucher tokens, a bunch of chips for the slot machine, basic commendations, one time use jawagrams, basically anything would be better.

yeah the social, warzone, flashpoint, etc. are all pretty much worthless when given the general XP boost does the same.

when our guild has 2 or 3 hundred each of the minors (social, flashpoint, exploration, etc) that we never use, and can't really sell make me wonder why even have them in.

would much rather have something like a minor credit boon (2 -5k credits) with chance at major boon, or chance at minor/major XP boost.

Added value for buying a hyper-crate, sure why not? As long as it doesn't end up being a pre-cursor to making the drop rates for rares in the packs even more scarce.

I got an indigo crystal and rugged infantry hat from my two, both items that dropped like candy from the rest of the packs in the crates, so they didn't seem so super rare level items to me, but free is free so no reason to complain.

I'd really like to see something like this that guarantees a stronghold item tho, trying to collect enough furniture to nicely decorate several strongholds has become *frustratingly* difficult since the stronghold pack run ended when you got many decorations. Even items from this pack that just have a silver rarity stamp are selling for over 1/2 to 3/4 a million credits each. I got three total stronghold items from two crates, I know RNG luck and so forth, but others obviously didn't have reasonable luck balancing it out either, considering the scarcity and high price of even the most common stamped stronghold items on the GTN.

It's not like an outfit when you only need one and can unlock it in collections, you have to get several of the same item to have any continuity or matching in a room or suite, and the drop rates just do not support that now. Rares should be rare, yes, but common should be common and not difficult to get, especially when you can't buy copies of items you collect with CC's. (Tho why not charge us a CC fee to make copies, have every copy costing a CC fee, so we aren't getting free decorations after an unlock or anything).

Deco supply seems to be on the same drop rate as the rest of the stuff now, but demand is different because the collection system. Get 5 junk common cybernetic boxes? Sell 4 and there is an easy supply for demand. Get 5 junk common chairs, or plants or rugs, add them all to your deco list that can fit 50, because you might need them some time to make a matching room, which means there's way less supply for people to buy even common things. Having a deco box in a crate would help, even just a little.

I wanted to take a moment and talk about a new and exciting feature we have recently added to our Hypercrates – Platinum Packs!

...

This means that while the pack will have less items in it, the items should be more desirable.

I thought this was a great idea. I'm a bit confused by your statement above though. From what I have seen only one item drops from it right now, so how could you get fewer items in a platinum pack without making it zero? I suspect you mean that the variety of items that may drop will be a smaller selection? I would advocate that because, like some others, the drops from my platinum packs were very uninteresting and didn't even match what you described for the deep core explorer pack. I got rugged infantry pieces, not Dark Legionnaire.

Thanks for the communication and for trying this out.

I thought this was a great idea. I'm a bit confused by your statement above though. From what I have seen only one item drops from it right now, so how could you get fewer items in a platinum pack without making it zero? I suspect you mean that the variety of items that may drop will be a smaller selection? I would advocate that because, like some others, the drops from my platinum packs were very uninteresting and didn't even match what you described for the deep core explorer pack. I got rugged infantry pieces, not Dark Legionnaire.

 

Thanks for the communication and for trying this out.

Yeah "less items" = "less item types on the drop table" i.e. a smaller pool of possible items.

I like how you have a chance to get some great rewards. But could we please get an estimate on the togruta? Ever since it was announced in February we've heard nothing about it. I mean this is getting ridiculous to mention something that fans really want and then ignoring them whenever they ask about it or just not explaining what your roadmap means by beyond but also have it listed as the first half of the year. Please stop ignoring us.

Seriously...this has exactly WHAT to do with the original post?

Interesting idea EA, but can no one hear else Xzibit?

"Yo dawg. I heard you liked random packs, so I put random packs inside your random packs."

I just want to chime in with a 'thank you' for detailed communications like this - in the past there were price changes, Stronghold items being a separate 'slot' in a pack changing to being a possible drop in the 'rare' slot, etc.

 

I know you guys aren't obligated to share the rationale of every change or even announce it (so long as the product actually matches the description given for it in-game), but it is very much appreciated when you take the time to discuss such changes.

Also, this is really well said. I too appreciate the information presented in this Dev post.

Seriously...this has exactly WHAT to do with the original post?

Well if you read the first sentence I thought this is a great idea and as for the rest of it I think it's a valid question for the cartel market group who is working on bringing the togruta into the game.