So here are my thoughts on this Star Ocean Banner:
Are the units good? YES.
Are the Super TMRS good? YES.
Is this banner good? NO.
The Step-Up itself is unimpressive and the odds of actually completing a 7* and STMR are, as on any limited time, split banner, pretty poor. Expect to spend a LOT of Lapis here if you actually want to "complete" units.
The Star Ocean Tickets: I first thought they would be collect 10 of these things and then summon the 5* Star Ocean Unit of your choice. This is not the case. These are basically 10 EX tickets for the Star Ocean banner. So expect a bunch of Blues and maybe a gold or two. Their main reason for existing is if you happen to get a random Star Ocean 5*, like a single-copy Rena, you now feel inclined to start using lapis to chase her.
All things considered, I'll be passing on all of it. Yes I do have one Fayt from last time. What are my odds of getting a second Fayt? Not great. Would I spend my 25k Lapis hoard to do it? No. Knowing what's around the corner, no I would not.
And failing on Limited Time pulls to complete units is the absolute worst. You have to double-down and GET THEM to 7* or else it's kind of a waste really. And because of the power spikes in the next couple months, they'll be on par with what the meta becomes.
If you have a huge hoard and are bored, or just really love Star Ocean, then by all means go ahead. But I will be skipping this banner. I'll cross my fingers with the free Star Ocean tickets, but I don't expect much.
Here's my account status:
- I pulled a hell of a lot on the Kingdom Hearts Banner. I overspent really. And because of this, I've detached payment methods from my Google Store account. I'm going forward without spending any more real money. The only thing I could see maybe dipping for is the $7 Fountain of Lapis. Which was ALWAYS a deal and I never regretted spending for that. Everything else I usually regretted spending.
- On the plus side though, I have KH Cloud and Sora Super TMRs and 7* Sephiroth. Once Akstar is added to the squad eventually, and Hyoh gets enhancements, I'm pretty much done for a long long time on Physical DPS unless I want to chase 7* Bartz or CG Lightning down the line just for the heck of it.
- I have all UOC tickets. Haven't used any yet. My plan is to use one on Akstar and one on Aerith. I MAY chase Akstar STMR. But we'll see my resources in April. After these 2 I REALLY need to start working on my mages. So I'm looking at 7* Golbez, Sol, 7* ExDeath, and 7* Terra as possibilities for the future.
- I believe I will also be skipping the CNY and Xenogears banners. I don't feel like any of those units would be in my main squad for very long (no more than a couple months) and the possibility of dumping a LOT of resources to not finish units off is pretty high on limited units. PLUS, I just think Akstar is better than Citan and my eventual Golbez/Sol/Exdeath will be better than Elly.
- I think it will be interesting to clear content without whaling as much as I have in the past.
- My lifetime spending on FFBE up to now I would probably ballpark at around $2000 and I've been playing since week 1. So yes, it's more spending than I'm comfortable with, but it's not broken my bank or anything and I do still enjoy the game. I just realized that I could buy things like Mortal Kombat XL for $20 and get a lot of enjoyment out of it, so when I have an extra $100 of money for "fun" I think I would prefer to buy other video game things than chase a single "REALLY GOOD" STMR shirt in FFBE that raises someone's attack when they're equipped with a Sword (looking at you Fayt).
- I like the idea of the non-limited units chasing because they DO leave the door open for completing 7* and STMR someday in the future, even if you only pull one of that unit or 2. It's just much more approachable.
- So basically: I pull super meta-power spike units, or units I feel personally attached or attracted to. And that is Akstar, Aerith, and 7* Golbez in my mind right now.
TLDR: Got Khloud and Sora STMR. No more big money. Skipping Star Ocean, CNY, and Xenogears. Hoarding for Akstar and Aerith.
