What is the rationale behind the high roller entry fee

What is the rationale behind the high roller entry fee? During my initial experience with playtest 3, my impression of the high roller entry fee was one of anticipation, almost like entering a high-stakes game mode. However, upon playing high roller, I encountered empty lobbies, lobbies filled with inexperienced players, or a few exceptionally skilled teams dominating a region, leaving limited options.

In contrast, normal lobbies were often dominated by well-equipped groups. As someone who frequently participates in high roller lobbies, it became apparent that you encounter more skilled players in normal lobbies than in high roller ones. This seems counterintuitive and problematic. There are likely several reasons why well-equipped players prefer normal lobbies:

1, Easy victories and the satisfaction of overpowering less-equipped players.

2, Efficient gold farming, as it's safer and easier in normal lobbies due to the entry fee and lower risk.

3, The desire to fine-tune team dynamics with a new group before attempting high roller matches (although this is rare).

Let's focus on reason #2. It appears counterproductive that the most effective way to acquire Darker gold is by playing in normal lobbies, especially on the Crypts map.

For new players, the game's progression might be envisioned as follows:

- Normal mode is for less-equipped individuals to acquire better gear to eventually venture into high roller mode.

- High roller mode is intended for well-equipped players to accumulate gold and acquire higher-tier gear.

However, the reality is quite different:

- Normal mode is primarily favored by those seeking gold, which they use to purchase the best gear, continuing to play in normal mode.

- High roller mode is more attractive to those who enjoy a greater challenge, wish to obtain unique items from bosses, or aspire to climb leaderboards (when available).

Developers aim to incentivize high roller participation by offering superior gear drops in this mode. However, the reality is that nothing beats gold, given the existence of trading. This essentially equates gold to gear. To address this issue, it could be beneficial to adjust drop rates in normal lobbies to increase the likelihood of finding usable gear, while diminishing the prevalence of treasure items that can be sold for gold. The goal is to facilitate gearing up to the green/blue gear level in normal lobbies and then having enough gear to tackle high roller content while simultaneously reducing the gold that can be reliably farmed in normal lobbies. This would deter well-equipped teams from continuously farming gold in normal lobbies.

If normal lobbies predominantly offered gear instead of substantial gold rewards, well-equipped teams would have little incentive to participate, aside from potentially preying on less-equipped players (which is a separate issue requiring its own solutions). If players already possess purple gear obtained through trading, why would they choose to play normal Crypts, where the only rewards would be green items with no value to them since they're already equipped with purples?

Another potential solution could involve introducing gold sinks for advanced game mechanics, such as training, additional storage, containers, crafting, utility items, and possibly gear maintenance costs. If gear maintenance costs were introduced, and normal lobbies yielded minimal gold, running purple gear in normal lobbies could become unsustainable, encouraging players to focus on high roller matches for substantial gold income.

High roller mode could then become the primary source of large quantities of gold needed for various in-game gold sink mechanics, thus creating a genuine incentive for players to embrace high roller matches, unlike the current state.

In summary:

- Lower Dark and darker gold rewards in normal mode while increasing gear drop rates to make it the primary mode for gearing up with an average of green rarity gear, preparing players for high roller mode.

- High roller mode should offer a challenging experience and serve as the primary mode for accumulating substantial amounts of gold required for trading, crafting, purchasing items, and other in-game services.

- Consider implementing gear maintenance costs to discourage well-equipped players from continuously participating in normal lobbies due to a lack of gold income.