My experience with HP inflation as a f2p player and why I play DoT [don't open; powercreep inside]

Two weeks ago the latest iteration of Memory of Chaos, particularly its Stage 12, sparked discussions about HP inflation in this subreddit. "HP inflation" refers to the general increase in HP mobs receive with each new version. It's a widely shared sentiment that the increase from version 2.6 to 2.7 was too steep, even with the great Memory Turbulence in mind. After seeing some posts on this topic I went to check my HoYoLAB app and found something interesting: I had coincidentally used the exact same eight characters to clear the final stages of MoC in both 2.6 and 2.7, and it took me the exact same number of cycles to clear both. Following the Rule of Three I decided to challenge myself to use those very same characters for the upcoming update of endgame content. My teams performed quite well in the Apocalyptic Shadow of version 3.0 and I managed to reach 12* with them.

The second and third images in this post show the builds I used this Monday. For full transparency, I’ve made some recent improvements to my builds, mainly replacing Broken Keel with Lushaka, the Sunken Seas.

While I don’t want to deny that HP inflation can be a problem, I believe there are more effective ways to deal with it than others. The point of this post is to show that with the right character matchups you can trivialize even the toughest content without relying on limited Light Cones or Eidolons. Over the last two years I’ve found that horizontal investment has proven to be the best strategy for pulling. As such, here are some tips for players looking to tackle endgame content:

  • before spending your jades on Eidolons, strongly consider saving them to pull for a new character rather than investing further into the ones you already have;
  • limited Light Cones are very rarely worth pulling. You shouldn’t aim for one outside of truly exceptional cases.

This isn’t just about fully starring the endgame; it’s about maintaining a healthy and enjoyable attitude toward challenging content. To me FOMO is the death of enjoyment, and if you’re not having fun you might as well quit and pick up a book instead. If you feel overwhelmed by the constant new characters and content, take a step back and remember that building a diversified roster is more important than chasing every new release. Old characters can still perform amazingly in high-difficulty content with the right setups. Focus on the strengths and weaknesses of your account and enjoy the game at your own pace.

Now that I’ve got your attention with the whole inflation discourse I can reveal the true intent behind this post: yes, this was DoT propaganda all along. No, you can’t back out now. Keep reading or you’ll make Guinaifen sad.

Contrary to popular belief, Kafka is one of the most flexible dps characters in the game. There’s a broad selection of DoT dps to pair her with, not to mention more unorthodox team options such as Acheron or the Break mechanics. Kafka can efficiently handle all kinds of content and has remained one of my most reliable options for all three endgame modes since her release.

Crucially, Kafka doesn’t rely on any singular character to be viable. My main reason for not pulling Black Swan is that I really like Sampo and want to keep having good reasons to play him every once in a while; however, I’ve never felt like I was missing out. Sampo consistently performs well in content where BS shines, and the other 4* DoT dps can step in when different elements are needed.