The Star Wars: Galaxy of Heroes system
A collectible RPG where 300+ characters are visible from the first session, each with a Find button showing exactly how to acquire them.
The design logic
SWGoH's system is organized around radical collection transparency: every character, including locked ones, is visible in the inventory with a Find button that shows all acquisition paths. The shard-unlock system converts every battle and store interaction into micro-progress toward a character goal. The Era system is the most integrated seasonal framework in the library, not a parallel event but a seasonal skin that modifies the quest system, store, collection, and competitive modes simultaneously.
The mechanic sequence
The core loop is: battle in campaigns → earn character shards, credits, gear, and event currency → upgrade characters (level, gear, ability, stars) → complete daily quests → earn Episode Points → advance Episode Track → unlock era characters → use ally system to borrow characters → earn ally points → buy Bronzium data cards → earn more shards. The entire system feeds back into character collection, which improves battle performance, which unlocks harder content.
The system map
Tap any + on a connection to see how the two mechanics interact300+ characters visible from the first session, each with a Find button showing every acquisition source. Faction synergies create incentives to collect characters beyond individual desire.
Bronzium Data Card refreshing every 10 minutes (10 times daily) is the most frequent variable reward surface in the library. Chromium Mega Packs provide full probability disclosure; the cheaper Chromium Data Card does not.
Three simultaneous login calendars, monthly (missed days unrecoverable), Hyper Calendar (free), and purchasable variants, create up to three distinct daily claim moments on different content tracks.
Four parallel quest systems (Journey, Daily, Episode, Character) with overlapping daily resets. Episode quest notification badges appear for pass-gated quests, creating persistent upgrade pressure.
Episode Pass ($19.99) and Episode Pass+ ($49.99, with 50,000 EP and 10 milestones granted instantly at purchase), the most explicit pay-for-instant-progress offer in the library.
Three independent energy pools (Regular, Cantina, Ship) gate three different game modes. Level-up bonus energy (20 per level) kept the player above the Regular cap through all 16 observed levels, the energy constraint was absent during the entire new-user experience.
The Era of Andor seasonal framework modifies the quest system, store, collection, and competitive modes simultaneously, the most integrated seasonal system in the library.
The Find button on every locked character is the system's defining choice. Rather than hiding the collection from players who haven't unlocked it, SWGoH shows everything and explains exactly how to get it. This converts the 300-character roster from a discovery experience into a project management experience, the player always knows their next objective.
The shard-unlock system converts every battle into progress
The shard-unlock system converts every battle into progress. Even a 30-second auto-battle produces character shards, gear, credits, and event currency simultaneously. No session is wasted, every interaction advances at least one character goal. This is the fundamental design principle of the gacha RPG genre made maximally visible.