State of HCE

A little context about me.

I've been playing Albion Online for about two years and have gained experience across a wide variety of content. While I enjoy many aspects of the game, the economy has always been my main focus.

Over time, I've also developed enough PvE experience to comfortably lead high-end content. I can confidently lead a 10-man 8.4 Q6 Ava raid and consistently complete a full three-floor clear in around 1 hour and 15 minutes.

After the Ava raid nerfs, I decided to start playing HCE. Thanks to my gear and the connections I built as an Ava Raid Leader, I was able to join level 14+ HCE teams without much difficulty.

However, this highlighted what I believe is a major issue with the content. The rewards for HCE below level 14 are simply too low to justify the time and effort required to learn it. Although HCE is safe-zone content, the higher levels are among the most mechanically demanding PvE activities in the game. Players need significant practice and experience before they can contribute effectively to high-level groups.

The problem is that there is very little incentive to invest that time. Since lower-level HCE rewards are so poor, many players don't feel motivated to learn the content in the first place. As a result, the pool of experienced HCE players continues to shrink.

The real risk in HCE isn't losing your gear—it's the repair costs from mistakes. Players need to make those mistakes while learning in lower-level maps before they're ready for high-tier HCE. If those learning stages don't provide worthwhile rewards, fewer players will ever make it to the endgame.

I believe HCE below level 14 needs a meaningful reward increase. Without better incentives for newer and learning players, the content will continue to decline as fewer people are willing to invest the time required to master it.