two & a half gamers Legend of Elements Review: Legend of Mushroom 2.0, but 3D. Did it work?
Legend of Elements is a 3D idle RPG from the LoM lineage. Core fantasy is “numbers go up,” delivered via auto-progress + layered upgrades, then monetized through stacked gachas and step offers.
Ads exist but are effectively a decoy; there isn’t even a “remove ads” pack.
UA is ~98% Google (YouTube + AdWords) with AI/UGC and “fake gameplay” motifs.
Systems & sinks (what actually drives playtime/spend)
• Two gachas: character (spirits) and skill, with very low SSR rates; also ad-summon entries (“2 free summons for an ad”).
• “Online chest”: ~5x/day random gacha ticks, granted every ~5 minutes online.
• 3–4 battle passes active during launch window; heavy event stack and daily quests.
• Notification-baiting tactic: tiny “free” rewards (e.g., 5 soft-currency) inside every shop/offer to create badge-clearing behavior and force shop opens.
Monetization architecture (how money happens)
• Ads are a decoy to lift IAP; no VIP/no-ads pack to sell the removal.
• Primary pay drivers: gachas + step offers (offer ladders surfaced early/often).
• Panel consensus: at ~$100K/day IAP scale, there’s little incentive to optimize ads.
UA mix & creatives (why it scales on Google)
• ~98% of impressions from YouTube + AdWords; almost nothing elsewhere.
• Creative pillars: AI faces/VO, UGC narratives, meme remakes, Genshin/Diablo-style “fake gameplay.”
• Uses creator placements (e.g., known Supercell YouTubers featured as ad talent).
Servers & competitive pressure (why shard)
• Thousands of small shards opened continuously; servers “die,” then merge, resetting the race.
• Keep leaderboards small so winning feels plausible; too many whales per shard depresses motivation.
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This is no BS gaming podcast 2.5 gamers session. Sharing actionable insights, dropping knowledge from our day-to-day User Acquisition, Game Design, and Ad monetization jobs. We are definitely not discussing the latest industry news, but having so much fun! Let’s not forget this is a 4 a.m. conference discussion vibe, so let's not take it too seriously.
Panelists: Jakub Remiar, Felix Braberg, Matej Lancaric
Join our slack channel here: https://join.slack.com/t/two-and-half-gamers/shared_invite/zt-2um8eguhf-c~H9idcxM271mnPzdWbipg
00:00 intro
00:48 Positioning & lineage
04:40 Core loop & systems
10:10 Monetization architecture
14:40 Live-ops cadence
18:00 UA strategy (98% Google)
33:30 Creatives that convert
41:20 Verdict & KPI checklist
Matej Lancaric
User Acquisition & Creatives Consultant
https://lancaric.me
Felix Braberg
Ad monetization consultant
https://www.felixbraberg.com
Jakub Remiar
Game design consultant
https://www.linkedin.com/in/jakubremiar
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