FIGMA | PHOTOSHOP | UNREAL ENGINE 5
The Mastery and Ascension system work together to create a free and premium progression system on a single reward track. Players can earn and accumulate worshipers to gain Mastery levels, unlocking rewards and showcasing their prowess with that god. As you progress through Mastery levels, you'll unlock cosmetics for free. However, by unlocking the Ascension Pass (the premium upgrade) players can unlock exclusive premium rewards.
With the Mastery system being a long time staple in Smite 1, converting and upgrading the system for Smite 2 was an undertaking that took 10+ iterations to achieve. Additionally, there was a new battle pass element which granted players rewards as they progressed along the track with free and premium options. The goal of this new progression system was to increase player retention and engagement while also adding monetization opportunities while in Alpha. I worked closely with stakeholders and monetization to constantly iterate on new additions or pivots to the feature all while constantly collaborating with design and programming to implement it into UE5.
Also the lead UI/UX design on this feature, it was also my responsibility to come in behind programming and polish every detail of the feature in UE5. This included polishing 5+ widgets to ensure all of the screens elements worked harmoniously together and present a quality final product.
Objective
• Increased Immersion: Make players feel like their favorite gods grow in power and prowess as their Mastery increases.
• Increase Player Retention: Utilize a structured reward system that encourages continuous and engaging play.
• Enhance Monetization: Leverage premium tiers, exclusive items, and the ability to purchase progression boosts.
Iterations and Mock Ups
With the Mastery system being so integral to Smite 1, the new elements of a battle pass, and the first big out-of-game features players would interact with, numerous solutions were presented. I worked very closely with stakeholders during this process in order to find a balance between feedback and iterations. Some of the early pitches by design to show a halved progression bar which was quickly swapped to show it in full to give players a better view of all rewards at once.
One of the most significant issues to solve for is the fact that players can technically progress in the mastery forever and working through the best way to display this on a progression track. Early iterations showed an arrow which players could click to see levels past 10. However, showing a new long progression bar seemed redundant considering all rewards after level 10 were the same. So, I came up with a solution to only show progression on the bottom bar until level 10 and anything past that would be tied to the player's current level in the top left of the screen along side specific messaging to inform the player on future progress rewards. This allowed for a feeling of completion once all rewards on the bottom progress bar were claimed and a quicker way to view how close a player was to their next "star."
While there were 12 iterations overall ranging from very small tweaks to huge overhauls, I'll only be sharing a few to give a sense of the evolution of this feature.
Iteration 1
Iteration
4, 5, and 6
4, 5, and 6
Iteration 10 and 11
Final Product
