In the games I have played (on endless) with about 8 competitors, I usually get approached by 3 or 4 to join and buy the rest from the marketplace (anywhere from 3 to 5 to be purchased).

Again, I have to stress -- buying heroes from the marketplace just seems (for lack of a better word) dumb.

Heroes in the marketplace should have to have some kind of "condition" to be met to purchase them -- they are mercenary types afterall.

I paid at the most like 5k in one of my games for one -- which is a joke --- Just sell off like 100 of "x" resources to purchase with no real hit to your stockpile of resources and/or cashflow.

I would rather play in a game environment where they were not purchasable and the heroes simply approach your empire (perhaps based upon mechanics that are going on in your empire).

The other issue I see.....

You have done such a great job developing the political aspects of the game ---> why can't the heroes be also created with skills more singularly based around those political ideologies.  If I have a pacifist hero approach me --> I really wanna "feel" the pacifism (not a skill set that allows him to buff a fleet).

I would rather a hero have less skill trees and more focued skils upon those 6 different political traits.

As it stands right now, (other than unique pictures and whether or not they are a senator) there is really almost no difference between getting one hero to the next (all the skill wheels feel the same.... and that's boring no matter how many times they level).

Tempted wrote:

The idea you mentioned doesn't really cover my main concerns:

1.  Heroes level too fast --> not enjoyable to pick a new skill for the leader mid game every second turn

2.  Picking useless skills or irrelevant skills

3.  Heroes should never have a maintence cost of "0" 

4.  Heroes should perhaps be paid in influence rather than gold

5.  Heroes being able to be "bought" in the marketplace is OP and are too cheap

6.  There should possibly be a mechanic where Heroes can die (espionage?)

1.  That depends on the game speed.  It's fairly ok at present on quick, but gets progressively worse as you get slower.

2.  Agreed

3.  Agreed

4.  Or, perhaps, with a luxury of choice.

5.  I think the idea is ok, it's just that they are far too cheap.

6.  I'm not sure about this... perhaps I've seen too many poor implementations of espionage.  Also, losing a level 20 hero to a surprise attack is going to cause whining posts everywhere (not good).  Imho, the current system, where a hero is out of action for several turns (depending on game speed) seems to work well.

The idea you mentioned doesn't really cover my main concerns:

1.  Heroes level too fast --> not enjoyable to pick a new skill for the leader mid game every second turn

2.  Picking useless skills or irrelevant skills

3.  Heroes should never have a maintence cost of "0" 

4.  Heroes should perhaps be paid in influence rather than gold

5.  Heroes being able to be "bought" in the marketplace is OP and are too cheap

6.  There should possibly be a mechanic where Heroes can die (espionage?)

Just go vote this 

https://www.games2gether.com/endless-space-2/ideas/1082-hero-auto-level-up-queue

I am also of the opinion that heroes should cost an increasing influence vale and not gold (and a hero should never have a "0" cost to maintain.

I will have to concur, which I think I did here once already. Either increase the number of Skills allowed for BOTH Paths or go back to the slower method of before. An early Patch changed this I think and it was not for the better at all. A Govenor should have just Gov, Skills and the same for the Admiral Set.

Govenors govern and Admirals fight/lead Fleets. Filling the other half for either Set is just a waste of time and is, as noted, more furstrating than anything.

P.S. If NOTHING else, please stop giving XP to Hero's who have FULL Skill Trees... PLEASE! :)

I am not sure exacly how your formula is calcualated to level up heroes - but I personally think it's bad.

In the early stages of the game, it's neat "ooh wow" hero level up!

By the mid to end levels of the game, I have quite literally stopped even reading what the skill I'm clicking on does and it gets very tiring having to level up heroes every second turn.

Experience should be exponentially required to level up heroes, or the heroes should have to actually do something in order to gain a level up.

They should level up Waaaaayyyyyy slower.

Getting a hero to like level 15+ should actually be a challenge.

or heroes should just have preset skills that don't level.

The fact they level so fast and are easily purchasable in the marketplace really take away from this aspect of the game (in my opinion).

I also think there should be some mechanic in the game where you may actually lose a hero to a death result.

Heroes are also too cheap. It should cost a lot more to recruit a new hero from the marketplace.

Indeed, it doesn't seem they scale at all, which they should.

It'd also be nice though if you could infact limit heroes for each empire as well as a game setting, alongside adding a feature to send heroes back to the academy incase you don't want one. They'd be sent into the market, retaining their level, so giving up a good hero could be good or bad.

Looks like the xp gain and rate of getting new heroes doesn't scale with game speed when it obviously should.