It should be apparent to many by now about the nerf to bug values. Now, with the addional economic nerf to farming, things are starting to look grim financially, as well as timely, unsuitable to experienced players.
This thread is here for us to discuss the future possibility of bug value being reverted to what was once an enjoyable, worthwhile activity. Bug hunting in general really has lost its luster and has become almost illegitimate as a means of earning gralats within the game. Hopefully, with your attention and consideration, this would no longer be the case, and things would be made slightly easier and worthwhile for everyone.
I would like to start off with a list of all the available bugs within the game, including the five new ones.
Here the old prices will be listed alongside their current values and their respective rarity levels. It's likely rarity levels have been adjusted, too, so I'm a tad biased with what I've personally been seeing.
The bugs are listed from least to most valueable. I have at least one of every bug, but have never personally seen the Spider in its habitat, and I do not have a spider. 'Eventual' means you're more than likely to find the bug if you continue your current method. 'Interpretive' means that since the bug is new, we're all still finding out the rarity level.
[B]Some bugs have been buffed as of 05/26/2020, and are no longer to be of reference for the argument. [B]
Bugs, Costs, and Rarity
I honestly think these values need to be adjusted. This is probably the one and only activity besides Baddy Killing that requires effort. Looting is good but only requires patience and luck. The frustrating thing about loot and bugs is that some loot items sell for much more than some bugs, and looting is the easiest way to make gralats. People have to compete for bugs, which makes them instantly more valueable in my eyes, but they aren't right now.
I'm good friends with Beryl, and even she thinks King Tristam's price regulations are hard to work with. The lowered prices have caused a deflation in the potion business, and that's hurt a little bit. She can't charge as much for her potions, and she's been struggling a little. Good thing these new bugs popped up, at least Beryl has some new potion recipes to make. And, due to the unlikelyhood of finding some of these new bugs, the new potions she can create can cost a pretty gralat or two.
It would seem the values are based more on rarity level than anything. I would think more attributes need to be added to make the value of the bug mean more, such as 1: Rarity, of course. 2: The areas they can be found. 3: Catching difficulty, and 4: competitive influence the bug could have on players.
Habitats
Spoiler
As we know, bugs have their habitats. I love how the five new bugs are introduced within their own new and niche habitats. Butterflies can be found almost anywhere depending on species, except snow or desert areas. Dragonflies are primarily all over Swamp. Both Lady bug species can typically be anwhere, too, but aren't as common as a butterfly. Grasshoppers are anywhere, except caves or Deadwood or Swamp. Fireflies are niche and are only really seen in Deadwood during a certain season. Spiders, too.
Roaches and Beetles aren't necessarily niche, but are mostly seen in caves. They may appear in houses or other buildings, as well.
Pillbugs can be found anywhere, except snow or desert areas. They're exceedingly rare.
The Arctic Spider is the first winter bug we've seen. It's only found in Snowtown, but it's likely we'll see it everywhere in Graal during the winter season. The Cicada is niche and prefers trees. Like the Silverfish, it can be caught from only one direction, which is to swing your net upwards. The Silverfish can be found in houses or buildings where there are bookshelves. The Pondskimmer is seen in puddles in caves or Swamp Town, and Centipedes in vaces.
Now that we know their habitats, let's discuss their values.
Some butterfly values are attrocious. I hardly see Monarchs, and they're only worth 8 gralats. Honestly, I don't see very many different butterflies in the game right now. I only ever see the Swallowtail, Clouded Yellow, Large White, Arizona Sister, and Fatal Metal butterflies. That's 5 of 12 butterflies. I guess 7 of them are rare. I haven't seen a Mantis in ages, either.
Cockroaches are only worth 4g. Disgusting. They're very common, but it's disheartening when 100 roaches don't even get you 1000g, let alone 500g. There are 31 bugs in the game; I'd have to wait a month to get roaches again and sell them as the bug of the day,aybe even longer since some bugs are cycled multiple times throughout a month.
Worms are a huge waste of time to hunt for.
With a value of only 1g and no other use for them, it begs to question why this bug even exists. Even as the bug of the day, they're still worth only 1g. They aren't even that common to find, and you may have to spend at least 30 minutes to an hour just digging to find one worm. If fishing were to be brought back, they should no longer be a bug but should be a resource in a bait and tackle shop, for which the owners should pay a lot more for.
The Bumblebee is the only bug that can harm a player. They're also rare, and difficult to catch. They're worth only 48g... That's discouraging enough for me to not bother trying to catch them on purpose.
The Pillbug has to be the second rarest bug in the game. Not difficult to catch, but you're never likely to see one anywhere. They're only worth 50g.
My point is there's no specialty to catching them, even if they're super rare. It's just a little bonus. "Nice! You caught a bee! Take it for less than 100g!" Or "You're the first person to find and catch a Pillbug in 4 days! Take it for less than 100g!" It's a slap in the face.
[/Spoiler]
Updates/Buffs/Nerfs
Overall, I believe bug prices need to be buffed, or at least the BOTD value change should be buffed. It's tough enough to think I'm putting in all this effort and feel like it's not enough. It feels like a grind, and that's discouraging. Looting should not be a better alternative to something that requires more time and effort.
The BOTD value increase seems to be standardised for every bug; 1.50x more if Beryl needs that bug. I believe that needs to be AT LEAST 2.00x to 4.00x more instead.
Would like to hear your thoughts on the matter.
Thank you.