I think having a way for new players to catch up will be beneficial in the long run. The game has 10 years of content and it can be a lot for a new player to wade through to get to the current content. If a skip is implemented it will have to be a very tight balancing act. You have to avoid the skip being too powerful and making current players feel their time was wasted playing for multiple years when they could have just waited for the skip and been at the same place they are now. You also have to watch out for the ever moving goal post that is "current content". What ever the skip system devised ends up being it needs to be able to make sense to buy today or 10 years from now when the content is farther along. I think a few points the skip will have to carefully address is the star chart and mastery rank. Much of the story progression in the game is tied to star chart progression and mastery rank. Which, if any nodes, on the star chart get unlocked? I don't know what the right answer is but it is something that must be considered. since New War requires both a railjack and necromech those would have to be included but if any frames or weapons or mods are included in the skip please carefully consider what they will be. I am of the opinion that whatever is chosen should be just barely enough to handle any content. If new players want to reach the height of power this game offers I believe an effort must still be made and not just handed to them. Since Vor's Prize is required to have a basic understanding of the game perhaps the new player should be funneled through the quests that serve as tutorials for railjack, necramech, and operator as well. Or perhaps once the skip is purchased a quest that acts as a mini tutorial for these systems will start before the player is set for new content. Another thing to consider with the skip is the morality/choices meter that appears throughout the story. Will it matter if new players haven't made all the choices? What about the choice at the end of the New War? Will the choices meter have a significant impact in the future of the game? There are certainly a lot of parts to consider moving forward with this skip and it may need a few iteration to get it right. It may transform from skip to something more like a fast pass or may not be implemented at all. I think a decision should not be rushed to have it ready for Whispers in the Wall and that this topic should be given ample time to grow, experiment, and iterate.
