The Inexplicably Confusing Upgrade System In Disney Speedstorm Is Finally Being Overhauled

Disney Speedstorm has great kart-racing mechanics, but has been bogged down by an aggressive, confusing progression system. The game has found an audience and continued to release regular seasonal content introducing new iconic Disney characters, but developer Gameloft appears ready to finally fix its overcomplicated upgrade system soon.

Currently, there is a shared pool of upgrade resources like Energy Cans and Racing Helmets that can be used by all racers at the lower levels. As they reach higher levels, each Collection (aka franchise) gets its own specialized upgrade materials alongside higher-level shared materials. Hercules characters might need to collect Hercules Action Figures, for example, while Monsters Inc. characters need to collect Scream Canisters. Some materials are further specialized to be only usable by a single racer, like Ariel's Dinglehopper in the latest season. When you account for all the different franchises and characters, you get nearly 80 unique upgrade materials to keep track of. It's very easy to score upgrade materials you don't need or want, and the whole thing is just a mess.

That will be changing with Season 7, which is set to start soon. In a post on the Speedstorm blog, Gameloft explained that next season, the game will introduce a new, single upgrade currency called Upgrade Coins. All current upgrade materials that players have accrued will be converted to the new currency. The blog includes a table that shows just how much each upgrade level will cost in the new Upgrade Coin currency. You will still need to collect racer shards to unlock racers and raise their Star Level, which determines their level cap and some perks. But it should at least be much clearer what you need to upgrade your favorite racer, and you won't be disappointed to get a Fire Extinguisher for Wall-E when you wanted a Scrump doll for Stitch.

The overcomplex progression system was a major complaint when I wrote about the game in its early-access period. I had always suspected that it was intentionally confusing to push people toward spending real money, but even if that were the case, it's not always clear what you should even spend real money on if you wanted to. This is still a problem when it comes to unlocking new racers, which is random to the point of frustrating--especially given that season passes often require specific racers to claim all of the rewards. This update won't address all of those issues, but it should at least be a step in the right direction.

Season 7 is set to start in April. Gameloft has not shared the theme of the new expansion, but past seasons have traditionally added one new themed track and four new Disney racers. The current season, Under the Sea, features Ariel, Prince Eric, King Triton, and Ursula.