So I think, and this is what I’ve been doing, is that you should find an apprentice or two that have good or great base and growth.

Then focus on upgrading them until you can refine them instead of inherited traits. At least then you’ll have a base apprentice that you can use to help carry you until more/better options.

Considering how ridiculous it is just getting anything upgraded, just do that for now. Though I kind of wish you could refine from lower rarity ones. And I’m not saying just any. It should only go one rank down that can be used for that. IE: epic ranks can refine rares for the skills. Though the issue would come from the fact that when you go to inherit and upgrade things, the chances aren’t only low, but you have a high chance of losing all the good skills you wanted on that apprentice unless you prepared for it by having another with literally all of the same skills plus one just to hope for the chance to upgrade.

Games like these are so fucking stupid in the amount of time it takes f2p players to get anywhere, it needs something easier to at least give better chances to get places. It’s so lopsided between the base progression and the increase of difficulty.