User blog comment:Lancer1289/Are People in Multiplayer Lacking in Intelligence?/@comment-4931942-20120801001857/@comment-1388547-20120802172656

I tend to take a fairly philosophical view on the store system. Sometimes it annoys me, but I've been playing on Silver primarily these days, with some Gold and the occasional round of Platinum, so I've been earning a decent amount of credits to spend. Certainly, though, it does take a *lot* of Premium Spectre Packs to get weapons and upgrades. I just counted, and there are a total of 66 different Rare-level cards you can get (counting characters, weapons, gear, and capacity upgrades), and 10 Ultra-rares (not counting the ones only available from weekend events), so if there's something in particular you want, it will probably be a while before you get it. (Not to mention the time it takes to climb the upgrade levels, particularly with weapons.) I'd suggest looking for ways to be maximally effective with what you have, rather than waiting to get something good from the store. Upgrading your lower-tier items first with the cheaper packs is also a good plan -- there are some good weapons in the Common and Uncommon tiers, and the Uncommon gear will also really boost your effectiveness.