In defence to the game, there’s probably thousands of people that play the game if not more, so it’s bound to happen that players already have the silver sling shot. I sometimes wonder why they are so many people I have to face are at star rank 60 with either poor (lvl 12 or under) or overpowered birds (lvl 14+). Silver slingshots aren’t that difficult to get if you score well at the arena and win the DC to get pearls. If you place 3rd or 4th in arena and win the DC’s everyday I can guarantee you within a month or 2, you can get it. Same with gold because that entails spending 700 pearls by collecting street hats.
What gets me is that people found ways to hack the game and already have the azure sling shot just barely a month into the birthday update. If you think that is bad, just you wait till the Oinklahoma chapter unlocks and they release elder diamond card (lvl 15) and I bet you within seconds of its release you face anyone in streak 3 or higher in the arena; ALL their birds will be at lvl 15 (and I can assume that’s going to take around 3500 feathers/bird to lvl up). So how’s that fair LOL? That’s Rovio for you to get you to waste gems/spells.
Actually You DO have an advantage. Hats. Notice that the hats differ each time? Some bring ’em, some don’t. I still face players using party hats or even no hats on a silver sling shot. +1 or +2 multiplier may NOT seem like a big difference but trust me, it adds up
example:
lvl 14 bird without hat + silver sling will do 14+0+2 = 16 times the damage
lvl 14 bird with party hat + silver sling will do 14+1+2 = 17 times the damage
Lvl 14 bird with crown/street + silver sling will do 14+2+2 = 18 times the damage.
lvl 14 bird with cowboy hat + silver sling will do 14+3+2 = 19 times the damage
That’s a significant difference :)
As for the offline stages, are they any easier? You can argue yes or no. With higher ranked birds, it definitely makes 3 starring levels and filling the destruct-o-meter a LOT easier HOWEVER it doesn’t change the bird strength and the round. You can STILL lose in offline stages badly, either to a pathetic bird lineup, those annoying micropigs that can miraculously survive and magician pigs LOL, severely weakened birds like Terence who can barely dent a structure unless he’s at the right angle, or level design and structures. All my birds are maxed out with crowns, and I usually have a hard time in the hard and boss levels