Joy's now updated (Morrowind) guide to beating Maelstrom Arena

Joy_Division

Makkir wrote: »

@Joy_Division

So I went in on vet for the first time, and on my first attempt I destroyed Boss 1 just by burning him with power overload on a dual wield set up (julianos, 2 TP, 2pc Shard set, 3 WP jewelry). I used tri stat food and I since I was using DW/Resto I found myself running out of majicka a lot. I left arena for 10 mins to allow a reset and recharged my ultimate to enter again (my plan tonight was just to farm the first boss a couple times for gear) and then died twice on the boss before I went to bed and quit.

One of the biggest problems I had with Boss 1 was LOS with my overload light attacks. The stupid ass targeting system (I miss the old one) kept hitting the adds instead of the boss until I ran out of uiltimate and then was pretty much screwed.

I think I messed up burning him off the bat instead of taking out the first two sets of adds then burning, and now I am wondering if I should just try what you posted and just stand still with lightning and mines down so I can better aim at the boss; ditching the DW so I can burn adds in first few rounds easier without running out of majicka. On my first kill attempt I was kind of bouncing around the place to avoid to melee adds and I think I should been more stationary.

So I am guessing you use regen drink then and not tri stat?

Regen drink no no. DPS is too important. Blue food all the way until the very last stage when you have to CC break a lot (then use purple).

Magic Regen is going to be an issue for builds centered around DPS until you know each stage of the arena like the back of your hand and can much more efficiently use your mana burning down priority targets rather than wasting it healing/shielding yourself. I have roughly 1500 regen (I use 2 regen runes on my jewelry) and even then I find that I have to occasionally heavy attack stuff or grab the Haste rune (that accelerates your regen in addition to your speed) not to run out

For the first boss, I overload him while entering the arena with 1000 ultimate. As much as I hate that gameplay, the way the mechanics are set up it is too good and too dangerous not to use. People mock Boss 1, but that guy is not easy to clear on a mediocre DPS.

I dont use anything for that boss fight except Overloads and Mage's Fury on him when he is under 20%. I for sure kill the first guy he spawns and I think I get the second add too. Overload them too because they'll die quick and nothing after that. Dont need mines. I also grab the power boost Sigal (bc/ it's a DPS race) and I grab the defensive one too when he gets around half health so I can ignore his attacks and that of any range adds so that I can just burn him.

Overload likes to miss (especially annoying on the last round), so I stand 10 meters away (just outside heavy attack range because the game likes to lock you into that animation) and just fire away. Burn him right off the bat. It takes about 800 or so of your ultimate so go in the arena fully topped off.

Makkir

nvm found out tonight

got a divine winterborn belt from first boss

ashlee17

Thanks for sharing your feedback and advice

Joy_Division

ashlee17 wrote: »

Thanks for sharing your feedback and advice

You're welcome!

******

As a sidenote, I will be updating this thread after the new patch and try to keep it current as long as I and other folks are still running Maelstrom.

From the little messing around on the PTS that I did, I don't believe templars and sorcs are going to play much differently at all. However, DKs ... mmmh ... think I'll actually look forward to that because the change to the searing strike skill and inhale skills are awesome for builds that do damage and heal at the same time which I think is the key to Maelstrom.

Pepper8Jack

First off: thank you so much for this, your guide helped me wrap my head around many parts of this arena that seemed impossible at first and now I have no problem clearing it with leaderboard times.

Second: as a tip for the first stage of the last boss, I found grabbing the power sigil and trying to burn the boss/guard down to be very hard to pull off consistently so I started experimenting and learned a few things in the process.

The typical order of the first stage is as follows (various little things cause slight changes in timing):

-skull attack
-teleport and healer spawn
-channeled attack
-guard spawn
-teleport

-skull attack
-teleport and healer spawn
-channeled attack
-teleport
-(sometimes a second teleport)
-guard spawn

and so on.

The important thing to note is that the end of the channeled attack initiates the guard spawn so interrupting the channel causes the guard to spawn. Seeing as there is almost no way for most classes to tank/heal through the channel though, that's not particularly helpful. However, when you consider that picking up the defensive sigil allows you to reflect the channel, it becomes a different story.

So my technique that has kept me from dying at all on this part of the fight through my last several clears:

Burn the boss as much as possible before the skull attack. As soon as he teleports grab the defensive sigil and burn the healer while the channel is reflected. Buff up, drop your AoEs on the boss (the guard always spawns right next to him). If your dps is high enough you can save your ult and burn the guard down without it and still have a little time left on the sigil, just make sure your facing the boss so you can dodge the skull attack. Burn the boss until he teleports again, interrupt the second channel and burn the healer.

At this point, since the guards spawn on a timer, you are clear to just dps the boss as much as possible to get him into the second stage. If you aren't quick enough you have to deal with the second guard, but in most cases this method will give you more than enough time to get the job done. Typically I get through this stage of the fight without using my ult and without dealing with the 2nd guard due to the extra few seconds you buy from not interrupting the 1st channel.

Hope this helps!

Kalebron

I wish I had read this guide yesterday. I made it to stage 7 final boss and got frustrated with getting killed with a one shot that I ported out and didn't go back. qq

Kalebron

I wish they would do a hot fix and make it savable already based on where you are at with the quest portion of the arena.

Jura23

does Crushing Shock interrupt all mob casts or just spell casting as the tooltip states? Some mobs cast also physical attacks and if they are interrupted too by this, it could be useful. Im currently working on my build for vMA.

Azarath_tiberius

Jura23 wrote: »

does Crushing Shock interrupt all mob casts or just spell casting as the tooltip states? Some mobs cast also physical attacks and if they are interrupted too by this, it could be useful. Im currently working on my build for vMA.

It interrupts most casted abilities, regardless what kind of mob it is. There are some abilities that can't be interrupted (the mages version of streak or the archers poison spray iirc) but at least those mobs can be stunned.

code65536

Hey @Joy_Division thank you very much for this guide. Last week, I got my first clear, and although you had no tips for magicka nightblades, this guide was still quite useful. I have since cleared it a couple more times, and based on my experience, I'd like to offer your readers some magblade-specific tips for getting first clears. (And feel free to add any of this to your main post, if you think it's any good.)

Choice of weapon (front): All of the guides that I've seen for doing VMA on a magicka nightblade call for an inferno staff on the front bar, and many recommend a resto staff with Healing Ward on the back bar. I don't think this is a very good idea. Resto on the back bar works well for someone who is familiar and comfortable with the arena, but if you're looking to get your first clear, you will be running into many chaotic and hectic situations where you really don't want to have to barswap to get to your "oh crap" panic button.

Instead, I prefer to have a resto staff on my front bar for VMA.

• It means that your "oh crap" emergency button (Healing Ward) can be on your front bar.
• If light-weaving on a magicka nightblade, resto staff attacks actually do more damage than inferno staff attacks because resto damage is Magic Damage and is boosted by the Thaumaturge points that magblades have. (Note: This DPS advantage of the resto staff will no longer apply after the Thieves Guild update due to the Magic/Elemental consolidation in CP.)
• The resto staff passives are actually quite useful (particularly the extra healing if you're below 30% health and the magicka return from blocking) and are much better than the destro staff passives, esp. in VMA.
• The main downside to the resto staff is that you can't medium-weave and weaving is more difficult. Practice the weave by using it during pledges and other content; the payoff of having that Healing Ward right there is well worth it.

Choice of weapon (back):

If you have the skill line leveled and points put into the passives, sword-and-shield is an excellent choice for the back bar (since I often tank on my nightblade, I already have that line maxed with all the passives); if you are about to get overrun, you can swap to that and block-cast Sap Essence; the passives in that skill tree makes block-casting much more effective. Dual-wield will give you more DPS on the back bar (particularly when executing), and I've completed VMA with both dual-wield and sword-and-shield back bars, and either one will work, but the latter does make it easier to save yourself in messy situations.

However, for stages 8 and 9, I strongly recommend a destruction staff (of any kind) for your back bar so that you can have Crushing Shock. Particularly for the final boss, a ranged interrupt will make that fight so much easier. You won't use it as your DPS spam; it's just something to save you from having to frantically race up to the boss, hoping you reach there in the two seconds you have and praying that there isn't a white ghost along the way.

Bars:

• Front: Funnel Health (I didn't bother to re-morph it to Swallow Soul for VMA since the things that kill me aren't the kind of things that 8% extra healing could've saved me from), Crippling Grasp, Merciless Resolve, Healing Ward.
• Back: Impale, Sap Essence, Siphoning Attacks, Flexible (Refreshing Path, Agony, and Crushing Shock are the three skills that I've used in this spot).
• Both bars have Inner Light.

Crematorial Guards:

I kept wiping to them because I was trying to kite them. Don't. Throw down your Veil and stand your ground (well, move around to avoid hazards like lich crystals and to circle the daedroth), placing trust in your Funnel's ability to heal you through the damage. If you panic and try to run instead of continuing to Funnel, that's when you die.

Animus Crystals:

Since Crippling Grasp is my main source of Major Expedition and that effect ends if the target dies, I found it better to not focus down on one of them too much. Especially when trying to keep up with the walls, it's nice to not have your source of ME die on you prematurely and it's nice to have a crystal nearby that you can easily target with Crippling Grasp to refresh your ME as needed. So I'll usually damage one crystal as much as I can, and then move onto the next (usually when the movement of the wall moves me closer to another crystal). Usually, by the end of the 2nd wall, all three crystals are still up, but all severely damaged and I usually destroy them quickly from range at that point.

Joy_Division

code65536 wrote: »

Hey @Joy_Division thank you very much for this guide. Last week, I got my first clear, and although you had no tips for magicka nightblades, this guide was still quite useful. I have since cleared it a couple more times, and based on my experience, I'd like to offer your readers some magblade-specific tips for getting first clears. (And feel free to add any of this to your main post, if you think it's any good.)

Choice of weapon (front): All of the guides that I've seen for doing VMA on a magicka nightblade call for an inferno staff on the front bar, and many recommend a resto staff with Healing Ward on the back bar. I don't think this is a very good idea. Resto on the back bar works well for someone who is familiar and comfortable with the arena, but if you're looking to get your first clear, you will be running into many chaotic and hectic situations where you really don't want to have to barswap to get to your "oh crap" panic button.

Instead, I prefer to have a resto staff on my front bar for VMA.

• It means that your "oh crap" emergency button (Healing Ward) can be on your front bar.
• If light-weaving on a magicka nightblade, resto staff attacks actually do more damage than inferno staff attacks because resto damage is Magic Damage and is boosted by the Thaumaturge points that magblades have. (Note: This DPS advantage of the resto staff will no longer apply after the Thieves Guild update due to the Magic/Elemental consolidation in CP.)
• The resto staff passives are actually quite useful (particularly the extra healing if you're below 30% health and the magicka return from blocking) and are much better than the destro staff passives, esp. in VMA.
• The main downside to the resto staff is that you can't medium-weave and weaving is more difficult. Practice the weave by using it during pledges and other content; the payoff of having that Healing Ward right there is well worth it.

Choice of weapon (back):

If you have the skill line leveled and points put into the passives, sword-and-shield is an excellent choice for the back bar (since I often tank on my nightblade, I already have that line maxed with all the passives); if you are about to get overrun, you can swap to that and block-cast Sap Essence; the passives in that skill tree makes block-casting much more effective. Dual-wield will give you more DPS on the back bar (particularly when executing), and I've completed VMA with both dual-wield and sword-and-shield back bars, and either one will work, but the latter does make it easier to save yourself in messy situations.

However, for stages 8 and 9, I strongly recommend a destruction staff (of any kind) for your back bar so that you can have Crushing Shock. Particularly for the final boss, a ranged interrupt will make that fight so much easier. You won't use it as your DPS spam; it's just something to save you from having to frantically race up to the boss, hoping you reach there in the two seconds you have and praying that there isn't a white ghost along the way.

Bars:

• Front: Funnel Health (I didn't bother to re-morph it to Swallow Soul for VMA since the things that kill me aren't the kind of things that 8% extra healing could've saved me from), Crippling Grasp, Merciless Resolve, Healing Ward.
• Back: Impale, Sap Essence, Siphoning Attacks, Flexible (Refreshing Path, Agony, and Crushing Shock are the three skills that I've used in this spot).
• Both bars have Inner Light.

Crematorial Guards:

I kept wiping to them because I was trying to kite them. Don't. Throw down your Veil and stand your ground (well, move around to avoid hazards like lich crystals and to circle the daedroth), placing trust in your Funnel's ability to heal you through the damage. If you panic and try to run instead of continuing to Funnel, that's when you die.

Animus Crystals:

Since Crippling Grasp is my main source of Major Expedition and that effect ends if the target dies, I found it better to not focus down on one of them too much. Especially when trying to keep up with the walls, it's nice to not have your source of ME die on you prematurely and it's nice to have a crystal nearby that you can easily target with Crippling Grasp to refresh your ME as needed. So I'll usually damage one crystal as much as I can, and then move onto the next (usually when the movement of the wall moves me closer to another crystal). Usually, by the end of the 2nd wall, all three crystals are still up, but all severely damaged and I usually destroy them quickly from range at that point.

TY for your NB feedback.

I think your thoughts on the resto staff are insightful and I do 100% agree with you that builds/strategies in VMA should be different from those who are trying to get their first clear from those who have the arena memorized.

Also you are right, a ranged interrupt on 8 and 9 is another place where less experienced players are going to benefit. Eventually as players get a 6th sense when the firespinny mage spawns, they will probably want to replace Crushing Shock if looking for high scores.

I am not familiar with NB ultimate regen so I hesitated to lay out a strat for the Crematorium Guards. I do think Veil = win, my one concern is if you would have it up when it's needed. I agree trying to kite them on anything that's not a shield stacking Overload sorc = lose. If I did not have a veil up, what would I do? I don't know the amount of healing funnel/sap gets you. I know on my templar, if I can get multiple targets in my puncturing sweeps I can facetank that daedroth all day. If you got sword and shield on your back bar with Sap, would that same idea work especially since the daedroth spawns next to the boss and the healer is usually in range? Dawnbreaker on your back bar might be enough of a DPS to do it if you dont have the ulti for veil. Or, just to make things simpler, if you don't have veil, just grab either the heal or defense sigal ... either one is enough to beat the Daedroth.

code65536

Joy_Division wrote: »

If I did not have a veil up, what would I do?

I can still beat it without a veil; the veil just gives me a higher margin of error. If you don't have it up, you can do it without, or grab a sigil.

The one place where a veil is almost a must, though, is if you're knocked off the top platform during the final boss fight. The clannfear's constant stream of 6K hits is just a bit too much for me. I don't use my ultimate at all on top just so that I'll have a veil ready if I do get knocked off. I suppose once I've had enough practice that I almost never get knocked off, I can go ahead and use my ultimate up top to get a better time, but until then, I'd rather save it.

mubzander

Anyone got tips how to deal with the soul churn? That keeps killing me

Joy_Division

mubzander wrote: »

Anyone got tips how to deal with the soul churn? That keeps killing me

If you are magicka, use dps+heal skill at same time (templar: sweeps, NB: funnel, sorc: power surge + anything, DK: burning embers). When you arent dpsing, use harness magicka.

Also, the damage increases the longer you stay up there. If there is too much damage, considering jumping down.

Joy_Division

Updated this guide for the Thieves Guild. DKs still aren't going to be easy, but no class is easy for the inexperienced. With practice I think DK completes are not nearly as daunting as before the DLC.

I have also given more consideration where inexperienced players will probably struggle and specific strategies to overcome those scenarios. I'll try to get some videos up as seeing is better than reading, but my computer does not like recording and playing at the same time.

Vangy

Nikkor wrote: »

501 champion points?

I'm at 421 on ps4. I am debating on wether or not to got back into vet maelstrom today or punch myself in the nuts.

which do you think will be more fun?

Punching yourself will be less painful and it would be vastly more fun for me to watch.. I vote punch yourself in the nutz.

SoulKing32

Just wanted to say thank you so much for this awesome guide - it really helped me a lot! While I can finish the first eight stages without dying too much, Im currently stuck at the last boss fight. Spent so many hours, gold and potions there that Im starting to doubt I will ever be able to kill him.

I figured out a tactic to reach the final phase of the fight (at least most of the time) but once I miss just one gold ghost the guard or that ground aoe kills me every time

Joy_Division

@SoulKing32 - That's just the way the final boss is. It takes a long time, much longer than the other bosses/stages, to become comfortable with that fight.

If you are missing the last ghost, then you are either a templar or unlucky. If you are a NB, a sorcerer, or a DK, you will use agony/rune prison/fossilize on the summoner and then the *only* reason why you don't get a gold ghost is because the boss teleported to the other side of the arena at the exact moment when the gold ghost was over there. If you are a templar, it is annoying having to deal with the summoner. While you are dpsing it, look at the arena, not the target (it doesn't fight back). Immediately disengage if the ghost appears.

If you do only have 2 ghosts when the daedroth spawns, another gold ghost appears at the same time as the daedroth. If the boss isn't channeling his special attack, you can get the ghost. It isn't easy, but it is very doable to the extent that I always go for that third ghost - spam heals/shield, you can get it.

Pallio

Still an awesome guide, thx..

bluefoot

Thank you, really awesome guide, got me to the last stage. Now I only need a really really lucky day and defeat the final boss.

Lucky28

@Joy_Division your guild was really helpful getting my first clear.

if anyone is interested this is the set up i've been running recently on my sorc. it's been pretty fun, alot more fun then the toggle set up.

Destruction staff:
1. Endless fury
2. Crystal fragments
3. crushing shock
4. degeneration
5. Hardened ward
Ult: Meteor (max magicka and regen)

Dual Wield:
1. Streak
2. boundless storm
3. Liquid Lightning
4. Power Surge
5. harness magicka
Ult: overload

Overload bar:
1. degeneration
2. Crystal fragments
3. inner light
4. streak
5. hardned ward

OnThaLoose

I'm in the exact same boat as @SoulKing32 I cannot beat the final boss in stage 9. Kind of embarrassing how many times I've died to him. Hundreds of times.

I'm a magicka Templar and I watch videos of other magplars do this fight and jabs heals them through the guard. Unless I have a nova down I cannot heal through it for some reason. My spell damage is 2867 unbuffed (3440 buffed) with 70% crit which should have enough dps to to kill and or heal through it. Nevertheless, if I have a nova at the start I can *usually* make it to the final stage (coming back down) but by this point I'm usually drained of stamina and can't bash the guy or I miss a ghost or a skull hits me and permastuns me. Also if I have to come down during top phase I take sigils to be able to kill and get back up, so by the time last phase comes I have no sigils left ugh

I guess I'm not actually asking for advice, I know what needs to be done, I just can't get it done

My build:
High elf Templar
270 champ points (more in blessed maybe?)
64 in mag

5x julianos
3x archmage
1x kena
3x willpower all spell damage (arcane & healthy to switch if needed)
Dw front bar one precise one nirnhoned
Julianos resto back bar

Bar 1: sweeps, spears, radiant dest, inner light, st entropy meteor

Bar 2: chan focus, rapid reg, healing ward, purifying ritual, toppling charge, nova

I use purple food and tripots on final boss.

Sorry for long post aka vent.

Joy_Division

OnThaLoose wrote: »

I'm in the exact same boat as @SoulKing32 I cannot beat the final boss in stage 9. Kind of embarrassing how many times I've died to him. Hundreds of times.

I'm a magicka Templar and I watch videos of other magplars do this fight and jabs heals them through the guard. Unless I have a nova down I cannot heal through it for some reason. My spell damage is 2867 with 70% crit which should have enough dps to to kill and or heal through it. Nevertheless, if I have a nova at the start I can *usually* make it to the final stage (coming back down) but by this point I'm usually drained of stamina and can't bash the guy or I miss a ghost or a skull hits me and permastuns me. Also if I have to come down during top phase I take digits to be able to kill and get back up, so by the time last phase comes I have no sigils left ugh

I guess I'm not actually asking for advice, I know what needs to be done, I just can't get it done

My build:
High elf Templar
270 champ points (more in blessed maybe?)
64 in mag

5x julianos
3x archmage
1x kena
3x willpower all spell damage (arcane & healthy to switch if needed)
Dw front bar one precise one nirnhoned
Julianos resto back bar

Bar 1: sweeps, spears, radiant dest, inner light, st entropy meteor

Bar 2: chan focus, rapid reg, healing ward, purifying ritual, toppling charge, nova

I use purple food and tripots on final boss.

Sorry for long post aka vent.

Even though my FPS will go down the tank, I will upload a video doing it on my templar.

Dying to this guy 100s of times is something we've pretty much all gone through.

270 champ points is a bit low. In my opinion still very doable provided those are spent in the correct areas. I would opt for a more diverse distribution because diminishing returns are a thing. You get 90 per tree. Prolly half into elemental expert, the rest in blessed, elfborn, thaumaturge. Be sure to invest some of your Warrior points into the star that reduces DoT damage and a few in quick recovery.

You absolutely should have toppling charge on your bar. You need mobility this round and to conserve your stamina. No need to bash.

I want to think CPs aren't the reason you cant sweep spam the daedroths. It's going to be hard to rely on Nova because they spawn faster than you can get 240 ultimate. I absolutely would recommend Dawnbreaker. If your big ultimate is not up, it will be and that's going to almost do as much damage as your meteor. If I don't Dawnbreaker a daedroth, it does seem to take a *long* time to kill them, that could be your issue ... waiting for a big ultimate you don't have.

Another thing with the sweeps, is that there is a certain art to it. The is absolutely no reason you can't hit 2 targets and if the healer spawns next to the boss all 3: hitting that many targets will almost certainly give you enough healing. You do have to watch out for lich crystals that spawn under your feet, that's fine, move and still sweep multiple targets. The other thing I noticed is that it is generally better to keep sweeping rather than try to rebuff. Basically I lay down the purify ritual and just trust in the jabs to get me through. With Dawnbreaker it works.

My other gut feeling is that your build is almost exclusively focused on damage and IMHO that's only something people who have memorized VMA and are 100% comfortable with the mechanics can get away with.

I run 1 cost reduction jewelry, 1 magicka recovery jewelry, have a Maelstrom resto staff that returns my magicka on my rapid regens, 501 CPs, know the mechanics by heart and thus don't waste much healing, use harness magicka that mitigates + returns resources and I *still* find myself occasionally grabbing the Haste sigal just for the resource return benefit. I'm a Nord so I don;t get that 10% passive, but I find it difficult to believe resource management is not one of the problems you are running into. When you are on the top, the soul churn damage will absolutely REK your resources if you are not sweeping the crystals, which you can't always do because of the walls.

OnThaLoose

I just wanted to come back and say thanks! I FINALLY beat it. I got to where I could get up up top and kill all three crystals before dropping almost everytime, but the last part would kill me, finally I got luck and got the three ghosts right as the guard spawned twice and was able to kill him. My reward for weeks of trying? Permafrost pants well fitted ugh lol anyway thanks joy.

SoulKing32

Same here, I beat it four times already and got my first maelstrom weapons

OnThaLoose

Finally beat it in one sitting! 3 hours but still! 140k score PC NA, think it'll stay on the boards joy? I need a maelstrom weapon and I know my score is horrible.

Joy_Division

OnThaLoose wrote: »

Finally beat it in one sitting! 3 hours but still! 140k score PC NA, think it'll stay on the boards joy? I need a maelstrom weapon and I know my score is horrible.

Gratz! That score is better than most peeps' first clears (usually around like 350). That's usually good enough. You'll find your scores will improve rapidly

Shadesofkin

Beat it on my Magicka DK a few weeks ago, I now make the Leaderboard every week (because I only play DK's) but your guide gave me some good tips on the timing of monsters and when they spawn and what priority they might need to be taken out in. Much appreciated.

Makkir

@Joy_Division
I may have missed the note, but can you/have you completed this as a vampire? The last couple stages might be a *** but CP mitigate the fire dmg.

The point here is I leveled out vampire to be prepared for DB for my PvP build and I wanted to get a few more rounds in VMA before the 31st, but didn't really want to go and cure vampire first and have to get re-bit after DB

Thoughts?

ScarEra

Been like 7 hours and I'm still stuck at the stupid STUPID final boss; it gets buggy and laggy once you go up alot of times.. sigh. This arena is testing my patience.. so down and MAD -,.,-

Even switching bars is laggy WTH