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

Joy_Division

@Makkir - Vampire is not a PvE obstacle as it once was (and even back in the day it was exaggerated). In fact for Templar looking to get a first complete, I would recommend being a vampire as the Bat Swarm ultimate is miles better than their own (plus the 10% regen helps).

@ScarEra - Just about everyone who has done this has a similar story for the last boss. Hundreds of wipes and hours of gameplay. Hang in there and don;t get too frustrated, nobody plays better when they are mad. Easy to say, I know, but we've all been there.

notimetocare

I want to set something up to finally do this (I had *** for time until they made it so you didnt have to do it in 1 go, and after that change i had no time to play). I HATE magicka sorc, but I have a breton templar and dunmer dk both magicka. Which would be a better choice in terms of expense to gear up?

DHale

Just thank you!

Joy_Division

@notimetocare Don't play a class you dislike because getting your first complete on this will get frustrating at times. Besides, I think sorcerer is no longer as easy as it once was; the nerf to shields and the change to surge will make things more difficult and require adjustment.

I think a templar is more forgiving to learn vMA than a DK all things being equal.

notimetocare

Joy_Division wrote: »

@notimetocare Don't play a class you dislike because getting your first complete on this will get frustrating at times. Besides, I think sorcerer is no longer as easy as it once was; the nerf to shields and the change to surge will make things more difficult and require adjustment.

I think a templar is more forgiving to learn vMA than a DK all things being equal.

Ty, I enjoy DK and Temp both, I know they would both need a dps set to do it, weas just figuring out which is the better investment. After talking to a few people I can almost use the same setup for both xD, at least gear wise

llSRRll

This is probably a stupid question but do you have to have max champion pts in order to try Maelstrom Arena? I just gave it a try today and got mopped up pretty fast and I only have 309 champion pts. I'm assuming that you do have to have max pts in order to be successful.

Joy_Division

You don't need max champion points for sure. 309 will make the last stage a bit tough. If you just gave it a try as in this is your first attempt at maelstrom, that is why you got mopped up, not because of CPs. Most peoples first experience = get rekt. Until you get accustomed to the tactics and mechanics, all the stages will seem tough.

Joy_Division

Dark Brotherhood Update

Sort of. I ran this on my sorcerer since my PTS commentary got a lot of traffic. To make a long story short, while I do not agree with Zenimax's balance decisions, I cannot say that sorcs are doomed. It took me about 15 extra minutes and 5 extra lives to finish from what I normally do. I used the same build and made zero changes due to surge. Only thing I did differently was use hardened ward "in combat" rather than pre-casting. You're gonna stay alive a little easier with the other classes, but Overload is still ridiculously strong, which will make up for sorc shortcomings. If you like sorcs, have at it. More specific thread here.

I did not notice vMA being harder or anything like that. If anything I seemed to be burning down stuff a little quicker.

When I get back from a conference, I'll try to expand this guide to offer more useful tips for stamina players.

darthsithis

Just wanted to say thank you joy. I got the stormproof achievement and a staff- your write-up was a very big help!

Killa4hire89

I need help with maelstrom. I have a imperial stamina templar using deltas harvester build. I cannot get through stage 4 boss and die frequently up to that point. I can't seem to survive the adds attacks and can't kill adds while fireballs blow my add up. Please help.

ducket1

Wow I'm glad I stumbled across this gem of a post!!

I'm currently trying to learn everything I can from the arena from playing and doing some research on here and listening to people in game.

For the DB update would I better off going with my High Elf Templar ? or my Breton Nightblade ?

I have played my Templar far more so I'm edging towards using it. On my first ever run on VMsa I managed to fly through the first two stages but I have a lot of difficulty on the 3rd stage! Hopefully from using this post I can change that!

Many thanks for the post I will make sure I keep referring back to this when I am in need and Maelstrom has broken me.

Destyran

I cant do ladt boss mechanics on templar did it 3 times ince with a 252 score and only way i can kill boss on my connection is if i go up kill 3 crystals then when i come down i grab power sigil and defensive sigil a jab him till he teleports then i drop a shooting star and burn him with radiant glory while he gets all ghosts and dies

Joy_Division

@ducket1 - helf elf templar and breton nightblade are both viable choices to do the arena. My advice would be to pick the one you are most comfortable with, not the one you think is more powerful. Completing vMA will not just test your skills but also your patience. People really ought to run what they enjoy and are comfortable with.

The 3rd stage boss can be a pain the first time you get to her because 9K hits that you just have to eat is no joke. Learn when the adds spawn and use the power sigals to help yourself out! Eventually, you will get the hang of it.

@Destyran - I'm not quite sure if you are saying that you can't kill the boss using my strategy (but can do so using the method you described) or just can't kill the boss period. If you can burn the three crystals, you absolutely should. My method just offers an plausible alternative for those who find it too difficult. If you can straight burn the boss from that point, then lol, do it there is no need to collect ghosts, etc. I did not try that strategy because I don't think my PvP build has got the DPS. There is no class better in the game to bring down a boss from 35% to dead than a templar so have at it

Destyran

@Joy_Division yeah i find getting the ghosts too hard and i only think i can do it because raidiant glory i cant do the mechanics on my crappy net because i can barely use the teleport button to get up stairs and i have killed him 3 times so far one attempt got me a score of 262 the ghosts go through me and the lag with the summoners is unbearable but yes this guide did help me alot but i totally reccomend every templar use raidiant glory in him as the ticks for 40k keep you healed through every thing. But by no means am i running a top tier build i have 2607 spell damage unbuffed and 1026 recovery with exactly 40k magic and i think if you can fail the crystals and go and kill the clannfear daedroth and healer then i take my hat off to you that is a very hard feat. But overall thanks for your amazing guide!!!

oryxnamder7

Just want to say thanks for Joy for this guide as I used it a lot to get my first clear. And to Code for their thoughts on NB. I wouldn't have been able to do it without this guide.

Cheers

OrphanHelgen

Didnt read, but you got an awesome from me for the work you put in this. well done.

kylewwefan

Saving. Wish I could figure out bookmark?

PurifedBladez

On last boss right now first time ever been attempting for last hour. I can get him to go up before the guard spawns and I can kill the guard but I always *** it up on top lol I hate it.

Brrrofski

I really should give it a go. I'm definitely a competent player, just not the most patient. This guide really makes me want to.

Few questions @Joy_Division

Vampire... How bad is it? Should I feed to stage 2 maybe? Or cure it for vma?

Thinking of doing it on my magica templar. 5 julianos, 2 engine guardian, 3 willpower, 2 vicious death swords. Sound like a good setup? Divines on most, shadow mundus? Or could I go Kags instead of julianos? Could I go skoria instead of EG for more damage? How much sustain do your need?

Bars I was thinking...
Dual wield: sweeps, Radiant, inner light, dark flare, toppling charge, shooting star
Resto: degeneration, Rapid regen, bol, Repentance (or channeled focus maybe), extended Ritual, no idea on other ult.

Also, how much health do I need?

There are probably in your video, but I'm in work currently so can't watch them. I'll have a look when I get home though

NiclasFridholm

Cleared it yesterday, havent had the patiance before. Also did nuke last boss after sigills on top! Thank you for this guide!

Joy_Division

@NiclasFridholm - gratz!

@PurifedBladez - Keep at it...takes taken most of us longer than an hour! The top is all about timing. Do NOT feel pressured to destroy all three crystals. Jumping down and killed the daedroth is a piece of cake as long as you grab the healing or defense sigal.

@Brrrofski -

1. Vampire fire damage is inconsequential because of the CP system and points into elemental resistance. In fact, with the removal of camo hunter, I don't think there is any reason at all in the game to play human.

2. I would not spend gold tempers on Julianos if you got golden Kags. Kags is a good set with sustain that is more than up for the job. You are going to need regen from somewhere, I'd rather get it from a regen glyph than Engine Guardian to free up Skoria (which works very well for templars). If you have a staff for occasional heavy attacks, I think 2 sources of regen (Kags, jewelry glyph) is enough. dont froget the haste sigal increase your regen and throw in an occasional heavy attack and you'll be fine.

3. It's going to be too difficult to consistently cast dark flare. You will be jabbing everything most of the time just to stay alive. I like Reflective Light there instead. I know it's not the greatest DoT, but it ain't bad and DoTs are strong in Maelstrom since you spend so much time just trying to survive. I'd recommend healing ward over breath of life. I'd take channeled focus over Repentance since you aren't a stamplar. You're probably going to use shooting star 90% of the time. Nova on the backbar might be a good idea because there are certain times when the damage mitigation can come in handy.

Health isn't super important, think I got about 20K.

Good luck!

Brrrofski

Joy_Division wrote: »

@NiclasFridholm - gratz!

@PurifedBladez - Keep at it...takes taken most of us longer than an hour! The top is all about timing. Do NOT feel pressured to destroy all three crystals. Jumping down and killed the daedroth is a piece of cake as long as you grab the healing or defense sigal.

@Brrrofski -

1. Vampire fire damage is inconsequential because of the CP system and points into elemental resistance. In fact, with the removal of camo hunter, I don't think there is any reason at all in the game to play human.

2. I would not spend gold tempers on Julianos if you got golden Kags. Kags is a good set with sustain that is more than up for the job. You are going to need regen from somewhere, I'd rather get it from a regen glyph than Engine Guardian to free up Skoria (which works very well for templars). If you have a staff for occasional heavy attacks, I think 2 sources of regen (Kags, jewelry glyph) is enough. dont froget the haste sigal increase your regen and throw in an occasional heavy attack and you'll be fine.

3. It's going to be too difficult to consistently cast dark flare. You will be jabbing everything most of the time just to stay alive. I like Reflective Light there instead. I know it's not the greatest DoT, but it ain't bad and DoTs are strong in Maelstrom since you spend so much time just trying to survive. I'd recommend healing ward over breath of life. I'd take channeled focus over Repentance since you aren't a stamplar. You're probably going to use shooting star 90% of the time. Nova on the backbar might be a good idea because there are certain times when the damage mitigation can come in handy.

Health isn't super important, think I got about 20K.

Good luck!

My Kags is all impen anyway come to think of it, so will probably need to make a new set. Yeh, I was thinking swapping dark flare for something, power of the light might be nice.

I'llfarm mats to make a julianos set and go e it a go this weekend probably. Thanks for the advice.

Swindy

Great thread, kudos to @Joy_Division, and to many who have posted.

Although I have failed miserably dozens at times in stage two (not end boss stage two, actual stage two), the rotating knives bleed my High elf sorc to death every attempt long before the boss round...I have avidly watched your videos (of later challenges) and read every post.
There are specific latency issues where I live, but there's also a serious L2P issue as I cannot seem to perform the tasks as efficiently as others do on u-tube, in part I accept from the hideously slow (and often non existent) bar swapping...I try, often, and I fail...it is what it is....I keep trying.
(Thank You here btw for admitting I'm not unique to drop 1,000 ult meteors before dumping it from my from sorc bars.)
Hence I've turned my NB & Templar Imperials from their stam to mag and skilled them fully. I did this knowing we get race change in the next major update. Could NOT get anywhere with stamblade in VMA, but not tried the stamplar so far...was focused on my sorc.
I only have single Skoria & Kena (l-m-h), complete guardian (l-m-h) & Spawn (m) & Mephala (l) & Infernal (m), plus odd pieces of the rest.
Julianos (l), TBS (l,m), Hundings (m) & Mothers (m), plus V-D (l & weapons), all legendary, everything divines, and of course agility & willpower all max damage but alterable.
Yes I'm a 9 trait crafting farmer noob lol...and very much an Elder Scrolls devotee for 20 years now.

So...my long winded question is:
Are either of these viable options to bother attempting in VMA as Imperials?...or just begging for further frustration, as your girl is a Nord perhaps you have thoughts?
I will wait for race change, and/or roll a new toon if needed.

Any suggestions will be appreciated and, without guaranteeing success, adamantly practiced.

Joy_Division

@Swindy -

I think most people will agree that magicka is going to be easier to finish this than stam all things being equal. I always found the second stage to be a pain and if I go a few weeks without doing VMA, I'll die on that stage simply because I'm not use to it.

Despite the dumb nerfs sorcerers got, they still are a solid class for finishing this (although if your are comfortable - that's the key word there, comfort, playing mag templar/NB, those are perhaps a bit easier). Here is my advice for sorcerers, do not rely on bar swap. Hardened ward is on my front bar and it gets cast pretty much on cooldown on that second stage (or at least when I am hit by the blades). If my actual health gets low, then I bar swap (I use hardened ward first if there are enemies around) for healing ward. I have a shield on both bars (and overload bar) so no matter what, I always can immediately cast a skill that prevents me from dying.

The second stage is just a heal/mitigation check. The enemies are neither numerous or deadly. You could put the mutagen skill on you resto bar as you don't need many damage abilities this round. I know the blades are a pain and there will be times when they just kill you, but it's not too bad once you get accustomed to it. Just takes some gtting used to with all the shielding and healing.

Swindy

Joy_Division wrote: »

@Swindy -

I think most people will agree that magicka is going to be easier to finish this than stam all things being equal. I always found the second stage to be a pain and if I go a few weeks without doing VMA, I'll die on that stage simply because I'm not use to it.

Despite the dumb nerfs sorcerers got, they still are a solid class for finishing this (although if your are comfortable - that's the key word there, comfort, playing mag templar/NB, those are perhaps a bit easier). Here is my advice for sorcerers, do not rely on bar swap. Hardened ward is on my front bar and it gets cast pretty much on cooldown on that second stage (or at least when I am hit by the blades). If my actual health gets low, then I bar swap (I use hardened ward first if there are enemies around) for healing ward. I have a shield on both bars (and overload bar) so no matter what, I always can immediately cast a skill that prevents me from dying.

The second stage is just a heal/mitigation check. The enemies are neither numerous or deadly. You could put the mutagen skill on you resto bar as you don't need many damage abilities this round. I know the blades are a pain and there will be times when they just kill you, but it's not too bad once you get accustomed to it. Just takes some gtting used to with all the shielding and healing.

Ya my worry is that often there are no blades near me when my health suddenly plummets...potion or heal don't then work and death is imminent.
The bleed, stated on the kill sheet, is always 6-8k per tick, with at least 4 ticks on each kill sheet.
So I'm dying "behind the shield" if you will, perhaps through lag, or perhaps through something I'm missing during the fight giving me so much bleed.

I'm dearly in love with all my 3 toons, and the Templar, in mag or stam, is just a beast in Pve...all 100 lbs of her lol...but if I'm sucking at a mechanic, or simply not getting timely visual feedback, then I need to get that understood & hopefully sorted regardless of toon.
I built the sorc especially for VMA, then got shield nerfs, and I'm also not convinced he likes his TBS as much as his Juli either.
He didn't get this bleed damage in non vet mode, and it's not even a hard stage from all accounts.

code65536

If you want to run stamina, then there are some things that can help you with the blades on Stage 2:

• Dodge roll through them. If there's a blade coming for you and you can't sidestep it, just roll dodge into it, and the damage will miss you.
• Keep Major Evasion up: Shuffle or Blur. 20% RNG chance of avoiding blade damage when they run through you.
• Keep up Quick Cloak or Deadly Cloak (under Dual Wield) to mitigate a nice portion of the blade damage.

And of course, you'll want to keep your Vigor HoT up, but that applies for the whole arena.

Aeaeren

Joy_Division wrote: »

@Swindy -

I think most people will agree that magicka is going to be easier to finish this than stam all things being equal. I always found the second stage to be a pain and if I go a few weeks without doing VMA, I'll die on that stage simply because I'm not use to it.

Despite the dumb nerfs sorcerers got, they still are a solid class for finishing this (although if your are comfortable - that's the key word there, comfort, playing mag templar/NB, those are perhaps a bit easier). Here is my advice for sorcerers, do not rely on bar swap. Hardened ward is on my front bar and it gets cast pretty much on cooldown on that second stage (or at least when I am hit by the blades). If my actual health gets low, then I bar swap (I use hardened ward first if there are enemies around) for healing ward. I have a shield on both bars (and overload bar) so no matter what, I always can immediately cast a skill that prevents me from dying.

The second stage is just a heal/mitigation check. The enemies are neither numerous or deadly. You could put the mutagen skill on you resto bar as you don't need many damage abilities this round. I know the blades are a pain and there will be times when they just kill you, but it's not too bad once you get accustomed to it. Just takes some gtting used to with all the shielding and healing.

I got through this with crit surge and healing ward. I might have use a harness once but mainly you need to keep blasting something so the crit surge is always proccing (this change is the one that REALLY hurt me the most) Oh and yes you need to hit the switch every once in awhile to save yourself some pain from the blades. I find this was MUCH easier than with my Stam DK. My DK can tear through the mobs faster but I spent ridiculous amounts of time/Stam with casting Rally and Vigor. I have almost burned down the 3 but running out of Stam. It's a regen issue with this toon so I will need to adjust slightly. I have also had to switch out from Bow. Point being if you need to swap things around to get it done then don't be afraid to do it.

Aeaeren

code65536 wrote: »

If you want to run stamina, then there are some things that can help you with the blades on Stage 2:

• Dodge roll through them. If there's a blade coming for you and you can't sidestep it, just roll dodge into it, and the damage will miss you.
• Keep Major Evasion up: Shuffle or Blur. 20% RNG chance of avoiding blade damage when they run through you.
• Keep up Quick Cloak or Deadly Cloak (under Dual Wield) to mitigate a nice portion of the blade damage.

And of course, you'll want to keep your Vigor HoT up, but that applies for the whole arena.

DUDE you're the bomb I completely forgot about the cloaks and shuffle :)To be fair this is my first time with my Stam DK.

socks567

Joy I don't know if you still watch this forum, but there is something that could help new players about the last boss. You have to collect the gold ghosts for more than just one reason. Think of the arena 6 boss, if you don't destroy the webs he enrages. If you don't collect the gold ghosts the boss does an *exicutioner*. He does an ability where he flies up in the area and causes soul churn. This will kill you in like 6 seconds

socks567

Just found out:its when the boss recieves 3 ghosts he will instantly kill you