Do you think Arc 1 is too difficult and needs to be nerfed?

Braffin · November 2023

So, after console players also had the opportunity to play EA for a few days, I'd like to know how you all are doing in there.

I'm specifically interested in Arc 1. Do you have problems with the difficulty there or have you already managed to proceed into Arc 2?

spartaxoxo · November 2023

Please nerf Arc 1. I tried several times, but can't complete it.

The way this poll is done is very biased because it assumes the reason for a yes or no vote. Some people might feel it doesn't need a nerf even though they can't beat it, for example.

Also, I needed an IDC option. Because I do not have a strong opinion either way.

But I voted yes because there's a very particular small nerf that another player suggested (she suggested it put down a few less aoes) that I wouldn't mind.

However, I have beaten Arc 1 several times. If I just answered quickly based on my completion, I would have voted no.

MidniteOwl1913 · November 2023

Please nerf Arc 1. I tried several times, but can't complete it.

For this poll to matter should have asked if they could reliably finish arc 1. Being able to finish when all the stars and verses and visions align doesn't mean much.

I have finished multiple times, I don't have trouble with the final boss in arc 1, but the RNG with the interim bosses is a problem. So I picked nerf, not the final boss but there should a limit to the difficulty of the interim bosses. What's the point of only having marauders show up at arc 2 if there are harder bosses in arc 1?

katanagirl1 · November 2023

Arc 1 mob difficulty is easy, even the interim bosses aren’t bad, but the last boss could be toned down a bit. It’s a huge jump in difficulty there.

I did complete it for reference.

PrincessOfThieves · November 2023

I'm fine with the current difficulty of Arc 1. Already have beaten it.

I think that people who have troubles with arc 1 should just talk to other players and try it in duo. I play a lot with people from casual guilds and most don't have any issues clearing arc 1, especially in coop.
I am a casual player myself, but I think that content shouldn't be balanced around the weakest players, just as it shouldn't be balanced around the most hardcore scorepushers.

rauyran · November 2023

I'm fine with the current difficulty of Arc 1. Already have beaten it.

It's just about the right level of challenge. It took me a while to beat maelstrom and vateshran but thinking about better builds for each really helped and the same needs to be done for the archive.

KlauthWarthog · November 2023

Done it once, trampled through the mechanics, not doing it again until they reduce the amount of trash between bosses.

alienmz · November 2023

Please nerf Arc 1. I tried several times, but can't complete it.

The difficulty is fine, but it should be more constant - sometimes i kill the last boss without problems and the other day i die 3 times with the same character and companion.

NoSoup · November 2023

I'm fine with the current difficulty of Arc 1. Already have beaten it.

Arc 1 is already incredibly easy. You can do Arc 1 in a complete DPS setup with minimal health and resistences.

Galeriano · November 2023

I'm fine with the current difficulty of Arc 1. Already have beaten it.

In general for me it's pretty easy. Almost all bosses in that arc die in less than 20 seconds. I get that some people struggle here but I think it's just a matter of time until they will be able to clear arc 1 easily.

Amottica · November 2023

I'm fine with the current difficulty of Arc 1. Already have beaten it.

spartaxoxo wrote: »

The way this poll is done is very biased because it assumes the reason for a yes or no vote. Some people might feel it doesn't need a nerf even though they can't beat it, for example.

Also, I needed an IDC option. Because I do not have a strong opinion either way.

But I voted yes because there's a very particular small nerf that another player suggested (she suggested it put down a few less aoes) that I wouldn't mind.

However, I have beaten Arc 1 several times. If I just answered quickly based on my completion, I would have voted no.

I agree. Simple Yes/No/IDC keeps things clear.

Enemy-of-Coldharbour · November 2023

Please nerf Arc 1. I tried several times, but can't complete it.

Arc 1 is in itself not too difficult. It's the final boss that is the problem for a lot of players (especially solo players). The final boss is a trial or DLC boss that solo players have never encountered and do not know the mechanics. And with the 3-strikes-your-out rule, most players won't figure it out in time and will have to start over just to encounter a different boss tossed at them through the RNG machine. These players will get frustrated and simply never return. It really is a poor decision by ZOS to make the 1st arc final boss so difficult.

@ZOS_Kevin

Lugaldu · November 2023

I still think the enemies in Arc 1 are unbalanced, some are laughable, others are... just plain annoying.

alternatelder · November 2023

I won't even vote on this biased poll, but I can say I can complete arc 1 fine, though I agree it could use a few minor adjustments on Thot...Also, remove marauders.

Tandor · November 2023

I wasn't able to complete Arc 1 on PTS, and haven't bothered with EA on Live. I don't want Arc 1 nerfed so much as for EA to follow the other dungeon and arena setups in ESO and have normal and veteran modes.

Unfortunately, because of the way the poll options are worded the results will not be as meaningful as they could have been.

Galeriano · November 2023

I'm fine with the current difficulty of Arc 1. Already have beaten it.

Lugaldu wrote: »

I still think the enemies in Arc 1 are unbalanced, some are laughable, others are... just plain annoying.

Actually for me it's the biggest relief to get bosses like that in earlier arcs. They become increasingly annoying later on.

erdYrrson · November 2023

Please nerf Arc 1. I tried several times, but can't complete it.

spartaxoxo wrote: »

The way this poll is done is very biased because it assumes the reason for a yes or no vote. Some people might feel it doesn't need a nerf even though they can't beat it, for example.

Also, I needed an IDC option. Because I do not have a strong opinion either way.

But I voted yes because there's a very particular small nerf that another player suggested (she suggested it put down a few less aoes) that I wouldn't mind.

However, I have beaten Arc 1 several times. If I just answered quickly based on my completion, I would have voted no.

I agree in all points.

Did the relevant quest, got the skill point, went a bit deeper into that archive to meet a dragon and a marauder. Done those. Repeated it once for a daily endeavor - also because I was curious, whether I have been particular lucky with verses and visions in the first run.
Anyway, the Endless Archive is now part of the game as is Tales of Tribute, voted for the nerf.

Edit: added the of in 'now part of the game'....

Arizona_Steve · November 2023

Please nerf Arc 1. I tried several times, but can't complete it.

Voted yes, but the truth is I suck at anything more than a public dungeon or Craglorn group delve - It's always the fourth boss in Arc 1 that gets me.

Not sure that difficulty needs to be adjusted - I just need to get better.

Arcanasx · November 2023

I'm fine with the current difficulty of Arc 1. Already have beaten it.

I think Arc 1 should have been called "story mode" and there should be an option to skip it once you've completed it, although they'd also have to not have arc 1 count towards leaderboard scores as well.

ESO_player123 · November 2023

spartaxoxo wrote: »

The way this poll is done is very biased because it assumes the reason for a yes or no vote. Some people might feel it doesn't need a nerf even though they can't beat it, for example.

Also, I needed an IDC option.
-snip.

Agree. Also, the last option does not really make sense. If you are voting in this poll which is posted in the General section you could not have missed all the threads on the topic. At the very least IDC should have been used as the last option (if keeping it at 3 options only).

Personally I did not vote since I still have not tried EA yet. From what I'm reading though I think I will be having difficulties in Arc 1 since it allows trial bosses to appear, and I have never set foot in any of the trials.

Lexalious · November 2023

I'm fine with the current difficulty of Arc 1. Already have beaten it.

Lugaldu wrote: »

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1fFDABd7Aos

LunaFlora · November 2023

Please nerf Arc 1. I tried several times, but can't complete it.

these poll options aren't very good.

i can complete arc 1, but can easily understand how others can't as
- some of the bosses have made me lose all my threads in arc 1
- tho'at is hard to learn and 3 threads just isn't enough threads for everyone

a normal mode in which you don't get a leaderboard score and have unlimited threads would likely help us a lot.

edited to add:
i think it would be helpful if the arc 1 Tho'at fight had a bigger area like in arc 2.
it could always be that way or increase in size when her health reaches 75% or 50%.
her aoe attacks would be less challenging for people struggling in arc 1 i imagine.

Jaimeh · November 2023

I'm fine with the current difficulty of Arc 1. Already have beaten it.

I think the difficulty falls somewhere close to normal number II dungeons for the trash stages, and for the bosses it depends on your RNG, but if you know and follow their mechanics, even the most seemingly challenging ones are really easy during arc 1 (bugs notwithstanding). You do have to be built for it properly though, and you do have to be thoughtful about your buffs because it's not overland content (and it's not supposed to be). If anything, arc 1 is already too easy (which is good, since it's tied to the daily), I don't think it needs nerfing. The last boss fight may seem tricky at first because the mechanics are new, but once you've done the fight a few times and get used to its cadence, it's doable on very little dps.

loosej · November 2023

Missing option: I've beaten it (past arc 4) but feel it should be nerfed.

Considering that Endless Archive replaces what would have been an extra zone, I don't think it's unrealistic for "casual" players to expect that they can at least complete arc 1. One way the experience could be improved for them is limiting the pool of possible cycle bosses you can encounter during that arc. Technically this wouldn't even need to be a nerf, difficulty could remain the same otherwise. For seasoned players it's also a bonus since they can get through that arc quicker.

The Tho'at fight isn't too difficult once you know the mechanics, but what I find weird is how many of them there are in the first cycle, and how few there are added in the next cycles. If for example the shards started spawning during the arc 2 Tho'at fight, the fight in arc 1 would still require a lot of movement, and I imagine it would still be a challenge for a lot of players. I also think it would make the mechanics (and added difficulty because of them) feel a bit more evenly distributed.

grewkshd · November 2023

Do certain users just have to accept this content isn't for them? The same way players like me have to accept every time quest/story content is added that it isn't for us?

Paralyse · November 2023

I'm fine with the current difficulty of Arc 1. Already have beaten it.

grewkshd wrote: »

Do certain users just have to accept this content isn't for them? The same way players like me have to accept every time quest/story content is added that it isn't for us?

Yes. The problem I think a lot of those players have is the general lack of content in ESO, so when something new is finally released, it can feel quite bad if you can't participate.

Freelancer_ESO · November 2023

The poll should either have more options or should have cut out the second sentence.

Some people will have never beaten Arc 1 but, still find the difficulty to be fine.

Others such as myself have beaten Arc 1 but find the difficulty to be too high.

Still others may have done it once failed and never returned because of the difficulty.

Lexalious · November 2023

I'm fine with the current difficulty of Arc 1. Already have beaten it.

its not an official post so you a well can create it with all the options you want

Toxic_Hemlock · November 2023

Please nerf Arc 1. I tried several times, but can't complete it.

Biased poll is biased. I did complete it 5 out of 40 tries, but some of the interim bosses are a crap shoot, some are easy for me, some are not. Also depending on visions/verses, you either melt the bosses or have your buttox handed to you by a one-shot by missing your target mark or by leaving a circle. I realize it is supposed to be random every time, but the swing is FAR too random IMO.

I'm not going back to gamble in its current state, as it is very time consuming. I have tried many sets/builds at great cost to my transmutes btw, it seems it is no longer a game they want me to play for fun. I have a few years of doing content I enjoyed, but it looks as though with EA (endlessly avoiding/endless arena), I am not their "target audience" and if this is the future of this game, I'll leave but still have some good memories to take with me.

Edit: old fingers and lazy eyes.

YffresTrill · November 2023

Cannot vote in good faith, as, as some have pointed out, the poll is biased. I personally have no difficulty with it, but I am not opposed to nerfs as others are clearly struggling.

Billium813 · November 2023

I'm fine with the current difficulty of Arc 1. Already have beaten it.

alienmz wrote: »

The difficulty is fine, but it should be more constant - sometimes i kill the last boss without problems and the other day i die 3 times with the same character and companion.

This is actually a really good comment. I can't speak on solo, but the power level of all of Endless Archive is very inconsistent, especially from the bosses. Some bosses are RIDICULOUSLY easy, even in high arcs (6+)! Some bosses are hard as nails and rather complicated on Arc 1...

The issue is mostly in the randomness of when players encounter different bosses and the incredible variety of those bosses with mechanics and those without. An Arc 1-2 Lady Thorn or Lord Warden is not easier then an Arc 6 Tremorscale or Captain Blackheart. The mechanics are just really poorly implemented so they don't scale in difficulty as well.

In many ways, the issue is in that ol' conversation about base game vs dlc. Many of the base game bosses in EA are just too simple! Some base game bosses were updated! I know that was because they needed to be defeatable in solo... but the updates where good (like The Lava Queen). But, some base game bosses were not updated and are just terrible (I'm looking at you Shadowrend)! Then, you have DLC/Trial bosses that are very mech heavy! Lots of ads, lots of AOES, several with important mechs!

No, I don't think "yolo, random" is a good excuse. I'd like to see ZOS update many of the base game bosses to make them more mechanically interesting for EA.

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Do you think Arc 1 is too difficult and needs to be nerfed?

Do you think Arc 1 is too difficult and needs to be nerfed? 189 votes