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• PC/Mac: No maintenance – May 11
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(Challenge Difficulty) Am I the only one...
coop500
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... Who liked it better before?
Granted, this feature isn't a huge deal for me, but I was actually just thinking earlier how refreshing it was to see a harder mode added to a video game that didn't turn everything into damage sponges to be 'difficult'.
I don't find damage sponges hard, I just find it tedious and a waste of time. Now, as a sidenote, I'm not one of those players belting out 150k+ DPS by just sneezing or whatever the new claim is, so I guess maybe these modes aren't for me. But I don't think Overland has the mechanics built in to be worth slogging through by cutting our damage so much.
The older version of the Challenge Difficulty kept combat fast spaced, and the core focus was making it risky. You still hit pretty hard, but now so does your enemy. This actually made it interesting and dynamic.
Now, You're a wet paper bag that hits like a wet noodle, and RIP any self healing or shielding (if there is any) based on damage dealt, because that just got hard gutted in this mode. This doesn't actually sound fun to me TBH, and I'll probably simply not use the mode except maybe the lowest one besides default for questing to make it a little more interesting, or if FOMO forces me into these modes.
Anyway, the TLDR: The older version of Challenge Modes for Overland kept combat fast paced but risky. New version just makes it a slog IMO.
Edited by coop500 on 3 May 2026 00:43 Granted, this feature isn't a huge deal for me, but I was actually just thinking earlier how refreshing it was to see a harder mode added to a video game that didn't turn everything into damage sponges to be 'difficult'.
I don't find damage sponges hard, I just find it tedious and a waste of time. Now, as a sidenote, I'm not one of those players belting out 150k+ DPS by just sneezing or whatever the new claim is, so I guess maybe these modes aren't for me. But I don't think Overland has the mechanics built in to be worth slogging through by cutting our damage so much.
The older version of the Challenge Difficulty kept combat fast spaced, and the core focus was making it risky. You still hit pretty hard, but now so does your enemy. This actually made it interesting and dynamic.
Now, You're a wet paper bag that hits like a wet noodle, and RIP any self healing or shielding (if there is any) based on damage dealt, because that just got hard gutted in this mode. This doesn't actually sound fun to me TBH, and I'll probably simply not use the mode except maybe the lowest one besides default for questing to make it a little more interesting, or if FOMO forces me into these modes.
Anyway, the TLDR: The older version of Challenge Modes for Overland kept combat fast paced but risky. New version just makes it a slog IMO.
Hoping for more playable races.
I just want werewolf to be viable in endgame PvE T.T (which not allowed according to PTS update 50)
I just want werewolf to be viable in endgame PvE T.T (which not allowed according to PTS update 50)
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SacredNym✭✭✭I personally like that overland mobs and quest bosses finally have time to do something before they die, and that defense is something I actually have to consider. I'm no longer completely immune to dying in overland just because I slotted Reaving Blows. That said, Reaving Blows, ROPO, Puncturing Sweeps and the like are still effectual defense mechanisms, just not on their own. (I honestly think they need to be reworked though they finally feel like they're in a good place in Overland on Vestige, while feeling wildly overpowered in other content)
I did a test where I compared a public dungeon on Vestige to vet Vateshran Hollows, and my finding was that the public dungeon mobs both died faster and hit harder. VH felt more like a slog that outside of specific mechanics was completely unthreatening. And this is the difficulty that's not being touched.2 -
SolarRune✭✭✭✭I remember threads from a few years ago when I first saw this being asked for, and at that point those against spending dev time on this suggested "just change your sets and their level so your damage is less and you take more damage" - at that point the feedback from those requesting was they didn't want it just as a damage sponge and that it was more engaging fights they wanted.
I think the chosen direction - whilst allowing speeches to finish before they are dead - is just making damage sponges and doesn't actually make the fights more engaging - so i'll stick to the normal setting, because I dont find any incentive to turn up the difficulty1