Who likes the Maelstrom Arena?

KenaPKK

I would like it, if the item lottery at the end would be more reliable (Maelstrom weapons inc).

Too easy. I think there needs to be a third difficulty mode that's freakin insane, but if you complete it, you get a custom item from the weekly mail.

obscure7

Well, it's ok, but it's more like something you have to do to get those weapons.

Challenge: 9/10 - It's very challenging, some of the hardest content of any game I've played. You can't out-grind it or out-power creep it

Polish/Execution: 5/10 - Too many bugs, lag, etc. to count it as being fully polished and complete.

Replayability: 3/10 - There's some incentive to master this place: the Flawless Conqueror title. There's also a few niche sets. Other than that, the motive for replayability is mostly artificial through the extremely frustrating RNG system, which brings me to...

RNG reward system: 0/10 - By far the worst thing about this place, and one of the worst things about the game overall. I don't care that you (ZOS) want to make the Sharpened Inferno staff a super exclusive item that only a select few individuals will ever hold. Some people will get it on their first try. Others will never get it no matter how many runs they do.

Fun factor: 1/10 - All these factors contribute to make vMA a mostly frustrating experience. It's a solo instance, so you're separated from the group dynamic; it's buggy; it's unforgiving of mistakes; it's biased towards ranged magicka users; it's a massive gold sink.

I find myself postponing my weekly vMA run later and later, mostly because of the RNG reward system. Last week I didn't even run it. Haven't run it this week yet either. Not worth the frustration.

nMA: Replayability: 0/10 (the loot is not max level)

Izaki

I would like it, if the item lottery at the end would be more reliable (Maelstrom weapons inc).

Its a fun thing to do, I like it. The only thing that kinda gets on my nerves is the reward for actually completing this thing. Cause on the first go its EXTREMELY hard. Then it gets easier, but its just as fun as long as you keep finding challenges for yourself. I really like this place.

I also think that the only people who hate it, only hate it because its a "time sink" or a "money sink". The thing is if you have comleted the arena at least once, it no longer takes a long time to complete (2 hours on the second go personally, and its only gotten quicker since). The money sink is a pretty dumb statement too because if you've done it a couple of times you won't be dying as much AKA no more using soul gems, not repairing as much, using less potions because you need less time to finish the arena. So the people who have a deep hate for this arena are obviously the people that haven't done it OR the people who have done it too many times, in search of a decent weapon.

The people who haven't done it, well... As soon as they'll do it and get onto the leaderboards they will be loving this place.
The people who have done it too many times, well... ZOS could really do something about those weapon drop aye

Ayantir

This is an MMO. Why do I have to solo for the best items? Really don't like this boring/frustrating arena.

It's a MMO, Solo instances shouldn't exist.

MrAppleman

Love it.

Ayantir wrote: »

It's a MMO, Solo instances shouldn't exist.

This is ridiculous. It's a small part of the game. It takes less then an hour and trials and group play still are majority of game. Also being able to see who are the top players is great. Honestly unless you go over specifics of players builds and dps check them you don't get an idea of how they handle themselves.

Also if it's 7am and I want to play but my friends are not on i can have fun in vMA.

If you don't like solo play don't play it! Stop trying to take things out. I don't understand this. There is so much to do in this game and if you don't like something you can at least appreciate that someone else does.

You can make viable dps builds without these weapons. I have stockpiles of these weapons and on a few characters I've found higher dps. So for all those saying you absolutely need them, you don't! Especially with the strong enchants post db.

Reykice

Love it.

NewBlacksmurf wrote: »

I've said since closed beta. It's O K to offer solo encounters but in an MMO there should NEVER be solo only encounters.

Actually they are balancing it right, ONE solo content for hardocre players vs a lot of Trials and Group dungeons and such...

Don`t say 1 solo Trial is too much.

Would be so cool if they keep it up, i mean i know that some can`t do it so they cry but most appreciate it, about time to have like one solo hard content. Gives you pride when you do it.

lolo_01b16_ESO

This is an MMO. Why do I have to solo for the best items? Really don't like this boring/frustrating arena.

Reykice wrote: »

NewBlacksmurf wrote: »

I've said since closed beta. It's O K to offer solo encounters but in an MMO there should NEVER be solo only encounters.

Actually they are balancing it right, ONE solo content for hardocre players vs a lot of Trials and Group dungeons and such...

Don`t say 1 solo Trial is too much.

Would be so cool if they keep it up, i mean i know that some can`t do it so they cry but most appreciate it, about time to have like one solo hard content. Gives you pride when you do it.

They are not balancing it right. Just compare MSA and DSA weapons. If you want to be competative you need to farm msa even if that means you have to spend 200+ hours with annoying solo content in an mmo.
I don't mind having content like msa as long as I can get similar loot from pvp or group pve.

Destyran

I would like it, if the item lottery at the end would be more reliable (Maelstrom weapons inc).

Its ok but the rng is absolute trash who need half those traits on endgame weapons and how come we can choose our reward.

Toc de Malsvi

I would like it, if the item lottery at the end would be more reliable (Maelstrom weapons inc).

While I think it is excellent to offer challenging content for solo players that can(big emphasis on can* not will) possibly reward top of the line weapons.

That said there are some issues, the top weapons in the game should not be locked behind solo content exclusively. It is more than fine to offer them behind solo content but they should also be available through some sort of group content.

Another issue is that the chance of reward based on work put in is incredibly low, and the difference in trait value is massively huge to the point that anything but Sharpened on any dps weapon is for all intents and purposes worthless.

The reward should be 100% drop rate, let the RNG be rng on weapon type and trait and that more than reduces drop rates to ensure that most players will have to run it many many times to get the weapon they want.

An outlier issue here is that Sharpened is so massively better than other traits currently. There are a few setups that can make other traits worthwhile but over the whole sharpened is 6-9% better. This is a massive imbalance, it was obvious during the PTS for DB and it is pathetic that this has not been addressed.

Tendrielle

This is an MMO. Why do I have to solo for the best items? Really don't like this boring/frustrating arena.

Thanks everybody so far for contributing. Well, I personally think, there should be unique rewards for a unique challenge, so its worth for who like this sort of challenge to do it - but that should not be something you need for group content as well.
At least not as much as now. I know, there will be DSA weapons again, but as far as I know they are often not competitive enough, compared to MSA weapons.
And indeed, I personally play this game because it is an MMO, so I can play it together with others, and feel not motivated to invest hours of solo time for a first run, after which things maybe become less time consuming.

Toc de Malsvi

I would like it, if the item lottery at the end would be more reliable (Maelstrom weapons inc).

I can say this, pushing yourself through Veteran Maelstrom Arena will make you a better player within ESOTU. Much of the frustration you experience can be attributed to you personally learning to perform better and learning how skills actually work within the game better. That is not to exclude the fact that there are significant game performance issues that can hinder your success.

LegendaryArcher

I would like it, if the item lottery at the end would be more reliable (Maelstrom weapons inc).

I like the concept and the lore. It's a really good way to get to know your class and get the maximum out of it.

Those who can't complete it just need more practice.

However, vMA is the reason I quit ESO. In over 200 runs (plus, tons of leaderboard rewards), I didn't get a single one of the four weapons I wanted. And that was before DB. When ZOS polluted the loot table with *** traits and reduced the drop rate, that was the last straw for me. And that was just me. I know people who ran it over 900 (!!!) times without a single one of the weapon they wanted.

On a side note, more than half my runs were flawless. This arena isn't too tough, but it certainly teaches you how to play your class.

Many vMA RNG victims are happily playing Black Desert now, and, as it looks at the moment, uninstalling ESO was the best choice we could've made. If you're also sick of investing resources and effort without any reward, check out Black Desert: better graphics, less lag, and a fair loot system.

Maztiax

I would like it, if the item lottery at the end would be more reliable (Maelstrom weapons inc).

VMSA made me punch a hole through the wall

X3ina

Well, it's ok, but it's more like something you have to do to get those weapons.

THe idea is just brilliant, each player can know his actual value in a solo content. But ... healers and tanks must respec for this ... RNG madness with the loot ... bugs ... lagspikes in a solo content ... somewhat usefull sets ... strange oneshots ... instadeaths ... crashes ... and evrything that i've listed is collected in one place lol. Its hells head office in Tamriel.

For most of players its a job ... if u want to be viable in endgame = you MUST HAVE that weapons in best traits. No need to say that u can be viable, its a lie. Even that 3-5k dps that it adds to magicka DDs is a big advantage for your group, because it multiplies to amount of DDs that have this kind of weapons, so its solid 30-50k damage per second, wich is extra and free. In an environment where you can't spend your extra champion points for almost 9 months. For stam DDs its ultra buff, even if they were buffed it adds alot of free and extra dps.

And not only casual players that can't complete it hate it, it is a cancer, same as pyramid scheme. You keep lying to yourself that you will get things in this particular run ... but no, face it. Someone can get weapons from the first run, someone can buy achievement (its not a lie ZOS) and suddenly get a weapon in the bank, but a honest player with moderate luck don't. It is simple as that.

The fun and excitement that it gives erases every time that you have to do it, despite the fact that you have a higher score almost every time you run it. Its because you loose your "mojo" when you see the reward. And with new traits that were added in DB its more pathethic. The only fun that you might have doing it comes from teamspeak (replace it with another programm that you use), but its like having fun of the radio while stuck in a traffic. Its not a plus.

Somewhat viable magicka sets, combined to unusable stamina and health sets with nice RNG involved. Weekly rewards full of defending, i don't have so much enemies lol. Dominance of stamina weapons, especially bows, I could equip an army of archers if I didn't deconstructed them. No token system, no exchange system, no respond from support about real drop rates/amount of total happy owners/real % of the runs needed for each account to get them, no dynamic system that increases the drop rate or increases the flat % of the droprate if you miss something from there.

No brains involved, its just a place designed for people to make them busy till they get a new content.

OrphanHelgen

Well, it's ok, but it's more like something you have to do to get those weapons.

when I get my dagger sharpened, I quit arena

SevenofNine_1963

Love it.

It is a MMORPG. Of course it needs also Solo Instances

bedlom

It's good, I just don't like that it's solo only.
Would be alot more fun with a team.

alexkdd99

This is an MMO. Why do I have to solo for the best items? Really don't like this boring/frustrating arena.

MrAppleman wrote: »

Ayantir wrote: »

It's a MMO, Solo instances shouldn't exist.

This is ridiculous. It's a small part of the game. It takes less then an hour and trials and group play still are majority of game. Also being able to see who are the top players is great. Honestly unless you go over specifics of players builds and dps check them you don't get an idea of how they handle themselves.

Also if it's 7am and I want to play but my friends are not on i can have fun in vMA.

If you don't like solo play don't play it! Stop trying to take things out. I don't understand this. There is so much to do in this game and if you don't like something you can at least appreciate that someone else does.

You can make viable dps builds without these weapons. I have stockpiles of these weapons and on a few characters I've found higher dps. So for all those saying you absolutely need them, you don't! Especially with the strong enchants post db.

I would hardly call the place where some of the best weapons in the game come from a small part of the game. And it has nothing to do with it being in the game it has to do with a solo instance in an mmo being the only place to obtain those weapons.

Snowstrider

This is an MMO. Why do I have to solo for the best items? Really don't like this boring/frustrating arena.

As someone Who plays as a tank and mainiy play eso for group content i think its stupid that it gives one of The best stuff in a solo instance instead of in a group instance

PurifedBladez

I would like it, if the item lottery at the end would be more reliable (Maelstrom weapons inc).

I still probably wouldn't like it.

Dont pull me out of PvP, bruh.

code65536

Well, it's ok, but it's more like something you have to do to get those weapons.

Minute_Waltz wrote: »

Love it, especially when you get a higher score than your previous attempt, or if you rolled a new class and beat it for the first time after hours of trying.

I believe there are two types that hate vma.
1. Those who can't do it and get frustrated, or haven't even made an attempt
2. Those who can complete it with 2hr+ runs and did not enjoy the run due to alot of deaths (rng in the end may make it worse).

I've known people who complain about vma 24/7 previously and once they get on the weekly with 400k+ scores consistently they love it and look forward to get on the leaderboard each week.

Gee, thanks for trying to shoehorn people.

Ever since the first time I landed on the vMA weekly almost half a year ago, I have always secured a weekly spot every single week. At one point, I had three characters on the weekly. These days, since I have the weapons that I want and am only seeking duplicates to avoid having to share between characters, I begrudgingly run just once a week to get one character on the board. Because it's just not fun.

If you like it and think it's fun, that's great, and I hope you continue to enjoy it. But don't go around assuming that the only reason people hate it is because they struggle with it.

Caff32

This is an MMO. Why do I have to solo for the best items? Really don't like this boring/frustrating arena.

I'm on console so I need a "I might like it if the lag didn't keep killing me" option.

NoMoreChillies

This is an MMO. Why do I have to solo for the best items? Really don't like this boring/frustrating arena.

solo arena designed for 1 role only: DPS. Tanks and Healers need not apply.

ya it needs some changes

RinaldoGandolphi

I would like it, if the item lottery at the end would be more reliable (Maelstrom weapons inc).

So I have toyed with VMA on and off. When they added the save feature, i decided to do my best to learn the arena. I never watched any videos and made it my goal to learn 1 stage per week. Back then i got all the way to the last boss of the last stage and just simply didn't have the DPS to beat it....every round had a mechanics that if you figured it out your could beat it...except the last round of round 9....its literally grab the ghosts and DPS the tar out of everything which was really disappointing to me. ()my build at that time was an Engine Guardian sustain type of build)

tonight on a whim i decided to go in their and beat it, and i did in 1 sitting....its not so bad until you get to round 7 thats where things start to get REALLY irrating because deaths often times are RNG(Multiple times i had poison plants randomly spawn under the shield in the Argonian round despite moving the mender away from any plants and making sure they are clear).

After getting through the whole thing, I really only have 4 gripes:

1. RNG should not be such a cause of death, its really stupid that luck is a factor on if and where those plants spawn despite you doing the mechanics right you can still get miffed.

2. For god's sake enough with snares ZOS! EVERY single attack in the darn places snares, if your a magic build you might as well figure on being snared 90% of the time you in there which is just stupid. Snares are the most annoying thing in the entire game, they need to just get rid of snares all together, roots are bad enough, snares are just infuriating. and VMA is literally full of them every damn mob snares, its way too much overkill.

3. I don't care about the leaderboard, but i could many builds simply will not be able to complete it due to lack of damage.

4. Lastly, the Archers in their really need to be toned ...there are enough 1 shot mechanics in the arena without adding taking aim and 10-13k light attacks to the mix....

Regardless, i beat it. It did require a lot of patience though. I could see folks giving up not because they are not good enough, but simply because 1 mistake renders you dead in many cases.\

just remember:

What one man/woman can do, another can do! Keep telling yourself that as you play the arena.

Lastly,

I have never seen this mentioned but:

In Spiral shadows, as long as you keep 3 pillars unwebbed, you should always have a safe place from the spiders.

Furthermore, In spiral shadows, if your fighting adds and the boss enrages, throwing a hoaver bomb at her will reset her enrage timer temporarily buying you time to unweb....i have tested this extensively numerous times...it always works...this may help those who are struggling with this stage.

good luck, VMA is a tough annoying road to walk thats for sure, but your 1st clear will be very satisfying if you cna push through it!

Preyfar

Well, it's ok, but it's more like something you have to do to get those weapons.

I used to love it, and feel like I've run it 100+ times. However, since DB, I've come to loathe it. Ring after ring after ring, the set items in VMA are lackluster and the drop rate with the new traits are just awful (especially for weeklies). I've stopped running it altogether. I just feel burned.

It's like the ONLY reward that drops from me are Arcane Rings of the Hunt. =/

neville_bart0s

i find parts of it enjoyable but the bad parts (the bugs, the DCs, the RNG) outweigh the good parts.

NoMoreChillies

This is an MMO. Why do I have to solo for the best items? Really don't like this boring/frustrating arena.

This just sucks the all fun out of it
https://youtu.be/ULK3ia4-m-M

Dutchrebel

I would like it, if the item lottery at the end would be more reliable (Maelstrom weapons inc).

Burned out of vMSA its just not worth my time to run this (average of 1 hour) and finding another ring of the glory or whatever damn ring in the last chest just sick of it ..27 runs so far 23 rings explain this to me and 4 useless trait weapons 0/10 never play again

Saturn

This is an MMO. Why do I have to solo for the best items? Really don't like this boring/frustrating arena.

I have beaten the arena enough times to get most of the weapons i want, the traits are horrible though, but the place infuriates me enough that I don't want to endlessly grind it for those sharpened traits.

I think the notion that a solo arena is the only way to get the best weapons in the game, that make a huge difference for dpses, is kind of stupid. I wouldn't mind it if it was a four man arena like vDSA, because at least I'd be suffering through the grind with my friends, but instead I have to neglect being social to run the place for the good gear to potentially drop. The only real guaranteed drop being the weekly, which usually with the way RNG likes me tend to be the worst traited items. Decisive, powered, charged, nirnhoned, all of these traits are subpar and worthless. The one trait everyone wants is Sharpened, because it's such a huge freaking boost to damage done.

My main annoyance with maelstrom arena is the final stage and the fact that a completion is only a "50%" chance (airquotes because I don't know anyone who has close to a 50% dropchance on that chest, among my friends I'm the most fortunate with about a 40% droprate for weapons). Simply beating the arena should in my opinion be a guaranteed weapon drop, we are at a point where the arena is nearly reaching it's 1 year birthday, but a lot of people still don't have the exact traited weapon they want. And not to mention they did nothing to offset the increased number of useless traits, making it even harder to get what you truly want. 100% dropchance on the last chest wouldn't even help most people, but at least you wouldn't feel like you wasted a run because all you got was a worthless jewellery piece to one of several pointless sets that nobody would use, and to really kick us while we are down, we can't even trade these worthless set pieces with anyone.

disintegr8

Well, it's ok, but it's more like something you have to do to get those weapons.

Only tried it once, not my idea of fun but each to their own.