nMA, nDSA: Provide Stepping-stone Weapons for Stepping-stone Players

Destyran

Just gonna say normal Maelstrom is easier than 4 561cps in a level 10 dungeon. If you struggle on normal you dont need maelstrom weapons. If you struggle on normal you need to re-evaluate your build and possibly your eso career. I recently farmed plunder skulls in NMA and i face rolled it i couldnt die unless i put my controller down and cooked dinner but even then i might still be alive when i returned. In my opinion the need to make NMA much harder.

Destruent

jaburns wrote: »

Destruent wrote: »

jaburns wrote: »

I think people are missing the point of this post. I know I've mentioned DPS in here... but let's not restrict the discussion to DPS only. Tell me this:

-How would it hurt a PVE group for their healer to run a 5pc CP160 gear set, 3pc CP160 jewelry set, 2 pc Monster Helm, and a CP150 Maelstrom Resto Staff?

-How would it hurt a PVP tank to run with a 5pc CP160 gear set, another 5pc CP160 gear set, a single pc of a Monster set, and a CP150 Master's Sword?

Healer: less healing than with a random CP160 staff

Tank: no crusher enchant (less support) + less offdps/healing

But you'd have more self-sustainability with those enchantments. Which means that they can heal more often or survive longer.

If you have sustainissues those weapons won't solve them. They are a nice bonus, but your overall performance as a group will increase without those Cp150 weapons.

Savos_Saren

I'm just saying...

If I'm tanking in a 4-man dungeon and I notice that the healer is doing an awesome job- and he says "Thanks- I'm also using this CP150 Maelstrom Staff..."

I'm not going to say "Get the frack out! Go get yourself a CP160 Maelstrom staff, plebeian!!!"

Destruent

jaburns wrote: »

I'm just saying...

If I'm tanking in a 4-man dungeon and I notice that the healer is doing an awesome job- and he says "Thanks- I'm also using this CP150 Maelstrom Staff..."

I'm not going to say "Get the frack out! Go get yourself a CP160 Maelstrom staff, plebeian!!!"

I did never say, he wouldn't be able to do dungeons with this. I just said, he could increase his healing-output by using a random CP160-staff.

LadyNalcarya

jaburns wrote: »

I think people are missing the point of this post. I know I've mentioned DPS in here... but let's not restrict the discussion to DPS only. Tell me this:

-How would it hurt a PVE group for their healer to run a 5pc CP160 gear set, 3pc CP160 jewelry set, 2 pc Monster Helm, and a CP150 Maelstrom Resto Staff?

-How would it hurt a PVP tank to run with a 5pc CP160 gear set, another 5pc CP160 gear set, a single pc of a Monster set, and a CP150 Master's Sword?

-Actually there's better options for a healer:

5 pc spell power cure (armor+resto)
5 pc Aether/Twilight Remedy (jewelry+1 armor piece+destro off bar)
2 pc monster set

or

5 pc spell power cure (armor)
5 pc Aether (or another set: jewelry+1 armor piece+destro off bar)
1 pc Molag Kena shoulder or helm
1 pc Master's resto staff

The trick is to apply Aether/use synergies/whatever from off bar.

-For a tank, Master's sword could be good, but it just doesnt fit in any BiS setup.
Wearing 2 pc Bloodspawn, for example, would benefit the group more that 1 odd shoulder+master's sword (more warhorns=more survivability and dps=faster and more comfortable runs).

Destruent wrote: »

jaburns wrote: »

I'm just saying...

If I'm tanking in a 4-man dungeon and I notice that the healer is doing an awesome job- and he says "Thanks- I'm also using this CP150 Maelstrom Staff..."

I'm not going to say "Get the frack out! Go get yourself a CP160 Maelstrom staff, plebeian!!!"

I did never say, he wouldn't be able to do dungeons with this. I just said, he could increase his healing-output by using a random CP160-staff.

True that, even upgrading a random cp160 staff to yellow quality grants around 200 free spell damage.

f047ys3v3n

jaburns wrote: »

- The Maelstrom Arena is a DPS race. Period. You don't run it on tanks. You don't run it on healers. There are players out there who are dedicated tanks or healers. Maelstrom drops a tank sword and a healer staff. A dedicated tank or healer can, at least, create a DPS character and attempt nMA or nDSA to get their sword/staff. Eventually, they can build their DPS character to attempt vDSA/vMA. This would also encourage players to branch out and try new roles... without the disheartening effect of a healer attempting vMA for a Maelstrom Resto staff.

Maelstrom Arena is about mechanics, Period. There was a time, when it launched, that it's dps requirements were really, really, close to the maximum that people could do. Now, the requirements are really met by any functional build with a decent rotation and execution. The mechanics are hard but the dps requirement is moderate.

Ok, I oversimplified a little saying it is only about mechanics. The heal check is for real.

As for your original premise, hmm. If they did that they would immediately nerf the vMA dual weild weapons. It would be like when they made magic det attainable to a significant number of people and the OP nature of it was generally felt. As for many of the others, since CP 140 is about 200 spell or weapon power lower than CP 160 it would basically be a trade of the enchantment bonus for a 1 peice set bonus as the stat bounus on the weapon would eat up most of the CP level disadvantage. A CP 140 level inferno staff would be only very marginally better than a CP 160 crafted set peice.

What I am saying, is outside of the dual wield weapons, I'm not sure you would get very far with under leveled weapons. You should know that since the dps check is now moderate in vMA the extra dps from, say, the staff is of little aid in there. I have done it both ways. The staff is great, it is worth a few min on your time, it won't substantially help you complete. It is about mechanics and heals, not dps.

As for that tank and heal vMA weapon. I don't consider either of them worth a darn. vDSA has the better weapons on both of these and vDSA has tanks and heals in groups that complete it. Both of those weapons in vMA are just troll drops so don't worry that people who only heal or tank can't get to them.

Bottom line, I don't have any real strong opinion about underleveld drops from nMA but I also don't think you would find them what you think they would be with the exception of the dual weild ones which would be nerfed if more people found how good they are.