What makes Malestrom so hard?

Brutusmax1mus

The players build makes it hard or easy.

Krayzie

What makes VMA hard is the random latency in that arena on XBox.

Also the insane input delays and inability to roll out of aoe if you're already in it. You can be completely out of AOE but you have to be out of it for 2+ seconds or it still hits you.

rosendoichinoveb17_ESO

It is not hard once you learn all the mechanics, as the higher stages have more moments of one shot mechanics.

DPS is not a factor as I did vMSA last week with my Magicka warden with only 10k DPS which is 3-4 times lower compared to Sorc or DK damage.

Strider_Roshin

Staying awake.

Vapirko

Up through stage 3 or 4 it's a walk in the park.

Destyran

Adds hit you for 10k light attacks and they can spamthem together. So you need to clear the room ASAP

Balsagna

Mondini wrote: »

Maelstrom is artificially hard that's why.
Also, lol you completed the easiest two stages and are asking why its hard?

My thoughts exactly. If you think 1 and 2 are hard just wait for 5,6,7, and 9.

All it takes is dedication and memorization of spawn points. After your first clear all the other ones get significantly easier. I would also suggest doing normal if you are doing vet.

victoriana-blue

IMO, it's the combination of memorization and twitch reflexes. There's no margin for error in later stages, and the time difference between deciding to roll and reflexively dodge-rolling can be the difference between dying and surviving.

In regular content "mechanics" are things you see and respond to: Lord Warden is flying up, so it's time to run for a portal. In vMA, you have to act before things happen: you swing your camera to look for a venom caller before it fully spawns because you memorize the timing. If you look for the caller after the extra plants start appearing, it's too late and you're probably going to die.

Plus the arena is extra-difficult on some specs, because of things like not having a burst heal, and the arena rewards high dps more than good heals or survivability. More of the things the game doesn't explain.

(FWIW, if you want to learn the arena you should look for longer videos. I didn't find Alcast's vMA videos very helpful because he already knew the arena, so I didn't get a good idea of where things were spawning before he was melting them. And walk away when you get frustrated, being angry doesn't help you learn and it's not fun. YMMV.)

akredon_ESO

LAG and for me RNG on that Stupid Poison Map. as much as i try to avoid the shrooms. One will always spawn on me while im in side the bubble at least once

SanTii.92

Mainly cause it has a pretty tough learning curve. But once you figure it out you'll pretty much breeze through it. Oh, and yeah, it starts on Arena 5.

Oreyn_Bearclaw

I think the hardest thing about VMA for most people is that it can be a very rude wakeup call that your build and damage arent up to scratch. "Play the way you want" doesn't hold up for a lot of people in the arena. Most people dont seek out advice or guides until they have already wiped a bunch. People that go in prepared typically have an easier time of it.

As other's have said, you have definitely picked one of the trickier classes for a first clear, but burst damage is king in VMA once you get the mechanics. Also, you have barely scratched the surface. I started running it shortly after launch (when it was quite a bit tougher), and like most people, I didnt start looking for advice until I got overwhelmed on stage 5.

Stage 5 is the first place most decent players will hit a wall the first time. Stage 7 is the stage most likely to make you throw your controller through your monitor once you get the hang of this place (RNG ruins flawless runs), and the Stage 9 boss is one of the most unforgiving fights in the game. It is not hard once you get mechanics, but a misstep is generally a wipe.

The whole arena gets much easier (especially the last boss) once you get some clears under your belt, but be prepared to start banging your head in a few more levels. Or maybe you wont. I know at least one player that cleared the whole thing on his first go, but he is also one of the best players in the game. I sure as heck didnt clear my first try. haha.

If memory serves (back when you couldnt save). My first run got me to stage 5. My second run got me to stage 6. My third run got me to final boss, where I did two pulls and called it. My fourth run got me to last boss and I immediately got booted from the game and lost progress (almost quit ESO that day). My fifth run I was able to do about 30 attempts on him. My 6th attempt I cleared. Since then, I have been able to clear in one go on every class/spec. Once you get the mechanics, it becomes routine.

BuddyAces

It's that one extra mechanic. Every round has it past stage 2 I would say. It's nothing special, just one extra mechanic that if it wasn't there then the place would be a cakewalk. As others have pointed out, things happen in there. It's eso being eso. Notice how you will lag out or die to something that was nowhere near you or just funky wierd lil things that happen when you're just out and about playing the game? They all happen in there with what seems like more frequency. It's more noticeable (game bugs) in vma because it's an already unforgiving place.

Also, round 7. Whomever thought it was a good mechanic to make the one safe space an insta death due to rng is pretty g'damn mean. We don't think you're funny.

luen79rwb17_ESO

Not knowing mob spawn order or mechanics

Ihatenightblades

Azyle1 wrote: »

I haven't really done it yet. I mean I HAVE, but not really fully attempted. Last night as a CP 421 Stamblade, I decided for the first time to try Vet Malestrom. I got to the third stage without too much trouble, and the third stage I died and then I stopped and went and did something else. I will likely slowly keep trying it because I hear its really hard and frustrating....

But why?

Wouldnt it be if the higher DPS you did the easier it was? I mean I say that because I just burned things as fast as I can on the first 2 stages. Vigor also is a big help as well.

If its your first time it will take you 5x longer to complete on a stam toon.

Till this day I struggle at times on stam just because you dont have shield spams to bail you out when you make mistakes.

Its all mechanics if you do mechanics perfect you can do it on any class really but i would say it takes over 15-20 runs to master the mechanics. I recommend mag sorc or magblade for first timers.

Good luck

Morbash

The real boss in vMA is RNGesus.

spiiros

Soleya wrote: »

Some examples...


Being double crowd controlled so you can't heal or cast anything for a few seconds.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YSSK9yyotg8


Dying to lag (red ring explodes before it actually shows it should).

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_2LfObycZVI


And more numerous examples of dying sometimes outside the red, to one shots, etc. I learned from this to NEVER dodge roll out of any red rings, and also never to jump down from top level on stage 9 (was a recommendation from someone to do so)

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zOe3OW6NWeI


Sometimes looking back I can see where i made mistakes (one mistake means death, especially in stages 5-9). Sometime you just die to BS.

That first clip was your fault for having that many adds up, but otherwise I agree - I have numerous clips saved where lag or when a mechanic that I'm avoiding still one shots me... otherwise, maelstrom isn't that bad once you get in a few completes.

spiiros

Also, don't be afraid to use sigils in your first few attempts, until you're comfortable with mechanics, then don't even bother, you'll become better overall, once you stop relying on them, makes you more aware, etc.

zyk

vMA isn't that challenging in the grand scheme of video games. And vMA today is much, much easier than it was when it was introduced.

The problem in ESO is that the difficulty of almost everything else has been significantly nerfed. Most players do not ever have to learn mechanics or optimize builds to complete content.

So vMA feels like such a wall because it does benefit from optimized builds and mechanics *must* be learned.

Bouldercleave

Liofa wrote: »

If you watch videos carefully and learn mechanics by heart , you will complete it in no time .

Btw , I recommend doing the same for pretty much everything . Having visual knowledge before trying something out for the first time will always work in your favour .

Yeah, Not gonna happen.

1. My level of commitment to this game or ANY game isn't nearly high enough.

2. In my opinion memorizing what someone else did defeats any and all personal accomplishment.

SoLooney

Inexperience.
that and if you have low dps, makes it for a long day

SirGabenOfSteamia

People are saying "mechanics." Mechanics don't make the Arena hard. Once you get the mechanics down, you're pretty much sure to beat MA every time you go in. What makes vet Maelstrom hard is the frustration you'll experience from the RNG behind the mechanics. I'm sure half the players in ESO who've beat MA would have a flawless if one of those volatile poison plants didn't spawn right under them during the scream phase of the Argonian Behemoth, or if one of the Dremora Gandrakyn on Stage 8 became uninterruptible because they stood in a certain spot on the terrain.

That's totally never happened to me before.

Jhalin

vMA mostly requires sustain and survivability. Damage is secondary to those two. Petsorcs are generally considered the best class to do vMA with because pets can tank aggro and they have access to two major shields.

I had a hard enough time on nMA with my stamblade because the class is really not made for that kind of content. If it can't slot a shield, it's probably no good in vMA.

Rataroto

Azyle1 wrote: »

I haven't really done it yet.

Don't talk about random *** then. and Its not

Alite

seedubsrun wrote: »

Alite wrote: »

Look at me guys I can clear the first 3 stages ez, this *** is nothing. Why don't you actually clear it before talking *** OP?

Seems a little aggressive really. OP was genuinely asking a question not gloating about progress.

To OP, several things can make it hard. Your class and build for one. Usually ranged magic toons have it the easiest so magsorc/magblades. The main thing though as mentioned is mechanics. They ramp up the difficulty of the mechanics as you progress in Maelstrom. Rounds 1-4 are pretty easy. Round 5 will be the first time you start to regret the attempt. Mechanics + RNG is the hard part of rounds 6 and 7 (you'll get it when you get there). Round 8 is pretty easy imo and a nice breather before round 9. Round 9 will likely haunt you for awhile. A lot of newbies to vMA get to the final boss and stay there for dozens sometimes hundreds of attempts.

Get on YouTube or peruse the forums for tips on each round and study the mechanics. Then take it slow, if you find yourself getting frustrated take a break. Res at wayshrine when you die to start off or you'll waste hundreds of soul gems. Finally, find comfort in the fact that if you complete it once the next run will be significantly easier.

I have a question for you:

What makes VMA so hard? I was able to clear the first 3 stages easily on my first try I just killed everything really fast. My first death I stopped but I'll continue another day because I HEAR it's really hard content.
Oh yeah and just hold my beer and lemme make a topic on the forums titled "What makes VMA so Hard" because TBH I really don't see it, i breezed through the first three stages ez pz.

LOL as if that isn't guy isn't some humblebragging pos, learn some reading comprehension dude.

Azyle1

Alite wrote: »

seedubsrun wrote: »

Alite wrote: »

Look at me guys I can clear the first 3 stages ez, this *** is nothing. Why don't you actually clear it before talking *** OP?

Seems a little aggressive really. OP was genuinely asking a question not gloating about progress.

To OP, several things can make it hard. Your class and build for one. Usually ranged magic toons have it the easiest so magsorc/magblades. The main thing though as mentioned is mechanics. They ramp up the difficulty of the mechanics as you progress in Maelstrom. Rounds 1-4 are pretty easy. Round 5 will be the first time you start to regret the attempt. Mechanics + RNG is the hard part of rounds 6 and 7 (you'll get it when you get there). Round 8 is pretty easy imo and a nice breather before round 9. Round 9 will likely haunt you for awhile. A lot of newbies to vMA get to the final boss and stay there for dozens sometimes hundreds of attempts.

Get on YouTube or peruse the forums for tips on each round and study the mechanics. Then take it slow, if you find yourself getting frustrated take a break. Res at wayshrine when you die to start off or you'll waste hundreds of soul gems. Finally, find comfort in the fact that if you complete it once the next run will be significantly easier.

I have a question for you:

What makes VMA so hard? I was able to clear the first 3 stages easily on my first try I just killed everything really fast. My first death I stopped but I'll continue another day because I HEAR it's really hard content.
Oh yeah and just hold my beer and lemme make a topic on the forums titled "What makes VMA so Hard" because TBH I really don't see it, i breezed through the first three stages ez pz.

LOL as if that isn't guy isn't some humblebragging pos, learn some reading comprehension dude.

No, not bragging at all. I was just kind of curious. Honestly it would be stupid to brag about getting to the 3rd stage. I mean... assuming that the first 2 are the easiest. I was just curious because I see a lot of different things and this post proves that. I haven't "dived" into it so I asked some thoughts. So maybe you need the reading comprehension checked? Idk man, relax.

Azyle1

seedubsrun wrote: »

Alite wrote: »

Look at me guys I can clear the first 3 stages ez, this *** is nothing. Why don't you actually clear it before talking *** OP?

Seems a little aggressive really. OP was genuinely asking a question not gloating about progress.

To OP, several things can make it hard. Your class and build for one. Usually ranged magic toons have it the easiest so magsorc/magblades. The main thing though as mentioned is mechanics. They ramp up the difficulty of the mechanics as you progress in Maelstrom. Rounds 1-4 are pretty easy. Round 5 will be the first time you start to regret the attempt. Mechanics + RNG is the hard part of rounds 6 and 7 (you'll get it when you get there). Round 8 is pretty easy imo and a nice breather before round 9. Round 9 will likely haunt you for awhile. A lot of newbies to vMA get to the final boss and stay there for dozens sometimes hundreds of attempts.

Get on YouTube or peruse the forums for tips on each round and study the mechanics. Then take it slow, if you find yourself getting frustrated take a break. Res at wayshrine when you die to start off or you'll waste hundreds of soul gems. Finally, find comfort in the fact that if you complete it once the next run will be significantly easier.

Thanks. I'll do this. Excited to really put effort in there. I'll read some guides and see if my build needs any tweaking before I really jump in. Thanks to you and (mostly) everyone else for their input.

Tornaad

There are different tricks to many of the levels.
My rules for the Maelstrom Arena
1. If a creature is not running towards you or trying to attack you directly, kill it first. It's probably trying to set up something that will kill you later.
2. Watch for changes in the environment. It means something. And not paying attention to it will probably kill you later.
3. Every level has an obvious theme that matters and you understanding how that theme is applied and can affect you will determine whether you succeed or fail in a certain level.

Wrecking_Blow_Spam

VMAs difficulty is vastly overrated, I feel like the people who say it's to hard are the scrubs who get carried through trails and 4 man content.

Knowledge of gear/build, mechanics, trail and error and you can do it without much pain.

xdbl0ckx

It's hard because its unforgiving. You mess up, you die. Once you know what your doing on each round, its not so bad.

Darkdex

It's hard because it painfully teaches you to be a better player...

It teaches you the limits of your class.
It teaches you to break your tunnel vision.
It teaches you to prioritize actions.
It teaches you to manage frustration.
It teaches you to figure out how to deal with unexpected situations by yourself.
It teaches you to make adjustments on your playstyle on-the-fly.
It teaches you stay out of red.
It teaches you to memorize things.
It teaches you to do the right things even if you are tilted (rezzing in wayshrine, so you can calm a little bit).

It teaches you all of this, at the same time, with a bunch of RNG to spice the experience, and in the worst way possible.

Once you cleared it, you will become a competent player.