Okay, I feel like a complete idiot.

ThePrinceOfBargains

I recently started getting into more difficult PVE content and decided to give vMA a try. I’ve never done the normal version, so it’s all new to me.

I’ve been trying for 3 days to beat this Seht’s flywheel giant dwarven spider thing. All this time I’ve been cursing at the game for being BS, and wondering how anyone can possibly beat this, let alone with the relative ease some of you guys have done it, and it turns out my dumb ass didn’t think to stand in the big, green, friendly-looking circle under the spider! I beat him in like 30 seconds after I finally figured it out, but that just made me feel like a bigger idiot for struggling against such a weak boss while playing a magsorc.

After this, I really hope there isn’t an upcoming mechanic that’s actually complicated, because there might just be no hope for me. How many more stages are there? Please let them all be secretly easy like this one...

Tryxus

How well can you handle RNG-based deaths?

Yolokin_Swagonborn

Tryxus wrote: »

How well can you handle RNG-based deaths?

And lag based deaths.
And "wait I had full shields and somehow died" based deaths.
And "oh look all my skills failed" based deaths.
Any "why wont my ultimate go off at low health" based deaths.

Leave it to ZOS to have lag in a single player experience.

VaranisArano

If you want a head start on knowing the mechanics and how to beat them I recommend Joy Division's guide to VMA: https://forums.elderscrollsonline.com/en/discussion/381682/joys-new-and-improved-guide-to-beating-maelstrom-arena

Yes, arenas 5-9 get worse.

Magdalina

Hahaha I know the feel, good job figuring it out yourself though I remember it didn't take me that long to gather but I also remember telling this to a friend who'd struggled there for like days. His response was something like "i'm an idiot pls kill me now"...mind you, he's since no death'd it on multiple characters, as well as consistently making top of leaderboards, which is much better than me lol.

Some of the mechanics are quite complicated. I only finished it relatively recently and I did figure them all by myself but it took forever. I wasted at least 3 hours on last boss just due to repeatedly missing one of the core mechanics. If you don't enjoy spending hours figuring something out like this I'd strongly advise looking mechanics up or you'll kill yourself and/or throw the computer out of the window before you finish it.

emily3989

Wait to stage 7, I don't think I died more than 5 times until Umbral, then it was infinite.

ArchMikem

Props at least for jumping straight into the deep end on your first visit to the pool.

GrigorijMalahevich

There are 9 levels total and 5th boss fight will be painful for you just remember it is not a DPS race like 4th boss, 6th level is easy if you remove “tunnel vision” and it will be very straightforward, 7th boss and the whole arena is sort of tough, but just pay attention what NPC tells you, 8th arena is easy, 9th arena is difficult only first time and remember to focus the dinosaurs, also bear in mind that using supression field silences the dinasour didn’t spoil it for you brother sorc.

P.S. respect! When we were completing vMA when it just arrived, we also had no guides and I myself had about 20 deaths on 4th boss till I figured out what to do...

Dapper Dinosaur

Definitely look up guides (or use the one posted earlier at least) to see what all of the mechanics are before you even bother trying to conquer them. However, ignore any guide you see from Deltias, he quit the game at some point and his guide for the argonian behemoth was bashing him to interrupt the roar, which enrages and empowers him for the rest of the round.

I still can't beat the final boss with either my magicka DK or magicka NB, and I hate myself for it. if you're struggling on the dwemer spider, be prepared to waste thousands of gold in repairs, hundreds of soul gems, and countless hours on the last arena alone.

No weapon is worth this pain.

KingYogi415

There is no hope, turn back while you still can...

Aliyavana

Round 7 will make you hate rng, round 9 will probably be the hardest for you the first time but is one of the easiest with multiple playthroughs

Milvan

Maelstrom is quite easy once you figure it out every fight. It takes like three or four completations before learning the most important aspects.