When was the last time you attempted Veteran Maelstrom Arena?

Marvinthebeast

It's been almost a month

Asardes wrote: »

Marvinthebeast wrote: »

Asardes wrote: »

Marvinthebeast wrote: »

Currently at stage 4. Is there any weapon trait for insta-killing dwemer machinery?

Change gear and it's doable quite easily. Templar was also one of the hardest for me. The gear I ended up using was actually not much different than my normal DD setup - each of my character has multiple setups, so the healer can become DD with just gear & mundus swap. One thing I learned early on it's that is a terrible idea to stay melee and heal with Puncturing Sweep, since it's like a catch 22: you get more damage, so you have to spam that harder, which in turn drains you magicka, so you need higher recovery, and then you sacrifice spell damage and so on and so forth. So I decided to go fully ranged, and use basically a DoT and HA rotation.

My gear setup is 1 Iceheart 5/4 Infallible Aether w Maelstrom back bar 5 Law of Julianos, Apprentice Mundus, maximum health + magicka food, full spell damage on glyphs; if you don't have Maelstrom yet you can go with Julianos staves and wear 2 IA armor and 3 jewels, or just 4 IA and go with a full monster set such as Skoria - almost every skill is a DoT. Stats are 17K health 10K stamina ~40K magicka 3.3K spell damage 61% spell critical, ~12K spell penetration (w. elemental drain); most mobs have lower than that so I melt them without even applying it. I found the most effective combo is double lightning staves, with infused trait, flame glyph front bar and berserker back bar. Next patch I will probably go with another monster piece, such as Kena shoulder, or even a full monster set since the IA staff will count as 2 pieces.

Skill setup is as follows:
Front Bar: Radiant Glory | Purifying Light | Elemental Drain | Harness Magicka | Inner Light || Empowering Sweep
Back Bar: Elemental Blockade | Blazing Spear | Ritual of Retribution | Vampire's Bane | Degeneration || Elemental Rage

Rotation is easy since it's all DoTs with heavy attacks, and entirely static:
Elemental Drain -> Purifying Light -> bar swap -> Degeneration -> LA -> Vampire's Bane -> LA -> Ritual of Retribution -> LA -> Blazing Spear -> LA -> Elemental Blockade -> bar swap -> Purifying Light -> HA -> HA [repeat] Radiant Glory instead of HA < 15% HP, reapply Elemental Drain in beween HAs every 2nd rotation. Note that this rotation can also heal and support in a group so I actually run this setup in dungeons more often as off-healer, than my full healer setups. In dungeons I replace HA with Crushing Shock if someone else is healing and draining, and for trials I also replace Degeneration from back bar with Inner Light since I'm running spell power potions and go with 2 Skoria and drop an IA piece. Ritual of Retribution is not that good either there so I run other skills such as Scalding Rune or Lightweight Trap.

I'm using 5 pcs Julianos, 4 pcs SPC, 2 pcs Mighty Chudan, destro sharpened, resto precise (Julianos)
Spell crit 40-57%, Apprentice mundus (spell damage).
Armor traits infused and divines, glyphs all magicka, jewelry 1 spell, 2 mag regen
20k health, 36k mag, 10k stam (gold food)

Skills: don't use Puncturing Sweep, all ranged
Front Bar: Luminous Shards | Purifying Light | Inner Light | Rapid Regeneration | Breath of Life || Remembrance
Back Bar: Reflective Light | Elemental Blockade | Destructive Clench | Harness Magicka | Elemental Drain || Elemental Rage

Rotation:
Elemental Drain -> Reflective light -> LA -> Elemental Blockade -> bar swap -> Luminous Shards -> LA -> Purifying Light -> bar swap -> Destructive Clench -> HA -> repeat. Elemental Drain every 2nd rotation.

Tried to use Molag Kena, but that 2 LA to proc it are time and rotation consuming.
Don't have Infallible Aether yet, it's a great set.
I will use your advice and change resto for double destro and also put spell damage on all jewelry.

Asardes

2-3 months

Marvinthebeast wrote: »

I'm using 5 pcs Julianos, 4 pcs SPC, 2 pcs Mighty Chudan, destro sharpened, resto precise (Julianos)
Spell crit 40-57%, Apprentice mundus (spell damage).
Armor traits infused and divines, glyphs all magicka, jewelry 1 spell, 2 mag regen
20k health, 36k mag, 10k stam (gold food)

Skills: don't use Puncturing Sweep, all ranged
Front Bar: Luminous Shards | Purifying Light | Inner Light | Rapid Regeneration | Breath of Life || Remembrance
Back Bar: Reflective Light | Elemental Blockade | Destructive Clench | Harness Magicka | Elemental Drain || Elemental Rage

Rotation:
Elemental Drain -> Reflective light -> LA -> Elemental Blockade -> bar swap -> Luminous Shards -> LA -> Purifying Light -> bar swap -> Destructive Clench -> HA -> repeat. Elemental Drain every 2nd rotation.

Tried to use Molag Kena, but that 2 LA to proc it are time and rotation consuming.
Don't have Infallible Aether yet, it's a great set.
I will use your advice and change resto for double destro and also put spell damage on all jewelry.

Don't use 2 piece Kena since the resource drain is not worth it so I was only using 1p for the spell damage bonus; you can pair 1 Kena or 1 Iceheart for separate 1p bonuses or even run 2 Slimercraw because you also get Minor Berserk on top of the spell critical bonus. Also you don't really need that many healing skills; I found that Purifying Light puddles, Ritual of Retribution, and Degeneration is more than enough to stay at full health most of the time. You don't really need gold food or spell power potions - I'm assuming you're using the latter since I don't see any skill buff there. If you don't have IA then Martial Knowledge or Willpower do make decent and pretty cheap substitutes; or you can simply stay with SPC, the only problem being that if you run recovery glyphs on jewels you're gimping your damage and healing by quite a lot. Chudan is pretty much overkill, since most of the damage you can just shield through, but you can keep using it until you manage to clear the arena.

Marvinthebeast

It's been almost a month

Asardes wrote: »

Marvinthebeast wrote: »

I'm using 5 pcs Julianos, 4 pcs SPC, 2 pcs Mighty Chudan, destro sharpened, resto precise (Julianos)
Spell crit 40-57%, Apprentice mundus (spell damage).
Armor traits infused and divines, glyphs all magicka, jewelry 1 spell, 2 mag regen
20k health, 36k mag, 10k stam (gold food)

Skills: don't use Puncturing Sweep, all ranged
Front Bar: Luminous Shards | Purifying Light | Inner Light | Rapid Regeneration | Breath of Life || Remembrance
Back Bar: Reflective Light | Elemental Blockade | Destructive Clench | Harness Magicka | Elemental Drain || Elemental Rage

Rotation:
Elemental Drain -> Reflective light -> LA -> Elemental Blockade -> bar swap -> Luminous Shards -> LA -> Purifying Light -> bar swap -> Destructive Clench -> HA -> repeat. Elemental Drain every 2nd rotation.

Tried to use Molag Kena, but that 2 LA to proc it are time and rotation consuming.
Don't have Infallible Aether yet, it's a great set.
I will use your advice and change resto for double destro and also put spell damage on all jewelry.

Don't use 2 piece Kena since the resource drain is not worth it so I was only using 1p for the spell damage bonus; you can pair 1 Kena or 1 Iceheart for separate 1p bonuses or even run 2 Slimercraw because you also get Minor Berserk on top of the spell critical bonus. Also you don't really need that many healing skills; I found that Purifying Light puddles, Ritual of Retribution, and Degeneration is more than enough to stay at full health most of the time. You don't really need gold food or spell power potions - I'm assuming you're using the latter since I don't see any skill buff there. If you don't have IA then Martial Knowledge or Willpower do make decent and pretty cheap substitutes; or you can simply stay with SPC, the only problem being that if you run recovery glyphs on jewels you're gimping your damage and healing by quite a lot. Chudan is pretty much overkill, since most of the damage you can just shield through, but you can keep using it until you manage to clear the arena.

Thanks, appreciate your advice very much. Now back to arena.

Tucker3711

Never

I am too terrified to try!

ragingruby1991

Farmed vMA for a sharpened lightning and inferno staff back when sharpened was the undisputed king.

After close to 75 attempts all I had to show for it was a nirnhoned inferno (now probably BiS if not close) and a charged lightning.

Luckily I kept every vMA weapon from all those attempts and with the transmute system I will never have to go back in.

Pajor

Never

I would like to try it, but I struggled a lot with the normal arena. I got traumatized by the regular arena even though I beat it, so definitely not ready for veteran

Well I suck in general and went in with just a bow and no healing abilities

C0L0SSUS

6 months +

Before the ‘cheese’

mr_wazzabi

I've tried it this week

Just ran it last night. I have all the weapons and can transmute, so now it's just to try to get Flawless title on my original toon, a stam nb.

I flawlessed on 3 toons already, but all magicka. Stam in vma is something else

ReachHalo

I've tried it this week

2nd completion yesterday. Can get to stage 9 super quick, then takes me about a month to kill stage 9 boss lol

inclinations

6 months +

I made it to stage 4, was stuck there until i quit. I want the vet achieves on my main but its just not working out.

ReachHalo

I've tried it this week

@LadyLethalla @DoTHurts
Im in Australia too. Its insane how unresponsive and laggy vMA can often be for us... dont know how many times i get snared by comets on last boss when way out of the circle, or a bar swap not working and i cast inner light instead of surge. Oh, and I'm on XBOX too so it's so clunky, like when it takes 6 months to pick up the defence sigil. It can be a very frustrating experience... and i die way too much

Still... regardless... it is doable... I've completed it twice and i will keep coming back...i avoided vMA for so long, and now love it (and hate it sometimes lol- that final boss and them damn crystals make me so mad!!!)

Feanor

2-3 months

I still want to get Flawless Conqueror. PvP usually draws me away though.

AndyMac

Other

I should have chosen the first option

I ran it twice this week - I got an infused lightning on the second clear. I think the game is telling me to roll a sorc.

LadyLethalla

It's been almost a month

@ReachHalo I've done 6 clears now but as mentioned I have to start it fairly early in the morning. I'll probably be dragging myself back in tomorrow... what gets me killed more often than anything else is the reaction times - get stunned by a comet, spam break free but nothing happens for 2-3 seconds - so the second comet hits... and dead. Even trying to drop my AOE takes too long. Not to mention the sliding around when you get knocked back.

Flawless is definitely out of the question, probably even when I finally get NBN.

I'd be really interested to see how some of these "git gud" types would perform in there with that much lag.

DoTHurts

I've tried it this week

@ReachHalo I tried it again a couple of weekends ago and gave up again. It took me over an hour to get to the crystals phase and then just as you and @LadyLethalla describe, hit by comets when not in the circle etc. etc... The last time I died I looked at the ping counter which was 870! That's when I gave up. I actually don't have a lot of time at the moment, but think I will eventually get it but will need a solid 4-5 hrs to to grind it out. One day...

LadyLethalla

It's been almost a month

@DoTHurts I did it again on Saturday, starting about 3.30pm (Melbourne time). Took me about 2 hours 45 - got to the last round with a few Vitality bonus left (that's a first), but then must have died btw 40-50 times. Finally got it.

Tried it again the next morning and the contrast was enormous... best ever time of 1 hour 47min, and though I lost my first Vitality bonus to a blue screen, I think I finished it only 2-3 deaths over the 15.

So I would strongly suggest: start early morning, the earlier the better. Once you've cleared it, you go back in and do it again and again and you'll improve. (I never thought I'd even manage it once on my ADSL.)

And look - a month back, I could get to the Crystal phase maybe 1/10 tries. Now I can do it fairly consistently, lag permitting.
Keep trying and one day it'll click.

MarleyRain

I've tried it this week

Currently stuck on last round on two of my characters, a magplar and a magsorc. Going in right now to finish hopefully, had boss to execute phase twice last night and got killed by crematorium guard chasing me around. Sooo close. But geez I died so many times to get that far it's crazy. Haven't really had a problem with the rest of the arena, the last round is tough.

ResTandRespeC

I've tried it this week

I love the place, do it at least a few times a week for the gold mat from the weekly leaderboards

ReachHalo

I've tried it this week

@DoTHurts i know everyone will say it, and it is really of no comfort, but you WILL get there. If you can beat Stage 6 and 7, then you can do the entire Arena.
And then you will understand what we say when it becomes easier... my 3rd time, i beat it with my daughter throwing stuff round the room and bashing at the screen (great parenting, i know, and she's 1 by the way, not 15). But it was just so much easier, and i wasn't even concentrating that much...you just gotta get it the first time and you stop getting all nervous and twitchy on that last boss

@LadyLethalla they are awesome runs, my next goal is getting it in one run...just have to find the time to dedicate

LadyLethalla

It's been almost a month

@ReachHalo My new goal is finishing it with some Vitality bonus left. Flawless, I think, is completely out of the question.

Am currently trying it on a magblade... the difference in survivability btw her and my magsorc is considerable. Round 4 was a real challenge, and that's not even a difficult round lol.

Danksta

I've tried it this week

mr_wazzabi wrote: »

Just ran it last night. I have all the weapons and can transmute, so now it's just to try to get Flawless title on my original toon, a stam nb.

I flawlessed on 3 toons already, but all magicka. Stam in vma is something else

I'm the opposite. I'm sure I could fairly easily get flawless on any stam toon but struggle with mag. I just ran it this weekend for the first time in a couple months, which was also the first time on my stamblade and scored higher than any run I've ever done on any mag toon.

mr_wazzabi

I've tried it this week

Danksta wrote: »

mr_wazzabi wrote: »

Just ran it last night. I have all the weapons and can transmute, so now it's just to try to get Flawless title on my original toon, a stam nb.

I flawlessed on 3 toons already, but all magicka. Stam in vma is something else

I'm the opposite. I'm sure I could fairly easily get flawless on any stam toon but struggle with mag. I just ran it this weekend for the first time in a couple months, which was also the first time on my stamblade and scored higher than any run I've ever done on any mag toon.

How? Stam is so squishy.

Mag has shields and heal on damage spammables like strife and puncturing sweep.

Danksta

I've tried it this week

mr_wazzabi wrote: »

Danksta wrote: »

mr_wazzabi wrote: »

Just ran it last night. I have all the weapons and can transmute, so now it's just to try to get Flawless title on my original toon, a stam nb.

I flawlessed on 3 toons already, but all magicka. Stam in vma is something else

I'm the opposite. I'm sure I could fairly easily get flawless on any stam toon but struggle with mag. I just ran it this weekend for the first time in a couple months, which was also the first time on my stamblade and scored higher than any run I've ever done on any mag toon.

How? Stam is so squishy.

Mag has shields and heal on damage spammables like strife and puncturing sweep.

I find stam to be more survivable tbh... idk why, I know it's not the way most people feel

mr_wazzabi

I've tried it this week

Danksta wrote: »

mr_wazzabi wrote: »

Danksta wrote: »

mr_wazzabi wrote: »

Just ran it last night. I have all the weapons and can transmute, so now it's just to try to get Flawless title on my original toon, a stam nb.

I flawlessed on 3 toons already, but all magicka. Stam in vma is something else

I'm the opposite. I'm sure I could fairly easily get flawless on any stam toon but struggle with mag. I just ran it this weekend for the first time in a couple months, which was also the first time on my stamblade and scored higher than any run I've ever done on any mag toon.

How? Stam is so squishy.

Mag has shields and heal on damage spammables like strife and puncturing sweep.

I find stam to be more survivable tbh... idk why, I know it's not the way most people feel

What's your build like? Is it the typical vo paired with tfs?

I'm guessing you dodge roll a lot. That's stam's version of shields lol.

Danksta

I've tried it this week

mr_wazzabi wrote: »

Danksta wrote: »

mr_wazzabi wrote: »

Danksta wrote: »

mr_wazzabi wrote: »

Just ran it last night. I have all the weapons and can transmute, so now it's just to try to get Flawless title on my original toon, a stam nb.

I flawlessed on 3 toons already, but all magicka. Stam in vma is something else

I'm the opposite. I'm sure I could fairly easily get flawless on any stam toon but struggle with mag. I just ran it this weekend for the first time in a couple months, which was also the first time on my stamblade and scored higher than any run I've ever done on any mag toon.

How? Stam is so squishy.

Mag has shields and heal on damage spammables like strife and puncturing sweep.

I find stam to be more survivable tbh... idk why, I know it's not the way most people feel

What's your build like? Is it the typical vo paired with tfs?

I'm guessing you dodge roll a lot. That's stam's version of shields lol.

I'm a noob so I prefer VO/NMG so I can have VO on both bars because I like the extra sustain I get from that setup vs VO/TFS. I try not to dodge roll too much but you can mitigate a lot of damage with a well-timed dodge roll, especially when you have a lot of ranged adds that spawn at once. Other than that just pop a vigor preemptively when you know you're going to take a bit of damage just like you probably would when using shields on mag.

kylewwefan

I've tried it this week

I am running Maelstrom fairly easily on my Stam guys now. Absolutely terrible on magic toons though.

greenmachine

I've tried it this week

Last night, probably spent 20 hours dying to the final boss over the last week. Crematorial Guards crushing me, guess I'd better drop vamp for it.

Lucky28

greenmachine wrote: »

Last night, probably spent 20 hours dying to the final boss over the last week. Crematorial Guards crushing me, guess I'd better drop vamp for it.

feed and reduce your vampirism to level 1. then you should be good.

bloodthirstyvampire

Other

I'm on frozen blood at the moment, I just Can't get past round 4 I'm a stamblade imperial

ReachHalo

I've tried it this week

@LadyLethalla so i finally got the time to dedicate to try to finish vMA in one go. Died only 9 times, mostly on Stage 6 with that stupid enraged spider. Score was 398 thousand... i think it was mostly cause i got interrupted halfway through. Guess my new goal is boosting my score. Won't be trying a new character there for a while... not good or game enough to do it without my huge ward lol

@DoTHurts if you still haven't got that complete, then take comfort in the fact that i am seriously quite a useless player, believe me... if i can be doing the above after 5 runs, then anyone who can mash buttons in a semi-organised rotation and stay out of red circles can do the same... just gotta relax with those crystals... i have only just learnt to do that