VMA Makes no Sense, and Here's Why

Defilted

OP you just need to practice more. That is all you need to complete it. I died well over 100 times before completing it the first time. With a necropotence pet sorc. If I can do it, anyone can do it.

I remember weeks of grinding and dying before completing it. I got stuck on Stage 5, 7, and 9. Out of the three I was stuck on 9 was the easiest.

Stage 7 which I believe is the poison stage is terrible becasue of the random mushrooms, but it can be done.
Stage 5, Ice giant is not a DPS race, but a race to get her to a specific health % on each ice float. I found if I went to fast she killed me
Stage 9 , is just getting the trash mechanics down. The boss is easy.

Also I think VMA is one of the most challenging content in the game and we need more content that is hard to complete like this.

Joy_Division

You're not forced to do vMA. All a Maelstrom staff will do is add like 2-3K DPS to people doing 40+. That's a drop in the bucket. If you can't beat vMA, then you are not competitively finishing content where that extra 2-3K DPS will matter.

You're not doing all three roles by yourself. Nothing needs to be taunted, positioned correctly, no allies to buff/heal, you are basically just a DPS who has to block and self heal occasionally - just like DPS have to do when part of a team (well, magicka DPS typically just shield but your a pet sorc and that's all you need to do in vMA). It's actually not at all different from solo questing, where you have to rely on yourself.

Anybody who has done vMA, even the pros, has wanted to throw their computer out the window. The vast majority of this game is brain-dead easy, such that I can have 3 monitors rolling and Netflix in the background and still complete content without much difficulty. It's fine for the devs to come out with one piece of content where the game actually pushes back. It's is what it is and it's fine. Nobody is "forced" to do it at all.

jaws343

Merlin13KAGL wrote: »

hamsterontherocksb16_ESO wrote: »

To put it simple:
You only need BiS if you want to do endgame (vet trial an above). If you want to do vet trials you should be able to complete vMA. If you can´t even beat vMA you will not pull your weight in vet trials.

I don't necessarily agree with this.

Will vMA improve your skills and make you a better player? Yes.

Will not having completed vMA automatically make a you a liability in vet trials? Not so much, especially since the builds and methods are completely different for both sets of content.

I have found, more often than not, that a player who hasn't completed VMA tends to die in trials/dungeons far more often than a player who has. There is something about the punishing nature of VMA that teaches players how to survive that is invaluable. It teaches you to focus mechanics rather than sit and dps race like you do on a target skeleton. Interestingly, the two newest trials, and even the Dragon Bones dungeons are all leaning into the mechanics driven nature of VMA.

Giraffon

I'm with OP. From a design standpoint, it doesn't make sense to have some of the best gear locked behind solo content. However, I have much respect to anyone sporting a VMA achievement and I wouldn't want anyone's work from the past to be cheapened. So it is what it is at this point.

When they made 2H weapons count as 2 items (allowing for a second 5 piece set) that pretty much took my mind off of it. With Jewelry Crafting, Transmute abilities, and 2H weapons counting as 2 items, anyone should be able to accomplish a pretty solid build without doing VMA.

Do I still lust for VMA achievements? You bet I do. I'm leveling a mag-sorc right now and he's gonna' do it. Thanks to the above and CP power creep, it's only a matter of time!

Asardes

I really see no problem with solo content, and I don't see why everything should have "roles", considering that even in 4 man content healer is not needed, and some of it has become so easy due to CP & gear sets power creep that you can beat them with 4 DDs, duo or even solo them. In fact even in harder PvE group content players have to be situationally aware (healer's can't mend that one shot hit), manage resources - some of the newer trials have resource drains, snares, stuns, just like vMA - and keep self heals up in order to complete them successfully (also they have heal debuffs and/or the healers keeping 3-4 hots are barely adequate, even if they do have tanks and healers. And in PvP even more so. vMA is a relatively easy piece of content, considering how many of the challenging mechanics can be burned trough if you have 30K+ DPS, and if you have far less and do them, the mechanics are simple, compared to the content I was hinting it before. The real value in vMA is that it teaches that stuff that you need to progress further in PvE and PvP. In fact I've talked to plenty of PvP people who had no trouble clearing vMA using their PvP gear, because they had good reflexes and situational awareness and had learned to manage resources already.

As for "must have" gear gated behind solo and "impossible" content, if someone can't clear vMA that gear probably won't make any difference even if they had them, with the perfect traits, and upgraded to legendary. For example vMA Bow and Destruction Staff add ~2.5-3K DPS. If someone can't clear vMA, even doing the mechanics, he must be doing 15K DPS at most - vMA was cleared with 20K when it was released 3 years ago since people had 2-300 CP, there were no strong sets. If the DPS is so low, it means he doesn't weave properly, and can't keep DoTs up. Both weapons apply DoTs and their performance is heavily dependent on weaving: Bow has to have 3+ stacks of Hawk Eye to perform, and Destruction Staff blockade boosts damage from light and heavy attacks. Other than that, all other weapons are basically useless for PvE, and most of them for PvP too. Dropping the stats bonus from them, coupled with the latter change that makes 2H weapons count as 2 pieces has made 2H, which is clearly a PvP weapon, useless for PvP, since the special effect is so weak that the DoT can't even beat a non-boosted health recovery of a heavy armor character. If you play healer or tank, there's nothing you would want from vMA anyway. The restoration staff is quite good in PvP though, since you can get great sustain from appying mutagen to lots of people in the group and have that 800 magicka back every 4s like clockwork (basically 400 recovery).

I agree that after a long time farming it to get what you need, it tends to become tedious and boring, but so does group content, in fact some of the dungeons and trials in this game have come to bore me way more than vMA ever did, and that's why I'm on a break from PvE for a few months.

coplannb16_ESO

in my book all endgame gear should be available in the same manner via every endgame activities:

complete a vet Trial: get one reward token
complete vMA: get one reward token
get rank 3 (mabye add a higher tier) PvP Campaign rewards: get one reward token
complete 10 (or whatever) master crafting writs: get one reward token
complete vDSA: get one reward token
got a leaderbord reward: add another reward token (maybe even two)

then have a merchant where you can buy any MA/Master weapon and buy any trial/dsa/vma/pvp equipment

less grind, no weapon locked behind content you cannot or do not want to run (e.g. pvp crowd versus pve crowd versus solo crowd). still endgame items not granted for free...

afterall its only pixels, and pixels shouldnt determine our toons performance. our skill should.

my 2 cents

or, they could remove all sets from the game. (I remember the game still without them, also with hard stat caps and zero class stamina skills. was more balanced back then, and more fun/skill based).

edit:
I went through vma once this weekend with my mag DK. didnt run it in ages. had more sustain issues this time even with witch mother brew and the new combustion passive, weird... btw. Siroria is utter crap for anything but hitting a dummy, lol.
but anyway, had 2 lighting staffs in my final chest.

edit2:
and the vMA weapons except destro/resto/bow are total garbage, they really need to upgrade them.

Danksta

Daedric_NB_187 wrote: »

VMA is a 4 man vet hm dungeon that the devs forgot to allow the other three group members into. That is my take on it.

That would be by far the easiest dungeon in the game. You'd just bring 4 DPS in and nuke every boss in 10 seconds.

CompM4s

There is not much of a difference between builds that run Vma and dungeons. Dps with self sustain/ survivability. Maybe a little difference from a vet trial where you "might" sacrifice some survivability since you have multiple healers.

Cously

I dislike VMA because it is solo content in a MMO. Great weapons are locked behind RNG, even if you are the best player in the history of ESO you might never get the weapon you want, screw you. Also it's prohibitive to complete for people with high latency since one mistake is goodbye, granted that is a personal problem.

That said, I think is great training and helps people a lot. Awareness of their surroundings, performing multiple roles, attention, etc. If anything we should have more of those arenas, could be focused for healers and tanks. That kind of "school" boost the skills of players so they can engage in tough group content much better than start on group content pure. Also is nice that is individual so you can train anytime, at your own pace and by yourself. DPS dummies are great to test numbers but the real situation in a trial involves a *** of mechanics that should also be mastered.

Throw in the right kind of rewards to attract people outside the niche. You would be amazed what people would do for a cosmetic or monetary reward.

Crafts_Many_Boxes

So most of what I'm seeing is a circle-something about how VMA is the "pinnacle of PVE content" and "the only difficult thing left in the game", and my favorite argument, "if you aren't good enough to complete it, you don't deserve that extra dps".

Perhaps, and please try to follow my reasoning here, perhaps players still want to progress, even if they can theoretically clear all content in the game? Sure my 25-30k can clear all content with the right group, but should I just be satisfied with that? Go play in the kiddie corner and dream about that VMA staff that I can't obtain because I didn't "git gud" enough? This isn't Dark Souls, it's an MMO. They're different games. Why am I playing Dark souls to perform better in group content? I've played Dark Souls, and I find it easier than VMA.

To reiterate my point from the initial post, why are some of the best weapons in this MMO locked behind solo content?Nobody has offered an adequate explanation for this, I just keep hearing excuses about how it's a "great test" and that I shouldn't be allowed to do veteran content without clearing it.

Is it really a great test? In other content, am I constantly running around like a chicken with my head cut off, using a heal or a shield on every third ability, and trying to figure out when to get in melee range and when to run away, while keeping in mind that certain mechanics are just oneshots if you don't run in to bash? But like, for the entire duration of the encounter? Does that sound like ANYONE'S role in a normal trial or dungeon? It is so incredibly stressful and hectic that I guarantee you, if PvE in general were like VMA, 98% of the max-level playerbase would just quit outright.

But I guess I shouldn't worry? I'll just memorize the spawns in a few hundred hours and that'll somehow make it less of a nightmare? That's only the length of a few normal games, seems totally reasonable. That's sarcasm by the way.

Ratzkifal

Since we are ranting about vMA, I am pretty bummed out that I endured this unfun experience and I get two two-handed swords at the end. Yeah, I got one of the weapons I wanted. But I don't need another. Certainly not another sword (axe would have been cool). I guess I shouldn't complain about free stuff since the event is making this a lot more "worth it" than usual and I knew it involved RNG, but three hours for a dublicate sucks. And the worst part is, the more often I complete it, the more likely I am to get dublicates. GRRRRRRRR!

Sovjet

So because you fail at it, vMA is mehh. Oke noted

Uviryth

WoW has/had a Solo-Challengemode too. And it only rewards Cosmetics, like it should be.

Darkdex

Crafts_Many_Boxes wrote: »

So most of what I'm seeing is a circle-something about how VMA is the "pinnacle of PVE content" and "the only difficult thing left in the game", and my favorite argument, "if you aren't good enough to complete it, you don't deserve that extra dps".

Perhaps, and please try to follow my reasoning here, perhaps players still want to progress, even if they can theoretically clear all content in the game? Sure my 25-30k can clear all content with the right group, but should I just be satisfied with that? Go play in the kiddie corner and dream about that VMA staff that I can't obtain because I didn't "git gud" enough? This isn't Dark Souls, it's an MMO. They're different games. Why am I playing Dark souls to perform better in group content? I've played Dark Souls, and I find it easier than VMA.

To reiterate my point from the initial post, why are some of the best weapons in this MMO locked behind solo content?Nobody has offered an adequate explanation for this, I just keep hearing excuses about how it's a "great test" and that I shouldn't be allowed to do veteran content without clearing it.

Is it really a great test? In other content, am I constantly running around like a chicken with my head cut off, using a heal or a shield on every third ability, and trying to figure out when to get in melee range and when to run away, while keeping in mind that certain mechanics are just oneshots if you don't run in to bash? But like, for the entire duration of the encounter? Does that sound like ANYONE'S role in a normal trial or dungeon? It is so incredibly stressful and hectic that I guarantee you, if PvE in general were like VMA, 98% of the max-level playerbase would just quit outright.

But I guess I shouldn't worry? I'll just memorize the spawns in a few hundred hours and that'll somehow make it less of a nightmare? That's only the length of a few normal games, seems totally reasonable. That's sarcasm by the way.

So, clearly you havent done the hardest DLC dungeons on veteran HM nor the DLC trials on vet (not even mention de HM versions). YES you NEED to be constantly moving, being aware of mechanics, healing or shielding yourself constanly while dancing around the battlefield, DPSing AND ALSO bashing, interrupting and rezzing people if someone else doesn't do the same in those instances.

And YES although vMA weapons are not needed for clearing the hardest content and the title "stormproof" is not strictly needed for someone to get you in a vet-trial progression guild, it is a lot better if you have completed it. Beating vMA teaches you A LOT and TRAINS you A LOT, so you are more prepared to face other challenging group content. vMA teaches you how to carry your own weight and not being a backpag for the rest of the group.

If you are not competent and resilient enough to clear vMA, you wont be it either for vMoL, vHoF, vAS, vCR, and even vSO HM, vAA HM and good PvP.

EDIT for spelling (english is not my 1st language).

SaKGEE

griffkhalifa

I've never completed vMA but I have no problem with keeping some of the best weapons in the game as rewards for it. It gives people a challenge. What's the alternative? Having an extremely challenging activity with no worthwhile rewards? Sounds fun.

jaws343

Darkdex wrote: »

Crafts_Many_Boxes wrote: »

So most of what I'm seeing is a circle-something about how VMA is the "pinnacle of PVE content" and "the only difficult thing left in the game", and my favorite argument, "if you aren't good enough to complete it, you don't deserve that extra dps".

Perhaps, and please try to follow my reasoning here, perhaps players still want to progress, even if they can theoretically clear all content in the game? Sure my 25-30k can clear all content with the right group, but should I just be satisfied with that? Go play in the kiddie corner and dream about that VMA staff that I can't obtain because I didn't "git gud" enough? This isn't Dark Souls, it's an MMO. They're different games. Why am I playing Dark souls to perform better in group content? I've played Dark Souls, and I find it easier than VMA.

To reiterate my point from the initial post, why are some of the best weapons in this MMO locked behind solo content?Nobody has offered an adequate explanation for this, I just keep hearing excuses about how it's a "great test" and that I shouldn't be allowed to do veteran content without clearing it.

Is it really a great test? In other content, am I constantly running around like a chicken with my head cut off, using a heal or a shield on every third ability, and trying to figure out when to get in melee range and when to run away, while keeping in mind that certain mechanics are just oneshots if you don't run in to bash? But like, for the entire duration of the encounter? Does that sound like ANYONE'S role in a normal trial or dungeon? It is so incredibly stressful and hectic that I guarantee you, if PvE in general were like VMA, 98% of the max-level playerbase would just quit outright.

But I guess I shouldn't worry? I'll just memorize the spawns in a few hundred hours and that'll somehow make it less of a nightmare? That's only the length of a few normal games, seems totally reasonable. That's sarcasm by the way.

So, clearly you havent done the hardest DLC dungeons on veteran HM nor the DLC trials on vet (not even mention de HM versions). YES you NEED to be constantly moving, being aware of mechanics, healing or shielding yourself constanly while dancing around the battlefield, DPSing AND ALSO bashing, interrupting and rezzing people if someone else doesn't do the same in those instances.

And YES although vMA weapons are not needed for clearing the hardest content and the title "stormproof" is not strictly needed for someone to get you in a vet-trial progression guild, it is a lot better if you have completed it. Beating vMA teaches you A LOT and TRAINS you A LOT, so you are more prepared to face other challenging group content. vMA teaches you how to carry your own weight and not being a backpag for the rest of the group.

If you are not competent and resilient enough to clear vMA, you wont be it either for vMoL, vHoF, vAS, vCR, and even vSO HM, vAA HM and good PvP.

EDIT for spelling (english is not my 1st language).

So much this. Vet Craglorn trials are a cakewalk in mechanics compared to VCR. You can be carried through a Craglorn vet trial with little effort. VCR requires each player to be accountable for themselves at times and there are many mechanics that a healer and stacking on the group is not going to be able to carry a player through.

Septimus_Magna

You dont have to be all roles, just a DD that can survive. Magicka DDs also use shields during group trails so that doesnt change, just one or two skills for healing and a bit more sustain.

Its all about mechanics tho, the dps checks hardly pose a challenge with 600CP but you need to understand what to do.

I do have the bragging rights of Flawless Conqueror but still not the desired vMA weapons for my main or first alt. The challenge is oke but the grind is too boring for my taste.

Styxiii

Maybe you just need to l2p bro

jypcy

Crafts_Many_Boxes wrote: »

Is it really a great test? In other content, am I constantly running around like a chicken with my head cut off, using a heal or a shield on every third ability, and trying to figure out when to get in melee range and when to run away, while keeping in mind that certain mechanics are just oneshots if you don't run in to bash? But like, for the entire duration of the encounter? Does that sound like ANYONE'S role in a normal trial or dungeon? It is so incredibly stressful and hectic that I guarantee you, if PvE in general were like VMA, 98% of the max-level playerbase would just quit outright.

Hi it’s vCR hm.

But in more seriousness, I think it’s key to note as others have that the dps increase from using vMA weapons is isn’t as significant as some people imagine it is. Especially with the 2-pc 2h weapon change with Summerset, some builds might even benefit more from simply using a set item on both bars (especially for players who, for example, don’t weave effectively or can’t maintain dot uptimes). So nobody should feel forced into doing vMA for the weapons.

Also, whoever said you don’t deserve the extra dps from the weapon if you can’t complete it mischaracterizes it, imo. It’s not that players don’t deserve it, it’s that it won’t matter all that much. The place where an extra ~2k dps matters is for players pushing scores and doing competitive pve. And to that playerbase, I think most people agree that vMA is actually really appealing because it’s definitely competitive pve.

TLDR: the rewards aren’t necessary for most group content. Really, the content is does matter for (score pushing) has a playerbase that ZOS can expect to enjoy a solo challenge. It’s not like you’re gated from doing group content until you’ve completed challenging solo content, although unfortunately there’s such a high emphasis on the destro and bow that these get conflated. I’ll grant it’s not necessary to put the weapons behind solo content, but I think it’s perfectly reasonable to, given the above model.

Also, there’s the argument that because it’s solo content, you can’t get carried if you want to be the best of the best. I don’t know how well that holds up, but it’s another I’ve heard regarding why powerful items are locked behind solo content.

DeadlyRecluse

OP's Initial argument: why are weapons used in group play locked behind solo content.
OP's true argument, revealed on page 3: why are weapons locked behind learning to play?

Violynne

I thought vMA was a group dungeon. Is there a difference between a trial and dungeon?

kylewwefan

Don’t think that just by getting a VMA Weapon, all of a sudden you’re gonna be great. I can’t stress how much of a better player it teaches you to be. Nuking down a dummy fast as you can really doesn’t help make you a better player. It’s not content.

Learning to survive, and kill things before they kill you, shield, block, heal, through unavoidable damage etc. that stuff helps. Avoid one shots, sustain, use heavy attacks when you can and it’s safe. You don’t learn this stuff on the dummy.

When you beat it. And go back through again. A few times. It gets easier, because you have become better. You know where stuff is, how to deal with it. All PvE content is like this. It’s all choreographed with slight RNG stuff thrown in every here and there.

The VMA pros, know where and when stuff is gonna spawn and how to neutralize it quick. You see them firing at stuff that hasn’t even appeared yet.

VMA Weapon might help you nuke a dummy down 5 seconds faster, but they’re not gonna make you a better player.

Congratulations on getting to the 7th round boss! Btw

Now learn the mechanics. DPS Boss. Kill one of the minders. Hide in the bubble during scream and kill that minder at end of scream. At this time a poison caller should be about ready to spawn. Kill it. DPS Boss. Minders come out. Kill one. The boss screams. Hide in the bubble, DPS the boss. Kill the minder. Poison caller is spawning. You know what to do.

See. You learn priority targets. When’s a good time to drop ultimates. Heavy attack in the bubble to recover resource. Priority target. Mechanics. Once you get it, becomes easier.

You realize when you make a mistake. How to recover from it. Think on the fly.

Also, it teaches you about your character. The toon you’re playing on. Without knowing how to VMA, you’re (and me) probably not as good as you think you are. I know I struggle on magic toons. I don’t know them as well as Stam toons. That’s just me. Everyone else seems to think magic toons are the best.

Beruge

First time i did it(magplar) i used 8 hours on the last boss alone. When i finished it, i started it again straight after and finished it all in 1hr 40min. Then faster and faster. I learned it because it was 2x drop. Later i did it on a pet sorc and it was easy - because i already knew the mechanics. The one thing you need to have to finish maelstrom the first time is patience.

LadyNalcarya

Crafts_Many_Boxes wrote: »

So, with the Orsinium event in full swing, I thought I'd take another stab at actually completing VMA. 680 Magsorc, running a pet build because that seems the best suited for it. After a grueling 5 hours getting to the round 7 boss, I gave up. Here are my thoughts on VMA, and why it makes no sense from a design standpoint.

VMA is a solo trial. That's cool, I guess. Certainly different. But there aren't NPC tanks or NPC healers, you need to essentially do all 3 roles yourself. Okay...that's certainly different. But still cool, right? ....Right?

I guess the main disconnect, for me, is that your reward for completing this "look mom, I can be all 3 roles at once!" lesson in masochism is a weapon that is BiS or nearly BiS....for PvE. In case it needs to be said here, PvE in this game is, in every other instance team based. So what we've got here is arguably the best weapons in the game, for this team-based game.....locked behind a solo trial, in which you need to act unlike you do in the other 99% of all content.

Sure, other MMOs have solo instances / trials / etc like VMA, but you know what they're smart enough not to do? Gate the best equipment behind these solo events. The reason the trinity is such a popular concept in MMOs is because people like to specialize. This is literally seen in all corners of the real world, where specialization has launched us into the modern era. Most people don't hunt or grow their own food anymore, nor do they make their own clothes or tools. This is because we found specialization to be far more efficient. The trinity of tank, dps, and heals reflects this principle nicely. I'd argue support should be added, but that's not really part of this argument.

And sure, VMA is hard. You need to be skilled to complete VMA, of that there is no doubt. But the whole point of group content is so that you don't need to be this "jack of all trades" that VMA forces you to be. The very idea of VMA is in direct opposition to the entire endgame. So why is some of the best gear found there? That's like winning top-of-the-line football cleats....for winning a bowling tournament. Sure, it's an achievement, but why not get a bowling trophy?

What I'm trying to say is that VMA should award bragging rights, and nothing else. Maybe some skins, maybe a cool daedric mount or some other cosmetic. Not gear, and certainly not gear that helps you maximize your dps in group content.

And to anyone who's about to retort with "your'e just salty you can't complete it", yeah I'm salty. I'm salty that I'm forced to do this nonsensical, unrelated content to push my dps in the content I actually enjoy and excel at. I do 25-30k dps with most of my toons, I can heal vet dungeons, and I can even tank. I just can't do all 3, my brain doesn't work that way. I wanted to throw my computer out the window so many times today, it just isn't fun. I'm arguing that I shouldn't be punished for that, nobody should.

I personally think that vMA is boring, but it's been nerfed into Oblivion compared to when it was first released. At that point, 25-30k used to be pretty awesome, the best gear setup used to be 5 Julianos+3 willpower and Kena's monster set or 2 Torug's and champion points were capped at 500. Stuff like destro ults didnt exist, and light armor ward only blocked magic damage.
An on top of that, vMA weapons only dropped in every 3th-5th clear and you couldnt change their traits.
In the current patch dps is 2 times higher than it used to be in Orsinium patch, you have access to much better gear and you can even save your progress (it wasnt possible before, you had to do it in one go).

And no, you don't have to be a jack of all trades to clear it. These days all new content requires you to use some sort of self-heals or shields as a dd. In vMA, you dont need to taunt anything and you have no teammates to heal so you're not playing 3 roles at the same time.
25-30k dps is more than enough to clear vMA, and if you dont have capped cp yet, dont worry, vMA is actually designed for cp300 characters.

Check this guide, (it's very helpful!) and keep practicing. It'll become easy very soon.

Sergykid

i finished it on my 15k dps stamplar tank dps hybrid build

as magsorc is ez, just slot one absorb shield and the rest u can be dps abilities

greenmachine

I see OP's argument, VMA is uncharacteristic of the rest of the game, yet holds some of the BiS gear. I don't disagree with that statement and I see why that's counter-intuitive.

But here's the way I see it. VMA is hard. Yes, you can cheese it with some builds, and some classes have it easier than others, and of course, you will always have super twitchy, l33t pros who dominate everything with ease. But the point of VMA is to break you down, make you rethink how your class works, make you use skills you ordinarily wouldn't use. VMA forces you to examine your weaknesses and adapt.

code65536

I've been dabbling in PvP a bit lately.

I'll often run into an enemy player who treats me like I was a target dummy. They'll attack me and just hope that I die before they die. They don't try to mitigate (or "tank") the damage that I do by dodging, blocking, or shielding. They don't heal themselves to undo the damage that I do. They are just standing there, DPSing me as they would a target dummy.

Needless to say, killing these kinds of players is like shooting fish in a barrel.

vMA makes you do all three roles? Pfft, any solo content makes you do all three roles. Dueling someone makes you do all three roles. There's a reason why vMA is popular among the PvP crowd.

vMA is just about luck? Pfft, the only luck would be if a poison plant spawns under your shield on stage 7. It sucks, yes, but happens infrequently. Maybe once every ten runs for me. I used to curse my bad luck when I was trying to clear it for the first time, but as it turned out, "luck" and "RNG" were really excuses that I had made up, as I curiously stopped getting "bad luck" once I had gotten more experienced at the arena.

vMA is just about memorization? Sure, if you want to be competitive, you'd plan things out in great detail: Drop trap on this portal, charge up a heavy attack for that portal in the other direction, etc. But you don't need any of that. I run vMA casually and infrequently, and I never bother memorizing spawns. I have a vague idea: e.g., I know a Crematorial Guard will spawn in the middle of a particular round, but I could never remember the exact moment or the exact portal it comes out of. Yes, memorization allows for optimizations that make things easier and make it possible to get competitive scores. But you can complete vMA just fine with little or no memorization. As long as you have good awareness and reaction, you don't need to memorize.

CultOfMMO

Crafts_Many_Boxes wrote: »

It is so incredibly stressful and hectic that I guarantee you, if PvE in general were like VMA, 98% of the max-level playerbase would just quit outright.

vMA should only be stressful if you're pushing for server top 10 score, otherwise it's an absolute breeze for anyone who cares to learn and use their brain even just for a little bit. ***'s 4 year old content it's nobody's fault but yours if you find it hard.

Crafts_Many_Boxes wrote: »

So what we've got here is arguably the best weapons in the game, for this team-based game.....locked behind a solo trial, in which you need to act unlike you do in the other 99% of all content.

Good news for you though vMA should be the last of your concerns for the time being. You're only pulling a mere 25-30k dps and that's so far from the current ceiling dps that no single item in the game can possibly make up that gap, so you're missing out on a lot more. If you think this solo content contains that one critical key ingredient for you to be successful in a coordinated raid grp then you're horribly wrong. I doubt your mindset will make you an useful player even if you have the absolute best gear given to you right from the get go. Do vMA to git gud, forget about the gear. BiS gear changes all the time, the skills will forever be useful.

Ragnarock41

Mattock_Romulus wrote: »

You're just salty you can't complete it.

Its kinda funny cause we've all been there at some point. Everybody complains about vMA till they learn how to git gud, then it becomes a walk in the park. Though vMA is MUUUUUUCH easier then what it used to be, new players thinking its a challange makes me laugh.