VMA Makes no Sense, and Here's Why

Kinnahz

vMA is definitely a learning curve once you get in there. But it helps you out in so many more ways a DPS then you realize until you've beaten it and gone on to doing other end game trials.

It teaches you to prioritize targets, be self aware of mechanics, how to do a good rotation and more... Its not just the weapon and the title at the end of it.

Sure, the points you raise about some BiS weapon being locked behind this content is annoying but i mean if you want the weapon, and you want to 'Git Gud' vMA is the perfect starting place..

Keep at it and eventually it'll be a breeze.

Crafts_Many_Boxes

ResTandRespeC wrote: »

Doctordarkspawn wrote: »

Alcast wrote: »

vMA is a patients game. vMA is very difficult if you are not that experienced with content like that. However, it is doable, you just need patience and maybe guidance and you will be able to do it. Originally, when Maelstrom came out, it used to be more than twice as difficult as it currently is. But due to Champion Points and overall damage increase we received it got tremendously easier.

I do have a lot of Maelstrom content on my website and youtube if you want to take a look.
Maelstrom Beginner Guides: https://alcasthq.com/eso-maelstrom-arena-introduction-pve/
Gameplay, full runs etc: https://alcasthq.com/maelstrom-arena-gameplay/

Nobody's arguing the difficulty. The OP is arguing whether or not that reward should be gated behind solo content as a status symbol, and it shouldn't. The fact that he put that last bit in the OP is because people were going to say it reguardless of his point, it's an easy way to devalue people who critisize the game or the difficult content in any capacity. It never should have been. Gear should have been restricted to team based activies, and VMA was made before the designers realized, that if they did this, instead of making the incentive cosmetics, they suddenly created an extremely elitist culture at endgame that suddenly made less people -want- to get that far.

There's a reason that new trials only have skins and cosmetics, as rewards, and that everything else can be farmed in normal. VMA is the last remnant of a failed design philosophy. And the only reason it hasn't been changed is because for some reason people keep lawding it as some beautifully designed content.

@Crafts_Many_Boxes I've been saying it for years. But no one is going to lisen to you. "Git gud" is an easy way to protect the 'difficult' content which is in vogue right now by denying there's anything wrong with it, and as far as this community is concerned, if you cannot self improve, you are not worth the air you breathe. I suggest you put your time into better games. Because this one is too mired trying to be everquest lite.

They added perfected gear to hard mode trials . Its even worse.

I am 100% okay with the perfected system though. It gives me something to work towards...in group content, where the gear for this group-based game belongs. And I even get normal, inferior versions of the gear while I'm working towards that goal. It's an infinitely better way of going about gear than VMA.

Inarre

Enslaved wrote: »

SilverWF wrote: »

Like how teens just can't look further than their own nose.

What if one have tank or healer only on his account? He is geared well and able to literally carry most hardest group content on his role.
What he would do in the vMA?
Right - nothing.

This is true, but on the other hand, what would one that has tank or healer only even seek in DD content with DD rewards such is vMA? No reward from this arena is nearly as good as other stuff such tank/healer would want anyways.

My healer runs vma staff...

In vma

ResTandRespeC

Crafts_Many_Boxes wrote: »

ResTandRespeC 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.

Most endgame pve IS just like vma. Both the newest trials (vcr/vas) require a incredible amount of situational awareness, self heals, and self sustain. In vcr you go to the shadow realm and take oblivion damage and have no healer. There's even crystals that have to be broken down by a time limit AND an explosion that has to avoided. It's almost identical to upstairs phase of the last boss in vma lol.

I mean, i've done the shadow realm part of CR on normal +3. It's not THAT bad. Most groups take a tank or healer down there anyway, so you aren't taking much damage and it's still much less to worry about than most parts of VMA IMO. I wouldn't compare it to the crystal phase of boss 9, at least for normal CR.

I'd say that the crematorial guards and that crystal phase were my biggest issues overall. Being able to get knocked off the platform so easily and getting stunlocked to death with no stamina to break out were the most frustrating aspects of the encounter. I'd get knocked down and have 2 or 3 aoes land on me then it was insta-dead.

Normal it just looks similar. On vet you take constant damage while down there and oblivion damage while holding the orbs. usually only have 1 other dps and a tank with you, and cant just take the explosion damage (its a 1 shot).

Both vcr and vas+2 require individuals to be able to play like 1 would in vma. Alot of movement and mechanics that can't just be tank and spanked or out healed like most of the trials before them.

boombazookajd

Mr_Walker wrote: »

You must be new to gaming forums. Everyone has 43/1 KDR (at a minimum), and can solo every piece of content on an hour old toon, naked with an iron sword, whilst blindfolded and having their appenidix removed.

Right!?

SickDuck

BiS weapons for endgame multiplayer pve content locked behind a solo arena, eh?

Like some of the most useful skills in pve locked behind pvp? Or some great skills for pvp require grinding stuff in pve? This is how the game designed to force player participate in every aspect of the game. Like it or not but it is a very conscious design decision.

Also, the only skill that you’ll learn excusively by doing vMA and not necessary from other content is patience. Competing vMA does not make you a better player in trials compared to spending the same time actually running and practicing those trials. As with all ESO content, majority of mastering it comes from practice and repetition. Running vMA 100 times will make you better at vCR+3. But running vCR+3 100 times will make you even better at it.

daemonor

dude VMA is likea riding a bycicle...if you've beaten it once its impossible to unlearn itĄ

My first try took about 9 total hours with a magblade (previously quiting at round 5 with stam dk) at around 300 cp. 9/4/2016 was the date i've beaten it. And thas the beauty of vma - there are either 10 hour or under 1.5 hour runs. After you beat it the first time the subsequent runs are gonna drop to hour and a half tops untill u keep runnin and git gud and get within the 50-60 minute mark.

You dont have to think about it, just play play play. Play untill you beat it. One mob at a time. one round at a time. one stage at a time. You will get there eventually, its impossible NOT to.

My first run was gruesome but I jumped back right away with and finished on my stam dk. Then as i leveled other chars my first quest after getting them to max lvl was to go and beat vma with them. The old alts i had that i didnt use...i tried getting them vigor/mages guild so i could beat vma with them...i just do it for fun with every class besides warden not even thinking about the rewards.

Finally got precise dagger + sharpened axe? NERFED
100 runs and no flame staff sharpened? Yep
Only got lucky with the sharpened bow, and now since the introduction of transmutation i finally remade my weekly gold decisive staff to INFUSED! Which was the only inferno staff ive ever got.
And now since I got it all there's no point in playing it anymore right...well no, for me personally it's the most fun content int he game and i still do it regulary 2-3 times a week while immediately vendoring any rewards i get...i just do it for fun and there are more people who run vma just for fun..cause it is FUN once......U GIT GUD

Troneon

Runefang wrote: »

Troneon wrote: »

Half the time VMA is pure luck of RNG / lag and not even challenging, just pattern repetition and luck with the right sets. Then they throw in some cheapy one shots, zos love their one shot "mechanics"...I would not even call them a mechanic, more like lazy way to attempt to make content "challenging"...

I ran it many times and completed it many times back when I was CP300-400. Not worth the effort, did not fund it fun at all. Some of the worst content I have played in any game. I may go for it again since event is one and now im max CP but honestly, I am in no rush...

It's not rng related at all. People who practice vma get extremely consistent results that proves otherwise.

Assuming there is no skill delays or lag or complete bug outs on animations where you get one shot by invisible delayed attacks....

Which is random as hell but happens most of the time, especially in the frozen rink...

Doctordarkspawn

ResTandRespeC wrote: »

Doctordarkspawn wrote: »

Alcast wrote: »

vMA is a patients game. vMA is very difficult if you are not that experienced with content like that. However, it is doable, you just need patience and maybe guidance and you will be able to do it. Originally, when Maelstrom came out, it used to be more than twice as difficult as it currently is. But due to Champion Points and overall damage increase we received it got tremendously easier.

I do have a lot of Maelstrom content on my website and youtube if you want to take a look.
Maelstrom Beginner Guides: https://alcasthq.com/eso-maelstrom-arena-introduction-pve/
Gameplay, full runs etc: https://alcasthq.com/maelstrom-arena-gameplay/

Nobody's arguing the difficulty. The OP is arguing whether or not that reward should be gated behind solo content as a status symbol, and it shouldn't. The fact that he put that last bit in the OP is because people were going to say it reguardless of his point, it's an easy way to devalue people who critisize the game or the difficult content in any capacity. It never should have been. Gear should have been restricted to team based activies, and VMA was made before the designers realized, that if they did this, instead of making the incentive cosmetics, they suddenly created an extremely elitist culture at endgame that suddenly made less people -want- to get that far.

There's a reason that new trials only have skins and cosmetics, as rewards, and that everything else can be farmed in normal. VMA is the last remnant of a failed design philosophy. And the only reason it hasn't been changed is because for some reason people keep lawding it as some beautifully designed content.

@Crafts_Many_Boxes I've been saying it for years. But no one is going to lisen to you. "Git gud" is an easy way to protect the 'difficult' content which is in vogue right now by denying there's anything wrong with it, and as far as this community is concerned, if you cannot self improve, you are not worth the air you breathe. I suggest you put your time into better games. Because this one is too mired trying to be everquest lite.

They added perfected gear to hard mode trials . Its even worse.

The perfected system is honestly...well, perfect. Those who just want the weapons can run normal or vet, those who dont, run vet hardmode and go for progression. It caters to everyone.

I'm fine with that. In group content. But the point is VMA just shouldn't have these weapons.

Doctordarkspawn

Crafts_Many_Boxes wrote: »

Well, I did it. I'd estimate it was about 12 hours total starting from Sunday.

I beat 7 shortly after I wrote this, 8 I think I beat in 3 tries, and then 9 I got to the boss after 20 minutes...then spun out completely. I'd say I spent another 5 hours just trying to beat that boss. The crematorial guards were the worst, once I figured them out it got better. I use "figure out" loosely, because really it was just a matter of stacking more health and using more ground aoe and trying to shield through it.

My final setup:

Shield, blockade, liquid lightning, matriarch, scamp, destro ulti on bar 1

LA shield, surge, liquid lightning, matriarch, scamp, destro ulti on bar 2

95% on the first bar, dropping AoE and heavy attacking. Trying to remember to keep surge up while doing everything else sucked, i had maybe 40% uptime but I guess it helped.

My gear I tweaked throughout my maddening, 5 hour war of attrition against this boss.

My final setup was: 5 pcs necro, 5 pcs mother's sorrow, 2 pc grothdar for extra aoe to help with crematorium guards, etc.

I also changed food from witchmother's to salmon milet soup. Sustain got difficult at times with 2 aoes and no regen (even with heavy attacks), but I made 150 tri-stat pots so it's whatever. That 2k health makes more of a difference than I would have imagined.

All in all, I just kept making changes until something worked. I altered my entire build and CP points to be heavy-attack centric then changed most of my gear to boot. I'm now totally VMA optimized, guess I'll try and beat it a few more times before sunday, then never touch this nightmare again. Sigh.

Going back to why I created this thread though, I think my point stands about this trial not really being an accurate representation of endgame for a particular role. People are saying this is actually easier than VCR or VAS from a dps perspective. I can't even imagine that, to be frank. I've only done the older trials on vet, as well as most of the dlc dungeons. I dunno, maybe I just suck at multi-tasking in the end, and that's what VMA is; trying to do 4-5 things at once and not die in the process. I don't really find it fun and I'd rather be with group-mates facing in regular ol' trial or dungeon, but most builds still demand this VMA-only gear so I guess I'll keep at it.

Firstly: I love how the OP has legitimately completed it and still stands by their own point. These weapons just shouldn't be in this mode.

Secondly: I love the fact they got a sharpened inferno staff first. I love this. I hope this ticks people off to no end, it just tickles me pink. That's some kind of justice.

YamiKuruku

I finished vMA yesterday after having a long, long break and being stuck in the last round. I always said its a dumb Arena, and personally i think the gab between the normal and vet is too steep but in the end and alot of skill swapping and testing i made it. And after that, i did another run and today i will try to do two new runs because of the event.

I think if you have enough willpower and endurance you can do that, it just takes a bit of time. Heck i even remember how i walked in there with my healer and cleared normal and was proud XDD NORMAL

And i am glad you finished the Arena, OP! That is awesome! Congratulations!
Personally i found pet sorc hard because i just don't like pets so i never made it past stage 2 with my pet sorc XDDD
The end boss is a real monster, so many mechanics at once... it can drive one crazy xwx

Saint_Bud

You just want the weapons, but cant complete it.

Merlin13KAGL

First off, gratz @Crafts_Many_Boxes . It won't get easier with each run, rather you'll get better with each run. It will seems easier as a result. (Nice first drop, too, btw).

Doctordarkspawn wrote: »

idk wrote: »

Crafts_Many_Boxes wrote: »

Oreyn_Bearclaw wrote: »

If you can't complete VMA, your DPS is probably not high enough to notice a difference with VMA(back bar only) weapons.

As to your trinity argument, yes VMA does require knowledge of mechanics, and the ability to take care of yourself, but it doesnt require the same skill set as a tank or healer. Nothing needs taunting, and nothing is a one-shot that isnt a very obvious mechanic. In other words, you dont have mechanics that a traditional tank would hold aggro and block. Your shield will absorb any damage source in the arena that isnt specifically designed to be a one-shot, but again, those mechanics are all stage specific and dont require a damage sponge. They require following the mechanic. Your pet sorc with surge has more than enough heals for the entire arena. If pressing a button every 30 seconds for heals is too much, well don't know what to tell you.

Any time you are solo, you are going to be the focus of all enemies in the area and will be the only one worrying about your health bar. It is unavoidable if designing a solo instance unless they actually programmed NPCs as companions.

As to whether it's appropriate to lock end game DPS weapons behind solo content, well, I get the argument, but see my first point.

My statement about the content being solo to get some of the best group gear remains though. And they totally could add NPC tanks / healers in, and mix and match depending on which role you have selected in group finder. Plenty of other games have created encounters like that, though I can't recall any in ESO offhand.

I am glad to see your tone has tempered.

Translation: "I'm glad the sheer amount of social pressure has forced you into a placating position".

Nobody seems to have an answer as to why some of the best gear for group content is in a single player arena though. And for as long as this thread has persisted, nobody has. Whatsoever. I'd love to hear a explination of how this is a good idea.

@Doctordarkspawn Perhaps provide the counter answer then? What is your absolute insistence on all decent rewards requiring group content? MMO != no solo aspects ever. Why can't there be some of each?

The weapons are nice. They add some DPS. They are not mandatory to clear any content, and certainly don't increase things to the level of a Siroria/Relequen, which is mandatory 12 man.

If these were absolutely game breaking weapons (which they weren't even when they still had the additional set bonuses), you'd have an argument here. Areas and methods to improve one's solo play can only benefit group play that much more.

Would you still continue to run certain trials or even 4-man if not for some of the alternate benefits? vMA applies the very same way.

Just because you don't like it or disagree does not make it a bad idea. Again, you're looking at the weapons as the primary motivating factor, when it's the skill improvement should be.

Nyladreas

Mattock_Romulus wrote: »

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

Best post on the entirety of the Internet.

Also... Magsorc

Try a flawless run on a stamblade.

Also... Why won't anyone ever think of vMA as sort of a training grounds place.

Proving anything to other players or stupid pointless bragging rights aside...

Why won't people just go in thinking, "if I beat this I have mastered the game and should be ready for any content." You're in there solo to make sure that YOU ARE GOOD. That NOBODY CARRIED you. You and you alone have the power to kick its ass. Prove it to YOURSELF.

This new generation of players who want to be spoonfed completely fail to realize their own biggest weakness - greed & entitlement. If only you opened your minds to self improvement more for the sole simple sake of getting good. Of achieving something instead of just getting instant rewards, gratification and acknowledgement. You could do so much more and that applies to real life as well. And no, I'm not trying to insult you, just think about it. Isn't the whole reason of you making this thread just you wishing you had other players to cover your butt?

Just man up, get in there, keep trying, keep going, until you make it. You'll notice if you go in the 2nd time how much of a breeze it will be. That's a far bigger reward than some stupid BiS piece of gear.

In all honesty, most of the DPS increase that you receive after getting your Bow/Staff actually comes from you becoming a better player, rather than the piece of the gear itself. Because you just got that much better.

And don't worry, i still get it, vMA can be very frustrating, we all went through it. What, you honestly think some people just walk in and do a flawless clear in 1 single attempt? Hell no.

I do flawless runs under an hour now and guess how many times have I died on my first clear? 100? 200? 300? 614 times. I will never forget the number.

BozzyTheDrummer

Yakidafi wrote: »

Wait, did you not say you are a pet sorc?

So you got hardened ward and surge, why are you complaining about having to be a healer and a tank?

Just keep practising and you will get it, if not then you don't need it.

Not to mention the heal from twilight matriarch

Dubhliam

Crafts_Many_Boxes wrote: »

... content I actually enjoy and excel at. I do 25-30k dps ...

Uhm... reality check much?

Kanar

Git gud.
If you can't complete vMA then you are objectively an inferior player to one who can complete vMA, for both solo and group PvE and also PvP. It's a training grounds that will improve you in all content.

Tipsy

It's insane on tank
made it to the boss of Seth's Flywheel though
Next stage impossible they told me with the giantess ..Since she will destroy the third island and you can never survive the 400k damage standing in the water ..
I suppose in Vma its expected to be the 3 roles all in one

luen79rwb17_ESO

Wow lol VMSA is the only true trial to prove your OWN worth and skill at this game.

It's not that you have to be 3 roles in one, it's about being self suficient, self aware and skillful.

In VMSA you have zero excuse that you can't complete content because your team is bad, or noob. It's all YOU.

This is an important reminder to people who complain about VMSA this and that... It's all YOU.

So I think it's a great adition to ESO and I think we should have more content like this.

Tipsy

Self Sufficient as a magdk tank is kind of a problem I don't agree that it's "all you" Some build choices are flawed atm and some rounds are clearly designed for dps . Like the giantess phase.

Agenericname

Tipsy wrote: »

Self Sufficient as a magdk tank is kind of a problem I don't agree that it's "all you" Some build choices are flawed atm and some rounds are clearly designed for dps . Like the giantess phase.

Some build choices are always flawed.

Stage 5 absolutely is about DPS, but not the way many think. It's about a controlled burn on one target and while systematically eliminating priority targets. If you get into a "must burn her!" mindset without knowing the arena it's going to cost you a soul gem.

Kingslayer513

Why dost thou summon this ancient thread

Dusk_Coven

VMA is end-game endless grinding. I think that was what Craglorn was designed to be before One Tamriel. The rest of Craglorn is like that -- tough group content to keep people playing the game with others.
A lot of builds don't even need vMA gear so for a lot of people there's no point in doing it at all.
For the time investment to do even one full run it's a garbage time sink. That's what a lot of end game we-don't-have-anything-else-for-you content is about.

luen79rwb17_ESO

Lol stage 5 is a wrong example for your statements, it's like the complete opposite of dps race in MSA. The faster you burn the more adds and preassure you'll get.

I understand that nowadays some very strong and skillful players can ignore this but that's not the concept of the stage at all. Using it as an example of DPS race is completely wrong.

idk

Doctordarkspawn wrote: »

idk wrote: »

Crafts_Many_Boxes wrote: »

Oreyn_Bearclaw wrote: »

If you can't complete VMA, your DPS is probably not high enough to notice a difference with VMA(back bar only) weapons.

As to your trinity argument, yes VMA does require knowledge of mechanics, and the ability to take care of yourself, but it doesnt require the same skill set as a tank or healer. Nothing needs taunting, and nothing is a one-shot that isnt a very obvious mechanic. In other words, you dont have mechanics that a traditional tank would hold aggro and block. Your shield will absorb any damage source in the arena that isnt specifically designed to be a one-shot, but again, those mechanics are all stage specific and dont require a damage sponge. They require following the mechanic. Your pet sorc with surge has more than enough heals for the entire arena. If pressing a button every 30 seconds for heals is too much, well don't know what to tell you.

Any time you are solo, you are going to be the focus of all enemies in the area and will be the only one worrying about your health bar. It is unavoidable if designing a solo instance unless they actually programmed NPCs as companions.

As to whether it's appropriate to lock end game DPS weapons behind solo content, well, I get the argument, but see my first point.

My statement about the content being solo to get some of the best group gear remains though. And they totally could add NPC tanks / healers in, and mix and match depending on which role you have selected in group finder. Plenty of other games have created encounters like that, though I can't recall any in ESO offhand.

I am glad to see your tone has tempered.

Translation: "I'm glad the sheer amount of social pressure has forced you into a placating position".

Nobody seems to have an answer as to why some of the best gear for group content is in a single player arena though. And for as long as this thread has persisted, nobody has. Whatsoever. I'd love to hear a explination of how this is a good idea.

It is pretty simple. It is by design by Zos that they chose to put special weapons into a specific category of content that does not fit into the standard trial design nor dungeons.

vDSA, vMA, vAS, and vBRP all fall into that group. It is really no different than the best PvE gear is locked behind more challenging PvE trial content. Just because someone is challenged with clearing vMA does not mean this is a bad design by Zos.

Edit: also, the weapons are not group gear. They are gear for an individual player to use. Master Architect is group gear as it provides a buff to others in the group. vMA weapons that we all desire buffs the individual dps only.

Corpier

Year old necro and my post from the first page is still true.

Corpier wrote: »

Git gud.

Everyone who has gotten their vMA weapons has struggled through for their first clear. It is a learning experience. Besides, chances are if you are not up to the task of vMA, you are not going to be doing hard enough content in game to actually NEED the weapons.

vMA is even easier now than it was a year ago. You don't need to perform all 3 roles to complete vMA. You need to be able to make things die and not die in self-sufficiency.

You can do this by killing everything before it kills you, or surviving while doing enough damage to make things die. How much sustain, survivability, and damage you bring is up to you. If something isn't working, then look at the mechanics that are resulting in death and ADAPT. Learn the mechanics, change where you stand, change your target priority, change your skills, change your gear and remember that no one is going to carry you through it.

kojou

There are tons of guides. It is hard the first few times, but eventually you get a feel for the flow of each of the fights and it gets easier.

Once it gets easier you wonder why you had a problem with it in the first place.

Don't give up. Just keep practicing (reading guides if necessary) and you will get it.

Tipsy

luen79rwb17_ESO wrote: »

Lol stage 5 is a wrong example for your statements, it's like the complete opposite of dps race in MSA. The faster you burn the more adds and preassure you'll get

The nereids spawning is related to one of the 3 islands breaking.
Still if you lack dps the giantess will destroy the last island and you won't be able to kill her before the 400K freeze hits you by standing in the water.So in a way it is a dps race

I was just wondering how other full melee range tanks fair in Vma,Kingslayer

Lisutaris

Mattock_Romulus wrote: »

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

sry but this.
VMA DOES NOT! force you to be a tank or healer instead of a dd.
It does however, force you to use dodgeroll (as stamina) or some sort of shielding/barrier using additional to stay out of the red circles and focus main targets.
Finished it back ~ CP 300 with a stamplar... it was hard as hell, unforgiving because one wrong vigor or dodgeroll could mess everything up. After some hours and heavy breathing I finished it and it felt rewarding .

Stop being salty, push over your "limits". If you ask me now, I would say VMA is about understanding your own character.
Why are you dying? What can be done to prevent that? and so on.....

Like you have already said, it is not about a grp, it is just about you. And you are the only one who can help yourself

Haquor

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.

A lack of a reward is not equal to being punished.

The game is giving you the potential to double your current dps without those weapons to be honest. You should stop chasing the BIS *** from youtube. It wont be as significant a boost for you as you think.

Sorry... but Youre just salty you cant complete it.

You spent 5 hours getting to stage 7... thats actually pretty dam good for a new guy. You gave up to easy. Honestly if you can deal with stage 5 you have what it takes. You spend a little more time in there and you will have it on farm.

You dont have to tank in Vma. You block dodge/shield some *** but its basically a dps instance where you need some situational awareness. And yes.... like most trials or other content in the game you need a self heal. But that doesnt mean you are a healer.

So a solo instance requiring individual skill with a heavy bias towards dps and you are rewarded with the current best dps weapons in game. Sounds legit.