Best Maelstrom Arena guide out there to cram FAST

Minyassa

So it appears that I have a limited amount of time left before I really suck again and I'm going to have to throw myself at MA and vMA in an utter panic. Which of the guides is the most current and the best to get through the thing quickly? Or is that a fool's errand and there's no real way to get through it quickly?

Donny_Vito

Joys VMA guide. I think you can find it either here or in the Dungeons, Trials, Arenas category.


But to be honest, almost every guide is going to be somewhat lengthy if it's any good. Until you learn all the mechanics, it'll feel like a lot is being thrown at you which is why the good guides will have a lot of information in it (priority adds, spawn points, etc...)

El_Borracho

Enjoy the lag. Its exquisitely maddening.

Taleof2Cities

Both @Joy_Division's guide and @Alcast's online videos helped me back in the day ... with a few hints from fellow guildies whom had made it through.

Even though I did it first with a Pet Sorc (versus Alcast's video was with a Stamblade) it was still pretty helpful.

Good Luck!

susmitds

Solo play wise, we are only getting buffed though

SirAndy

susmitds wrote: »

Solo play wise, we are only getting buffed though

Please define "we" in that context ...

fred4

vMA doesn't just test your limits, it IMO also tests the limits of the combat engine. I've done it with a handful of different classes and builds. While knowledge of the mechanics helps, different builds can get stuck in different ways at different points of the arena. The problem with guides is that they may gloss over parts that the creator of the guide found easy, but that are difficult for you and your build. Even if you are running the same build, if your knowledge of spawn points and mechanics, or simply your DPS rotation, isn't up to the same standard, you will run into problems that the guide creator never had. Your solutions to the those problems may not be the same as theirs.

For example, in the very last round of the very last arena, I find being a single-target DOT based DK - not ground AOE based - really useful. The boss moves a lot. A DK is best placed to DOT him up and make inroads into his health while having time to deal with the adds inbetween the application of the DOTs. The worst case, in this fight, is a build that doesn't have enough DPS or is somehow not able to keep DPS on the boss and, therefore, gets bogged down by the adds without progressing the fight. However, that is not to say a DK shines in general.

At the extreme end you get people showcasing 610K+ runs on YouTube. Ignore those. You can learn nothing from them. They've got the mechanics internalised to the point where they can go in with complete glass cannons, do a perfect target-dummy-like rotation, and bypass huge chunks of the mechanics.

DocFrost72

SirAndy wrote: »

susmitds wrote: »

Solo play wise, we are only getting buffed though

Please define "we" in that context ...

Rapid regen got doubled,
Soul trap will be disgustingly good in vMA,
Entropy is going to be awesome.

I am actually sorry your pets got nerfed (and not being rude or sarcastic, that playstyle was neat but a bit overtuned), but YOU got buffed heavily my dude. Revel in it! You'll have the equivalent of False God in a skill that's a fantastic dot.

fred4

Let us know the class you're playing and at what stage you're running into problems and we can discuss more.

fred4

DocFrost72 wrote: »

SirAndy wrote: »

susmitds wrote: »

Solo play wise, we are only getting buffed though

Please define "we" in that context ...

Rapid regen got doubled,
Soul trap will be disgustingly good in vMA,
Entropy is going to be awesome.

I am actually sorry your pets got nerfed (and not being rude or sarcastic, that playstyle was neat but a bit overtuned), but YOU got buffed heavily my dude. Revel in it! You'll have the equivalent of False God in a skill that's a fantastic dot.

Actually that is true. vMA will be easy mode next patch. I feel sad now.

Grianasteri

DocFrost72 wrote: »

Soul trap will be disgustingly good in vMA,

Just wondering if you can expand on this please? What is being done to soul trap to buff it so much?

DocFrost72

Grianasteri wrote: »

DocFrost72 wrote: »

Soul trap will be disgustingly good in vMA,

Just wondering if you can expand on this please? What is being done to soul trap to buff it so much?

Besides it being a viable single target dot (even though it hits two mobs for something like a tooltip 2.7k dps), consuming trap will be restoring 5% of your max stamina, magicka, and hp when that target dies. For stam toons it's even better; cast a magicka ability to get stam back.

rumple9

1) double drops for event which is most likely in August

2) VMA weapons useless after August patch

cmvet

rumple9 wrote: »

1) double drops for event which is most likely in August

2) VMA weapons useless after August patch

Other than the Inferno/Lightning staff, how many vMA weapons do you see being used now. Most vma weapons are currently a dps loss, or you get better stats running a second 5 piece all the time. If anything, the vMA weapons need to be changed back to what they used to be.

Regarding OP, try running vma as a werewolf. You can be tanky while doing excellent damage. You can burn through mobs quick enough that you take some of the random mechanics out of it. I stuck a post about it in the player guide section.

Blinkin8r

If you're 810 you can easily just pick up sigils as needed and potato right through. Only a couple mechanics nowadays that can't be ignored.