PTS Update 30 - (Unofficial) Feedback Thread for the New Tutorial

Aliyavana

This is the Unofficial feedback thread for the Isle of Balfiera tutorial, created since there wasn't one.

What are your general thoughts on the new tutorial?
Do you feel it properly explained the game's Mechanics?
Do you have any other general feedback?

Aliyavana

General Thoughts: It was an overall fine tutorial. It is great that you can now pick your own armor and weapons.

Do you feel it properly explained the game's Mechanics: Yes, but the lockpicking tutorial is completely missable. It should be involved in the main path.

Do you have any other general feedback:
Choosing the base game to be dropped off at the end of the tutorial causes some plot holes, as it makes reference to the player's soulless status, which we don't receive until we complete the Wailing Prison quest. I feel the Hooded Figure should now also appear in the base game starter zones, Khenarthi's Roost, Stros M'kai, and Bleakrock Isle to start the main quest, and here is why.

Khenarthi's Roost : During the quest Tears of the Two Moons, Uldor makes a reference to the player's status as a soulless husk as the reasoning for he refuses to possess us when he states ""You! I won't wear a poisoned outfit."

Betnikh: Right after Stros M'kai, Carzog's Demise has your lack of a soul as a plot point.

tsaescishoeshiner

I enjoyed the new tutorial, with a few small notes.

Most importantly, it should teach roll dodging during the scripted combat tutorial. Roll dodging only comes up later when fighting the harvester—but it's easy to miss it or ignore it during the fight, especially as a new player trying to get their bearings.

The heavy attack and blocking tutorial against the suit of armor would be a good time to introduce players to roll dodging, which is really the only core combat mechanic not introduced unavoidably in the tutorial. I think Norianwe's voice lines from the harvester fight could even be reused for it, but I'm not sure.

Fennwitty

Copying some of my answers from an earlier thread.


What are your general thoughts on the new tutorial?
It's an incremental step forward. But still needs to do better.

Combat 101 happens before the player has any skills or skill points.

There has to be a Combat 201. Characters should be given placeholder skills if they have none. The NPC's a wizard, and the place is littered with magic artifacts. 'Magic' can explain it.

Do you feel it properly explained the game's Mechanics?

It starts to but then gives up completely. "Don't mention skills or light attacks at all" feels like the tutorial's official position. New players may as well be told 'heavy attacks are the end-all in this game' which is utterly backward.

Roll dodge / getting out of the red was only hinted at, not explicit.

It's staggering that a "tutorial" in an MMO to completely ignores:

Gear -- players aren't even informed there's a difference between staffs and sword (skill lines, resource usage), and there's no mention of armor in any capacity.

Skills and Ultimates -- including resource usage, targeting, and this would be a great place to throw in light attack weaving.

Food & Potions -- If the player loots these things, it's purely on them. The tooltip on level up adviser isn't enough.

Lockpicking -- it's 100% skippable in this tutorial, as are sneak attacks. You're forced to sneak, but the NPC encourages you to just ignore the enemy. There's no mention of the trap disarming either, and bear traps was kind of an odd thing to include instead of any of the previously mentioned topics which are far more impactful.

Traps/Environment: There are bear traps but they feel out of left field. Would have been great to introduce spike pits even if the player could simply walk around it the long way.

Treasure Chests: I don't think there were any? That's the place you want to introduce lockpicking. Super fun thing for new players to find and open treasure chests.

Do you have any other general feedback?
Very nice art, good acting. Storyline is bog-standard generic and makes almost no sense ... which is likely intended.