Difficulty modes for solo content

Herteby

I'm a fairly new player (just hit lvl 50 two days ago). I like doing solo story content, but the combat is just so trivially easy that it feels like a grind.

It's really a shame, because the developers seem to have gone to a lot of trouble to make a good action-oriented combat system with blocking and dodging, and enemies with special abilities. But it's all rendered pointless by the balancing being so easy that most boss fights can literally be beaten by just standing still and pressing a single button! And I don't have a minmaxed character either - I don't have a single full set, my Equipment Bonus is ranked as 3/4 stars. Oh and yesterday I got my first companion as well, as if it wasn't already too easy before.

I'm not necessarily looking for Dark Souls level difficulty, just Skyrim level difficulty - where you get through most stuff without multiple tries, but you still die sometimes.

It seems like this game is not balanced for the "average player", but rather the bottom 10% - those for whom this this is the first game they've ever played. But it also has a 17+ age rating so that can't be many?

There needs to be at least 2 higher difficulty modes, one for new players like me who would like somewhat of a challenge.
I think in that mode enemies would have maybe 4x damage and 2x health (and maybe give +50% XP to compensate for longer fights)

Then a harder mode for endgamers with top quality gear etc. Don't know how much harder that one should be as I'm not there yet myself.

I think if the game just got some simple balancing like this, which a single programmer could problably implement in less than a week, then the thousands of hours that have been spent making the combat system and solo combat encounters wouldn't be wasted like it currently kind of is.

TaSheen

There's a whole thread stickied at the top of the index page about this. In there somewhere in however many pages it is now (140?) is a statement from Rich Lambert that they're not making any changes to difficulty "at this point". The mods will probably ask you to post in that thread.

OolongSnakeTea

I mostly play Solo and 4man content. I feel with dungeons introducing hard modes, and the old school arenas, I feel sufficently challenged. There are ways you can challenge yourself sufficiently I feel in the game, and at that they can reward you greatly. The new companion system is saddly meh for most of the harder-solo stuff (They die in fire a lot), but their off heals can be useful when learning (ember with her healing shield feels really strong, and miri's damage ulti is great on boss burns)


Things you can do solo to challenge yourself
If Delves are to easy, go to a public dungeon. And if those are to easy? Its time to move up to normal dungeons and World bosses.

World bosses- very fun to do alone and feel strong while doing it. Some zones harder than others, and the gear (like mothers sorrow) may sell decently. Don't underestimate the gaur!

Try solo'ing dungeons (Normals and vets, yes the vet base games can be solo'd!). Get your pledges done and feel challenged!

Try veteran maelstorm arena, push for deathless, then push for scores. The final weapons there are always meta. Normal clear earns a dye, a title. Veteran clear has two titles and a polymorph.

Try veteran vatashran hallows. Push for trifecta. Or push for 'of the Undying Song' (a series of challenges for each of the bosses). The final weapons are intresting, and sometimes useful like 'Void Bash'. This one also provides you a skin for your veteran clear.

Blackrose Prison- a very challenge solo (normal)- but can be done. Easier now with Pale Order.

DinoZavr

You can solo 4-man (they are of different difficulty: starting from Fungal Grotto I which can be done solo art level 25..30, ending with Moonhunter Keep). If you still find these easy - there are also Hard Mode, Veteran Mode, or both.
(small reference from Reddit https://i.imgur.com/BEqm5f4.jpg )
Also there are 2 solo arenas, and you can solo Dragonstar (which is easy) and Blackrose (which is hard).
Not to mention World Bosses and Craglorn group delves (all are soloable)

ESO does not force hard content, nut if you seek it, there are a plenty of options.

Androrix

Herteby wrote: »

I'm a fairly new player (just hit lvl 50 two days ago). I like doing solo story content, but the combat is just so trivially easy that it feels like a grind.

It's really a shame, because the developers seem to have gone to a lot of trouble to make a good action-oriented combat system with blocking and dodging, and enemies with special abilities. But it's all rendered pointless by the balancing being so easy that most boss fights can literally be beaten by just standing still and pressing a single button!

You are correct.

A while ago when they introduced champion points they boosted everyone's health by 3k points. They explained at the time it was to make up for higher level players losing something. Of course people also have companions now.

Some people will say "who cares". Those are often "end game" players who do trials and pvp. They consider starting a new character as annoying, because they just want to get to 50 fast. But I am with you that early game now feels meh indeed. I am glad I started this game before the race to the bottom balancing began in earnest.

Perhaps this will all change a bit with the new patch. I don't know.

BTW I don't think this is simply an "overland content" thread. I think the poster is talking about early game balancing, so I do not think the thread is redundant.

Herteby

I know there is harder content like veteran dungeons and trials, or I could try soloing things that was designed for groups, but content wise that's probably 10% of the whole game. And what I want is to do quests and story content while having somewhat challenging combat. If I was just interested in difficult combat I would probably play a different game like the Souls series.

Just like there are three difficulties in dungeons - normal, veteran and hard mode, I think the solo overland content should have the same. I don't think it would be that much work either, not talking about adding new abilities to enemies etc. just tweaking the numbers globally. And make it an option so that those who want can contiue playing on very easy.

kargen27

Dungeons are group instances with the group all facing the same level of difficulty. What does the game do when someone on hard mode and someone normal mode engages the same mobs in the zones that are not solo/group instances?

I would like an option for more difficult fights but I don't see changing the mobs as being the way to go. Instead give players a way to debuff their character in a variety of ways. Could maybe create foods and potions to weaken characters?

DigiAngel

Play with no set items. Thank me later.

Tornaad

DigiAngel wrote: »

Play with no set items. Thank me later.

I'm going to try to see how far I can get using only gear I collected in the intro area and I might even not assign any champion points.

Lumsdenml

Herteby wrote: »

I know there is harder content like veteran dungeons and trials, or I could try soloing things that was designed for groups, but content wise that's probably 10% of the whole game. And what I want is to do quests and story content while having somewhat challenging combat. If I was just interested in difficult combat I would probably play a different game like the Souls series.

You know, all of the 4 man dungeons have really good story lines attached to them... Just a thought...

ZOS_GregoryV

Greetings,

We are closing this thread as it is a duplicate to another thread, which can be found here.

Thank you for your understanding,
-Greg-