Me Rambling about Vma.

Mashille · September 2016

(I'm not requesting anything here, or asking for anything to be changed with Vma in this post, I'm simply talking about my thoughts on it and why I dislike it being part of the game)

Ok, I've only ever attempted Vma a couple of times before and both times I left because they made me want to kill myself. Today, I decided to give it a shot for the 3rd time, I read some guides (Thanks Deltia) geared up and went in. I went through it ok and wasn't finding it too bad and after around 4 hours made it to the very final boss, which I was very surprised with as previously I had never gotten beyond stage 5.

After many attempts on the last boss I had run out of Spell Power potions so I left to craft some more. When I ported back I found out that it apparently resets the stage you are on if you leave.

Ok, first thing I said to this was simply '**** off'. Vma is already frustrating enough for players who have not run it many times so for one of them to work their way to the final boss then leave to make some potions, only to find out that it completely resets the stage is a complete Spirit Killer. I don't want to do the entire Final Stage again just to get to the point I was at last time. So I'm sitting here right now thinking '**** it' I'm not doing that again, because I don't want to be forced to completely redo 5 rounds that I know I already completed and am good enough to complete.

Now I'm going to talk a bit about the difficulty of VMA, and before all the people who think they're gods just because they've completed VMA, post 'L2P' in the comments I'm not asking for the difficulty to be toned down here, I just want to talk about my personal problems with it.

My Personal Gripes:

1: First up is the major lack of consistence, with some stages being relatively easy and some stages ramping up massively with no warning. I would prefer if the stages were of a more consistent difficulty throughout the Arena except just with different and varying mechanics rather than the difficulty just going up and down like a dang rollercoaster.

2: Secondly I want to talk about what the difficulty actually is. Here is the part where I have a huge problem with Vma and hate it with a Passion. No matter what Stage you are on, no matter what round, the 'difficulty' is just a bunch of aoe's all over the place. I think zos needs to know the difference between something being Difficult, and just throwing a million aoe's down on the ground every second. Almost non of the bosses have fun mechanics, or at least not ones you can focus on as you are too busy being bombarded with Red Circles. Not a Single Stage out of the 9 doesn't have something involving throwing aoe's on the floor all over the place.

3: Next up, fun. VMA is not fun, at all. It is boring and all it does is make me want to genuinely commit suicide. Which is made 100x worse by the fact it sets you back to the very beginning of a stage if you simply leave to craft some potions. ESO is a game, and in my mind and point of view, games should be fun. That's what they are for, they are made so people can enjoy playing them, VMA is not that. In a game if there is a Key Activity that you need complete in order to get the Top End of Gear then it should be made to be something that people enjoy, people should want to go home and play something that they enjoy in order to earn something they want, not dread the grind of completing VMA for a Weapon that might not even be remotely useful to them.

4: Another thing I want to mention is how it's single player. ESO is an MMO, the way to get the BiS gear in the game should not be from Solo Only content, if I wanted to play Solo, then I wouldn't play MMO,s I'd play other games that are Single Player that don't make me want to peel my skin off with a potato peeler and then use that skin to hang myself with.

5: Furthermore, I dislike how Vma is BiS for almost everything. MA daggers alone can boost DPS by 5k+ and this seems completely ridiculous. I can understand them being good, but the fact they are so good, nothing else compares to them seems wrong to me. People in PvP use the Weapons for the pure Passive Weapon Damage boost alone as it's that good and a single VAM 2H weapon provides more Weapon Dmg than any other non 5 piece Crafted or Dropped set

Just rambling:

I feel content in MMO's should be designed in order that players enjoy the content, otherwise, what's the point in playing games at all? If players are pushed into doing content that makes them want to smash their head into a wall just to keep up with others on the gear chase then personally I think something is wrong with your game. Yes, I am very angry right now that all my progress on Stage 9 got reverted and I don't want to even look at Vma ever again but the pure fact that it has made me want to punch my monitor and uninstall the game really says something.

I have sat at my desk with my head in my hands wanting to cry out in anger for the past half an hour now. I stated writing this post over an hour ago and am talking about writing it in real time but I keep just collapsing backwards or putting my head in my hands and feeling depressed.

Anyway, that was just some ramblings about Vma, I'm not going to ask for it to be nerfed or made easier as I know that it is complete-able and if I spent more time on it then I would slowly be able to beat the final boss and farm it just like everyone else. And no doubt there'll be a bunch of people who think I'm lazy for not wanting to finish it and farm it like everybody else. But the thing is I don't massively enjoy life at the moment, and that is why I love the whole concept of Video Games as you can leave your life to live in a completely different world where none of the problems or the depressions in real life get in the way, so why on earth, when I have more than enough problems in real life that make me want to die, would I want to get another one that causes so much frustration it makes me want to die from a game, and a game's whole point is to make players have fun?

hanging.gif~c200

DPShiro · September 2016

And that's why it's nice to have different content.
I hate PVP and avoid it like the plague, but I find VMA really fun and it's always nice to see how a new build works out there.

I would actually welcome a hard mode or buff to be honest.

If you don't like it, don't do it - simple as that.
You don't need Maelstrom weapons to complete content.

Voxicity · September 2016

I used to refuse to do it because of the RNG system

Tried it last week on my stamblade and complete it and got some pretty nice weapons since

I think the content is very well made, nicely balanced, but one thing I DON'T like is how some of the strongest weapons in the game are locked behind SOLO content in an MMO. It just makes no sense to me. Would have been amazing if it was duoable.

Qbiken · September 2016

First rule of ESO: Don´t use Deltiabuilds (Jokes aside) ^^

Why is it so bad that a MMO has 1 piece of solocontent???? You have trials, dungeons, dragonstar arena etc. Having 1 solobased content (I don´t really count questing as solocontent, at least not when it comes to this kind of topics) creates variety to the game which is nice.

And before I answer your points here, I just want to clarify that I´m not questioning your experiences about vMSA, only my thoughts on what you´ve written.

Content in MMO's should be desgined in order that players enjoy the content, otherwise, what's the point in playing games at all?

. Have it ever occured that some actually enjoy vMSA? I run vMSA for the weapons, and I will enjoy when I can do my 35k dps+ in veteran trials. I might not enjoy vMSA but the grind for the weapons are worth it in the long run.

Ok, first thing I said to this was simply '**** off'. Vma is already frustrating enough for players who have not run it many times

. This: First time I completed vMSA was after like 200 deaths and a lot of rant. Second time I completed it I had around 50 deaths. 3rd time around 30. See a pattern here?? At the moment I´m down at only 9 deaths and hoping to stay at the leaderboards this week. The more you practice the better you get. The question is if you want to spend the time practicing or not? Someone who hasn´t spend a lot of time in vMSA will have a hard time until you get the hang of it. When you get to the point were you don´t have to think about the mechanics (you just know how they work) it will go a lot easier.

DRXHarbinger · September 2016

Yeah it is so *** boring. Try farming it for 6 months before it gives you what you want. Then you'll truly want to kill yourself.

It's nearly as bad as trying to get db or ooth motifs to drop from these *** dailies. Every patch the drop rate gets lower and lower.

At least maelstrom gives a reward other than prosperous sithis touch crap.

boldscot · September 2016

Oh the drama, I want to kill myself this game is so hard. Seriously what a load of nonsense, take a breather then read what you wrote and try to get some perspective.
It's a game and you want to end your life because it's to hard, stop gaming or at the very least stop playing the VMSA, your mental state doesn't agree with it.

Seriously, head in your hands wanting to cry and feeling depressed?
If that's what it does to you then stop.

The fact the game made you want to kill yourself says nothing about the game your playing but it does say a lot about you.

Mashille · September 2016

@boldscot

The statements I made about Vma making me want to kill myself are metaphorical due to the frustration and anger it causes, the point I was making is that I play games for enjoyment, yet I feel I am pressured into completing something just so I can say 'I completed it' or to get the BiS gear for other, more enjoyable content and that thing I am pressured into is soul destroying.

When you have been doing something for 5+ hours straight and stuff goes wrong, including reverting progress you had made then yes, I did have my head in my hands and I did want to punch my monitor through because I personally find those things anger inducing and frustrating.

There's no point in you trying to direct this as an insult towards me as I was talking from a completely personal perspective. Those were the issues I specifically have with vma as it causes me anger, frustration and is the complete opposite of something enjoyable. I am not talking about it in general or that it should be changed, just trying state what my problems with it are and why that should hopefully mean not having future Vma type things that cause similar issues as I don't want content for this game to be anger inducing, I would like it to be fun.

Thornen · September 2016

The only thing that sucks about VMA is the rng... it stinks on the loot it stinks on crap like the poison round.

GrumpyDuckling · September 2016

If they made VMA two player and decreased the drop rate of weapons from 100% to something like 33% I would love playing it. My friend and I really enjoy making builds that compliment each other and I think we'd have a blast trying VMA together.

leepalmer95 · September 2016

Yep, rng loots with rng rounds

Shader_Shibes · September 2016

Thornen wrote: »

The only thing that sucks about VMA is the rng... it stinks on the loot it stinks on crap like the poison round.

This. Flower spawning under mender bubble ruined my no death today, i swear i will never get flawless due to rng BS on that round. But it's weird. I can get *** up on round 5, then do rest of the arena fine, but if i go through round 5 death less i get jipped elsewhere, usually round 7. Annoying AF!

Mashille · September 2016

@Shader_Shibes

Those flowers made me swear... a lot.

When they'd pop up out of nowhere just when the fatty Argonian was just getting into execute range and hit me with that green poof.

Shader_Shibes · September 2016

Mashille wrote: »

@Shader_Shibes

Those flowers made me swear... a lot.

When they'd pop up out of nowhere just when the fatty Argonian was just getting into execute range and hit me with that green poof.

It's just one big bubbling pot cooking up some a**s, c****r, ebola and malaria soup.

Mashille · September 2016

@Shader_Shibes

XD I was thinking of using those words when writing my Op but decided not to in case I offended someone.

Shader_Shibes · September 2016

Mashille wrote: »

@Shader_Shibes

XD I was thinking of using those words when writing my Op but decided not to in case I offended someone.

Oh damn, im on my last warning, better edit them xD Didn't think.

serenity_painted · September 2016

The random mechanics and aoe are necessary i think, while it can get frustrating when you have bad luck if there was no random gameplay it would quickly be too repetitive. And yeah it makes things more difficult, no need for citation marks, it tests your reflexes and situational awareness, generally things you can't improve with gear.

Personally i love vMA, i just started running it and have completed it about 7 times or so and still find it a lot of fun. I absolutely love challenging solo stuff and it's something you don't find in most MMO's. So i'm very happy it's here.

The only thing i don't love is that the loot being completely random. It's just there to keep people coming back and i don't like it. I think it would be an improvement if you also got a currency based on your score and could use them to buy whatever you wanted from the Tutor. So say you'd have to do 20 runs to get what you wanted you'd at least be able to measure when you'd get it if you were unlucky with your drops.

Mashille · September 2016

@serenity_painted

Any tips for the very final boss? I was stuck on him for over an hour and then gave up after seeing my progress get reverted.

Reorx_Holybeard · September 2016

Mashille wrote: »

@serenity_painted

Any tips for the very final boss? I was stuck on him for over an hour and then gave up after seeing my progress get reverted.

So it depends where you are having troubles and your class but there are basically 3 stages to the end boss:

Before He Goes Up -- Probably the hardest part as you most likely have to deal with the boss plus a guard at the same time. I usually grab the power sigil and DPS the boss down as fast as possible and use an ultimate when the guard spawns. Sometimes I immobilize the healer with Rune Prison (or similar spell). Always keep an eye on the boss and roll dodge/block his skull attack and be ready to interrupt him.
Up Top -- Not as difficult once you get used to it but getting to this stage can be a challenge at first. DPS the crystals down however you like but keep moving and keep an eye on the boss for his attacks. Also keep an eye out for when the walls appear. Don't chase a wall clockwise but always move counter-clockwise. You always have a DoT on you up here which gets stronger over time so keep up the self-healing or shields. If you can't destroy all 3 crystals by the time the third wall appears jump down to reset the walls/DoT. You'll have to deal with another guard and Clanfear at the same time which can be difficult.
Back Down -- Definitely the easiest of the three once you get here. Keep your eye on the boss for his attacks and be ready to interrupt him. Getting all the ghosts in this part is very helpful in taking out the boss and the guard that spawns. Don't forgot about the mobs that wander to the center and take them out as they spawn.

This last stage was by the far the most difficult for me to learn and it took several hundred deaths to beat it once, far more than it took to get through all the prior stages combined.

serenity_painted · September 2016

That revert hurts happened to me at stage 9 too, litterally threw my hands in the air. Difficult to say dpending on class and what you're having trouble with, that boss is the hardest to learn but one of the easier ones once you got it down since there is just so much going on and it's extremely punishing.

For the first phase it depends on your dps, if you have super high damage you might get him to port up before the daedroth spawns which is the first hurdle. But my tip here is to keep some pressure on the boss with AoE's/DoTs, it always spawns next to him so make sure you have whatever defensive skills,buffs up and ground target AoE down before it comes out so you can focus it.
Also keep moving, if the boss is around and kicking he can put down an aoe and it's simply easier to get out of if you're already on the move. Also if he ports away you need to keep an eye on him, cus 8 times out of 10 he will cast that big attack that hits for 16k that you need to dodge, the window is very generous so sooner is better than later.

Once he ports up find which rune is lit and get over there, cast your ground targetet aoe on it and prepare all your buffs so once you kill the Clannfear and port to the platform you're ready to start dpsing. I generally save my ult for this since it's a dps race with the crystals, the longer you take the more damage you recive, it's constant and unavoidable and i personally hit a wall here until i got vigor. The boss will cast his shadow bolts at you so don't forget to give him a glance, he generally follows a pattern here so after awhile you'll start dodging them without looking at him.
After about 2 shadow bolts he'll summon a shield and start channeling the attack that knocks you of the platform, so untill you have the timing down prioritize getting behind it, while there don't just run. Recover your resources, dot damage any crystal you find don't just hide.

Once you destroy all three you get knocked down. Priority here is #1 Interupt the boss, #2 get ghost buffs #3 stab him in the face. What i usually do is first interupt him then pick up the defensive and offensive buffs, kill the channeler to be safe and then just fully focus the boss. No more surprises really.

Above all else, stay calm and don't freak out. This is what killed me the most, i'd get stressed out and started doing stupid mistakes which will end in a fail for this fight. Take a break between deaths and take a moment to either think about what happened or just get your mind of the game for a sec.
I spent days dying to this guy until i got vigor and replaced my shadow stone with serpent(the pace of the fight is really straining on resources so there's another tip, regen helped me more than bonus damage) now i always get him on my first try.

Armitas · September 2016

ZOS if your content is literally making someone want to kill themselves after doing it you are doing something severely wrong. I have never in my life played a game where basic content make people want to kill themselves or leave the game. Wow, that's just...wow. Maybe it's why your data shows that people don't stick around for more than a month and a half?

OP when this dungeon came there was a memory leak so you had to keep restarting your computer and hope the progress was saved. I got to the first boss on mDK in the first week before the DK buffs or guides. I ran out of pots, left the dungeon everything reset, rage quit the game for 3 months. I feel your rage.

OP if your depression ever gets critical get help and medication immediately, don't wait. I would uninstall this game, go to the store and buy another game. Do not lose your life over the poor development in this game.

Drummerx04 · September 2016

Mashille wrote: »

Any tips for the very final boss? I was stuck on him for over an hour and then gave up after seeing my progress get reverted.

This sort of seems counter intuitive if you play a ranged class, but you should position your character NEAR the boss at all times. It lets you bash to interrupt and all of the gold ghosts ALWAYS go straight for the boss. If you stay near him, they are much easier to intercept especially if they spawn right behind him (and they will do that).

As a magicka sorc, it was very tempting to stay the maximum distance away from the boss and the chuck overload at him. When I started staying close by for the last phase, it became much easier for me.

Funkopotamus · September 2016

VMA isn't for everyone..

Why is it so bad that the game have Solo content that is for the top % of the player base?

I mean why should ALL content be doable by ALL the people..
If you are in bad gear and low CP you shouldn't try VMA.

If you are in decent gear and decent CP and cannot complete VMA. L2P? Because it is YOU not the game!

Just saying. ESO NEEDS HARDER content like this.

Thornen · September 2016

serenity_painted wrote: »

The random mechanics and aoe are necessary i think, while it can get frustrating when you have bad luck if there was no random gameplay it would quickly be too repetitive. And yeah it makes things more difficult, no need for citation marks, it tests your reflexes and situational awareness, generally things you can't improve with gear.

Personally i love vMA, i just started running it and have completed it about 7 times or so and still find it a lot of fun. I absolutely love challenging solo stuff and it's something you don't find in most MMO's. So i'm very happy it's here.

The only thing i don't love is that the loot being completely random. It's just there to keep people coming back and i don't like it. I think it would be an improvement if you also got a currency based on your score and could use them to buy whatever you wanted from the Tutor. So say you'd have to do 20 runs to get what you wanted you'd at least be able to measure when you'd get it if you were unlucky with your drops.

Lol it is repetitive anyway the rng just makes it *** annoying, honestly if I had the weapons I'm after I would never step foot in that place again, it's not fun it's just pure frustration getting to the last chest to get a charged ice staff....

Mashille · September 2016

@Funkopotamus

As I said, I'm not asking it to be nerfed at all. But losing your progress just because you leave to craft some potions is rather soul destroying if you've been working hard to complete it and it's only like your 3rd attempt ever doing it. It's like the game is trying to make you give up rather than encourage you to continue.

FrostFallFox · September 2016

It gets better. Please don't joke about suicide.

FearlessOne_2014 · September 2016

leepalmer95 wrote: »

Yep, rng loots with rng rounds

Yup that's pretty much what's kept me out as well.

SublimeSparo · September 2016

KaiVox22 wrote: »

I used to refuse to do it because of the RNG system

Tried it last week on my stamblade and complete it and got some pretty nice weapons since

I think the content is very well made, nicely balanced, but one thing I DON'T like is how some of the strongest weapons in the game are locked behind SOLO content in an MMO. It just makes no sense to me. Would have been amazing if it was duoable.

You must be playing a different version to me.
The version I grind without reward is buggy and badly designed and horribly balanced .

Ch4mpTW · September 2016

Hm... My advice to you OP, would be to pause and take a breather for a few days. Watch some videos on YouTube provided by: @andy_s @Alcast @Deltia @FENGRUSH or yours' truly (I post videos here and there but nothing professional or guide-like). Also read some guides. I believe there is a guide floating around here on the forums presented by @Joy_Division if you search a bit.

But besides those things, I don't know what else to tell you. Best of wishes to you, and try to stay positive. God bless, bruh.

Mashille · September 2016

@Ch4mpTW

Cheers man. Does your progress save permanently. So If I am on last stage now, if I go back next weekend will I still be on last stage? As I really don't have time during the week.

I'm definitely going to follow the advise of 'Take a breather' because dang, I feel like I've been chewed up in a grinder and spat out then locked in a tank full of boiling water then after I die been resurrected just to be thrown onto a pile of burning embers to die again.

Doctordarkspawn · September 2016

VMA sucks.

It's current design is insane. And the reason I refuse to draw up stam toons is largely because I'd need to do it to optimize their damage. When I can do it, which will be the day I roll a DPS toon, I'll be subjected to guar-crap RNG mechanics and the like.

No thank you.

Vildebill · September 2016

Spell power potions? Why does people even complain about that? Just run entropy to get the same effect, even some classes have skills for to get major and minor. I never use potions in vMA just because it's too expensive.

Furthermore, vMA is just a overwhelming experience, if you don't like it don't play it. I've seen builds not using vMA weapons pulling 50k DPS, so no, it's not "needed" if you don't want to play it.