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An Open Letter to ZOS About 'Difficulty'

  • LaiTash
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    athanasios wrote: »
    The game is supposed to be fun for every level and every playr

    You DO understand it's just impossible don't you?

  • Bobby_V_Rockit
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    athanasios wrote: »
    I don't have many hours available for games, and those I have, are not continuous, so I prefer playing ESO mostly solo, though I do enjoy the group experience whenever I manage to get into one. Also, my equipment is good, but not top of the line.

    I've recently finished the 3rd (gold) part (lvl 320) and I really think I'm just gonna give up the game now.

    The reason ?? The new difficulty settings !!!

    After the new update, I am unable to solo in ALL the areas of the game. I mean, even in Auridon, I cannot get a single boss alone. The game is supposed to be fun for every level and every playre and I get the feeling that I need to get at least lvl 500 and get full golden equipment, in order to continue playing. Since I'm not a hardcore player, I'll probably just drop it...

    Sorry Zenimax, but you blew it this time ...

    Damn. I wonder how many of is will ditch and go for Skyrim now lol
  • Khairiah
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    Why make new mechanics for vet modes when some people cant even follow the mechanics on normal modes?
  • Destruent
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    LaiTash wrote: »
    athanasios wrote: »
    The game is supposed to be fun for every level and every playr

    You DO understand it's just impossible don't you?

    It is possible, just don't expect every content to be fun for you. I think ZOS is getting better and better with this. All the dungeons now have a big variety in difficulty, so just pick the one you like :)
    same imo with world bosses and trials, there easier ones and and harder ones. Do the ones you like and it should be ok.
    Just don't ever expect every single piece of content catered to you. :)
    Noobplar
  • Berenhir
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    Had a discussion yesterday with a fellow (trading) guild member about how difficult the overland world bosses really are now. He said only elite PvE could finish them, told me he and 4 others wiped several times at storm haven atronach boss in the very east. "Even one CP 583 couldn't help us and died".

    Went there with girlfriend, two cp 390 sorcs in full PvP gear and easily took him down.
    Asked the guildie if he wanted to come, said we would help but no reaction.

    I don't know what to say. We really are no PvE players, I myself did like 3 dungeons ever and never finished main quest (though my magblade now wants the soul ultimate).

    Is this just a l2p issue? I hate to tell people that as I consider my own performance mediocre.

    What did some.people do before OT? No shields no healing, no defensive abilities in PvE? Bow light attacking (I do remember that I had to tell people on BWB that using only bow light attacks won't save Alessia)? What's wrong with some PvE guys? Overland is not difficult at all!
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  • lolo_01b16_ESO
    lolo_01b16_ESO
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    Destruent wrote: »
    LaiTash wrote: »
    athanasios wrote: »
    The game is supposed to be fun for every level and every playr

    You DO understand it's just impossible don't you?

    It is possible, just don't expect every content to be fun for you. I think ZOS is getting better and better with this. All the dungeons now have a big variety in difficulty, so just pick the one you like :)
    same imo with world bosses and trials, there easier ones and and harder ones. Do the ones you like and it should be ok.
    Just don't ever expect every single piece of content catered to you. :)
    I agree with this, lately zos is doing a good job at creating content with different difficulties. There are world bosses that can be killed by just standing still and casting blazing shield every 5 sec and others that are more challenging. There are dungeons that can be done when you have only 2 skills unlocked in each tree and do a lot of heavy attacks, others where even very experienced players can die and a lot of dungeons for those in between. There are normal trials for those who just occasionally do trials, vet trials for those who like 12 player content but still need more experience and vMoL HM for those who seek the ultimate challenge.
    Edited by lolo_01b16_ESO on October 8, 2016 10:44AM
  • vyndral13preub18_ESO
    vyndral13preub18_ESO
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    Khairiah wrote: »
    Why make new mechanics for vet modes when some people cant even follow the mechanics on normal modes?

    Shh dont let them in on the problem. People are crying not harder just more mechanics so everyone can do it!!! Yet what are the dungeons done the least? The ones with the most mechanics.
  • BlackEar
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    The thing is, you won't see the mechanics play out if the boss does not have enough HP to sustain a fight.

    There ARE mechanics in this game, but previously haven't been very apparent because people go in and pew pew and everything just melts. I did some vet dungeons today and I realised I actually had to be a bit more careful than before because of increased health and resistances, and probably more damage.
    It was the first time in months dungeons didn't feel like a chore but more of an experience.
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  • Elloa
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    athanasios wrote: »
    I don't have many hours available for games, and those I have, are not continuous, so I prefer playing ESO mostly solo, though I do enjoy the group experience whenever I manage to get into one. Also, my equipment is good, but not top of the line.

    I've recently finished the 3rd (gold) part (lvl 320) and I really think I'm just gonna give up the game now.

    The reason ?? The new difficulty settings !!!

    After the new update, I am unable to solo in ALL the areas of the game. I mean, even in Auridon, I cannot get a single boss alone. The game is supposed to be fun for every level and every playre and I get the feeling that I need to get at least lvl 500 and get full golden equipment, in order to continue playing. Since I'm not a hardcore player, I'll probably just drop it...

    Sorry Zenimax, but you blew it this time ...

    World bosses are NOT MEANT to be soloed anymore. Quest is for solo, delve is for solo.Public Dungeons is for small group, World bosses is for more important group.

    WHY? Because ESO is a MMO, World bosses are made to encourage players to bond, team up, group up and collaborate.
    Don't like group up? Don't do group content. There is plenty of solo quest and content for you to enjoy!

  • Francescolg
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    I hope the game will see a huge drop in subscriptions and playtime per player, as a consequence to what they did, as soon as players realize how the game has changed

    They aren't listening and they try to make ESO like WoW hardcore-PvE and so much stuff to rote-learn, not dependent on skill but on your willingness to occupy 10-99% of your "brain capacity" with dungeon- and game-related stuff (learn the path, not the skills). That's not how I play computer games because I don't want to rote-learn all the time but I like to be able to adapt to a mechanic, which is error-forgiving to a certain degree, which appeals to random groups to a certain degree, that are groups of players, who have never played with each other.
    vMA has never appealed to me, aswell as 90% of the dungeons, which have been released from 2015 on.. Cudos to the the (lost-) souls, who spent days, weeks and months in vMA, good brain work! We and mainly you are proud of you..!

    I hope their strategy to only cather a certain type of player and to make everything that hard won't pay out.
    Second, as they, apparantly, just listen to the test server guys (which by-definition are the very experienced), I hope they face plant it..

    Edited by Francescolg on October 8, 2016 11:31AM
  • Doctordarkspawn
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    BlackEar wrote: »
    The thing is, you won't see the mechanics play out if the boss does not have enough HP to sustain a fight.

    There ARE mechanics in this game, but previously haven't been very apparent because people go in and pew pew and everything just melts. I did some vet dungeons today and I realised I actually had to be a bit more careful than before because of increased health and resistances, and probably more damage.
    It was the first time in months dungeons didn't feel like a chore but more of an experience.

    And yet for many of us it was the first time they -did- feel like a chore considering we typically pug this and usually had consistantly bad groups. The boss HP needed to be increased, but not -that- much.
  • strikeback1247
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    I like that they increased the health of bosses in the dungeons. I've seen so many mechanics I've never seen before in a long time. What I do think is stupid is that they upped the health of the bosses in the DLC-dungeons. They were already quite a challenge, the buff wasn't needed.

    Btw, I can't believe people are still complaining about the difficulty in vMSA. I mean, before it got nerfed, it took me only 4 hours to learn all the mechanics in the trial and complete it for the first time. It has been nerfed many times and it has been so long since it was released. The only negative about vMSA is crap rng.
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  • Doctordarkspawn
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    Berenhir wrote: »
    Had a discussion yesterday with a fellow (trading) guild member about how difficult the overland world bosses really are now. He said only elite PvE could finish them, told me he and 4 others wiped several times at storm haven atronach boss in the very east. "Even one CP 583 couldn't help us and died".

    Went there with girlfriend, two cp 390 sorcs in full PvP gear and easily took him down.
    Asked the guildie if he wanted to come, said we would help but no reaction.

    I don't know what to say. We really are no PvE players, I myself did like 3 dungeons ever and never finished main quest (though my magblade now wants the soul ultimate).

    Is this just a l2p issue? I hate to tell people that as I consider my own performance mediocre.

    What did some.people do before OT? No shields no healing, no defensive abilities in PvE? Bow light attacking (I do remember that I had to tell people on BWB that using only bow light attacks won't save Alessia)? What's wrong with some PvE guys? Overland is not difficult at all!

    Much like the Orsinium bosses, you now need a gigantic group to go murderize them. I saw like ten guys around peak hours when I went to go do some worldbosses and people are now motivated to kill them because the gearsets in many cases are -worth- using.

    ...But if some of them are dying then yes it is a learn to play issue. I did a double worldboss a while ago as a tank and didn't die, and the one with the giant and the mammoth in the Rift made some people die. Some of them use AOE's, some will be harder than others. But it wasn't anything serious, so dont beat yourself up over it.

    Honestly, the Worldboss difficulty is one of the ones I'm in favor of. (IT'S THE END OF THE WORLD!) It brought people together, made this feel like an MMO, y'know?
  • NMT
    NMT
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    AuldWolf wrote: »
    They're repeating a lot of the mistakes that Champions Online did, honestly, and it worries me. Bending over backwards to appeal to smaller demographics (PvP, 5-man groups), adding Borderlands-style bullet-spongy enemies instead of actually thinking something up that requires tactics and quick-thinking, et cetera. The further ESO goes, the more like Champions Online it looks and it really does worry me. It's like a curse. Why does every really good PvE game have to go down this route?

    Sigh. I am worried for them. If they had their heads screwed on straight, they'd be looking at bosses that use clever tactics instead of just testing the player's endurance, adding more variety to the game (jumping puzzles, actual puzzles like The Secret World's, minigames like lockpicking, et cetera), appealing more to the roleplayers and casuals that make up 95~ per cent of their community, and so on. They seem to be doing the opposite of that, currently, which is the mistake CO made. CO is now a ghost town.

    Difficulty can be killing you because you weren't thinking and/or paying attention. It can be because you didn't notice that there were valves to turn on fire jets in that dwemer dungeon in order to take down that giant frost atronach you're fighting. That sort of thing. There's so much they could be doing better.

    I love ESO, but I think they're heading in wrong directions, too. I wouldn't voice my concerns if I didn't love this game.

    I agree...however, the difficulty with MMO games cones from the second time you need to kill a boss, or the third, fourth and so on.

    What you describe is good for the first run but no challenge afterwards.

    Game designers need to develop better AI to make mobs that respond to what players are doing.

    You are right though, there does need to be more thought.
  • old_mufasa
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    Lets see..

    Before.. when leveling who cared about defense it was a dps zerg... massive pulls of mobs to be killed in seconds.. world boss were a joke in the main zones and easily solod

    After.. TTK takes longer so having some defensive skills becomes more appealing, zerg pullers are now unable unless grouped or very well geared to pull half a areas mobs.. World boss now are more demanding... and need team work unless very well gear... do to fights taking longer NPC now have time to use skill that you never hardly saw them use...

    Hmm... ill take the seconded world over what we had...


    PS: World boss are not solo content they never were.. its just power curve at the game and many buffs to players made them to easy... the game has reverted more to the level scaling of beta and early game...
    Edited by old_mufasa on October 8, 2016 12:56PM
  • BruceLeeroy91
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    As someone who has been playing for over a year (on console, so I have not tested the new OT) I cannot see how any of the increased "artificial" difficulty is a bad thing. As a player at level cap, I cannot remember the last time I went to walk around an area just to kill things and farm that wasn't CP 160 (IC, Gold Coast, Orsinium, and Hews Bane). They just completely lost any sense of enjoyment when I could walk thru without any resistance from any baddies. So personally I am very excited to revisit these forgotten areas at CP 160 and hopefully find some new challenges.

    It is an MMO after all, content keeps us coming back and in my mind they just re-did all content to make it appealing again.
  • WalksonGraves
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    It's definitely not as bad as WoW raids where unless you got a group of people to read an indepth guide to every boss mechanic beforehand you will most likely wipe.
  • DRXHarbinger
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    Did they buff wrothgar bosses? Spent a long time trying to solo the ogre and that cow thing and got it down to a T now. Shame if they have.
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  • phreatophile
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    The buffed dungeon bosses aren't really much more difficult, but they sure are tedious. So far I've done Selene's and Bannished Cells. The higher health pool sure hits you in the resources, but you adjust.

    I'm torn between liking that there is at least some challenge to these dungeons and being annoyed by them taking so freaking long.
  • Izaki
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    I do dislike how most of the trials now just have a hard mode that is more health. Without changing the mechanics or making certain aspects of the mechanics more difficult, all that has happened is extended the length of the fight. Honestly, most of them are still easy and just take forever to complete now making them even more boring.

    Have you done the actual hard modes? The extra health is the last thing you notice. I think the mechanics in SO HM are pretty damn cool (dat meteor tho), AA isn't too bad either with those Storm Atros (you CAN'T stack and whack in this fight anyway) and HRC is pretty cool the first time when you'd blow up your whole group...
    That being said, MoL is amazing in terms of everything. Twins and Rakkhat are just really well made.
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  • AnnieBeGood
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    Mechanics. Mechanics are the thing that in the end make the game easy.... do a dungeon learn the mechanics and then you can do it again and again getting faster and faster.
    This applies to every dungeon and trial in the game.
    Nothing unexpected ever happens, once you know that boss there does this thing when.... thats it.
    And that gets old fast.
    No I can't do all the dungeons, but if the dungeons had some unexpected twists..... rng exists everywhere else..... why not make the dungeon bosses do different attacks sometimes?
    Or a new threat emerges occasionally ..... hey! Its behind you!! He brought a new friend!
    (which is why I am finding the newly changed world bosses a lot of fun right now. That Golden Saint at the Shivering Shrine I used to do on a level 8 easy. Now my cp600+ is having a little bit of trouble. )
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  • Ilmarthethief
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    It's definitely not as bad as WoW raids where unless you got a group of people to read an indepth guide to every boss mechanic beforehand you will most likely wipe.

    LMAO
    I think they are working on it already. Menwhile, good luck in WGT and ICP.
  • merovignub17_ESO
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    A lot of good points discussed, but since this all already happened in Champions and STO and elsewhere, I expect it's just a matter of time before the grind takes over and there's nothing to be had for us "filthy casuals" anymore. Except to move on, like I did from CO and STO.

    It is *difficult* to challenge "endgame" players and newbies and casuals all at once (yes, casuals like challenges, just different kinds). It's as difficult as pleasing both PVP and PVE players. *But* I think that damage sponging is guaranteed to fail.

    If you followed the leveling path pre-One Tamriel, I think the content was actually closer to matching your level than it is now. It may also be that having unconventional builds is punished more now because of the way the game estimates your strength.

    I currently have 8 characters, mostly in their teens level-wise, the highest being 39. I'm the opposite of a power-leveler, I'm just exploring content. But since the patch I'm spending at least twice as much time on mobs as before - they aren't really any more lethal, it just takes longer to kill them. Then some CP-Million runs up and one-shots everything in ten seconds, and I'm reminded that content isn't *really* matched to your level. I mean, I spent less time on level 42 mobs when I was level 36 in Riften than I did with random mobs of the supposed same level after the patch.

    It doesn't really seem more difficult or dangerous, it just takes longer and is more boring.

    I don't really have an answer, I just have observations. But I think if endgame content is important, from my POV it looks like that's been done backward.

    Also, if getting just the right build is more important now, I will have a lot of respecs to do - and a lot of grinding for gold to do it.
  • BrianDavion
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    Ch4mpTW wrote: »
    out51d3r wrote: »
    You are complaining about artificial difficulty, yet you are telling them to be more like Castlevania, Megaman, Contra, and Ghouls and Ghosts? In most of those games, you miss a jump, and you are straight up dead. And you are given a limited amount of lives and continues. Those games were FULL of artificial difficulty. The reason why: they were developed by people who started out on arcade games, where their goal was to squeeze players for more quarters.

    I'm not saying these games were bad. I've finished all of them in my youth, and I still go back to the Castlevania series once in a while. Saying that they aren't artificially difficult is pretty crazy though.

    While true to a certain extent, those games really pushed you as a player via: Puzzle solving, reflexes, and overall mechanics comprehension in a fun sense. There was no RNG-oriented deaths just about. If you died, it was because you performed poorly. Unlike the numerous RNG deaths in ESO that exist. Not to mention that the mechanics weren't 'hidden', and took days to figure out. It was fluid.

    no offense man but if you want a twitch game maybe a MMO isn't for you?
  • BrianDavion
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    athanasios wrote: »
    I don't have many hours available for games, and those I have, are not continuous, so I prefer playing ESO mostly solo, though I do enjoy the group experience whenever I manage to get into one. Also, my equipment is good, but not top of the line.

    I've recently finished the 3rd (gold) part (lvl 320) and I really think I'm just gonna give up the game now.

    The reason ?? The new difficulty settings !!!

    After the new update, I am unable to solo in ALL the areas of the game. I mean, even in Auridon, I cannot get a single boss alone. The game is supposed to be fun for every level and every playre and I get the feeling that I need to get at least lvl 500 and get full golden equipment, in order to continue playing. Since I'm not a hardcore player, I'll probably just drop it...

    Sorry Zenimax, but you blew it this time ...

    world bosses aren't meant to be soloable. ZOS has stated that they are balanced for a group of 4 now. if you wanna kill a world boss wait for others to arrive. the idea that a single person could kill em was outright silly anyway
  • alexkdd99
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    Basically what I get is you want more puzzles. Sorry I don't play this game to work puzzles. The few puzzles I found in the main quest line were more than enough for me.

    The difficulty in eso is great, in that anyone can eventually get whatever content completed. I for one hope they stick with the current course and not make this game puzzles 101.

    One guy stated 95% of the player base wants puzzles but I don't think that is the case. Most of the people I play with that play it casually just want to relax, hang out with friends running through a dungeon. But not solving puzzles.
  • Prof_Bawbag
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    athanasios wrote: »
    I don't have many hours available for games, and those I have, are not continuous, so I prefer playing ESO mostly solo, though I do enjoy the group experience whenever I manage to get into one. Also, my equipment is good, but not top of the line.

    I've recently finished the 3rd (gold) part (lvl 320) and I really think I'm just gonna give up the game now.

    The reason ?? The new difficulty settings !!!

    After the new update, I am unable to solo in ALL the areas of the game. I mean, even in Auridon, I cannot get a single boss alone. The game is supposed to be fun for every level and every playre and I get the feeling that I need to get at least lvl 500 and get full golden equipment, in order to continue playing. Since I'm not a hardcore player, I'll probably just drop it...

    Sorry Zenimax, but you blew it this time ...

    world bosses aren't meant to be soloable. ZOS has stated that they are balanced for a group of 4 now. if you wanna kill a world boss wait for others to arrive. the idea that a single person could kill em was outright silly anyway

    All fine in theory, but before the update hit, how long did you have to wait just for a single player to pass you by never mind a team of 4? What happens months down the line when the majority have stopped boss farming? Do noobs just walk on by? It's also fine people saying just go into towns or ask guild members to help out, but realistically how many high levelled players will want to boss farm months from now when they have all the gear they need? You see the same *** in public dungeons. There's one in the daggerfall faction that requires 2 players to trigger the group event. Good luck wasting an hour or 2 of your life waiting for someone to come along and help you. It would be akin to sitting watching paint dry.

    Don't confuse the current trend of populated boss areas with what will inevitably happen a few months from now. They will revert back to being dead zones. Next to no one will shift from Mournhold etc to help some random defeat an over land boss. They will be too busy grouping for dungeons with their fellow high level buddies.
    Edited by Prof_Bawbag on October 8, 2016 6:32PM
  • kamimark
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    athanasios wrote: »
    I don't have many hours available for games, and those I have, are not continuous, so I prefer playing ESO mostly solo, though I do enjoy the group experience whenever I manage to get into one. Also, my equipment is good, but not top of the line.
    I've recently finished the 3rd (gold) part (lvl 320) and I really think I'm just gonna give up the game now.
    The reason ?? The new difficulty settings !!!
    After the new update, I am unable to solo in ALL the areas of the game. I mean, even in Auridon, I cannot get a single boss alone. The game is supposed to be fun for every level and every playre and I get the feeling that I need to get at least lvl 500 and get full golden equipment, in order to continue playing. Since I'm not a hardcore player, I'll probably just drop it...
    Sorry Zenimax, but you blew it this time ...

    Not at all.

    I've been playing a new alt in 1T, cat-boy nightblade thief using only what he finds in the world for gear, not spending any CP yet or "borrowing" anything from my main overpowered Altmer sorc. And it's almost trivial, if you "learn to play", as they say. However, ZOS does a terrible/nonexistent job of teaching the game, it's basically up to the community.

    Put on decent gear. If this means running around finding chests to get green gear at your level, do it. Gear matters far more than it used to, you will not be battle-scaled up as much with bad gear. Cat-boy's at 3/4 stars (on the character screen) with picked-up greens, 5-piece Trainee set from quest and chests in Khenarthi's Roost.

    Use food. You should pick up a few green recipes early on, get one that buffs your primary stat or your health. Once you can get blue food for health and primary, switch to that. If provisioning is too much work, go ahead and buy it (check guild traders first!) or just steal bread, it's better than nothing. Drinks aren't that useful unless you're already good enough to need more regen.

    Use potions when you get low. Even stolen/looted health pots are better than nothing. Cat-boy is brewing his own 2-stat potions, but relies on stolen ones for health.

    Work out a combat rotation. You're trying to debuff or damage-over-time, shield or heal yourself, then spam damage and weave in light attacks until enemy's low, then use a finisher (extra damage under X%) or ultimate. By level 5 you have enough skills to do all of that.

    With that minimal setup, Cat-boy is facerolling everything. Delve bosses are slightly challenging, but not hard. The new world bosses can't be fought solo unless you are very OP, but public dungeon bosses and dolmens are no problem if you're competent and watch your health.
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  • leeux
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    This is my own personal opinion, so.. no offence meant to ZOS or any of their designers.

    IMO, the problem with everything ZOS does lately is always the same: they overcompensate, modifying ALL variables at the same time.

    They increased BOSS' health, damage mitigation AND damage done all at the same time, and also for ALL enemies in dungeons, making even trash mobs between bosses a chore to deal with (and in some cases they seem to have forgotten to adjust enrage time thresholds, for what I've heard/read... so, more health/less damage takes -> more time -> enrage triggers quicker -> DPS race is the ONLY way.)

    I like difficult boss fights with mechanics that are difficult due to those mechanics... WGT first (harvester) and second (atronach) bosses are a great example of difficult done right IMO, Fungal second boss is another good example, Elden Root final boss is a great fight too, I'd argue that Crypt last boss is good too (even if I, as a healer, hate him with passion,) Darkshade's Netch and last boss are good too, a bit on the fake/artificial side, but fun (IMO).

    I completely dislike DPS races... abhor them with passion, they are the most lazy way to design encounters, that excludes a whole lot of players... basically it means: "get a min/maxed FOTM build or GTFO of our game."

    And I *really* don't like the new dungeons... I haven't seen anything that screams: that fight is fun... just annoyance and frustration... and some "AHA, gotcha!" one shot deaths, that they seem so very fond of lately.

    The problem with the dungeons as I see them is (at least from I can tell) trash pulls requiring looong time to wear down, because there are tons of them, and they have ridiculous mitigation values and high health. When instead, I'd prefer more strategy based encounters where, yes... you have tons of mobs, but some of them heal, some of them shield others, some of them do tons of damage (telegraphed), some of them are annoying as hell by CCing you and/or interrupting you... etc.

    And they don't come ALL at the same time, but in waves, and some stay at distance, so you can't stack and burn them all at the same time.

    You get the idea... In all, requiring proper target prioritization and group coordination to tackle mobs groups, that doesn't feel like a meat grinder.

    <goes to a tangent, ignore from here if you want...>

    Let me share something from other game about difficulty... Dark Souls 1 (love it, one of my favorite game of all time, a masterpiece and a work of art) and my favorite enemy type in that game:

    Take this one simple enemy type: Skeletons in the Catacombs... they are simple enough, 1v1 you kill them no problem, they aren't that much troublesome.

    But, they are one of the best designed enemies of the game... they have something like 15 to 20 moves, a ridiculous number, and they are "intelligent" (and sometimes very dumb at the same time :smile: like all enemies in DkS1, pathing and gravity is their worse enemy :wink: ) if they catch you unawares, they'll rip you in seconds.

    They aren't spammy nor durable, and they are on the slow side w.r.t. to movement in combat but they are quick to react... and yes, they react to your movements and your attacks, and gang bang you if you let them. You can't spam them either, because they'll block you and counter damage you. And they cause bleed damage, which accumulates and when triggered causes great amount of health loss on you (actual amount is percent based).

    They can parry and riposte you, but they telegraph that move very clearly as it's extremely dangerous to you, it'd probably 1HK you.

    You put distance they charge at you, if you fight close they put space between you and use a different move depending on what you do... if you're fighting more than one, you'll notice that they do different moves and position relative to each other when in groups, and they don't simply repeat spammy attacks (like more recent DkS games.)

    All in all, they have a very complex AI... but, it's simple in the end, just a bunch of conditions and triggers and responses, and that makes them interesting because you'll never know how they'll respond, and how they'll react when in groups... if there are more than two skeletons, you are never in control of the fight.

    To top that off, they respawn when killed if you don't first kill the necromancers that control them, which makes the necros a first priority... but, necros are behind several skeletons, so you'll have to avoid them (and they'll probably surround you and beat you,) or fight them which makes the necro flee and gain distance and fire at your at range.

    Also, what makes this all great is the top notch animation work in DkS1, it's amazing and very detailed, which makes them even more compelling to fight :)

    All of that together makes that area hard: the presence of this type of (trash) enemy, and their placement... environmental hazard (pits and ledges), enemies that surround you in unexpected places, and some mechanics thrown in (necros respawning skellies, as oftentimes you have to get past them to kill the necros.) It promotes thoughtful play and slow advance, and thinking about your environment... in short strategizing and tactical play.

    In summary, they are one of the best enemies and one of the best zones I've seen in any game. And a great example of difficulty done right, IMHO.
    </end tangent>
    PC/NA - Proud old member of the Antique Ordinatus Populus

    My chars
    Liana Amnell (AD mSorc L50+, ex EP) =x= Lehnnan Klennett (AD mTemplar L50+ Healer/Support ) =x= Ethim Amnell (AD mDK L50+, ex DC)
    Leinwyn Valaene (AD mSorc L50+) =x= Levus Artorias (AD mDK-for-now L50+) =x= Madril Ulessen (AD mNB L50+) =x= Lyra Amnis (AD not-Stamplar-yet L50+)
    I only PvP on AD chars

    ~~ «And blossoms anew beneath tomorrow's sun >>»
    ~~ «I am forever swimming around, amidst this ocean world we call home... >>»
    ~~ "Let strength be granted so the world might be mended... so the world might be mended."
    ~~ "Slash the silver chain that binds thee to life"
    ~~ Our cries will shrill, the air will moan and crash into the dawn. >>
    ~~ The sands of time were eroded by the river of constant change >>
  • Osteos
    Osteos
    ✭✭✭✭✭
    Berenhir wrote: »
    Had a discussion yesterday with a fellow (trading) guild member about how difficult the overland world bosses really are now. He said only elite PvE could finish them, told me he and 4 others wiped several times at storm haven atronach boss in the very east. "Even one CP 583 couldn't help us and died".

    Went there with girlfriend, two cp 390 sorcs in full PvP gear and easily took him down.
    Asked the guildie if he wanted to come, said we would help but no reaction.

    I don't know what to say. We really are no PvE players, I myself did like 3 dungeons ever and never finished main quest (though my magblade now wants the soul ultimate).

    Is this just a l2p issue? I hate to tell people that as I consider my own performance mediocre.

    What did some.people do before OT? No shields no healing, no defensive abilities in PvE? Bow light attacking (I do remember that I had to tell people on BWB that using only bow light attacks won't save Alessia)? What's wrong with some PvE guys? Overland is not difficult at all!

    If you want to get a quick glimpse of why some people are having such a hard time go do the Kvatch Arena daily. Watch how many people fail to notice or move out of the ice ring on the ground and die. A sad amount of people pay no attention to mechanics and just stand in stupid. They don't move out of red circles, then don't interrupt and they don't block. ESO has very good indicators of what you should be doing.
    DAGGERFALL COVENANT
    NA PC
    Former Vehemence Member
    Onistka Valerius <> Artemis Renault <> Gonk gra-Ugrash <> Karietta <> Zercon at-Rusa <> Genevieve Renault <> Ktaka <> Brenlyn Renault
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