F Maelstrom. I'm never goin there again

Jeremy · November 2016

CultOfMMO wrote: »

Jeremy wrote: »

FriedEggSandwich wrote: »

Jeremy wrote: »

FriedEggSandwich wrote: »

Jeremy wrote: »

kylewwefan wrote: »

Just f it. Spent 4 hours today trying to pass the 7 round argonian ***. I even ran an Ethernet cable across my house. I can't spend any more time in there. It's not fun. It actually makes me not want to play the game.

Fruit nut. I hate you. Zenimax I hate you. Locking the best stuff behind this poo show is just disrespectful. I go bed now. Cry myself to sleep.

I agree with you. It saps my will to keep playing the game as well. In fact my playtime has slacked off dramatically since I attempted the veteran arena. The normal version (while frustrating at times) was alright.

It's just over-all very poorly designed content that favors a narrow build set and discourages other builds from playing.

Expecting healers and tanks to pay thousands of gold to rebuild there characters every time they want to attempt veteran Maelstrom or (as one poster actually suggested to me other day) to create an entirely new character whose sole purpose is to run this content is unreasonable and ridiculous.

If they are going to design content that drops gear for healers and tanks then they need to make such content do-able by healers and tanks. Because not all of us play mobile highly-offensive builds.

I'm usually complementary of this game's PvE content. But this one gets very low marks from me. ON a game that supposedly prides itself on character choices and customization - this content is as narrow-minded as it gets.

Healers and tanks are support roles. Who are you supporting in a solo arena? I'm a sorc dps and I have to pay 3000g to rearrange my cp for vma, this isn't an issue for just healers and tanks lol. Guess what? I have another max rank sorc that I levelled up just for pve.

Healers and tanks are not support roles. They are main roles that many players design their characters around.

To suggest that healers and tanks have no place in solo content is one of the more silly things I have ever read on this forum.

This isn't even to address the most obvious contradiction - that the content itself drops gear for both tanks and healers. So to say to me that healers and tanks should have no place in this content just defies simple logic.

Yeah they are support roles, and who said a support role wasn't a main role?. The end goal of all pve is to kill all the mobs and bosses. The DPS are responsible for the killing and healers and tanks facilitate this and try to ensure the DPS can dps as quickly as possible. It's a team effort of course but most of the killing is done by a fraction of the team. Did you expect a solo arena to be completed with your full healer setup on your own? What are you gonna do? Snare them to death with ritual? To complete any content solo you need to be able to damage the mobs cos you're the only one who can.

Support roles are typically roles that specialize at buffing other characters or contributing to the fight in more indirect ways rather what is referred to as the holy trinity of MMORPGs - namely tanking/healing and dps.

You just described a a tank and healer doing their jobs to perfection in ESO.

In coordinated group content tanks and healers very quickly reach a point where they are "tanky" enough or have enough "base healing", then they shift their focus to buffing the dps as much as possible, making sure they do as much damage as possible and never run out of resources.

idk about other MMOs, but if you fail to grasp the concept of tanks and healers being support roles in ESO, vMA is probably the least of your worries. You should probably spend some time reviewing the basics of game mechanics.

This isn't complicated.

Tanks are jobs that specialize in defense and protecting other party members.

Healers are jobs that specialize in healing magic and keeping party members alive.

A support job would be one that specializes in buffing or de-buffing. ESO does not have a support role. The roles are divided up between tanks, healers, and DPS.

All classes have options they can use to help support their groups. But it is not their main focus. For example: do you think healing Templars are the only job on ESO who can use Luminous Shards or Repentance to help support the group members? Of course not. Any Templar can - and many Templar tanks and DPS do. Does that mean they stop being tanks or DPS when they use them? Of course not. So I don't really find your argument persuasive in that respect - and it certainly isn't helped by your condescension either.

So perhaps you should review the basis of the game, and learn that a healer's primary role is heal - and a tank's primary role is to tank.

Jeremy · November 2016

code65536 wrote: »

Jeremy wrote: »

My point is VMA is content that is created exclusively for high offensive builds - yet it drops gear for healers and tanks. That is stupid.

What gear for healers and tanks? Oh, you mean the resto staff that is only good for self-healing solo content and outclassed for healing group content? Or the tank weapon that is so useless that no tank in their right mind would touch it? If you never intend to DPS, then there is no equipment in vMA that is worth getting.

Also, every one of my eight vet characters has done vMA. Including my tanks (yes, I have multiple). And my healer. My healer did it in his healer gear with the Atronach mundus, and my tanks change between DPS and tank with a simple swap of gear.

Yes, the Restoration Staff - which is for healing. No one is going to play a DPS role with a restoration staff. Whether you think it's worth getting or what it's good for is beside the point.

I would like to see you do VMA as a healer. May we see a video?

code65536 · November 2016

Jeremy wrote: »

code65536 wrote: »

Jeremy wrote: »

My point is VMA is content that is created exclusively for high offensive builds - yet it drops gear for healers and tanks. That is stupid.

What gear for healers and tanks? Oh, you mean the resto staff that is only good for self-healing solo content and outclassed for healing group content? Or the tank weapon that is so useless that no tank in their right mind would touch it? If you never intend to DPS, then there is no equipment in vMA that is worth getting.

Also, every one of my eight vet characters has done vMA. Including my tanks (yes, I have multiple). And my healer. My healer did it in his healer gear with the Atronach mundus, and my tanks change between DPS and tank with a simple swap of gear.

Yes, the Restoration Staff - which is for healing. No one is going to play a DPS role with a restoration staff.

I would like to see you do VMA as a healer. May we see a video?

Healers for group content run a 5/5/1 setup. Two 5-piece sets, and a free slot. There are two options for that free slot. Option 1 is a 1-piece heavy monster set, for the Undaunted passive (all of the 5p sets are light) and for extra survivability. Option 2 is to run a Master's staff. These are the two BiS configurations for healing. And none of them involve the vMA resto.

Where the vMA resto shines is in self-healing solo content. People often back-bar the vMA resto for running vMA. It, however, provides no value in group content. It's not a bad staff, per se. But it is outclassed and not optimal for actual healing.

As for running vMA as a healer, no, I don't have a video because I don't have recording capabilities. But SPC+Worm/Infal with destro/resto is a perfectly viable gear combination for DPS. Not optimal, and not something you'd use for competitive vMA. But it can and does work. Sustain is often an issue for magicka templars, which is why setups that have more sustain--e.g., the gear I use for healing--actually works fairly well. Obviously I'm going to be using a very different skill bar, but that's trivial to change.

Also, running full DPS makes things easier, but isn't required. If you want to play with a highly survivable low-DPS build in vMA, you can.

Example 1: This video was from over a year ago, when andy.s cleared vMA on the PTS. Notice that he's using sword-and-shield on both bars. That his health is almost 24K, and that his magicka is a paltry 31K. These are the stats of a tank, not a DPS. Yet this is among the first clears of vMA. And if you compare this video to his recent videos, you'll see he's doing a mere fraction--1/3 to 1/4--the DPS that he does now. And yes, it's a long, drawn-out fight, and that's why almost nobody would choose to clear vMA like this, but that choice does exist.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=meHzzuieBHo

Example 2: Heavy armor, sword-and-board on both bars. Same thing as above. Not a DPS build. But very survivable and beat it by outlasting. This is most evident at the end of the ice round, when he survives long enough after the break to kill the boss while that a DPS build would've died almost immediately. Isn't that the option that you want, yet claim to not exist?

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=X-cf2Erf5GY

Offensive is faster, and nobody wants to spend more time in there than they have to. But if you don't want to go super-offensive, you don't have to. The choice is there, even if you refuse to acknowledge that the choice exists.

Jeremy · November 2016

code65536 wrote: »

Jeremy wrote: »

code65536 wrote: »

Jeremy wrote: »

My point is VMA is content that is created exclusively for high offensive builds - yet it drops gear for healers and tanks. That is stupid.

What gear for healers and tanks? Oh, you mean the resto staff that is only good for self-healing solo content and outclassed for healing group content? Or the tank weapon that is so useless that no tank in their right mind would touch it? If you never intend to DPS, then there is no equipment in vMA that is worth getting.

Also, every one of my eight vet characters has done vMA. Including my tanks (yes, I have multiple). And my healer. My healer did it in his healer gear with the Atronach mundus, and my tanks change between DPS and tank with a simple swap of gear.

Yes, the Restoration Staff - which is for healing. No one is going to play a DPS role with a restoration staff.

I would like to see you do VMA as a healer. May we see a video?

Healers for group content run a 5/5/1 setup. Two 5-piece sets, and a free slot. There are two options for that free slot. Option 1 is a 1-piece heavy monster set, for the Undaunted passive (all of the 5p sets are light) and for extra survivability. Option 2 is to run a Master's staff. These are the two BiS configurations for healing. And none of them involve the vMA resto.

Where the vMA resto shines is in self-healing solo content. People often back-bar the vMA resto for running vMA. It, however, provides no value in group content. It's not a bad staff, per se. But it is outclassed and not optimal for actual healing.

As for running vMA as a healer, no, I don't have a video because I don't have recording capabilities. But SPC+Worm/Infal with destro/resto is a perfectly viable gear combination for DPS. Not optimal, and not something you'd use for competitive vMA. But it can and does work. Obviously I'm going to be using a very different skill bar, but that's trivial to change.

Also, running full DPS makes things easier, but isn't required. If you want to play with a highly survivable low-DPS build in vMA, you can.

Example 1: This video was from over a year ago, when andy.s cleared vMA on the PTS. Notice that he's using sword-and-shield on both bars. That his health is almost 24K, and that his magicka is a paltry 31K. These are the stats of a tank, not a DPS. Yet this is among the first clears of vMA. And if you compare this video to his recent videos, you'll see he's doing a mere fraction--1/3 to 1/4--the DPS that he does now. And yes, it's a long, drawn-out fight, and that's why almost nobody would choose to clear vMA like this, but that choice does exist.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=meHzzuieBHo

Example 2: Heavy armor, sword-and-board on both bars. Same thing as above. Not a DPS build. But very survivable and beat it by outlasting. Isn't that the option that you want, yet claim to not exist?
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=X-cf2Erf5GY

Offensive is faster, and nobody wants to spend more time in there than they have to. But if you don't want to go super-offensive, you don't have to. The choice is there, even if you refuse to acknowledge that the choice exists.

Until I see a video of healing build doing VMA I am going to have difficulty believing it. If it is possible, I don't even want to imagine the pain and death that would accompany it. To suggest that it isn't optimal is the understatement of the year.

Where we disagree is you say going super-offensive is a choice, where I see it more as a requirement to do VMA.

code65536 · November 2016

Jeremy wrote: »

Until I see a video of a healer doing VMA I am going to have difficulty believing it. If it is possible, I don't even want to imagine the pain and death that would accompany it. To suggest that it isn't optimal is the understatement of the year.

And what exactly is different between healer gear and DPS gear? I use Infal as a healer. I use Infal as DPS. SPC is a perfectly legitimate set to DPS with, only slightly behind Julianos, if you are able to self-proc it, which is not an issue for magplars. By "not optimal", it means I have 1x recovery 2x spell damage instead of 3x spell damage and not using a monster set. But that recovery is an accommodation that a DPS would probably have to make anyway. You sound as if you've never seen a healer DPS in 4-man content.

Jeremy wrote: »

Where we disagree is you say going super-offensive is a choice, where I see it more as a requirement to do VMA.

"Requirement"? I don't think that word means what you think it means. Again, amongst the first clears of vMA ever was a clear done on a very defensive build doing less than 8K DPS (or did you not even bother watching the videos I linked above?).

Jeremy · November 2016

code65536 wrote: »

Jeremy wrote: »

Until I see a video of a healer doing VMA I am going to have difficulty believing it. If it is possible, I don't even want to imagine the pain and death that would accompany it. To suggest that it isn't optimal is the understatement of the year.

And what exactly is different between healer gear and DPS gear? I use Infal as a healer. I use Infal as DPS. SPC is a perfectly legitimate set to DPS with, only slightly behind Julianos, if you are able to self-proc it, which is not an issue for magplars. By "not optimal", it means I have 1x recovery 2x spell damage instead of 3x spell damage and not using a monster set. But that recovery is an accommodation that a DPS would probably have to make anyway. You sound as if you've never seen a healer DPS in a 4-man content?

Jeremy wrote: »

Where we disagree is you say going super-offensive is a choice, where I see it more as a requirement to do VMA.

"Requirement"? I don't think that word means what you think it means. Again, amongst the first clears of vMA ever was a clear done on a very defensive build doing less than 8K DPS (or did you not even bother watching the videos I linked above?).

The word means what I think it means.

In other words - it is necessary to go super-offensive in VMA.

I believe this because I have been inside it. The whole thing is basically one DPS race. What you describe sounds nice - that any healing or tanking build can go inside and beat it. But that's just not the reality. Players who do not emphasize offense are going to have their asses handed to them in there.

Perhaps we should just agree to disagree at this point. Because obviously we are talking about two different things here. That's the only thing I can figure at this point.

code65536 · November 2016

Jeremy wrote: »

I believe this because I have been inside it. The whole thing is basically one DPS race. What you describe sounds nice - that any healing or tanking build can go inside and beat it. But that's just not the reality. Players who do not emphasize offense are going to have their asses handed to them.

Perhaps we should just agree to disagree at this point. Because obviously we are talking about two different things here. That's the only thing I can figure at this point.

So... those videos. You did watch them, right?

In addition to that, my first clear 9 months ago was very defensive too. Sword-and-shield on one bar. A resto staff on another. Guess it never happened because apparently it's impossible. Yes, you're going to have to do damage, and no, you aren't going to go in there using the same skills you use in group content. But my point is that the most important thing in vMA is practice and following mechanics. It doesn't matter one bit what your build is if you don't know what to do in there, and if you do know what to do, you can beat it with a much wider range of builds than you seem to think is possible.

Jeremy · November 2016

code65536 wrote: »

Jeremy wrote: »

I believe this because I have been inside it. The whole thing is basically one DPS race. What you describe sounds nice - that any healing or tanking build can go inside and beat it. But that's just not the reality. Players who do not emphasize offense are going to have their asses handed to them.

Perhaps we should just agree to disagree at this point. Because obviously we are talking about two different things here. That's the only thing I can figure at this point.

So... those videos. You did watch them, right?

In addition to that, my first clear 9 months ago was very defensive too. Sword-and-shield on one bar. A resto staff on another. Guess it never happened because apparently it's impossible. Yes, you're going to have to do damage, and no, you aren't going to go in there using the same skills you use in group content. But my point is that the most important thing in vMA is practice and following mechanics. It doesn't matter one bit what your build is if you don't know what to do in there, and if you do know what to do, you can beat it with a much wider range of builds than you seem to think is possible.

And my point is that knowing the mechanics is not the most important thing in there. It's your offense that matters the most.

I was able to beat the Normal Maelstrom arena fairly easily the first day I tried it. Yes, there was a bit of trial and error involved to learn the gimmicky mechanics. But the point is I figured them out, so I already mostly knew how the fights worked when I stepped into Veteran Arena. And that didn't make much difference at all.

Builds that don't emphasize offense are going to get creamed in VMA. That is just the bottom line. What you say sounds nice - but I don't think you fully appreciate just how badly builds that do not emphasize offense do in there. You should try it sometime - then you will know. Because - and whether you acknowledge it or not - it is a DPS race - and a rather unforgiving one at that. Just be glad you favor builds that are capable of doing the kind of damage necessary to beat it.

I wouldn't mind the restoration staff. But I don't want it bad enough to re-design my entire character when it does well in all other veteran content I have tried. Yes, my damage is not that great. But so what. If I wanted to do a lot of damage then I would have played a DPSer.

So like the OP suggests - I have come to the same conclusion. F Maelstrom.

Acid_Glow · November 2016

You either overcome it or you don't VMSA is Battle Awareness + DPS + Sustain if you give up on things pretty quick because it doesn't go your way then too bad keep trying.

Artis · November 2016

Jeremy wrote: »

I'm not offended by the term. I just don't believe it is accurate.

Support jobs are not tanks and healers. Those are main roles as I said - who specialize in defense and healing magic. Support roles are jobs that specialize in buffing players or de-buffing enemies. I've never heard of anyone who describes tanks and healers as support classes before. That's just odd to me.

Also: I never said VMA should not involve killing NPCS. Do you think healers and tanks don't kill things when they go exploring about Tamriel? Do you think everyone plays DPS-centric classes or builds when they solo on this game? They don't. Healers and tanks solo too. We kill things also. We just do it differently - with our edge being more in defense or healing magic to help us outlast our enemies instead of relying on high damage bursts.

My point is VMA is content that is created exclusively for high offensive builds - yet it drops gear for healers and tanks. That is stupid. I should not have to re-design my entire character and turn him from a healer into a DPSer to get healing gear. And I really don't understand how anyone could argue with such a simple point.

It is accurate. They support their group, they are support roles because of that. They are still main. Support and main are NOT antonyms in this context.

You kill things? Good for you. You can tickle it to death all you want. In a solo play you can do whatever you want and there are no roles. In a group play your role is support role and DPS contribute more to the killing itself = deal most damage.

VMA is created for solo builds. Not for pure dps builds, not for pure healer, not for pure tanks. Every role has to adapt and change the build just for vma. How come you shouldn't redesign your characters and DPS should?

What's unclear is what point you argue. Just understand that vma is neither for supports nor for DPS.

Jeremy wrote: »

This isn't complicated.

Tanks are jobs that specialize in defense and protecting other party members.

Healers are jobs that specialize in healing magic and keeping party members alive.

A support job would be one that specializes in buffing or de-buffing. ESO does not have a support role. The roles are divided up between tanks, healers, and DPS.

All classes have options they can use to help support their groups. But it is not their main focus. For example: do you think healing Templars are the only job on ESO who can use Luminous Shards or Repentance to help support the group members? Of course not. Any Templar can - and many Templar tanks and DPS do. Does that mean they stop being tanks or DPS when they use them? Of course not. So I don't really find your argument persuasive in that respect - and it certainly isn't helped by your condescension either.

So perhaps you should review the basis of the game, and learn that a healer's primary role is heal - and a tank's primary role is to tank.

Well it does seem complicated for you since you STILL Can't grasp it. What you're saying is wrong. Support's role is not to buff/debuff, it's more general - to support it's groups so it can kill stuff fast and easy. In that sense, healers and tanks are both support roles.

Moreover, YES it is THEIR JOB to buff and debuff. To use shards, repentance etc. It is their job, and they are supports. IF you make your DPS do that - you will gimp your group. DPS should kill. They shouldn't break their rotation for using shards, they shouldn't even waste a single slot to have shards. Doing that makes you kill things slower and harder. Why wouldn't and shouldn't a healer do that? He has no rotation and the minimum healing needed to clear content is very small. No one needs a full time healer who only heals. It's the opposite of smart and efficient.

Same with tanks. Tanks have their own skills and group buffs to run depending on the build. Besides, doesn't shard damage scale with spell damage? Why would you have anyone but healer use it?

Jeremy wrote: »

Yes, the Restoration Staff - which is for healing. No one is going to play a DPS role with a restoration staff. Whether you think it's worth getting or what it's good for is beside the point.

I would like to see you do VMA as a healer. May we see a video?

It's for solo play and pvp. Not very useful for group healing, there are better options. Still better than a non-set staff, I suppose. You struggle with the concept of roles and solo/group play. There are solo builds, for example, for vMA that need heals. Usual setup for mages is destro-resto staff. They don't play pure dps in VMA.

Jeremy wrote: »

I believe this because I have been inside it. The whole thing is basically one DPS race. What you describe sounds nice - that any healing or tanking build can go inside and beat it. But that's just not the reality. Players who do not emphasize offense are going to have their asses handed to them in there.

He literally showed you a video proving that it's not a DPS race and somebody completed it with very low DPS... You are in denial or something. Did you just come here to troll, vent or what?

And no, you are not supposed to complete the hardest solo-content with any build. However, there's more than 1 build that can complete it, which was demonstrated.

Jeremy wrote: »

Builds that don't emphasize offense are going to get creamed in VMA. That is just the bottom line. What you say sounds nice - but I don't think you fully appreciate just how badly builds that do not emphasize offense do in there. You should try it sometime - then you will know. Because - and whether you acknowledge it or not - it is a DPS race - and a rather unforgiving one at that. Just be glad you favor builds that are capable of doing the kind of damage necessary to beat it.

I wouldn't mind the restoration staff. But I don't want it bad enough to re-design my entire character when it does well in all other veteran content I have tried. Yes, my damage is not that great. But so what. If I wanted to do a lot of damage then I would have played a DPSer.

So like the OP suggests - I have come to the same conclusion. F Maelstrom.

He just told you he completed it with 1h+shield and resto stafff. That's the definition of a build that doesn't emphasize offence. He also showed you videos with low-dps builds clearing it. You were shown again and again that it's not a DPS race, but you still keep repeating the same thing. I am 95% sure you are a troll at this point.

Oh wow, well then don't go there and don't complete it. We all had to re-design our characters just for vma because it couldn't be completed by group builds, but you want everything without having to change anything? That's not how it works. I guess if I wanted to heal, I would play a healer right? But still, I had to equip a resto staff and change my skill bars to complete vMA. Can't complete it just by emphasizing offence.

Rockndude · November 2016

In an attempt to squash this pointless argument between jeremy and code:

1. It is possible to clear VMA on a templar in healing gear such as spc and infal. It is not optimal dps wise for getting through it fast but you can definitely get it done.
2. Do you keep your CP the same or do you change them for VMA compared to healing? I know my healer would not be able to complete it if I kept 100 points into blessed instead of redistributing many blue points between elemental expert and thaumaturge and I am at 561 CP. This change in my opinion would be much more crucial compared to a change in gear since the gear bonuses are very similar.

Project_Shimel · December 2016

The drops for The Maelstrom weapons SERIOUSLY need a better system, I could think of three different ways to improve it off the top of my head, how can a game designer not understand that?

Its not like getting a good Vma drop lets you sell it, its all bound, just make it easier to get

Have an interactable board in the lobby that lets you choose whether or not you want to receive a certain weapon/ roll on completion but only if youve already received it.

So if I get a training inferno staff, I can go let the game know that I dont want another training inferno staff.

Or have the rolls that YOU KNOW PEOPLE ARE LOOKING FOR drop a little more often.

Im not asking for a first time sharpened item, or even a fifth time completion sharpened

But when I see the BS RNG that people have, it really makes me wonder why something hasnt been done.

RoyalPink06 · December 2016

I feel your pain, OP. I got over 600 CP. I have a magplar sitting at the drome of toxic shock level, and I just do not have it in me to bring him back in there. It seems the levels leading up to Toxic Shock aren't too mechanic-heavy, but I know it starts to get outrageous after that point. I'm building a stam sorc to take to vMA since I heard they are good for that, but I know its the mechanics that are gonna get me anyway, regardless of build.

You probably don't remember me, but I ran a trial with you once not too long ago and I can vouch that you are a strong, non-sh!tty player (maybe not such an eloquent way to put it, but the meaning still stands), and its a damn shame to hear that vMA got the better of you. Better luck next time, my friend.

Lukums1 · December 2016

RoyalPink06 wrote: »

I feel your pain, OP. I got over 600 CP. I have a magplar sitting at the drome of toxic shock level, and I just do not have it in me to bring him back in there. It seems the levels leading up to Toxic Shock aren't too mechanic-heavy, but I know it starts to get outrageous after that point. I'm building a stam sorc to take to vMA since I heard they are good for that, but I know its the mechanics that are gonna get me anyway, regardless of build.

You probably don't remember me, but I ran a trial with you once not too long ago and I can vouch that you are a strong, non-sh!tty player (maybe not such an eloquent way to put it, but the meaning still stands), and its a damn shame to hear that vMA got the better of you. Better luck next time, my friend.

Not getting too deep into this argument or "Discussion as some people would call it"

However perhaps watch my video on twitch doing VMA - toxic arena specific I"m assuming you're talking about round 7.

These days I've introduced NOT killing the summoners on the boss and just standing by one of the debuff portals pretty cheesy but works great.

The arena isn't hard, the ones who dedicate time and practise to it will blast through in 45-55minutes easily without much effort.

These days no one wants to spend the time and just complain how things are just "too hard"

Luke

kylewwefan · December 2016

I remember you, and thanks. After spending a few weeks in there and not beating it, I'm done. Maelstrom kept me hostage far too long and was really making me hate the game I enjoyed. Solkyn Voriak can eat it.

I contemplated having someone run it for me, but I just can't bring myself to do it.

Kutsuu · December 2016

So many people think they are entitled to every little smidge of content that a game contains simply because they bought it. It's pathetic, and watching them crumble when faced with the reality that they have to earn it brings me joy. Maybe I'm bitter towards entitlement or just a mean person, but I just don't want participation trophies in my games. I want to face the challenges and rise through adversity to get that feeling of proud accomplishment that only these things can give you. Instant gratification gives such a small and short glow of enjoyment in comparison.

Rataroto · December 2016

GG

it stands for get gud

Izaki · December 2016

Kutsuu wrote: »

So many people think they are entitled to every little smidge of content that a game contains simply because they bought it. It's pathetic, and watching them crumble when faced with the reality that they have to earn it brings me joy. Maybe I'm bitter towards entitlement or just a mean person, but I just don't want participation trophies in my games. I want to face the challenges and rise through adversity to get that feeling of proud accomplishment that only these things can give you. Instant gratification gives such a small and short glow of enjoyment in comparison.

This guy knows what's wrong.

Rataroto wrote: »

GG

it stands for get gud

And this guy has a great solution for you OP.

Cozzy1991 · December 2016

The only thing that's unfair about vMA is the loot table. Too many traits, too many weapons (only 2 good traits thought, precise (and only use that on a resto TBH) and sharpened). I have done over 300 runs, steamed about 170 of them, and the only sharpened weapon I have earned is a bloody 1h mace (sword/mace most useless vMA weapons of all time).

jakeedmundson · December 2016

Kutsuu wrote: »

So many people think they are entitled to every little smidge of content that a game contains simply because they bought it. It's pathetic, and watching them crumble when faced with the reality that they have to earn it brings me joy. Maybe I'm bitter towards entitlement or just a mean person, but I just don't want participation trophies in my games. I want to face the challenges and rise through adversity to get that feeling of proud accomplishment that only these things can give you. Instant gratification gives such a small and short glow of enjoyment in comparison.

Please let me know when you figure out how to "earn" a sharpened lightning staff.... apparently dozens and dozens of runs (many flawless 500k+) means i haven't earned it yet...

also let me know when you learn the difference between working for/earning something and complete garbage drop rates that never improve with the amount of time/effort you put in.

Upright_man · December 2016

Lukums1 wrote: »

These days no one wants to spend the time and just complain how things are just "too hard"

Luke

^ this is so true..
Its not that bad and it gets easier and easier.

More time practicing and less time complaining and problem solved?

I don't want this arena to be so easy that anyone can do it on their first try with one hand behind their back..

Learn to enjoy a challenge and improve yourself.

Kronz · December 2016

I ran this for my first time today. Im Champ level 114 or so. I did normal, not sure if hes talking about normal or vet, I found it a good challenge. Once I figured out on the Arogonian lvl I could cleanse the poisons it was fun and a good challenge for my character and skill lvl. I beat all fights on normal and it took me a little over an hour. It was fun but not something I would want to run daily. Im sure vet is super tough and I will prob try that once I can get 160 gear.

Brrrofski · December 2016

Round 7 is the worst round by far.

Last boss is hard first time you do it, but pretty simple every other time you do it.

Kutsuu · December 2016

jakeedmundson wrote: »

Kutsuu wrote: »

So many people think they are entitled to every little smidge of content that a game contains simply because they bought it. It's pathetic, and watching them crumble when faced with the reality that they have to earn it brings me joy. Maybe I'm bitter towards entitlement or just a mean person, but I just don't want participation trophies in my games. I want to face the challenges and rise through adversity to get that feeling of proud accomplishment that only these things can give you. Instant gratification gives such a small and short glow of enjoyment in comparison.

Please let me know when you figure out how to "earn" a sharpened lightning staff.... apparently dozens and dozens of runs (many flawless 500k+) means i haven't earned it yet...

also let me know when you learn the difference between working for/earning something and complete garbage drop rates that never improve with the amount of time/effort you put in.

That's the nature of RNG loot, but I would like to see the ability to deconstruct undesirable weapons for currency that could eventually buy what you want. However, that's not the point of this thread or my post. This thread was whining because the arena is too hard and completion should just be handed to them. My response was to those who think VMA is too hard and should be nerfed. Loot is a completely different matter and discussion, which has its own threads.

mr_wazzabi · December 2016

Vma is doable for those that are persistent and put in the work. I just no-deathed it yesterday with my tank/dps hybrid with a score of 480k.

If you really want something, you get it by not giving up, no matter how bad it gets. This applies to other things besides gaming.

Infinite12 · February 2017

It gets easier after the first play through, I promise. I did maelstrom over the course of a week the first time. I spent 6 hrs alone on the final boss on the final stage ( I was not going to leave and have to restart that stage over). My 2nd play through though? I made it to stage 7 in under an hour and the final boss on the final stage took me like 2, 2 1/2 hours at most. It does get easier.

GrigorijMalahevich · February 2017

5th boss - just don't dps him too fast and handle the ads first, leave 3rd island with defense sigil for last and after boss destroys two islands just grab the defense sigil and kill boss ignoring everything else.

7th level round 4 just grab defense sigil when 3 archers spam... on boss round just try to kite boss in big circles so you always have vision of that pesky mushroom guy. Boss is very easy mechanics wise.

8th level round 4 at the start just grab defense sigil and game over.

9th just get ready to die a lot

)

Did 7 runs in totall and with sustain purple pvp gear and pvp skill morphs I can do easy 480k points run with below 300cp in 80 minutes with couple of deaths to some random mechanics.

Just put some muscle in your first clear, after than it will be a walk in the park (quite long one and reward is usually disappointing).

P.S. Hope with Morrowind there will be another solo content.

pod88kk · February 2017

It's a pain in the A but once you finish it it's an amazing feeling.... I got so excited I jump off my bed and threw my controller through my closed window

SamTheSwan · February 2017

The vMA complain posts always get me, simply because players believe they're entitled to be able to clear all content in a game.

However to the point of the post, you either rise above the challenge or simply decide you don't want to put in the effort, and then walk away with 189 less spell/weapon damage.

I sat down my roommate who had never played ESO before on my magplar toon with the intent to debunk people who believe the arena is too difficult. He ran normal Malestrom first, making it to round 5 before his first death, and finishing the whole arena with less than 10. The next weekend he hopped into vMA, and made it to the 3rd round before his first death, and made it to the 5th round before getting stuck (dying repeatedly and not being able to get past it). While there is some confounding present in these statistics (I have no clue of his MMO experience, He was in full BiS golded gear and the exact bar setup I used to get flawless conqueror) the idea still holds true. If you are willing to adapt to the arena, it's not that hard.