What is the purpose of VMA??

GrigorijMalahevich · February 2017

When PvP lags - Just grind vma. It is cool solo content, rng on item drop is horrible, but the whole content is well thought. More super hard solo content!!!

That moment wheb you play dark souls version of ESO.

Bigevilpeter · February 2017

AtAfternoon wrote: »

It's most likely a trick set up by the God of Schemes, allowing the Vestige to willingly banish himself to a realm of Oblivion, where he or she spends the better part of eternity fighting for something they'll never get until they're filled with nothing but dread and despair.

I'm not saying Fa-Nuit-Hen and Molag Bal are conspiring against the Vestige, I'm just saying it's oddly convenient there's an Oblivion gate just sitting there.

That make a lot of sense actually

Lukums1 · February 2017

I've got every weapon in all traits x3 now? I think?

To be fair vMA is the best content I've ever done in any game challenging and rewarding (hehe)

I think it's funny people complain on grinding clearly you guys never raided in any "solid environment" where you'd go into a raid once a week and NOT get what you're after week after week month after month. (sorry I'm assuming)

At least in vMA you can run it as often and as many times as you want as it's purely dependent on you.

Yeah yeah, cry about rng system we all sat there hundreds of runs if not thousands. If you're not prepared to do the grind why even start? You already know it's terrible let it go.

Also let's not forget the most important reason: To be the best there ever was LOL.

Ch4mpTW · February 2017

The point of Maelstrom Arena is the same as any of the other trials. It's there to compete against others, all the while testing yourself. However in this case, you're inside of your own instance (solo). Upon completion you're awarded with gear, of which can be best-in-slot depending upon your role and setup.

MLGProPlayer · February 2017

ViciousVamps1 wrote: »

DurzoBlint13 wrote: »

to add another layer of RNG into a game plagued with bad RNG, piled on top of the fact that RNG should never be used as a loot system in the first place....its just lazy and unimaginative game design

Rng Isn't lazy its lazy players that just want to be given everything without working for it

RNG is lazy.

People don't have a problem working for something. People have a problem not knowing if they will ever get something. There is a huge difference.

There are players who have done vMA over 1000 times and still don't have a sharpened inferno staff. Then there are players who got one on their first attempt. That is a stupid system.

A token system requiring 100 completions (or any arbitrary number) to get whatever weapon you want would be a perfect solution. Everyone would have to work hard for their weapon, but everyone would be assured that they receive a reward in the end.

The current system is like going to work and being told you might get paid.

MLGProPlayer · February 2017

Oreyn_Bearclaw wrote: »

Dont confuse the instance with the loot system. VMA is actually a great piece of content. It is very challenging to learn, and nothing will teach more more about your class than working through this arena. You cant be carried through this place, so it also serves as a reasonable benchmark to compare the top players against one another from a PVE standpoint.

Now the loot system is a completely different animal. It is one of the worst things in the game IMO, and this is coming from someone that has most of what the need from there. Why they havent replaced it with some sort of token system is beyond me.

I disagree that it's a great piece of content. It's a solo instance inside a social, multiplayer game.

Dark Souls is one of my favourite games of all time. But I don't want the Dark Souls experience from an MMO. I play MMOs for the multiplayer experience.

exeeter702 · February 2017

MLGProPlayer wrote: »

Oreyn_Bearclaw wrote: »

Dont confuse the instance with the loot system. VMA is actually a great piece of content. It is very challenging to learn, and nothing will teach more more about your class than working through this arena. You cant be carried through this place, so it also serves as a reasonable benchmark to compare the top players against one another from a PVE standpoint.

Now the loot system is a completely different animal. It is one of the worst things in the game IMO, and this is coming from someone that has most of what the need from there. Why they havent replaced it with some sort of token system is beyond me.

I disagree that it's a great piece of content. It's a solo instance inside a social, multiplayer game.

Dark Souls is one of my favourite games of all time. But I don't want the Dark Souls experience from an MMO. I play MMOs for the multiplayer experience.

Then you can chose not to partake in it. Unless you think working on a peice of content like this had a tangible effect on halting what could have been other multiplayer content.

Most people play mmos for the group aspect. But it isnt always literally to play with others. Believe it or not, some people enjoy mmos just to be an individual in an online gaming environment. Vma is indeed a great peice of content because it allows a player to gauge themself vs other players and to have a nice reward that is far and away NOT a participation trophy.

To assume any single player focused content in an online rpg is bad content is to be incredibly short sighted. There is more to being a part of a persistent online game world than simply how many things you can do as a group.

S1ipperyJim · February 2017

They should at least have included undaunted plunder in the end chest of vMA

Izaki · February 2017

jakeedmundson wrote: »

IzakiBrotherSs wrote: »

To overcome your limits as a player, to have a competition with score and to get best in slot weapons.

BOLD^^^^^

That would be fantastic if we could actually GET them

I got all of mine except for 1. I can't complain anymore.

kadar · February 2017

I really want know why ZOS designed it, is it made just to annoy people??

It's purpose is to be the most difficult solo PVE content in the game and challenge the most skilled players, offering some of the most powerful gear in the game as reward.

^It successfully does that, IMO.
But yea, I guess #TokenSystem

ForsakenSin · February 2017

the purpose of VMA ?

1) swear like you are possessed
2) yell and scream at the tv saying " WTF ARE YOU KIDDING ME HOW?? THAT IS BULL S@!#$ !!!!! "
3) buying a brand new controller because you just broke yours
4) stopping you self from throwing the controller at the tv ... its harder then you think...
5) developing anger issues
6) rage quit
7) rage quit
8) rage quit
9) and...... rage quit some more
10) showing your middle finger to the tv screen when you defeat the boss in any final round
11) repeat steps from 1-10

Sweetpea704 · February 2017

Wait... So, it wasn't designed to suck away your soul?

ForsakenSin · February 2017

Sweetpea704 wrote: »

Wait... So, it wasn't designed to suck away your soul?

yes.....yes it was....

mr_wazzabi · February 2017

ViciousVamps1 wrote: »

DurzoBlint13 wrote: »

to add another layer of RNG into a game plagued with bad RNG, piled on top of the fact that RNG should never be used as a loot system in the first place....its just lazy and unimaginative game design

Rng Isn't lazy its lazy players that just want to be given everything without working for it

I wouldnt call the players that ran vma 500 times without getting their desired weapon lazy

mr_wazzabi · February 2017

Tandor wrote: »

Remag_Div wrote: »

All they need to do is add a token exchange system and it would solve every complaint pretty much.

Until people have run it a few times, used their tokens, got what they want, and then start complaining about the lack of content.

Then they play pvp, which has the most replay value.

The only true endgame is other players. Gear grind is to make you stronger on the battlefield.

peatzaugh · February 2017

Surragard wrote: »

Fear leads to anger, anger leads to hate, and hate leads to suffering.

Sounds like you just need to find a chill group to run it with. If you're going through with random pick-up players you could have a hard time. I would recommend finding a guild with people who have run it in the past and can take you through.

10/10 I troll people in zone chat LFG for vMA all the time. Well played

kylerjalen · February 2017

Tamriel needs a soulgem sink.

raidentenshu_ESO · February 2017

The purpose for vMA is to waste peoples time and if you're lucky enough you get to have a power destructive and an overpowering staff that looks like an adult novelty toy.

Obviously no creativity came to mind when designing the staff... just a plan old staff that looks like a...... oh I can't explain much more.

At least Mannimarco's vMA staff looks better

I wonder how how years or century he had to grind to get that sharpened staff?

Surgee · February 2017

O_LYKOS wrote: »

To find the best of the best of the best, Sir!

You mean, the best of the best of a few specific builds that are crafted towards MA. You can be the best in the game but if you're not a cancer build, you can forget about MA.

redspecter23 · February 2017

ViciousVamps1 wrote: »

DurzoBlint13 wrote: »

to add another layer of RNG into a game plagued with bad RNG, piled on top of the fact that RNG should never be used as a loot system in the first place....its just lazy and unimaginative game design

Rng Isn't lazy its lazy players that just want to be given everything without working for it

The loot system in VMA isn't about being lazy or working hard or putting in hundreds of runs. It's about winning the RNG lottery and someone can do that in one run or not have it in 1000. Would you say the person that still doesn't have sharp inferno after 100 runs is lazy? The player that got it on run #1 put in more effort? Do you see how your entire post makes no sense now?

Bobby_V_Rockit · February 2017

*shrugs* to make leet players feel leet? i dunno, I'm just a scrub apparently for not having completed it (not for lack of trying)

MLGProPlayer · February 2017

exeeter702 wrote: »

MLGProPlayer wrote: »

Oreyn_Bearclaw wrote: »

Dont confuse the instance with the loot system. VMA is actually a great piece of content. It is very challenging to learn, and nothing will teach more more about your class than working through this arena. You cant be carried through this place, so it also serves as a reasonable benchmark to compare the top players against one another from a PVE standpoint.

Now the loot system is a completely different animal. It is one of the worst things in the game IMO, and this is coming from someone that has most of what the need from there. Why they havent replaced it with some sort of token system is beyond me.

I disagree that it's a great piece of content. It's a solo instance inside a social, multiplayer game.

Dark Souls is one of my favourite games of all time. But I don't want the Dark Souls experience from an MMO. I play MMOs for the multiplayer experience.

Then you can chose not to partake in it. Unless you think working on a peice of content like this had a tangible effect on halting what could have been other multiplayer content.

Most people play mmos for the group aspect. But it isnt always literally to play with others. Believe it or not, some people enjoy mmos just to be an individual in an online gaming environment. Vma is indeed a great peice of content because it allows a player to gauge themself vs other players and to have a nice reward that is far and away NOT a participation trophy.

To assume any single player focused content in an online rpg is bad content is to be incredibly short sighted. There is more to being a part of a persistent online game world than simply how many things you can do as a group.

MMOs are designed around group content. There is a reason why a healer or a tank can't complete vMA. Even as a DPS, you need to re-morph or swap out any group-focused skills. Solo content goes against the core design philosophy of an MMO (which is cooperative play).

And you do need to partake in it if you want the absolute best endgame gear.

MissBizz · February 2017

It ensures you are healthy enough for a small bout of high blood pressure.

Ep1kMalware · February 2017

ViciousVamps1 wrote: »

DurzoBlint13 wrote: »

to add another layer of RNG into a game plagued with bad RNG, piled on top of the fact that RNG should never be used as a loot system in the first place....its just lazy and unimaginative game design

Rng Isn't lazy its lazy players that just want to be given everything without working for it

Some players have to work much much harder than others. Thats the lazy part.

Meld777 · February 2017

vMA is something that ensures revenues for Black Desert Online by filtering a significant amount of competitive end game players out of the game due to RNG frustration and sending them to the pretty much only alternative out there (BDO).

To add to that system, when vMA launched, it handed out BiS weapons in Sharpened and Precise like candy, before ZOS decided to add the *** traits to make it unrealistic to get the desired weapon anymore. Take me as an example: over 550 runs by now, not a single Sharp or Precise Inferno, including constant leaderboard rewards.

Thus, truly dedicated, competitive players are driven out of the game due to unfair end game competition, as there is no way one can compete with players that have vMA weapons if you don't have them on your own.

I'm mainly playing Black Desert at the moment and I'm in a guild there with over 70 players that are ALL there just because of vMA RNG. All of them are able to close their eyes and beat the arena in slightly above 30 min, as most of them ran it even more than I did. Absolutely all of them are hardcore gamers that see gaming as their main hobby and spend a significant amount of their income on the game they play. Yet, ZOS decided to drive them out. Maybe there's a bigger plan to this, keeping the end game competition thin.

Fun fact, ZOS knows all that. They even know the BDO guild. Yet, with Homestead they finally made the decision that nothing will change. Skilled end game players will continue to be filtered out of the game.

Bigevilpeter wrote: »

It still takes me over an hour to finish it only to get completely useless S&B or a powered lighting staff!!

If it takes you 1 hour to finish you're far away from being anywhere close to get what you want. As I said, 550 runs here, no Sharp or Precise Inferno. By that time it'll take you ~30 min. You'll get there.

raidentenshu_ESO wrote: »

At least Mannimarco's vMA staff looks better

I wonder how how years or century he had to grind to get that sharpened staff?

Mannimarco was here before the Dark Brotherhood patch. That's when vMA weapons only dropped in good traits and a leaderboard spot guaranteed you a weapon in a good trait. So, I'm guessing around 10 to 15 runs. That's about the average of what it took people to get their vMA weapon back then, before ZOS decided to pollute the leaderboard with *** traits. That's also where most end game players you will meet that haven't quit yet have their vMA weapons from. They never endured a 1000 run grind without reward.

People that got Sharpened vMA Infernos after the trait pollution patch are so rare, most of them are known by name cross-platform and even in BDO.

SFDB · February 2017

I've offered wondered what the point of the Video Music Awards is myself...

MLGProPlayer · February 2017

Meld777 wrote: »

To add to that system, when vMA launched, it handed out BiS weapons in Sharpened and Precise like candy, before ZOS decided to add the *** traits to make it unrealistic to get the desired weapon anymore. Take me as an example: over 550 runs by now, not a single Sharp or Precise Inferno, including constant leaderboard rewards.

Thus, truly dedicated, competitive players are driven out of the game due to unfair end game competition, as there is no way one can compete with players that have vMA weapons if you don't have them on your own.

I love it when kids who got their weapon after 5 runs go around calling people who complain about vMA rewards "lazy".

Auros · February 2017

Simple solutions are best: token token token!!

zaria · February 2017

raidentenshu_ESO wrote: »

The purpose for vMA is to waste peoples time and if you're lucky enough you get to have a power destructive and an overpowering staff that looks like an adult novelty toy.

Obviously no creativity came to mind when designing the staff... just a plan old staff that looks like a...... oh I can't explain much more.

At least Mannimarco's vMA staff looks better

I wonder how how years or century he had to grind to get that sharpened staff?

Its not sharpened, its training

R1ckyDaMan · February 2017

They made it as content for the super elite 5% of the playerbase.