Maelstrom Arena

Ep1kMalware · May 2017

DocFrost72 wrote: »

Purple armor, gold weapons is affordable. For stam I ran it in 3 agility, 5 hunding's rage, 1 kena shoulder and 2 leki's (greatsword/bow) on my stamplar. For my stamblade, I ran it with 5 hundings (dual daggers), 5 marksman, 2 kra'gh.

Magic was 5 Julianos, 4 martial knowledge, two valkyn skoria. That was a heavy attack build, though.

Your first setup sounda exactly like my first vma setup on stamplar.

At OP

It's hard because you havent figure out a strategy on how to beat it. Second, vma weapons arent commonly used in vma, except for the bow. You literally jist need to very your strategies until you get one that seems to work. Your first priority is not dying, so you will eventually need to learn where al the dangerous mobs spawn, and rush them right away.

Beat it once amd it stops being so hard. That's the secret to vma.

laksikus · May 2017

I have never read or watched any die dicated beginners guide, cos i learned it myself.
But i have seen both gilliams and Andy s runs. And I know they can be done with normal staffs Too. Sure it wont be as fast as them, but your chances to be as fast as them are slim anyway.

I ran msa about 300-500 times without msa weapons. Its about mechanics Not about your gear

Hempyre · May 2017

Rink of frozen blood is not a dps test.

Work final boss to about 75% then run for another island. (I usually go for 76% then drop a dot on him and run.) Kill adds, trolls always first, archers/ranged second. Boss only when add pressure is low.(he gets enough splash damage anyway) Get boss to about 25% run for last island. Dps boss hard.

Carefull when you drop ulti depending on boss health you can get him too low and not have time to clear the second round of adds before he breaks the second island.

Personally, I've found having major expedition through all of VMA to be better than just about anything, this is just my preference though.

GrumpyDuckling · May 2017

@Bicarrat I don't use any VMA weapons on my build because I found a great setup that works for me, and haven't gotten the VMA lightning staff that would fit with my build.

My first ever VMA completion was with this setup on a magicka sorcerer:

- 5 pc Netch's Touch
- 4 pc Spider Cultist
- 2 pc Infernal Guardian

Every run since has been with this setup:

- 5 pc Netch's Touch
- 5 pc Spider Cultist
- 1 pc Molag Kena

The best advice I can give is analyze why and how your deaths are occurring. I failed a lot, but then through trial and error I found out the best approach for me for every situation in which I was struggling. Sometimes the worst thing you can do is try to follow someone else's guide, because we all have different styles and preferences that we revert to when our backs are against the VMA wall.

Wrecking_Blow_Spam · May 2017

VMA is so easy these days, I remember back when it was Vet16 at 1st release, it took some kind of skill then especially with only like 200 cp at vr16.

Learn the mechanics, good gear does help as does knowledge of what moves to slot.
My 1st ever flawless run was on my stamblade using a 2H and bow, over a year ago lol.
I heard of a blazing shield Templar getting flawless.
Anything is possible.

MakoFore · May 2017

fact is - you need high reflexes, quick skills and reaction time- the ability to heal while dealing damage- and manage resources in quick speed. if those things come easy to you- then vma is easy. before vma i didnt know how to weave, animation cancel, etc. vma forced me to learn to vigor -roll dodge cancel, learn to ani cancel my 4 buffs in under 2 seconds and weave everything. in the end it make you such a good player that you forget how hard it once was- so for all those saying vma is easy- please- strip all ur cp and gold vo gear and put urself in a new players shoes.

Coilbox · May 2017

I hope you met the last boss already, cause if you didnt... awh god, be ready to know what is anger and frustration... But nothing will beat the satisfaction of your first clear. When that *** bites the dust, damn thats a good feeling xD

Lukums1 · May 2017

@Bicarrat

@Beardimus

Thanks for the shout out again!

Ok @Bicarrat first off stop listening to half the people who commented on this thread so far (no offence)

My guide (text guide) and my guides on twitch is without vma weapons and sub par gear.
Step by step through each ROUND not level or boss. Each Round, showing you how to manipulate sigils for you to stand still and watch everything kill themselves.

I'm flawless in everything, stam and mag. Generally hit most leaderboards weekly WITHOUT amazing pew pew dps (trust me I'm bad)

Now without knowing exactly your issues I can't begin to step you through things, BUT as I've done for others I can offer you my time one on one to help you and get you through this arena without a doubt 100%.

There are some real fundamentals which many/most don't understand especially starting out from scratch.

SPOILER ALERTS:

1. You can use suppression field on stam/magicka sorc to nullify CG's from breathing fire round 9. You can use this to stop orgres enraging on round 7. You can use this on round 5 when 2 lots of adds come at you to stun them all for 10 seconds and watch them all die with suppression field and ANY aoe. You can use this to stop boss from sitting on round 2.

2. You can find safe spots in round 7 (poison stage to completely avoid flowers 99.5% of the time.

3. You can BLOCK the mini boss on round 8-4 so instead of him pulling you towards death YOU pull him.

I'm stating the above simply because there are MANY TRICKS people have no clue about and when you implement these tricks to the sigils at certain times of phases in each stage you'll be pleasantly surprised how quickly things change for you.

My Text Guide:
https://forums.elderscrollsonline.com/en/discussion/314398/vma-mage-sorc-text-guide-requested

My twitch page with personal thanks section from players exactly like yourself that was down in the dumps and struggling bad!

Example:
NinthPrince6

Lukums1, OP here. Well, I was finally able to complete vMSA. I really want to thank you for all your help. You helped a man in his 50s halfway around the world get through something he never thought he could. It was unbelievably hard, but your help made it possible. I'm the end, I went for a slightly different strategy of not taking any sigils in the first part of the fight. Following your strategy in earlier attempts allowed me to learn the upstairs fight, though, which made my ultimate success possible. Thanks again. I am not a big video gamer, but that was the hardest thing I have ever done in a game and it would not have happened without your help.

I don't say this to gloat, but I want to continue helping people that want to give up, because it is possible for you!

The offer stands.

Luke

Juli'St · May 2017

Hey ZOS

...game need be cool to people, not frustrate people. Move on!

strikeback1247 · May 2017

The first time I completed it I ran:
5x hunding's rage
3x agility
2x engine guardian
A non set bow and a non set 2h

That was a long time ago, but as you can see gear does not matter as much as you think it does.

strikeback1247 · May 2017

Lukums1 wrote: »

@Bicarrat

@Beardimus

Thanks for the shout out again!

Ok @Bicarrat first off stop listening to half the people who commented on this thread so far (no offence)

My guide (text guide) and my guides on twitch is without vma weapons and sub par gear.
Step by step through each ROUND not level or boss. Each Round, showing you how to manipulate sigils for you to stand still and watch everything kill themselves.

I'm flawless in everything, stam and mag. Generally hit most leaderboards weekly WITHOUT amazing pew pew dps (trust me I'm bad)

Now without knowing exactly your issues I can't begin to step you through things, BUT as I've done for others I can offer you my time one on one to help you and get you through this arena without a doubt 100%.

There are some real fundamentals which many/most don't understand especially starting out from scratch.

SPOILER ALERTS:

1. You can use suppression field on stam/magicka sorc to nullify CG's from breathing fire round 9. You can use this to stop orgres enraging on round 7. You can use this on round 5 when 2 lots of adds come at you to stun them all for 10 seconds and watch them all die with suppression field and ANY aoe. You can use this to stop boss from sitting on round 2.

2. You can find safe spots in round 7 (poison stage to completely avoid flowers 99.5% of the time.

3. You can BLOCK the mini boss on round 8-4 so instead of him pulling you towards death YOU pull him.

I'm stating the above simply because there are MANY TRICKS people have no clue about and when you implement these tricks to the sigils at certain times of phases in each stage you'll be pleasantly surprised how quickly things change for you.

My Text Guide:
https://forums.elderscrollsonline.com/en/discussion/314398/vma-mage-sorc-text-guide-requested

My twitch page with personal thanks section from players exactly like yourself that was down in the dumps and struggling bad!
https://www.twitch.tv/lukumms

Example:
NinthPrince6

Lukums1, OP here. Well, I was finally able to complete vMSA. I really want to thank you for all your help. You helped a man in his 50s halfway around the world get through something he never thought he could. It was unbelievably hard, but your help made it possible. I'm the end, I went for a slightly different strategy of not taking any sigils in the first part of the fight. Following your strategy in earlier attempts allowed me to learn the upstairs fight, though, which made my ultimate success possible. Thanks again. I am not a big video gamer, but that was the hardest thing I have ever done in a game and it would not have happened without your help.

I don't say this to gloat, but I want to continue helping people that want to give up, because it is possible for you!

The offer stands.

Luke

I have been running vma for ages and I didn't even know those things :^)

Feanor · May 2017

@Bobby_V_Rockit

What exactly is killing you? And don't say too much damage. Be precise.

Bicarrat · May 2017

Hailed (well, waded) through stage 5 last night, thanks to your advice, so stage 6 is up today.
Anyway, I've read about the 2h sword being rather valid an option for the entire show, so could you share any light on that? Way back I started out as a Zweihänder-wielder and had all those skills boosted, thus it would be easy to switch back for this.

sickboy2808 · May 2017

I finally got past round 2 myself last night after easily 100 deaths. But hey its progress and i think im going to keep trying it

Feanor · May 2017

@Bicarrat

2H is probably a bit of a DPS loss as it doesn't have a good spammable. The big advantage though is that Rally really brings a lot of survivability in return. As I said you don't need to have ultra high DPS in vMA, though of course it makes things easier if threats just die faster. There are a lot of people who are doing 2H vMA runs just fine. You could just try it out.

In the end it boils down to following mechanics again. People have done vMA with bucket and broom.

goldnugget · May 2017

have you guys played dark souls?

Bicarrat · May 2017

goldnugget wrote: »

have you guys played dark souls?

Indeed, and having beaten those From's games a hundred times and then some is exactly the aspect that brings out the frustration, as I thought I was gud at this sort of stuff.
Oh, well.

Juli'St · May 2017

i stop in that litle spiders red

...the challenge is exagered. ZOS can change it.

boldscot · May 2017

Bobby_V_Rockit wrote: »

Same thing, stuck on stage 5. Max CP, have tried various combinations of NMG/Spriggan + VO, sharpened, precise, even nirnhoned dw daggers to no avail. Cant beat round 1, guides don't help. Think it's just not meant to beee

Can you post your bar setups?

kylewwefan · May 2017

Try speed potions. Use every darn sigil in the place. Every level I have passed felt like an accident. 2 toons stuck on last boss and another one stuck on engine guardian. Still can't beat it.

Ep1kMalware · May 2017

Hempyre wrote: »

Rink of frozen blood is not a dps test.

Work final boss to about 75% then run for another island. (I usually go for 76% then drop a dot on him and run.) Kill adds, trolls always first, archers/ranged second. Boss only when add pressure is low.(he gets enough splash damage anyway) Get boss to about 25% run for last island. Dps boss hard.

Carefull when you drop ulti depending on boss health you can get him too low and not have time to clear the second round of adds before he breaks the second island.

Personally, I've found having major expedition through all of VMA to be better than just about anything, this is just my preference though.

For that boss I get first 2 adds to spawn, run around killing them with poison arrow/heavy attacks. Take boss back to starter platform, pump it full of dots, when troll boss does signal that she's going to break the platform I drop bow ulti and hoof it, then I grab shield sigil, do a tiny hair of dps amd she break another platform. Then mkve to last platform and burn.

sekou_trayvond · May 2017

Feel ya OP. I really do. Currently stuck on the Final Stage. It's tantalizing, agonizing, taunting and miserable all at the same time. It's like being two inches from Ashley Graham except the two inches that separate is filled by unbreakable glass.

I need something to break that glass :-)

I have found @Alcast VMA vids to be the absolute best. Why? He stops the action and explains what's happening here and what u need to pay attention to there. Essentially, watching/pausing his vids allows me to see what I'm missing in real time. His vids are pretty much the only reason I've made it this far.

Oh, and @JoyDivsion if you like written help, his posting on this hell is helpful as well.

Hempyre · May 2017

@Lukums1

Supression field. Nice, never even thought to try this. Thanks!

Stages 7&8

Pretty straight forward, stage 7 round 3 (I think) has a triple archer spawn. I drop ulti on 2 and burn the third. These guys get me more than anything else here. Just make sure not to have any aoe stuff going near your bubble guy when the boss screams

Round 8 same idea bash mages when they helicopter fire, (this is a similar mechanic to the final boss's mini skulls) burn archers first.

Final boss round 9.

Edit: almost forgot, get every gold ghost, not a dealbreaker if you miss one but try not to.

Dodge roll his big skulls.

Interrupt his multi cast little ones, even if it means sprint and bash (this is the one that used to get me a lot) drop everything when he does this and interupt. He has a tell.

Take out archers asap aimed shot (or whatever it's called) is a 1 shot.

The CG's some run circles.. I play a mag sorc here so I shield and heal and move/roll while burning with HA and pet pulse. I dont usually have an issue with them. Note. Try to burn the last CG when the boss goes topside as you can still die from its dot up top if it's alive.

Up top, just watch his big skull cast tell and roll, you can roll a bit before he casts it, there's flexibility here. First crystal he'll only shoot the one but after that he'll shoot two. When he points up run for the wall. Run counter to the spin. Stay near the leading edge of the wall (as best as you can with laval drops) rinse repeat the other crystals.

His timing up top is pretty easy to work out but if you do get knocked down just kill the next CG and rinse repeat.

I drop my ulti on this round pretty much whenever it's up except on top obv. But I like to have one after the crystal phase as it pretty much locks down the finish. Move fast here and you can get away with just burning the boss.

I'm not great at this, I dont make the leaderboard, I don't have flawless, I swear a lot and occasionally need to step away from the kb for a few seconds.

I really hate VMA, but I want the gear so... Keep plugging away, it's doable.

sickboy2808 · May 2017

Just done round 3 last night which i found a little easier than those dam blades in round 2. I died about 30 times but got there after about 30 minutes. I think its very hard having to be in Melee range all the time. I never ever thought i would get this far so very supprised because i suck at this game big time lol. Should i just give up now as im already at 200+ deaths. And these are the easier rounds??

Vildebill · May 2017

vMA has NOTHING to do with gear. Of course it helps with good gear, but in the end it's all about mechanics. Learn what is happening and why, and then learn to counter it. There are so many guides so it shouldn't be any problems figure the mechanics out. When you know all mechanics, which adds spawns when, what kinds of attacks there is and how to mitigate damage (or just DPS through it) the arena is a breeze.

So no shortcuts. Learn what's going on

AgentofKhaoss · May 2017

Bicarrat wrote: »

Frustration, humiliation, hatred, self-loathing.
Recognize these feelings? Then you’ve probably slammed your head against the wall that is VMA.
Now, as I dearly need to make excuses for my personal failure as a player I decided to channel my anger into a rant:

I’m utterly fed up with beginner’s guides for VMA where guys are running a full set of MA weapons and cream every boss in a world record time.
*** on that. I need hints as to how I could obtain one in the first place!
Show me the ropes with on par gear, please.

A scenario:
You need to travel from A to B as fast as you possibly can. A guy shows you how it’s done by driving a tuned up Ferrari.
Now it’s your turn, only you get to drag your ass over the finish line on public transportation.

I’m well aware the example above is heavily exaggerated and the very topic edging on naïve, but I really tire of people telling me how easy
the whole thing is once you get hold of those daggers, hatchets and whatnots.

I rant, therefore I am.
Please forgive me.

[Edit of title for profanity]

I feel your pain. But unfortunately, as most have already said, it's about the mechanics. DPS will only take you so far.

I found a great chart from Alcast about the difficulty for each class.

Level of difficulty Classes
Easy Magicka Sorcerer, Magicka Nightblade
Normal Magicka Templar, Magicka Dragonknight
Hard Stamina Sorcerer, Stamina Nightblade
Insanity Stamina Templar, Stamina Dragonknight

I have finished it 4 times. Twice on a Magika Sorc and twice on a stam Sorc. It was much harder on my stam sorc. I don't know your rotation, but you can do it. Rearming trap and caltrops are your friend.... except on some stages. Just learn the spawns and take your lumps.

Olupajmibanan · May 2017

Valuable advices for a very beginner:
1. Do your first clears on a magicka character. This apply even if you have full Vicious Ophidian set. I recommend magSorc, magblade and even magplar. MagDK isn't recommened but you can manage if you have no other option. If you have stamina characters only, try it only after you obtained 5 pieces of vicious ophidian set (vicious serpent in wiki).
2. Acquire +-300 CP first. This is the general consensus on how much CP is needed for a beginner to clear VMA.
3. Upgrade your weapons to gold, this is a true help.
4. Upgrade your gear to epic. Gold is a help, but nothing happens if you can't afford it.
5. Learn to pick sigals in the right time, especially the defensive sigal. After few tries, you will quickly know when to use the most important defensive sigal which really can change the wind's course.
6. Get Undaunted Mettle passive to 2/2. This one helps a lot.
7. Get all helpful armor passives especially the ones which boost your health.
8. Get Banish the Wicked passive from Fighters guild to 3/3. You will generate ultimate super fast because most enemies in VMA are daedras. This way you don't have to hesitate and use ultimates even on round minibosses.
9. Use Witchmother Potent Brew drink. This will help a lot with managing resources but you must adjust your health accordingly. You need at least +-17k hp for VMA (with drink buff included).
10. An expensive advice, but it helped me a ton. Buy immovable potions which retore health, magicka and give you immunity to knockbacks. Usually 40 are enough for me for all 9 stages but I am high at CPs so a beginner will probably need more.

I cleared VMA for the first time on CP 280 magicka templar with julianos, valkyn skoria, willpower, torugs pact swords and any resto staff. You see, my gear was mostly bought except for skoria which I had to drop.

Most guides contain builds adapted to fast clears. Do not listen to someone who tells you that you will get more from a Destro staff than from a resto staff. A beginner will not. Resto staff will be your life saver and resource management tool.

Bobby_V_Rockit · May 2017

Family. Religion. Friendship. These are the three demons you must slay if you wish to succeed in vMA...