Attempting VMA for the 1st time today

Megabear · November 2017

Just got past stage 6, was stuck here for the last two hours. I didn't know that I am protected near the free pillar from the swarm buggers until watching the Youtube vid. After I understood that bit I was able to beat it on 2nd try. So happy.

GrigorijMalahevich · November 2017

Good luck at level 7

watch out for exploding flowers. It should take you another 4-6 hours to finish vMA...

Remeber at last stage - fire breathing daedroths - if you struggle to kill them before they make serious damage, put on back bar your dark magic ultimate - supression field, under it, daedroth doesnt breath fire, just put it every time daedroth spawns and try to get another mob or boss in to the field. You will thank me later.

Erraln · November 2017

Yea, if you run Normal mode, it introduces that mechanic to you before the fight begins. Keep going, good luck

CoachPower · November 2017

Good luck

Jeremy · November 2017

Megabear wrote: »

Just got past stage 6, was stuck here for the last two hours. I didn't know that I am protected near the free pillar from the swarm buggers until watching the Youtube vid. After I understood that bit I was able to beat it on 2nd try. So happy.

That's pretty impressive if you got to stage 6 on your first try in VMA.

My first attempt was a disaster as Max the Many (or what ever his stupid name was) wiped the floor with me over and over.

I eventually got past him but it required me to turn my character more offensive and spam pointy sticks as defensive builds do not seem to fare well in VMA. Then Stage 5 pretty much convinced me that this content was not my cup of tea and decided to put my efforts into something I found more enjoyable. So I wish you more luck and fun in it than I had.

Megabear · November 2017

Erraln wrote: »

Yea, if you run Normal mode, it introduces that mechanic to you before the fight begins. Keep going, good luck

Thank ya!! I actually wanted to do a normal mode first, and I assume they'd let you choose but when I entered the portal it was Veteran. I said what the hell, just go for it. How DO you choose normal anyway?

Robo_Hobo · November 2017

Megabear wrote: »

Erraln wrote: »

Yea, if you run Normal mode, it introduces that mechanic to you before the fight begins. Keep going, good luck

Thank ya!! I actually wanted to do a normal mode first, and I assume they'd let you choose but when I entered the portal it was Veteran. I said what the hell, just go for it. How DO you choose normal anyway?

@Megabear

The same way you choose dungeon difficulty, if you to go to your group panel at the top over where the names of people in your group would be, is a normal and veteran difficulty icon. You can only change it when no one in your group (or you if you're alone) is in a dungeon or trial.

Megabear · November 2017

Valera Progib wrote: »

Good luck at level 7 watch out for exploding flowers. It should take you another 4-6 hours to finish vMA...

Remeber at last stage - fire breathing daedroths - if you struggle to kill them before they make serious damage, put on back bar your dark magic ultimate - supression field, under it, daedroth doesnt breath fire, just put it every time daedroth spawns and try to get another mob or boss in to the field. You will thank me later.

I hope not another 4-6 hours! So far I spent 3 hours. I have guests coming so I can't continue until later tonight..

CoachPower wrote: »

Good luck

TYVM!

FloppyTouch · November 2017

I have up at frost round and never wanted to go back in. I play games for fun VMA is not fun it’s painful. GL and don’t break anything trying to beat it

VaranisArano · November 2017

Good luck! I was thrilled to beat the first round in VMA on my stam sorc today, but the spinning trap blades in Round 2 just annihilate me. I'll have to try again later.

Runschei · November 2017

Congrats!

GrigorijMalahevich · November 2017

VaranisArano wrote: »

Good luck! I was thrilled to beat the first round in VMA on my stam sorc today, but the spinning trap blades in Round 2 just annihilate me. I'll have to try again later.

Spam vigor and use leavers to turn off blades

Jeremy · November 2017

FloppyTouch wrote: »

I have up at frost round and never wanted to go back in. I play games for fun VMA is not fun it’s painful. GL and don’t break anything trying to beat it

Agreed.

There was nothing fun about playing in that hell hole to me either.

VaranisArano · November 2017

Valera Progib wrote: »

VaranisArano wrote: »

Good luck! I was thrilled to beat the first round in VMA on my stam sorc today, but the spinning trap blades in Round 2 just annihilate me. I'll have to try again later.

Spam vigor and use leavers to turn off blades

Thanks. I know the theory, but execution is a whole 'nother matter.

makreth · November 2017

Valera Progib wrote: »

Good luck at level 7 watch out for exploding flowers. It should take you another 4-6 hours to finish vMA...

lol

Witar · November 2017

Behemoth on 7th arena is where a lot of people new to vmsa starting to feel huge pain. Pretty much the hardest one with lots of stuff depending on random events.

Volwahl · November 2017

How exciting! I finally got to the point of being able to farm vMA a week ago and got the Destro Staff I was hunting for last night. So as someone fresh off the rush from this lemme tell you these are exciting times for you indeed. The only tip I can offer (and you may already do this anyway) is keep your screen backed out from your character as far as it goes. I generally play at about mid range with the camera, but I found on the final boss keeping it as backed out as possible made all the difference in the world for me. Like I said, you may already do that but I wanted to give whatever small advice I could. And while I say best of luck, you got this

It may be frustrating, but in the end very gratifying.

Joy_Division · November 2017

I found that fight harder than everything up until the final boss.

So good luck!

Drakkdjinn · November 2017

The vMA instance servers are laggy as hell atm; try again when their *** servers are less burdened.

Asardes · November 2017

Try kiting the mobs over covered pillars and blowing up the hoarvor on them too. They will take more damage. Before you reach the end boss leave one covered at the end of the previous round, stun the boss as it spawns and nuke it.

Megabear · November 2017

Update, finished stage 8, off to stage 9! Guests are here so I'm playing whenever I can squeeze in personal time. They are busy talking to wife atm

Megabear · November 2017

Robo_Hobo wrote: »

Megabear wrote: »

Erraln wrote: »

Yea, if you run Normal mode, it introduces that mechanic to you before the fight begins. Keep going, good luck

Thank ya!! I actually wanted to do a normal mode first, and I assume they'd let you choose but when I entered the portal it was Veteran. I said what the hell, just go for it. How DO you choose normal anyway?

@Megabear

The same way you choose dungeon difficulty, if you to go to your group panel at the top over where the names of people in your group would be, is a normal and veteran difficulty icon. You can only change it when no one in your group (or you if you're alone) is in a dungeon or trial.

Dang. I had no idea, never done this before. I'll try it after I'm done with the vet run..

jssriot · November 2017

I tried it for the first time the other day too. Completed the first 4 stages with only one death. Found it equal parts annoying and boring so I left to go do something I was more in the mood for. I'll try again when I'm up for a marathon. I don't expect the later stages to be easy.

firedrgn · November 2017

Wow wth ibwent in yesterday . got to stage 2. Rage quit .. Ill go back some other day. I'm just too slow .

Ch4mpTW · November 2017

So far so good, OP. Keep up the fantastic work. You can do it. ^_^

Megabear · November 2017

firedrgn wrote: »

Wow wth ibwent in yesterday . got to stage 2. Rage quit .. Ill go back some other day. I'm just too slow .

Believe me I'm not breezing through this. Quite the opposite. This isn't easy. I'm basically doing this:

1. Read this guide before I try each stage: https://forums.elderscrollsonline.com/en/discussion/233356/joys-now-updated-morrowind-guide-to-beating-maelstrom-arena/p1

2. Get used to the mechanics and expect to die. Then die.

3. Adjust build best for each stage

4. If I get stuck I watch a YouTube.

a. Offer coffee or chit chat a little time to time with the guests. They are tolerant because they are all girls and know that I don't feel entirely comfortable being around 100% girls.

b. Get frustrated, but keep going and never give up lol.

Megabear · November 2017

Ch4mpTW wrote: »

So far so good, OP. Keep up the fantastic work. You can do it. ^_^

Thank you, I"m crying inside though. I just want this to be over. I thought games were supposed to be fun lol.

Jaimeh · November 2017

Good luck! The first vMA clear is incredibly frustrating, but it's a very rewarding feeling when you manage it (and it really helps with learning one's class), plus you get a cool-sounding title

I completed it with my new warden healer the other day, it was horrible throughout, but I was really happy when I killed that darned last boss

disintegr8 · November 2017

Completing normal MA on 1 character was enough to know it wasn't my cup of tea. I did take a different character through it just in case I was wrong but I am convinced I'll never set foot in there in vet mode.

Banana · November 2017

I remember getting rolled on the first stage the first time i went in there

Svenja · November 2017

Wow, I think it's very impressive that you got this far so quickly. You'll manage to do the last stage as well! Last boss can be a real pain at first, but once you get used to the timing of his mechanics, it's one of the easier fights of vMA, and this is coming from someone who was stuck on him for ages.
The argonian on stage 7 is a lot more annoying due to those rng-death-mechanics, and you got past that one already.

If you manage to do vet mode, you could try to use normal mode to level up new chars. The gap in difficulty between vet and normal is insane. I did nMA on a level 6 magicka warden a few weeks ago (I have max CP though), the char was level 11 once I was finished, and running around with the "maelstrom arena champion" title at that level feels pretty funny.