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Veteran Maelstrom Arena Feedback

  • Alcest
    Alcest
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    For sure maelstrom stuff should be tradable(like everything in this game btw). But also, i can say its absolutely not necessary to have it. I had played without malestrom stave on my sorc most of the time and i was happy enough.
  • code65536
    code65536
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    Once upon a time, weapon drops were not even guaranteed. My very first vMA clear, I got a Helm of Glory for my efforts.

    It took me several clears before I got my first vMA weapon of any sort. Now, weapons are guaranteed, and the trait can be changed.

    Finally, you can't judge vMA using your first clear. I had over 100 deaths on my first clear. Less than half that on my second clear. When I first cleared vMA, I thought Flawless Conquerer would be impossible, and I wouldn't ever bother with it. But, it gets easier. MUCH easier the more times you run it. And it didn't take me long to start getting single-death clears and Flawless went from impossible to so-close-that-I-can-taste it.

    It gets easier. And faster. Guaranteed.
    Nightfighters ― PC/NA and PC/EU

    Dungeons and Trials:
    Personal best scores:
    Dungeon trifectas:
    Media: YouTubeTwitch
  • rteezy
    rteezy
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    just wait until your realise that VDSA weapons are better.....
  • Asardes
    Asardes
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    BKTHNDR wrote: »
    Reading through this thread, I've noticed that everyone who says vMA is a cake walk is also running some sort of DPS build. I'm a Magicka Templar healer. Am I supposed to respec my entire build just to get this done? I'm somewhere around 380cp and have completed normal MA but vMA is a different beast.

    Nothing radical, really. You just need to swap your mundus and your gear, skill bar, maybe your consumable too. That can be done in 2 minutes if you already have the gear, even less if you have an addon with the gear and skill bars saved (ex. Alpha Gear). For example my Templar runs:

    As healer: Atronach mundus, maximum health+magicka food, 5 Spellpower Cure, Master Restoration / Maelstrom Lightning with 5+ other 5 piece sets I swap around depending on content: Worm Cult, Mending, Infallible Aether, Twilight Remedy, Sanctuary, mostly magicka recovery on jewelry. Bars are entirely taken out by group heals and buffs and puges as expected.
    Front bar: Combat Prayer | Healing Springs | Energy Orb | Harness Magicka | Inner Light || Reviving Barrier
    Back bar: Elemental Blockade | Elemental Drain | Cleanse | Ritual of Retribution | Channeled Focus || Aggressive Horn
    Rotation is quite variable, since healing is mostly reactive: Elemental Drain & channeled focus every 2nd rotation, Ritual of Retribution, Blockade, bar swap, Combat Prayer, Healing springs as needed, orbs several times, shield when needed, purge also every rotation when needed, sometimes I run Crushing Shock there for ranged interrupt if there's nothing to purge, or other skills. It works well for veteran trials and dungeons, but only Ritual and Blockade do some damage, so it will be totally inadequate for vMA.

    As DD (solo): Apprentice mundus, maximum health+magicka food, 5 Law of Julianos 5/4 Infallible Aether w Maelstrom, double lightning 1 Iceheart with spell damage enchants on all pieces of jewelry. Of course this is trial gear, but for beginner you can simply go with the a much simpler gear setup, like 5 Julianos or Mechanical Acuity 3 Willpower 3 Torug's Pact, which is either crafted or available from guild stores rather cheaply but the gear setup and rotation is the same.
    Front bar: Radiant Glory | Purifying Light | Elemental Drain | Harness Magicka | Inner Light || Empowering Sweep
    Back bar: Elemental Blockade | Blazing Spear | Ritual of Retribution | Vampire's Bane | Degeneration || Elemental Rage
    Rotation is really simple, just do all your back bar DoTs from right to left with light attacks in between, Purifying Light after bar swap, 2 heavy attacks, refresh Purifying Light, bar swap and repeat. Reapply Elemental Drain every 2nd rotation and shield when needed. Cast Elemental Rage every time you have it full; Empowering Sweep is there just for the passive. With boss < 20% do 2 x Radiant Glory instead of heavy attack to finish him off. It has all the healing, sustain, major buffs and debuffs, so you can run that using only dropped potions. Probably not the best build out there in terms of damage but quite simple, safe and cheap to play. Note that you can also run this setup when full healing isn't needed in dungeons and you wanna do some DPS.

    Beta tester since February 2014, played ESO-TU October 2015 - August 2022, currently on an extended break
    vMA (The Flawless Conqueror) | vVH (Spirit Slayer & of the Undying Song) | vDSA | vAA HM | vHRC HM | vSO HM | vMoL | vAS+1 | Emperor

    PC-EU CP 3000+
    41,000+ Achievement Points before High Isle
    Member of:
    Pact Veteran Trade: Exemplary
    Traders of the Covenant: God of Sales
    Tamriels Emporium: God of Sales
    Valinor Overflow: Trader
    The Traveling Merchant: Silver


    Characters:
    Asardes | 50 Nord Dragonknight | EP AR 50 | Master Crafter: all traits & recipes, all styles released before High Isle
    Alxaril Nelcarion | 50 High Elf Sorcerer | AD AR 20 |
    Dro'Bear Three-paws | 50 Khajiit Nightblade | AD AR 20 |
    Veronique Nicole | 50 Breton Templar | DC AR 20 |
    Sabina Flavia Cosades | 50 Imperial Warden | EP AR 20 |
    Ervesa Neloren | 50 Dark Elf Dragonknight | EP AR 20 |
    Fendar Khodwin | 50 Redguard Sorcerer | DC AR 20 |
    Surilanwe of Lillandril | 50 High Elf Nightblade | AD AR 20 |
    Joleen the Swift | 50 Redguard Templar | DC AR 20 |
    Draynor Telvanni | 50 Dark Elf Warden | EP AR 20 |
    Claudius Tharn | 50 Necromancer | DC AR 20 |
    Nazura-la the Bonedancer | 50 Necromancer | AD AR 20 |

    Tharkul gro-Shug | 50 Orc Dragonknight | DC AR 4 |
    Ushruka gra-Lhurgash | 50 Orc Sorcerer | AD AR 4 |
    Cienwen ferch Llywelyn | 50 Breton Nightblade | DC AR 4 |
    Plays-with-Sunray | 50 Argonian Templar | EP AR 4 |
    Milariel | 50 Wood Elf Warden | AD AR 4 |
    Scheei-Jul | 50 Necromancer | EP AR 4 |

    PC-NA CP 1800+
    30,000+ Achievement Points before High Isle
    Member of:
    Savage Blade: Majestic Machette


    Characters:
    Asardes the Exile | 50 Nord Dragonknight | EP AR 30 |
  • Bevik
    Bevik
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    No rush there. vMA is for chilling. You can use sigils, leave when it's too frustrating or have to go and continue when you left off. I think it's a brilliant content. First of all it's solo so it's on you how you beat it. There are some RNG like flowers but the more you run it the easier it gets. You learn how to focus on multiple things. Plus you don't need special potions nor weapons there because as others said you will get used to the things.

    I really hope they are going to add more solo arenas like vMA. Hell I even enjoyed how hard it is.
  • Rachele
    Rachele
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    You really should go back in right away. I initially tried to complete it when it first came out and was stuck at stage 5. Decided to try it out again in January and cleared it 21 times in a little over a week and got every weapon I wanted. The staffs did not add much dps but the bow was worth the grind
  • Bobby_V_Rockit
    Bobby_V_Rockit
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    Rachele wrote: »
    You really should go back in right away. I initially tried to complete it when it first came out and was stuck at stage 5. Decided to try it out again in January and cleared it 21 times in a little over a week and got every weapon I wanted. The staffs did not add much dps but the bow was worth the grind

    What changed? I am also stuck on stage 5 and no amount of build rejigging or youtube seems to help
  • Kanar
    Kanar
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    Asardes wrote: »
    There are actually just 6 types of weapons according to enchant - Cruel Flurry, Rampaging Slash, Crushing Wall, Merciless Charge, Thunderous Volley, Precise Regeneration - which are further subdivided for the first 4 due to having multiple weapon types. The loot table was equally weighed according to enchant type, then subdivided further by weapon type in those cases. For example you have an 1/6 chance of getting a Crushing Wall weapon (destruction staff), and of that an 1/3 chance of getting an Inferno one. So the overall chance of getting an Inferno staff was 1/18. The chance of getting a Thunderous Volley (bow) or Precise Regeneration (restoration staff) is 1/6 respectively since that enchant type was only found on that type of weapon, so it's quite normal to get much more of those. The average chance of getting an inferno staff after 20 runs was 1-(1-1/18)^20 = 68.1% while the chance of getting a bow after 20 runs is 1-(1-1/6)^20 = 97.4% considering the chance of each drop independent from the previous ones. That's explains why Inferno Staff was much harder to get than Bow, and even more so without re-trait.

    That is no longer true as of homestead. They changed it to be a flat system instead of two tiered. In addition, bow + resto have some unknown amount lower chance of dropping. So currently inferno staff is truly more likely to drop than bow.

    https://forums.elderscrollsonline.com/en/discussion/318838/pc-mac-patch-notes-v2-7-5#latest
    Edited by Kanar on March 28, 2018 1:09PM
  • greylox
    greylox
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    Bevik wrote: »
    No rush there. vMA is for chilling..

    Umm..sounds like your sort of relaxing holiday is spent blindfolded wandering around a minefield with an electrocution collar on. Chillin? Haha ok.
    PC EU

    House of the Black Lotus
    *{Smokes-in-the-Shade }* (Mag pet Sorc Argonian, prolific thief, willing participant of the dark arts, gardener of exotic...herbs)
    {Lugdum The Mechanist} (Hybrid Orc Templar, collector of ancient Ayleid smoking pipes)
    {Rantoul} (Dark Elf Magknight, likes an ale between boss fights, has been known to offer daedric princes out in a fist fight)
    {Red, The Wanderer} (Bosmer stam sorc and hunter extraordinaire)
    {Shoots-For-Stars} (Argonian Mag pet Sorc Ice mage Healer)
    *{Jinny the spark }* (Sassy Imperial Stamplar)
    {Crezzi the Drifter} (Magblade khajiit burglar, available for questionable operations)
    {Grif the Despised} (StamKnight Tank Nord, Eastmarch Master Drinker and spinner of tall yarns)
    {Geraldine Stone-Heart} (High Elf MagSorc Ice Tank, Mystic, practitioner of the ancient arts)
    *{Anawinn}* (Stam pet Ward Redguard, Mother to a bear and an unruly Hunger,Librarian, field medic and natures fist)

    {*}Mains
    { CP 900+ }

    Caretaker of Battle Island (Grand Topal), the holiday destination for the discerning warrior
    Residing in Stay-Moist Mansion-Shadowfen - The Smoking Den (as of 6th feb 2017)

  • Dymence
    Dymence
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    And lol at all the clueless people saying magsorc are the easiest class to do it on. I guess you picked it up when people said it long ago and keep on parroting it?

    Do you even know why magsorc was the strongest class to do it on? It's because in 2016, the shield from light armor skill line only blocked magic damage. Sorc was the only class with a shield that actually blocked everything.

    Now? Now every magicka class can do the same thing with ease. And the easiest class to run it on by now is probably magicka nightblade.

    So you can stop deluding yourself into thinking otherwise.
  • Bladerunner1
    Bladerunner1
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    It gets a whole lot better after a while, however the first run felt impossible for me after going through countless deaths over days. Don't wait for the Orsinium anniversary to start learning vet maelstrom, it won't pay off if you spend the week dying over and over.

    I swapped from Sorc to Nightblade for farming because it seemed so much easier to focus down priority targets. Now the Nightblade is my go-to character for learning any dungeon.

    I wrote down the loot from 17 runs on the same Nightblade recently:

    7 two hand
    3 resto
    3 sword/board
    2 lightning staves
    2 fire staves
    1 dual wield
    1 bow

    Two of those weapons were gold from weekly rewards even though I wasn't on the list. I think just finishing without logging off mid way is the requirement for a mail-in reward, but I can't say for certain. Maybe the requirement was the 500k score.
  • Rachele
    Rachele
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    Rachele wrote: »
    You really should go back in right away. I initially tried to complete it when it first came out and was stuck at stage 5. Decided to try it out again in January and cleared it 21 times in a little over a week and got every weapon I wanted. The staffs did not add much dps but the bow was worth the grind

    What changed? I am also stuck on stage 5 and no amount of build rejigging or youtube seems to help[/quote

    A combination of my being a much better player and the arena being easier now. Just remember that you control the fight. Take it slow on the boss and stop damaging him when adds spawn. Burst down the adds and then resume damage on him. Use heavy attacks on the boss to get your resources back. The platforms break based on bosses health. Just make sure you don’t let the troll break a platform. Once you get to third platform use defense and damage sigils and ignore the adds and burn him down.
  • Feanor
    Feanor
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    It gets a whole lot better after a while, however the first run felt impossible for me after going through countless deaths over days. Don't wait for the Orsinium anniversary to start learning vet maelstrom, it won't pay off if you spend the week dying over and over.

    I swapped from Sorc to Nightblade for farming because it seemed so much easier to focus down priority targets. Now the Nightblade is my go-to character for learning any dungeon.

    I wrote down the loot from 17 runs on the same Nightblade recently:

    7 two hand
    3 resto
    3 sword/board
    2 lightning staves
    2 fire staves
    1 dual wield
    1 bow

    Two of those weapons were gold from weekly rewards even though I wasn't on the list. I think just finishing without logging off mid way is the requirement for a mail-in reward, but I can't say for certain. Maybe the requirement was the 500k score.

    It's both. If you logoff the run doesn't get scored, and you need to be on the leaderboard for your reward. I'd say these days 500k makes the leaderboard on anything but Sorcs, and with DK, Templars and Wardens you're often on the board simply for finishing a scored run because the leaderboards seldom fill for these classes.
    Main characters: Feanor the Believer - AD Altmer mSorc - AR 46 - Flawless Conqueror (PC EU)Idril Arnanor - AD Altmer mSorc - CP 217 - Stormproof (PC NA)Other characters:
    Necrophilius Killgood - DC Imperial NecromancerFearscales - AD Argonian Templar - Stormproof (healer)Draco Imperialis - AD Imperial DK (tank)Cabed Naearamarth - AD Dunmer mDKValirion Willowthorne - AD Bosmer stamBladeTuruna - AD Altmer magBladeKheled Zaram - AD Redguard stamDKKibil Nala - AD Redguard stamSorc - StormproofYavanna Kémentárí - AD Breton magWardenAzog gro-Ghâsh - EP Orc stamWardenVidar Drakenblød - DC Nord mDKMarquis de Peyrac - DC Breton mSorc - StormproofRawlith Khaj'ra - AD Khajiit stamWardenTu'waccah - AD Redguard Stamplar
    All chars 50 @ CP 1700+. Playing and enjoying PvP with RdK mostly on PC EU.
  • Jeremy
    Jeremy
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    So, I finally beat Vet Maelstrom Arena for the first time. I did this on a melee magicka DK and had absolute rough time, and probably would have saved myself some headache by rolling a force-pulsing magicka Sorc specifically for the arena. I was hoping to acquire an Inferno staff, but something told me I wouldn't have that much beginner's luck. Sure enough, hours and hours and hundreds of deaths later, I walked away with a crummy Maelstrom axe - a nice, giant "F**** YOU for your participation".

    The idea of being entirely reliant on crappy RNG to acquire the Maelstrom weapon that you need for your build is such a massive flaw. Now, certain people can grind Vet Maelstrom Arena in record timing and that is fine, very impressive even, but Vet Maelstrom Arena is not grind-able content. It's not meant to be grind-able content. Players should not have to grind through this arena tens or hundreds of times in order to have a chance at acquiring the one Maelstrom weapon they can actually make use of. It's not rewarding content to grind, it's not fun, and there are enough players who have either a) started Vet Maelstrom and have given up completely on beating it, b) beat Vet Maelstrom once and never went back, c) Won't even go near it at all, to realize that RNG just does not for this arena.

    If you're able to make it through this arena then there is no reason why you should not have your pick at which Maelstrom weapon you want from the chest, after all the hours and potions you've burned getting through it. Content that you need to grind is not "new", and it's not "refreshing", it's more of the same tedious crap, and in Vet Maelstrom's case it's just plain torture to expect people to grind through the hardest single-player content in the game for a chance at the weapon they want.

    Having completed Vet Maelstrom for a crappy axe I can honestly say that I will not be setting foot in this arena again until Zenimax rethinks the Maelstrom weapon drop system, and it blows my mind that it has been this way for years despite constant feedback from the ESO community year after year that it's not acceptable as is. I can guarantee that if players who clear Maelstrom can choose their weapon at the end, it would incentivize players to actually give Vet Maelstrom a go, or complete it, knowing that at the end of the torturous content, they're at least getting a reward that they can sink their teeth into.

    In anticipation of the "LTP"s, I'm not here to listen to how easy it is to /faceroll Vet Maelstrom if you're breezing through the arena with your already-acquired Maelstrom weapons, or OP Sorc builds. None of that changes the fact that Vet Maelstrom arena is not content that's meant for grinding. In its current state Vet Maelstrom is good for one thing: title bragging rights.

    I don't believe the problem with VMA is the RNG grind. It would be reasonable enough if it was actually fun to do and did not feel like torture. This is especially the case now that you can transmute.

    The problem is its crappy design and the simple fact it just isn't enjoyable. Well at least not for me and countless others it isn't.

    If you play a defensive character (such as a tank) you might as well not even waste your time as you are going to have to rebuild your character. If you play a character who concentrates on healing (a healer) you might as well not even waste your time as you are going to have to rebuild your character. VMA is all about the offense. So right out of the gate it's going to alienate a lot of different play styles and annoy players.

    For example: on my Templar I literally cannot do anything but go offensive and spam puncturing sweeps; Otherwise I die. On a game that supposedly prides itself on build diversity and allowing players to explore different play styles that's a very poor design decision on their part. VMA is basically nothing more than one long and frantic DPC race filled with gimmicky one shot mechanics for players who believe that learning patterns while running around like a chicken with their head cut off equals the very essence of incredible and skillful game play. I am not one of those players. And I doubt I'm alone in that point of view. I suspect the the minority of players who actually do find it in them to put up with the bs and manage to clear VMA will never step foot in it again once they acquire the Maelstrom Weapon they are looking for.
    Edited by Jeremy on April 2, 2018 4:11PM
  • Jeremy
    Jeremy
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    Asardes wrote: »
    BKTHNDR wrote: »
    Reading through this thread, I've noticed that everyone who says vMA is a cake walk is also running some sort of DPS build. I'm a Magicka Templar healer. Am I supposed to respec my entire build just to get this done? I'm somewhere around 380cp and have completed normal MA but vMA is a different beast.

    Nothing radical, really. You just need to swap your mundus and your gear, skill bar, maybe your consumable too.

    Yeah... nothing "radical". You just need to change your buffs, your gear, your skills, your consumables....

    Basically just everything there is about your character and own individual play style. :)

    I think you're making our point for us without realizing it.
    Edited by Jeremy on April 2, 2018 4:22PM
  • Asardes
    Asardes
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    Jeremy wrote: »
    Asardes wrote: »
    BKTHNDR wrote: »
    Reading through this thread, I've noticed that everyone who says vMA is a cake walk is also running some sort of DPS build. I'm a Magicka Templar healer. Am I supposed to respec my entire build just to get this done? I'm somewhere around 380cp and have completed normal MA but vMA is a different beast.

    Nothing radical, really. You just need to swap your mundus and your gear, skill bar, maybe your consumable too.

    Yeah... nothing "radical". You just need to change your buffs, your gear, your skills, your consumables....

    Basically just everything there is about your character and own individual play style. :)

    I think you're making our point for us without realizing it.

    What I consider long term part of my character's build is not the gear, mundus, and things that are easily changed within 3 minutes, rather the skill points, getting the appropriate lines leveled, picking the right morphs, getting a lot of skill points, and actually learning to play that character in different settings. Those things literally take dozens of time more more than getting gear for various roles, and getting a decent bar setup for them; most of the gear I've actually picked up along the way and saved it because I knew one day it will be useful. For example my SPC gear was stored for almost one year before I actually started and playing my Templar as healer. I don't believe in disposable cookie cutter builds with 100 skill points that have only specced only the minimum skills and passives to fill exactly one role, suiting one type of gear, within a specific setting, and that only live to the next "meta" change to be deleted and replaced by the new shiny, since I consider that to be wasted effort. Each of my characters have at least for PvP, multiple PvE DD setups and also at least a PvE group support setup. I map my Alpha Gear setups on the num pad keys and on 3/5 I've ran out of those, and have to open the menu and manually click the setup from there. And all of them are here to stay, only to expand the multitude of their setups. The most radical thing I need to do is maybe reset a morph, or change CP, which are trivial, with 360+ skill points available and all lines maximized.
    Beta tester since February 2014, played ESO-TU October 2015 - August 2022, currently on an extended break
    vMA (The Flawless Conqueror) | vVH (Spirit Slayer & of the Undying Song) | vDSA | vAA HM | vHRC HM | vSO HM | vMoL | vAS+1 | Emperor

    PC-EU CP 3000+
    41,000+ Achievement Points before High Isle
    Member of:
    Pact Veteran Trade: Exemplary
    Traders of the Covenant: God of Sales
    Tamriels Emporium: God of Sales
    Valinor Overflow: Trader
    The Traveling Merchant: Silver


    Characters:
    Asardes | 50 Nord Dragonknight | EP AR 50 | Master Crafter: all traits & recipes, all styles released before High Isle
    Alxaril Nelcarion | 50 High Elf Sorcerer | AD AR 20 |
    Dro'Bear Three-paws | 50 Khajiit Nightblade | AD AR 20 |
    Veronique Nicole | 50 Breton Templar | DC AR 20 |
    Sabina Flavia Cosades | 50 Imperial Warden | EP AR 20 |
    Ervesa Neloren | 50 Dark Elf Dragonknight | EP AR 20 |
    Fendar Khodwin | 50 Redguard Sorcerer | DC AR 20 |
    Surilanwe of Lillandril | 50 High Elf Nightblade | AD AR 20 |
    Joleen the Swift | 50 Redguard Templar | DC AR 20 |
    Draynor Telvanni | 50 Dark Elf Warden | EP AR 20 |
    Claudius Tharn | 50 Necromancer | DC AR 20 |
    Nazura-la the Bonedancer | 50 Necromancer | AD AR 20 |

    Tharkul gro-Shug | 50 Orc Dragonknight | DC AR 4 |
    Ushruka gra-Lhurgash | 50 Orc Sorcerer | AD AR 4 |
    Cienwen ferch Llywelyn | 50 Breton Nightblade | DC AR 4 |
    Plays-with-Sunray | 50 Argonian Templar | EP AR 4 |
    Milariel | 50 Wood Elf Warden | AD AR 4 |
    Scheei-Jul | 50 Necromancer | EP AR 4 |

    PC-NA CP 1800+
    30,000+ Achievement Points before High Isle
    Member of:
    Savage Blade: Majestic Machette


    Characters:
    Asardes the Exile | 50 Nord Dragonknight | EP AR 30 |
  • Llaren_Uvayn
    Llaren_Uvayn
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    I think it's *** that in the Umbra stage the cleansing pools take so long to reappear.

    That's my feedback.
    PS4 / EU

    Sadryn Hlervu: Warden tank
    Llaren Uvayn: Templar healer and faithful Tribunal servant
    Ashanabi Addunipu: Ashlander mercinary from the grazelands
  • AndyMac
    AndyMac
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    Gratz on the clear.

    I agree with others that any future vMA runs will be far easier. You'll be very surprised, I think.

    So you definitely should give vMA at least another couple of runs before deciding that chasing a particular drop is just a waste of time. I run vMA on a mDK and my ping is 300ms +. Getting my first clear was a totally #!%$ experience but it's very true that it's never that bad again.

    I have run vMA enough to get a flame staff during the Orsinium event this year - so I am very happy. It was worth it in the end.

    One other piece of advice is that there are easier classes than mDK. I cleared on a mNB just recently and that is much easier. So, rather than abandon vMA - perhaps look at another class to farm it on. mNB would definitely be worth a look.
    Andymac - Magicka DK - EP Grand Overlord - Flawless Conqueror
  • Nebthet78
    Nebthet78
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    I agree with you OP!!! VMA is making me want to kill myself right now... I'm already cutting up my arms from the frustration of the place and the RNG... and the fact that that the god damn fing Daedroth are able to follow you around and run after you while using their heavy hitting firey breath not allowing you to be able to distance yourself from the damage... like WTF????!!!!

    You need to change this ZOS... I'm doing serious self harm over this right now because of the frustration level!!! Did you tune this *** up because of the event?? It wasn't this bad several weeks ago!!

    @ZOS_GinaBruno @ZOS_RichLambert
    Edited by Nebthet78 on August 3, 2018 7:29PM
    Far too many characters to list any more.
  • shiningforce
    shiningforce
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    I completely agree, the majority of ESO players hate vMaelstrom with a passion. You hit the nail on the head. Its not fun, it has a ton of bugs (Getting dmg when no graphic is shown so you cant avoid etc), its hard and brings out the worst in frustration.

    So many people want the Maelstrom weapons for their sets but they are too hard to obtain. You SHOULD be able to at least choose the weapon you want at the end. Having to farm this is beyond ridiculous. Why are their not weapon equivalents out and about somewhere else? Its years later since this came out and still no equivalent.

    Many people on the forums that have passed vMaelstrom will jump on here and say its fine because they wasted so much time on it to get the gear they wanted and argue it doesnt need a nerf or charitable picks for weapons at the end but they are dead wrong. Most people have lives away from the game and I dont need this much stress after work personally and just want to enjoy the game. I've been on the last boss for quite some time now and dont think it will change anytime soon. At least if not nerfed then at least let up pick our gear

    -- It is easy to be a Jerk Online; what do you win? Being Kind people remember you, help you, befriend you and you feel good too.
  • jpl7340
    jpl7340
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    I’ve been trying to complete vMA for days now (the Orsinium event for double drops). Been playing for a couple years, but I’ve never tried it until now. I figured I have the gear to do it. I’ve been stuck on the final stage for over 2 days. I’ve watch every video I can get my eyes on. I know the mechanics. But I won’t be completing this content. I’ve been in such a foul mood because of this that I don’t even want to play the game anymore. And that’s crazy to me, because it’s been my favorite activity to do for 2 years now. Congrats to those that are able to clear this content. You peeps are awesome. But I’m not stepping foot in vMA until something changes.
  • Bobby_V_Rockit
    Bobby_V_Rockit
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    jpl7340 wrote: »
    I’ve been trying to complete vMA for days now (the Orsinium event for double drops). Been playing for a couple years, but I’ve never tried it until now. I figured I have the gear to do it. I’ve been stuck on the final stage for over 2 days. I’ve watch every video I can get my eyes on. I know the mechanics. But I won’t be completing this content. I’ve been in such a foul mood because of this that I don’t even want to play the game anymore. And that’s crazy to me, because it’s been my favorite activity to do for 2 years now. Congrats to those that are able to clear this content. You peeps are awesome. But I’m not stepping foot in vMA until something changes.

    I cracked the *** at stage 5, and because I cant beat it I gave up on all vet content because whats the point. Dont think I’ll be returning either (to vMA) and it made me want to quit eso. I wont, but jeez
  • Gnortranermara
    Gnortranermara
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    I would agree that there was a serious design flaw here before Transmutation. But now? Meh. Suck it up and get back in there. Not only is the dungeon waaaaay easier now than it ever has been before due to power creep, but you are also 8x more likely to get a drop that will meet your needs.
  • magicsprout
    magicsprout
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    jpl7340 wrote: »
    I’ve been trying to complete vMA for days now (the Orsinium event for double drops). Been playing for a couple years, but I’ve never tried it until now. I figured I have the gear to do it. I’ve been stuck on the final stage for over 2 days. I’ve watch every video I can get my eyes on. I know the mechanics. But I won’t be completing this content. I’ve been in such a foul mood because of this that I don’t even want to play the game anymore. And that’s crazy to me, because it’s been my favorite activity to do for 2 years now. Congrats to those that are able to clear this content. You peeps are awesome. But I’m not stepping foot in vMA until something changes.

    Hang in there i felt just the same and finished today day 3
  • mojomood
    mojomood
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    Congrats!

    I also just finished my first vMA this morning. I tried when I was 290ish CP and found it too frustrating. Looking back, it wasn't that my CP was too low. Yes, an extra 400 CP since then has helped, but not nearly as much as the time I spent in PvP.

    After getting frustrated with vMA but still wanting a challenge, I started to PvP and absolutely loved it. The faster pace, constant change, and need to do your own healing, dps, and defense made this attempt at vMA much easier. Probably the thing that helped the most was learning to think about what just happened after I died. Seriously, I have died so much in PvP but I started to think about how to adjust, reposition, when to kite and when to go for the kill. This time on vMA, the adjustments came much faster.

    I had stopped on 5 when I couldn't get past the ice level after weeks of trying. That is where I picked up last night. After about 3 hours, I had not only beat that level, but also all of them up to the final level. I woke up a bit early this morning to try that one before the maintenance. After an hour or so, I had my first clear. RNG was a little nicer to me and I got a Nirnhoned Lightning Staff and a Charged Ice Staff.

    I play a Mag Sorc in PvE so it is easier to survive, have AoE DOTS, etc. May not be a big feat for some people, but it felt nice to finally complete it. I'll run it again before the Wrothgar event is over for the double drops.

    Thanks @Joy_Division for a great guide found here:
    https://forums.elderscrollsonline.com/en/discussion/381682/joys-new-and-improved-guide-to-beating-maelstrom-arena/p1

    Thanks @DeadlyPhoenix for build ideas to keep it simple:
    https://forums.elderscrollsonline.com/en/discussion/400833/one-bar-easy-vma-w-video-magsorc-build-for-summerset-no-trial-monster-set-maelstrom-weapon-needed/p1

    I used Necro/Julianos/Skoria, but with running a heavy attack/pet build, I'm wondering if that vMA Lightning staff would be better and if so, how to incorporate it...

    Maybe Skoria/Necro/Mech Acuity Front bar with Fire Staff/vMA Lightning staff Back bar? No longer a one bar build, but could add a lot of dps. Ideas?
    Edited by mojomood on August 7, 2018 1:40PM
  • Mothball888
    1st time thru it last friday, I've been on/off trying to complete it for 13 months. My toon was sitting in the 9th arena since before dragonbones. I feel your pain, I hate that stupid arena. If it wasn't for it having some of the best weapons in the game, I wouldn't bother (and mostly didn't bother for 13 months!)

    All that said, with the double drops, I wanted to try it again, and with my 1st complete, I wanted to re-due it as much as possible for double drops. Last night(my 6th complete) I completed it in 1.5hrs and died 9 times. 420,000 score. If anyone asked me 7 days ago if I could complete vma and die less than 15 times.. I'd call you a fool. The learning curve is steep, and tall. But eventually you will learn the dungeon and like a light switch, you will wonder how you had so much trouble on your first run.

    Edited by Mothball888 on August 7, 2018 4:03PM
  • HappyLittleTree
    HappyLittleTree
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    Oh boy kids these day just don't know the grind...before transmutation we had to farm it even more to get the specific trait...
    Thuu chakkuth lod Hajhiit c’oo? Hajhiit gortsuquth gorihuth thuu gooluthduj thdeitoluu!

    XBox-EU
  • Mister_DMC
    Mister_DMC
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    You guys are all right, VMA does need a buff. Make it relevant again Zos!
  • mojomood
    mojomood
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    Mister_DMC wrote: »
    You guys are all right, VMA does need a buff. Make it relevant again Zos!

    Not sure a buff makes this more relevant. To experienced players, it's easy. To newbies, It's crazy hard. Ultimately, memorizing and anticipating spawns and mechanics is the biggest difference. I think there is a higher chance that ZOS may create a new DLC locked Arena that is harder since the redesign for this wouldn't just be more health and damage for the enemies but a whole re-work on spawns and mechanics. At that point, just make a new one with new weapons/sets/rewards (and of course charge more for it).
  • weg0
    weg0
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    disintegr8 wrote: »

    I've watched videos and to me it's like everything else in this game, a DPS race. Sure, there are mechanics you have to avoid but the sooner you kill the enemies, the less time you have to spend avoiding the mechanics and the less chance you have of running out of resources.

    Not correct. It is almost entirely about mechanics.

    In fact, the stage 5 boss is a perfect example of how merely focusing on burning down the boss with dps is a sure fire way to add hours of frustration. Stage 7 is a death trap if you don’t know not to use interrupts at what otherwise seem to be the perfect time.

    @Joy_Division has an awesome post going through mechanics at each stage & round which should be required reading before anyone is allowed to post about how difficult it is or that it should be nerfed etc.

    One thing that really helped me the first few clears was tri-stat food. Having the extra Stam on my magsorc meant I could sprint, dodge-roll, bash, and break-free whenever I needed to. Stam builds usually have a few Magicka survival skills, so I am pretty sure they would want to use it too; at least until getting the mechanics down.
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