vCOS | Velidreth Catacombs question/guide?| [NEED A SOLUTION!!!]

BlackStar300 · March 2018

So, as a background before I have ran this COUNTLESS times and have helped many players, but new and vet alike pass this for first time clears. Here recently, I've been with some great guildies of mine and have tried to get the coveted Spiderkith skin I always wanted. That being said we get no deaths up to Velidreth (Speed run is done in case anyone is curious), but we get locked out of a door.... NOW here comes the countless theories and hopefully SOMEONE in the community has an answer for sure...

I've attached an image of the catacombs as they will be referenced below. Please see.

The doors are actually RNG based and on non-HM only 1 door is locked and such 3 doors on the top are unlocked and only 2 on the bottom rightfully so.
One of my group members said she ran with her trial guild and this is the way to run the catacombs. If door 1 is taken by any team on the Top/Bottom, then that say coded door will be locked for the other team. Its first come, first serve, which makes Top team going doors 4/3 ideal and bottom team going 1/2 as to avoid locked doors. (we did this for our speed run and it worked like a charm, BUT we don't know if it was RNG that blessed us or not cuz on our no-death door 1 was locked literally 5x in a row without fail even when no team touched door 1).
Thus, we did some research and found this off from http://elderscrollsonline.wiki.fextralife.com/Cradle+of+Shadows and it states "The main idea is to run through the maze, light a couple of the brazers to opendoors and make your way back to the boss. You can see the maze by opening your map." Soooo...does lighting the brazers actually open doors? If so what happens when you don't? If you do does that maybe unlock doors for you other team members not with you? One of my group members actually does light them even if we have a light sooo
The last thing we've thought of doing is choosing the SAME DOOR over and over. So, instead of changing doors like we did in #2 we will just pick one door and run with it. If door 2 is open we stick with door 2 the second time and see if that is closed as well.

Most people just run left to right or right to left, but without any thought to it. It could be that this is just RNG and I'm playing right into it, but the information isn't matching up across sources. I also am prepared to find multiple answers within this forum and may likely have to try this for myself anyways, but I just had to bring it up and give the community a shout.

These are all speculations at the moment and we plan to try some control/variants later tonight when we go in again because it seems no amount of research is coming back with ANYTHING regarding "doors". Everyone mentions 1 is locked on non-HM and on HM all, but 1 is locked, but nothing else. If we find anything during our runs (assuming this doesn't get a definitive answer) I will post our findings here. It could be RNG, but the fact that there is so much uncertainty about this is quite alarming. If its RNG I will accept it, but multiple sources say different things...

profundidob16_ESO · March 2018

to my knowledge the mechanic of lighting braziers is not connected to the doors opening or closing, both in HM or non-HM mode. They only serve the purpose of giving you an option to make the mobs visible, lower your dmge by them and your being slowed, just like the whole dungeon basically.

That leaves only the question whether the choice (by the dungeon code) of which maze doors become locked is a pure RNG matter or if there is a relation between the actions of both parties. My money is on pure RNG on both sides as the advertisement of the mechanic by ZOS suggests exactly that. I find it really hard to believe that the actions from maze team 1 would affect those of team 2 in this part or that the dungeon code would filter out something.

Imagine you have to program the code and your advertised mechanic of HM is that only 1 random door opens both on North as well as South side, the first thing you would do is split North and South side and let them independently determine that 1 random door right ?

s7732425ub17_ESO · March 2018

#2 doesn't make sense. The doors on top and bottom shouldn't be connected. If you take one on top, one on bottom isn't going to close.

Vaoh · March 2018

You’re looking into the fight too much. It’s not this complicated

The doors are likely not connected. Even if they are it shouldn’t matter though.

Either you check the doors 1-2-3-4 or 4-3-2-1. By doing this you never have to turn around toward adds (no risk of death) and you always find an unlocked door. I’d recommend starting on whichever side won’t make you run through the hoarders.

This is what I do and I’ve done HM, No Death, and Speed runs many times. Good luck!

s7732425ub17_ESO · March 2018

The real question is, should you only pick up one light? Is it easier to have everyone as a group, or split up 2-2?

Kanar · March 2018

s7732425ub17_ESO wrote: »

The real question is, should you only pick up one light? Is it easier to have everyone as a group, or split up 2-2?

That's not a question because if you only pick up one light, half your party dies in an unlit maze.

OP: I could swear that once I'm in there it's always the same door open (like if you wipe on HM and try again). Maybe it's just RNG luck. Also I feel same door is not open on both trips to the catacombs.

TBH though I never have trouble with catacombs. Bring stamdps with caltrops, it's all you need in there.

Merlin13KAGL · March 2018

Just follow the outside wall, either direction, and that way you never have to double back.

Worst case scenario is all doors but the last are the locked ones. This way you never have to run back into hoarvers and you're always moving forward.

And especially for no-death, torches, CC/snares for the enemy, and rapids for your group is a must.

Veli doesn't banish you until she hits certain health %'s, so you control the pace of the fight. One torch still down? Simply stop DPS if you must until you have it.

BlackStar300 · March 2018

Glad some answers are coming through! I haven't been able to test myself got snagged into a vet trial last night, but I may be looking into it TOO much, but its seems like nobody really has an answer on it. It very well be RNG, but like I said in first post the same DOOR 1 was locked like 5-6x in a row. Call me a skeptic, but if you flip a coin you have 2 outcomes. The outcomes of getting heads 5-6x is (I don't know the odds) is very slim and that is 1 in 2 chance. This is a 1 in 3 or even a 1 in 4 chance on non HM.

The rooms being connected is what one of my friends was told by her elite trials guild (I don't know them sooo this is third party info) and she said it always worked for them.

I do know about going left to right or right to left, but if one can nail down the amount of time looking for doors it will be much easier for sure as getting the first door is a great boon to this fight. As far as the light goes I thought they just helped you in case you didn't get a light. I don't know why fextra life has that there, but I haven't tested that at all either...

Its not like these catacombs are preventing me from completing this dungeon or challenges. We did wipe that no death the other day, but we can get it for sure, but my group got to thinking after the same locked door...We really do plan to not do a vet trial tonight so I plan to get in there because I have to do some testing of my own ^^

Kanar · March 2018

BlackStar300 wrote: »

Glad some answers are coming through! I haven't been able to test myself got snagged into a vet trial last night, but I may be looking into it TOO much, but its seems like nobody really has an answer on it. It very well be RNG, but like I said in first post the same DOOR 1 was locked like 5-6x in a row. Call me a skeptic, but if you flip a coin you have 2 outcomes. The outcomes of getting heads 5-6x is (I don't know the odds) is very slim and that is 1 in 2 chance. This is a 1 in 3 or even a 1 in 4 chance on non HM.

The rooms being connected is what one of my friends was told by her elite trials guild (I don't know them sooo this is third party info) and she said it always worked for them.

I do know about going left to right or right to left, but if one can nail down the amount of time looking for doors it will be much easier for sure as getting the first door is a great boon to this fight. As far as the light goes I thought they just helped you in case you didn't get a light. I don't know why fextra life has that there, but I haven't tested that at all either...

Its not like these catacombs are preventing me from completing this dungeon or challenges. We did wipe that no death the other day, but we can get it for sure, but my group got to thinking after the same locked door...We really do plan to not do a vet trial tonight so I plan to get in there because I have to do some testing of my own ^^

"Elite trials guild" more often then not = sheep who follow. Likely they heard an urban legend.

This is zos RNG we're talking about here, so that coin is being flipped by a shady guy in the subway who has a cute girl cohort distract you as the coin lands in his hand.

pizzaow · March 2018

On a related note, any advice for the "Embrace the Shadow" achievement (where you can't take any lights)? Would you suggest rapids, mist form, immovable pots ... anything else?

Greydir · March 2018

pizzaow wrote: »

On a related note, any advice for the "Embrace the Shadow" achievement (where you can't take any lights)? Would you suggest rapids, mist form, immovable pots ... anything else?

1. Everyone needs decent Selfheal
2. Both groups should have rapids and purge to remove debuffs
3. Both groups should have an ability to slow down or root the hoarders
4. Don't try it on HM
5. Groups should communicate about the planned path beforehand and also take care not to sprint around to conserve your Stamina

Kanar · March 2018

pizzaow wrote: »

On a related note, any advice for the "Embrace the Shadow" achievement (where you can't take any lights)? Would you suggest rapids, mist form, immovable pots ... anything else?

I've never done it, but rapids and stamina pots should be enough. Not like you need to do hard mode. I guess that's what the braziers are for?

Zimboy666 · May 2018

Asmael · May 2018

You can see the route I follow for both sides in the spoiler below:

Doors are set as soon as players are teleported into the maze at random, you simply have less doors opened depending on difficulty.

The idea behind not taking the shortest path to the first door to visit for either side is that the hoarvors will start following you, so if the first door happens to be closed, you'll be able to get to the next one without having a bunch of starved insects in your way (hurrrgh...).

Don't bother killing anything in the maze if you're not waiting for the other group to finish.

Decide before the fight starts who should pick up the light. Usually, the DDs are the ones to pick it up, that way, the tank and healer are separated and can help both group surviving the maze, either by CC'ing the mobs or outhealing incoming damage. Rapids is not necessary, neither is lighting any brazier (unless someone didn't pick up an atro light).

Finally, make sure everyone has a shield and / or self heal if you're going for nodeath.

Make2k15 · May 2018

If you need just no death then I'd suggest to check them in this order (based on your map):

TOP: Check first door 3 if it's closed then door 4 close to it is guaranteed to be open.
BOTTOM: Check first door 1 if closed then door 2 is open.

This is really the quickest way to pass the labyrinth on veteran normal mode. Guaranteed no bugs will catch u

Stinkyremy · May 2018

It's RNG
vet 1 door is closed south side, 2 closed north. HM, only 1 door is open per side.
normal, all doors are open.
It's not really that hard, just check your map as you fall, remember both sides after a few runs and you are set.
good RNG and the first door you come to are open for both sides.