What about introducing random harder overland mobs?

Lancillotto · June 2018

Lots of people are complaining about how easy and unchallenging the game has become after Tamriel United, and I agree, exploring new areas is boring, since nothing will challenge you.
Sure, we have world bosses, but those are on the other end of the spectrum, and often requires a team to be taken down. What about introducing something in between: random harder mobs to all overland zones, mobs that scale higher than the player and can finally provide some challenge? new players can simply avoid them if they are not up to a challenge. This would give us the best of two worlds and keep everyone happy.
The new mobs should be recognizable by the way they are dressed, better armor than usual mobs in the same area, or just a different style (e.g., daedric armor or glass armor). If these new mobs could also have a better chance at dropping some useful loot that would be a plus.

Aliyavana · June 2018

Just increase the damage of red telegraphed attacks so we can teach noobs to gtfo of the red early in the game

Noisivid · June 2018

That would be good, but I don't think it really solves the problem. The power creep that was introduced with champ points is where I think the problem really lies.

Lancillotto · June 2018

Noisivid wrote: »

That would be good, but I don't think it really solves the problem. The power creep that was introduced with champ points is where I think the problem really lies.

What if the new mobs scaled also keeping in account how many CP the player has? I think that could make them challenging at last. They could also have some random CP-like passive skills, which would make them quite unpredictable (e.g. extra armor penetration, extra DoT etc).

Metafae · June 2018

Yes please, I think most mobs in the game should remain push overs because I have seen some noobs really struggle with them.

But the odd mob here and there that spawns as a legendary, much more difficult and significantly more health would be amazing.

Most importantly, make the delve bosses and quest bosses have at least 5 times as much health, but they don't have to hit any harder. They just die way too easily for what they are.

Noisivid · June 2018

Lancillotto wrote: »

Noisivid wrote: »

That would be good, but I don't think it really solves the problem. The power creep that was introduced with champ points is where I think the problem really lies.

What if the new mobs scaled also keeping in account how many CP the player has? I think that could make them challenging at last.

I'm not sure how they could scale a mob to individual players in an overland zone. In instanced content, yes. If you've got a Max cp player and a level 40 player with no cp, which one does the mob scale to?

I'd rather just scale myself to the zone. ZOS should let me switch between cp setups more easily and less expensively.

Lancillotto · June 2018

Noisivid wrote: »

Lancillotto wrote: »

Noisivid wrote: »

That would be good, but I don't think it really solves the problem. The power creep that was introduced with champ points is where I think the problem really lies.

What if the new mobs scaled also keeping in account how many CP the player has? I think that could make them challenging at last.

I'm not sure how they could scale a mob to individual players in an overland zone. In instanced content, yes. If you've got a Max cp player and a level 40 player with no cp, which one does the mob scale to?

I'd rather just scale myself to the zone. ZOS should let me switch between cp setups more easily and less expensively.

The game already scales the difficulty of mobs in a zone to the player, now they simply have to add some mobs that are scaled a bit higher than the player.

AuldWolf · June 2018

You mean like the insanely popular, Universally loved, and frequently fought world bosses?

Oh, wait.

Could we please stop this? All it ends in is alienating new players, ZOS losing money, and the game getting put on life support. Don't be selfish. You have hardcore content, play it. If you want the overworld to be more difficult, make it more difficult by resetting your CP, using no sets/white gear/no gear, or even resetting your stats if need be.

The game is fine as-is to continue to be profitable by attracting a broader audience. The truth is that the hardcore audience is only a tiny contingent versus all other demographics which don't want more difficult content. And therefore if you make the game more difficult, it alienates the people who fund the game and the game dies.

What you want is financially impossible unless you can support the cost of the game yourself. Which, let's be realistic, you can't. Not even the entire hardcore demographic can, that's why so many games in the past have died/gone on life support.

Edit: Make it a poll! And watch the votes drown out the hardcore just like in the other polls. That's probably why it's not a poll, hm?

erlewine · June 2018

i wish public dungeons had just one boss that was hard. like, takes a few people. and how about 1 hard world boss per zone.

just one

Lancillotto · June 2018

AuldWolf wrote: »

You mean like the insanely popular, Universally loved, and frequently fought world bosses?

Oh, wait.

Could we please stop this? All it ends in is alienating new players, ZOS losing money, and the game getting put on life support. Don't be selfish. You have hardcore content, play it. If you want the overworld to be more difficult, make it more difficult by resetting your CP, using no sets/white gear/no gear, or even resetting your stats if need be.

The game is fine as-is to continue to be profitable by attracting a broader audience. The truth is that the hardcore audience is only a tiny contingent versus all other demographics which don't want more difficult content. And therefore if you make the game more difficult, it alienates the people who fund the game and the game dies.

What you want is financially impossible unless you can support the cost of the game yourself. Which, let's be realistic, you can't. Not even the entire hardcore demographic can, that's why so many games in the past have died/gone on life support.

Edit: Make it a poll! And watch the votes drown out the hardcore just like in the other polls. That's probably why it's not a poll, hm?

The game is not fine as it is, in fact many players agree that the game is no longer as challenging and exciting as it used to be. What I am asking is very simple, and wouldn't make the game any harder for new players in the least, since they could simply skip the new hard mobs.

World bosses are on the other hand of the spectrum (too hard), they are not popular because 1) most of them drop junk, and 2) you can no longer solo them, unless you are geared up very well and/or have some meta build. What I am asking is to introduce something in between, something that can still keep things interesting for old solo players while at the same time not be a hindrance to new inexperienced players.

I don't see why we can't make everyone happy.

Plus, you clearly didn't read my post carefully, since unlike others I am not asking to overhaul the difficulty of the whole game, but just to add some random hard mobs.

nalimoleb14_ESO · June 2018

I’m definitely wholeheartedly against the idea of overhauling the overland content to be made more difficult, for all the reasons Auldwolf outlines above, but this idea sounds very cool. Especially if the patrolling overland mobs could scale to your CP level and pose a threat to you similar to the bosses in, say, Veteran Maelstrom Arena (without the mechanics); they’re designed to be defeated by one player so you wouldn’t have to deal with trying to find a group to take down a patrolling group of elite mobs, you can just challenge them yourself. And then of course the higher your CP, the higher the difficulty, like Vet Maelstrom bosses on steroids; the lower your level/gear, the lower the difficulty of the overland mobs. This would also solve the issue of zones seeing empty/lifeless when there aren’t players running around everywhere. We’ve needed a little more in terms of dynamic/random events for a while now.

KeiruNicrom · June 2018

Lancillotto wrote: »

Noisivid wrote: »

Lancillotto wrote: »

Noisivid wrote: »

That would be good, but I don't think it really solves the problem. The power creep that was introduced with champ points is where I think the problem really lies.

What if the new mobs scaled also keeping in account how many CP the player has? I think that could make them challenging at last.

I'm not sure how they could scale a mob to individual players in an overland zone. In instanced content, yes. If you've got a Max cp player and a level 40 player with no cp, which one does the mob scale to?

I'd rather just scale myself to the zone. ZOS should let me switch between cp setups more easily and less expensively.

The game already scales the difficulty of mobs in a zone to the player, now they simply have to add some mobs that are scaled a bit higher than the player.

The mobs arent scaled to the player. All content is scaled to 160cp difficulty and the players stats are scaled up to meet that if below.

Lancillotto · June 2018

Well, then it's even easier, ZOS only has to make the new random mobs scaled to 180cp or something like that.

DieAlteHexe · June 2018

I actually rather like this idea. I'm adept at avoiding fights I don't want so if this will cheer up the folk who are upset about Overland being "too easy", I say go for it because I am utterly opposed to changing Overland err...overall.

SixVoltCar · June 2018

What about removing champion and playing the game properly?

zsban · June 2018

There are already some random more “powerful” mobs — remember those daedra that randomly fall from the sky and drop some set piece when you kill them? Sounds just like what you described.

Or go to Craglorn and open one of the glowing portals.

blacksghost · June 2018

What about those little groups in craglorn the ones with the portal/light things. I have yet to see anyone trigger and beat them (no doubt it probably happens) but scattering them throughout Tamriel wouldn’t be so hard them the “gimme moar harder” brigade could impress us everywhere. (Or not )

Mureel · June 2018

Also we need random overland events!

Titans dropping from the sky! Behemoth Daedroth rocking up into towns!
The triplet dolmen boss materialising!

Make them super harsh that takes everyone around to put them down!

Give the Titans the threshing wings that blow you on your can if you don't block, give the daedroths massive fire plumes and the triplets mass bloodsucking ability!

Would be so awesome!

Lancillotto · June 2018

zsban wrote: »

There are already some random more “powerful” mobs — remember those daedra that randomly fall from the sky and drop some set piece when you kill them? Sounds just like what you described.

Or go to Craglorn and open one of the glowing portals.

I know what you are talking about, but those aren't really very challenging. Perhaps if ZOS made them a bit stronger... but I would still want to see patrols of powerful enemies here and there, just for sake of diversity. It would also make exploration more interesting, because you would never know who you may run into. Now you already know that no mob you'll encounter will be a match for you (unless it's a world boss, but those are another story).

blacksghost wrote: »

What about those little groups in craglorn the ones with the portal/light things. I have yet to see anyone trigger and beat them (no doubt it probably happens) but scattering them throughout Tamriel wouldn’t be so hard them the “gimme moar harder” brigade could impress us everywhere. (Or not )

Those are pretty cool, but the fight is mostly against a huge mob and a miniboss. I am thinking more like a regular group of 3-6 enemies, but with stats higher than the player. Something that wouldn't be too hard to solo, but still challenging.

DieAlteHexe · June 2018

blacksghost wrote: »

What about those little groups in craglorn the ones with the portal/light things. I have yet to see anyone trigger and beat them (no doubt it probably happens) but scattering them throughout Tamriel wouldn’t be so hard them the “gimme moar harder” brigade could impress us everywhere. (Or not )

Last October when I returned to the game, I saw one of them in Craglorn and thought: "Hmm, this looks interesting."

And then I died.

Fast.

Mureel · June 2018

zsban wrote: »

There are already some random more “powerful” mobs — remember those daedra that randomly fall from the sky and drop some set piece when you kill them? Sounds just like what you described.

Or go to Craglorn and open one of the glowing portals.

Those are in set spots and in fact ridiculous easy. Could smoke them on lowbie noob archer with all mismatched crap gear.

Rawkan · June 2018

I would love to see something like the roaming guys in the Imperial Sewers. Some insanely powerful guys roaming the zones. Named mobs with maybe even some lore added for all of them. Make them real tough.

Asardes · June 2018

World bosses are rather bland in base game areas too. Virtually all of them can be beaten solo by a reasonably competent player. They actually did a good job with Summerset ones, adding proper mechanics: shields, CCs, one-shot attacks, numerous adds for some of them. Those need multiple players to take them down in a reasonable amount of time. Overland mobs are still very weak though so I would agree elites at least need a buff. Most can't even do what mechanics they have since they die so fast. As I said on other topics, harder overland mobs, at least elite ones, would go a long way towards trimming down the bot trains in some areas; they could add an algorithm to the server to spawn more elites in areas with higher player densities.

blacksghost · June 2018

Please can the “I can solo it all” folk arrange some demos.

Lancillotto · June 2018

It would be nice to see patrols of 4 toughened enemies: one healer, one tank, and 2 DPS, so that players could finally taste what dungeon bosses feel like

These random "patrols" (someone called them that, I like the term) shouldn't just have more health and armor, they should have some additional skills and passives (additional spell and/or armor penetration, spell and/or weapon damage...) and know how to use their skills as a coordinated group. For example, the tank could CC the player, while the two DPS try to burn him/her down using also synergies like players do (so you should watch out for those!). All while the healer keeps the mobs alive. You would need to use some tactics to defeat such enemies alone, but it wouldn't be impossible, just a bit challenging. Defeating them should rely more on player's skill (doing the right thing at the right time) rather than on gear.

Different zones should have different patrols, who wear gear that makes them stand out (but still fit the style of the given zone), and who have a somewhat distinctive way of tackling the player (e.g. different combos and synergies).

Zardayne · June 2018

Lancillotto wrote: »

Lots of people are complaining about how easy and unchallenging the game has become after Tamriel United, and I agree, exploring new areas is boring, since nothing will challenge you.
Sure, we have world bosses, but those are on the other end of the spectrum, and often requires a team to be taken down. What about introducing something in between: random harder mobs to all overland zones, mobs that scale higher than the player and can finally provide some challenge? new players can simply avoid them if they are not up to a challenge. This would give us the best of two worlds and keep everyone happy.
The new mobs should be recognizable by the way they are dressed, better armor than usual mobs in the same area, or just a different style (e.g., daedric armor or glass armor). If these new mobs could also have a better chance at dropping some useful loot that would be a plus.

This is what I've been saying for awhile now. All mobs don't have to be harder, just mix in some random harder ones.

Lancillotto · June 2018

Zardayne wrote: »

This is what I've been saying for awhile now. All mobs don't have to be harder, just mix in some random harder ones.

Then hopefully ZOS will listen... @ZOS_GinaBruno exploration has become a little boring if you are a geared up veteran, and ZOS has nothing to lose by adding a few harder mobs, as long as they can be skipped by the newbies if so they wish.
It would make everyone happy. I have seen a poll where a whopping 40% of the players would like the difficulty of the game increased, if ZOS wants to keep those players then they have to do something. Obviously ZOS can't increase the difficulty of the whole game, because that would alienate 60% of the players, but adding a few random harder mobs would be the best compromise.

terrordactyl1971 · June 2018

Just have the harder mobs not attack unless attacked first by a player

Lancillotto · June 2018

terrordactyl1971 wrote: »

Just have the harder mobs not attack unless attacked first by a player

I can see why you say that, we don't want newbies to run for their lives every time they meet one of the random patrols... but that would take away part of the fun of unexpectedly running into danger while exploring. I think a better compromise would be to have the patrols ignore you if you are below lvl 50 (unless you attack them) and/or have a small aggro radius, so that if you decide to flee they won't pursue you very far.