Nerf Maelstrom Arena or give weapon drops on normal

hazelnuts · February 2019

So my problem is that for every good dps pve build you need either Maelstrom Staff or Maelstrom Bow. But to complete Veteran Maelstrom Arena you need kinda good dps. So how should you complete it when you dont have the weapons to do good dps?
My solution.... Nerf veteran Maelstrom Arena (maybe give bosses only half the hp they have now or give players who dont have a maelstrom weapon equiped a 20k dps buff) or make the weapons drop on normal Maelstrom Arena. So that we "noobs" also can get them.

mairwen85 · February 2019

You can hit 35-40k dps without a vma weapon. This is plenty to do all content, including vma.

Matthros · February 2019

I don’t see the need to nerf it. You can beat it without VMA weapons. If they allowed the weapons to drop on normal then I want the existing ones out there automatically changed to perfected with a single piece bonus again.

I beat it on a Mag DK, Stam DK, Stam Sorc, and a Magplar so various classes and builds can do it.

Dextail · February 2019

If you think vMA bow/staff magically gives good damage. You are wrong.

richo262 · February 2019

No.

A vMA weapon (Bow/ Staff) will only increase your DPS by 2-3k on static targets. I don't even use a vMA weapon when I farm vMA, and I have all the vMA weapons I need. vMA weapons are not at all required for vMA, great for Trials with static bosses though.

Most arenas in vMA the boss has you running to destroy runes (2nd last), or running under them (3rd?), or avoiding AOE at certain times (Poison arena) or the boss will release more ads at certain intervals so DOTS are not ideal until burn phase (Frozen Rink).

I wouldn't object to all vMA weapons becoming 'Perfect' and a 'Non-Perfect' version with half the damage becomes available in normal mode, but don't think for a second it will drastically help you, or at all, conquer veteran mode.

Vein667 · February 2019

Dont see any reasons to nerf it either. Completed many times vMA on magsorc without MA weapons (dont see any reasons to wear it on this toon cause using necro staves). Its more about mechanics, high dps just helping do it much quicker.

And anyway MA weapons just adding about 3k dps. Not big loose without it (unless vet trials for score i guess).

Protossyder · February 2019

Everybody had to overcome this challenge, show some ambition.

codestripper · February 2019

How uh....do you think all of us beat vMA? Do you think we started with vMA weapons? I've done it with 0 CP, No class, and a "Gear as you go" playstyle where you only use gear that you pickup in the arena. I'm sure you can manage to beat it like the rest of us did the first few times.

Don't go calling out for nerfs just because you don't want to put the time in to improve yourself. That's all that arena is at the end of the day. Beating it makes you a better player.

Feanor · February 2019

Maelstrom Arena came out with Orsinium - so years ago - and is balanced against CP 300. The current cap is 810. You don’t need elite DPS to beat it. All you need is 10 to 15k, good movement, and knowledge of the mechanics. In fact you can beat it with CP 198, green gear, and non-optimal traits. No nerfs needed.

Torbschka · February 2019

Lol, I did it with 170 CP and armor master / spinner mag DK PvP Gear

Crixus8000 · February 2019

You really don't need good dps for maelstrom arena. I suck at pve. I hardly play it because I just enjoy pvp but I have completed malestrom arena many times for the weapons and it was only because I did it with builds I made for me to have an easier time. If your going in with squishy high dps builds then your going to rely on skill so much more, where I built for survivability mainly and could just ignore most of the mechanics and facetank it. I didn't care about score, I just wanted the weapons

John_Falstaff · February 2019

hazelnuts wrote: »

So my problem is that for every good dps pve build you need either Maelstrom Staff or Maelstrom Bow. But to complete Veteran Maelstrom Arena you need kinda good dps. So how should you complete it when you dont have the weapons to do good dps?
My solution.... Nerf veteran Maelstrom Arena (maybe give bosses only half the hp they have now or give players who dont have a maelstrom weapon equiped a 20k dps buff) or make the weapons drop on normal Maelstrom Arena. So that we "noobs" also can get them.

There are so many wrong things about it I don't even know where to begin.

For one, vMA needs knowledge of mechanics and spawn points way more. It was designed in times when notion of high damage was completely different from what we have now - and people kept clearing it with that sort of damage. (Hey, people clear it with broom and a bucket, but that's another matter.) For another, vMA weapons give 1-2k damage boost (4k raid-buffed at most), it won't make or break your build neither for trials nor for your Maelstrom farming runs. For some reason people keep thinking the bow and the staff are super weapons - well they're not. They can give you an edge, but when you're parsing 40k without those weapons, then stop and think: there are still much easier ways to add more damage to your parse other than getting vMA gear.

Kel · February 2019

Nah.
Do you really think normal maelstrom weapons would be more powerful than a piece that give you a 5 set bonus? No..they won't.

They wouldn't, or shouldn't be nearly as powerful as vMA weapons if implemented. Not even close. So really the only point would be just having a useless weapon with the maelstrom name.

If you're asking for equal powered weapons to drop from normal...that's laughable and absolutely ridiculous.

ZarkingFrued · February 2019

VMa weapons do not magically give good DPS. Maybe a couple K. Also, for the 500th time, NO

SaucyMcSauceface · February 2019

No need to nerf vMA, beating it the first time is one of the best feelings in the game. By design, it has to be beatable without maelstrom weapons, as everyone who cleared it for the first time did so without them. It is a challenge to learn the fights, but that is the point. The solution to challenging but achievable content is not to nerf it, but to do what everyone else has done and get rise to meet the challenge.

If there was an arena that no one can complete that might be a reason to call for a nerf. But in this case, it is entirely doable if you are willing to learn the fights.

It is frustrating as hell at the start, but if players in Australia, like myself, fighting a ping that hovers around 300-400 on a good day with random spikes over 999 can complete it and the OP cannot, the issue lies not with the arena, but with the player.

Ciovala · February 2019

I did it with a class I suck at and had like 12k dps on the bosses - just take the time to learn it.

mairwen85 · February 2019

SaucyMcSauceface wrote: »

... fighting a ping that hovers around 300-400 on a good day with random spikes over 999 ...

Ouch! You deserve a veteran 'Ping Slayer' weapon.

kylewwefan · February 2019

The problem I have with VMA, is it's so irrelevant compared to the rest of the game at this point.

I can run VMA with my favorite setup, but that doesn’t get me enough damage for trials or dungeons even.

I can assure you, having vMA Weapons isn’t gonna make you a DPS Monster overnight. I got them all. Most of my toons are right around 30k DPS. I’m just not that good. But I can run vMA now.

So you got this guy that hits 48k but he can’t figure out VMA. Or this guy that runs VMA daily for fun but only gets 32k DPS. Who you gonna take?

richo262 · February 2019

OP

Look into the 1 bar Petsorc build. I initially used that because I have a 300+ ping and often died trying to swap weapons.

Plague Doctor (Lightning staff, 2x ring, Infused (Magicka) Chest)
Necro (Amulet, 4 body (Divine all (or infused on big))
Either Valk (Higher DPS + HP) or Iceheart (Moderate DPS + Shield) (All divine or Divine small Infused Big)

It should put you at about 30k HP 50k Mag.

Skills
Bar 1 - Wall, Summon Fam, Ward, Summon Twilight, Bound Aegis (or Inner Light)
Bar 2 - Nothing. If you use Bar 2 get a Plague Doc staff (anything, fire / ice is cheap) and just use it as buffs such as Crit Surge, remember to double your pets.

That build should be able to do vMA easily, it did for me. Before you start with that build, be sure to watch a few videos of vMA to go over the mechanics, vMA is 90% Mechanics. 10% is surviving while doing effective damage (10-15k).

I lol'd a bit at your idea for 20k dps buff, because, that is close to double (13k) my DPS on vMA. If they did that, I'd just swap Necro for Warrior Poet and just walk in as a tank, wouldn't care about lost mag, the buff would make up for it and then some.

Casdha · February 2019

Speaking of learning, how do you avoid the frost giant from busting the platforms? Trolls are easy just interrupt.

Sy1ph5 · February 2019

If you can't complete vMA the weapons wont do you any good.

Feanor · February 2019

Casdha wrote: »

Speaking of learning, how do you avoid the frost giant from busting the platforms? Trolls are easy just interrupt.

The trick with Matriarch Runa is that you don’t rush. She destroys the platforms at 75%, 45% and if you don’t kill her fast enough on the last one. Nothing you can do to stop her smashing them. But you take your time instead, focus the add pulls, while you have a close eye on spawning Frost Trolls and boss HP.

You only nuke her on the last platform. Or if you hit 40k+ ST DPS from the get go.

Ciovala · February 2019

The mechanic is that the matriarch breaks the islands at at intervals based on health. So you dps, got off before she breaks it, move to next, etc. Lots of videos on it.

codestripper · February 2019

kylewwefan wrote: »

The problem I have with VMA, is it's so irrelevant compared to the rest of the game at this point.

I can run VMA with my favorite setup, but that doesn’t get me enough damage for trials or dungeons even.

I can assure you, having vMA Weapons isn’t gonna make you a DPS Monster overnight. I got them all. Most of my toons are right around 30k DPS. I’m just not that good. But I can run vMA now.

So you got this guy that hits 48k but he can’t figure out VMA. Or this guy that runs VMA daily for fun but only gets 32k DPS. Who you gonna take?

That's funny because this is a decision I've seen made in one of my past core groups. The decision was between a 50k not mechanically inclined player and a 35k mechanically inclined player. The 50k one was chosen and their only role was to sit on the boss and DPS. My job was to drop atro on them for more damage.

ccfeeling · February 2019

VMA is a not that hard, pratice makes perfect.

I run about 400 times, the best place to test new build

pelle412 · February 2019

The honest truth is, if you can't defeat vMA, the weapons will not benefit you. It takes a certain skill to take advantage of their benefits. You also do not need a vMA staff for anything since you can do enough damage without them. For a higher end group that pushes scores, those players use them but they are then overall very skilled players.

Undefwun · February 2019

yeaaaah... NO!

Not a lore person...
Normal solo questing is a chore for me, designed as a time sink and because I know that it annoys me...
Mat farming is more enjoyable and has a greater return, than some doofus sending me all over town/zone to talk to some randos or melt some minor annoyance enemy (even on new alts without CP assigned)

I am here for because I enjoy the combat system and the group aspect of group dungeons, trials, pvp... learning the systems and theory crafting and chatting with guildies..

vMA is the only repeatable solo content that doesn't bore the hell out of me... that I can think off atm

I sucked big time the first time through. I think 18 hrs in total over a few sessions for my first clear. 2nd was just over 2hrs...
Yet i prefer to sit here and bang my head against it for hours instead of running solo quests for 20 minutes..

I still haven't gotten a flawless run because Stage 7... but I will eventually

Plus it would be pretty unfair to all the people that put in the time to learn the mechanics and beat it before you... it's a rite of passage for all players...

You are not entitled to every piece of gear, every cosmetic item etc etc just for logging in....

jhall03 · February 2019

Really?? People have been doing VMA for YEARS. No need to nerf now.

Feanor · February 2019

https://forums.elderscrollsonline.com/en/discussion/457165/maelstrom-world-first-600k-with-ice-staves-only

Just leaving that here for perspective.

codestripper · February 2019

Feanor wrote: »

https://forums.elderscrollsonline.com/en/discussion/457165/maelstrom-world-first-600k-with-ice-staves-only

Just leaving that here for perspective.

Well...to be completely fair to OP, that was done with a vMA Ice Staff

shack80 · February 2019

How would the weapons help you if you cant even clear vma. No, just ltp and get it done