There are three kinds of one-shot mechanics:

1. One-shot mechanics which aren't anymore one-shot mechanics at max CP. (The last bosses in Spindleclutch 1 and in Banished Cells throws some ranged attack, which is a one-shot until you get enough CP in your defensive trees when you suddenly survive it). I tend to treat those mechanics which normally kill a 300 cp character as one-shot mechanic.
2. One-shot mechanics which require playing base-game mechanics, like getting out of an aoe (Fungal Grotto 1) or dodging a heavy attack (like the colossus heavy attack in fang lair).
3. One-shot mechanics which require playing a special mechanic (Cradle of Shadows, Moon Hunter Keep boss before the last etc.)

No 2 one-shots are only a problem, when they are telegraphed badly. Some just need practive. For example, I still get killed by every 2nd heavy attack from the colossus in fang lair, just because I don't get the timing right and dodge roll too early. I try to compensate by dodge rolling two times, which is very expensive. A better player would know when to dodge roll, but they would have to learn the timing first. Other one-shots like that telegraph really badly, like the crocodiles in vBRP. Those are changed next patch, I am glad!

Some one shot mechanics require very fast reaction times. You need to see or hear some signal, like a sentence from the boss, an animation etc. to react, like the shout in Falkreath Hold. You need to know how the signal before the shout, so you can hide from it and avoid the one-shot. Sometimes you can follow a strategy to make it easier, like in Spindleclutch 1, when you stay in a circle around the boss so you can see better when the boss turns to you. The less reaction time you get, which often depends on the visibility of the animation initiating the attack, the harder it is to play.

I am playing regularly with some casual players and those had a REALLY hard time completing the Spindleclutch 1 HM for the first time, because there were those 2 one-shots (ranged attack on one player + aoe). It was NOT easy, several times we ended up doing it without the HM until they got better after weeks and we could do the HM.

In my opinion the amount of one-shot mechanics is not a problem except there is a lot of going on at the same time. Some Hard Modes feel more like quick-time-events instead of playing a character in a mmo. I don't like when one-shot mechanics are done with poorly visible animations (some aren't even visible at all on low texture quality!) and like no reaction time. Just compare your time to get out of the Fungal Grotto 1 aoe vs the poison dragon breath in Scalecaller HM (which additionally you can't leave by dodge rolling, which is against all reflexes I build on my stamina dps, because even when you are outside the aoe telegraph but still in the dodge roll animation, you'll be hit by the poison).

Diarf wrote: »

L2P.

They should make that for every world boss.

They should just show the One-Shot Mechanic. Telegraph on the Elswyre Dragons hasnt been shown all the time - this is a known bug. If you got this, then you have to learn to avoid it.

I don't mind one shoot mechanics but in case of group content (dungeons and raids) it will be really helpful if there will be a learning curve.

One shot mechanics are great, nothing more fun than yelling "RUN! HES GONNA SING!" before Domihaus The Bloody-Horned goes full soprano. Nothing better than clutch synergizing that spear while doing Cloudrest for the win.

Varana wrote: »

VaranisArano wrote: »

There's a good base game example of this in Darkshade 2 with the Engine Guardian for anyone who avoids DLC dungeons. There's a coordination mechanic with the levers that allows a group to bypass the poison phase if everyone manages it. When me and my IRL friends were learning that fight, we died so many times trying to make it work! Or one person would die, and then we'd be behind on DPS as we had to rez and recover, often leading to a cascade of deaths and a wipe. Then, we looked it up and discovered the other method: let the healer pass the heal check while everyone else burns the boss. Much, much easier! We beat the encounter with no problem.

That's a bad example for one-shots, though - because it isn't. It is a heal check, i.e. it can be healed through, and you get saved not by burning the boss but by a decent healer. More damage will only help you if dps gets so inflated that you can burn the boss before the first poison phase, and I think we're still quite a bit away from that.

I wouldn't call this a "heal check" when one mutagen is enough to pass it.
vHoF or vSS-vAA hm, are healing check.

Sinolai wrote: »

I am okay with "one-shot"s (although usually the case is that you are not blocking or you lack armour becouse you are not a tank) as long as they are telegraphed. In severeal places the telegraph is bugged and you wont see the attack coming wihtout addons.

I don't have any combat add-on and so far the only bug I've seen is in the vBRP where the bat-swarm did not appear some time, very boring.
BUT, we can see here point her finger and arm in a direction where the aera is gonna be, so we just have to go on the other side.

Ppl who have high ping can have a problem, but it's not a game problem.
It always amuse me to see ppl complaining about "no pattern" OS mech when every boss/add got pattern in this game.
Ppl need to look more at boss instead of add-on and dps meter.