Who Thought Up This Event?

redlink1979 · December 2019

Raisin wrote: »

[Are people lagging so much they don't get the dragons' animations at all?

Depending on day, daytime and instance population you can get no lag or an insane amount of lag.

When there's a lot of people in the fighting area, AoEs take longer to appear to those who reach the spot in the middle of the fight. The same happens with dolmen runs in Alik'r, if you get there in the middle of the on going fight enemies and AoEs take a few time until they become visible.

I've died countless times in that ring of ice, created by the ice dragon, because I can't see it right away... Now, to be better safe than sorry, I approach the dragon on on-going fight by spamming self heals.

Tatanko · December 2019

daemonios wrote: »

For those times when you miss the block, it helps to have enough hp to be able to take a few blows without croaking and keeping your health up through shields or heals. You are using food, right? Have 19-20k'ish health?

I have a loadout on my Stamplar specifically for fighting dragons (and other WBs) that pretty much takes this idea and runs with it. Normally I run Stormfist, but that set gets swapped out for Mighty Chudan where both pieces are heavy and enchanted for max health. That gets me to about 22.5k with a little extra armor and way more in resistances, which is enough to survive *almost* all of the heavy hitting attacks like the bite; the only exception I've found so far is the lightning dragon's lightning breath which will definitely kill you without blocking.

Olauron · December 2019

Raisin wrote: »

But what wing attack is this? The only wing slap I have ever received from dragons is the one that is clearly telegraphed. The dragon starts looking at you, considers you, then raises it's wing and brings it down in a slap. Even if you don't pay attention to the head, the part where the dragon raises its wing is the cue for you to dodge or block (I dodge).

Are people lagging so much they don't get the dragons' animations at all?

I have a 230 minimum latency by in-game metrics. It is a bit higher when there are a lot of players spamming abilities. Actually, in the first hours of the event there were so many players that it was so high that I was logged out and lost a ticket from that dragon.

At my experience a dragon can look at any player character when attacks with wing, even at a player on the opposite side. When the wing raises it is already too late to block usually. The best option is to stand far enough if it is possible, but it is not always possible due to the icy ring that is not shown as red on the ground.

Edit:

redlink1979 wrote: »

I've died countless times in that ring of ice, created by the ice dragon, because I can't see it right away... Now, to be better safe than sorry, I approach the dragon on on-going fight by spamming self heals.

The damaging area of the ring is also bigger than the visible area. I have died numerous times when I clearly was standing outside the already visible ring.

daemonios · December 2019

Tatanko wrote: »

daemonios wrote: »

For those times when you miss the block, it helps to have enough hp to be able to take a few blows without croaking and keeping your health up through shields or heals. You are using food, right? Have 19-20k'ish health?

I have a loadout on my Stamplar specifically for fighting dragons (and other WBs) that pretty much takes this idea and runs with it. Normally I run Stormfist, but that set gets swapped out for Mighty Chudan where both pieces are heavy and enchanted for max health. That gets me to about 22.5k with a little extra armor and way more in resistances, which is enough to survive *almost* all of the heavy hitting attacks like the bite; the only exception I've found so far is the lightning dragon's lightning breath which will definitely kill you without blocking.

I'm lazy so if there's just a handful of people fighting a dragon I will at most slot crit surge on my Sorc. I already have ward, so those are my two survival skills. I don't swap out of my regular 5+1+1 (light/heavy/medium) for dragon fights. I don't have purge on my bar and as I said, I'm too lazy to slot it, so I try to manage my resources to keep my health up through the DoTs, and leech off any purify synergy I get along the way. Sometimes there is none, and I'm all drained of magicka, and I snuff it, especially when there is no healer or tank and it seems I get agro 100% of the time

The key point I've tried to make is, it's up to you to decide how important it is not to keep dying. You have options by way of skills, gear and reactions. I have dropped dead out of the blue to find a number of attacks that I didn't see on the death recap. It happens. But it's nowhere near constant. And judging from other posters' accounts, the major factor in dragon deaths is bad gameplay.

mague · December 2019

FlopsyPrince wrote: »

That doesn't help when the dragon throws out a ring of cold that takes up almost the entire area spawns a bunch of adds (at the same time) and then regularly nukes the ground, often with no warning.

The area between dragons aura and its ring is "safe" as long as you watch it a bit and keep moving and avoid his rear.

Neoealth · December 2019

FlopsyPrince wrote: »

RaveRaveRaveRave wrote: »

The event I was most looking forward to lasted a whole 2 hours or so and I didn't even get to partake. Already was tired of killing dragons before this event even started.

It could have been OK, if they weren't so OP.

This frost one caused me 15-20 deaths. Yeah I am a soft pet sorc, but I try to stay at range and continually put my shield up.

That doesn't help when the dragon throws out a ring of cold that takes up almost the entire area spawns a bunch of adds (at the same time) and then regularly nukes the ground, often with no warning.

This was even with a growing group. Fortunately we didn't wipe a 3rd time and finally killed it, but what a waste of 1/2 hour.

I'm a pet sorc, just thought i'd mention if you're having trouble staying alive, have you considered using the twilight matriarch instead of the tormentor? The heal is a savior for me. You will do less damage but that heal is fantastic for tight spots.

Michae · December 2019

Is killing two dragons really that hard? I did it at 1 AM and found other people to help just fine. Same with trying at 10 AM. Overdramatic much?

Jaraal · December 2019

FlopsyPrince wrote: »

Dying 20 times for a ticket is ludicrous.

And totally unnecessary.

Find a dragon fight in progress, stand way back away from the action, wait until the dragon is almost dead, then hit it with a ranged shot, collect ticket.

Personally, I enjoy being in the middle of the action, and have learned how to avoid death. But if you're just after a ticket, then stand far away and cherry pick.

Gundug · December 2019

What most people don’t seem to realize about the dragons is that in their face is one of the safer areas to stay in. If there is a competent tank holding the dragon in one place, especially staying just a bit to the left or right of the face, for instance, everyone else can pretty safely stay in the area just to the opposite side of the tank in front of the face. Just watch out for ground AOEs that pop up.

Being scattered all over the place means healers in the area can heal, at the most, only a few people effectively.

It’s also massively annoying when whoever has aggro decides to spin the dragon around and around, increasing the danger to every other player in the area. The dragons hit hard, but for someone who pays attention to their mechanics, and has put some thought into making their character survivable, they aren’t excessively difficult.

Kagukan · December 2019

FlopsyPrince wrote: »

RaveRaveRaveRave wrote: »

The event I was most looking forward to lasted a whole 2 hours or so and I didn't even get to partake. Already was tired of killing dragons before this event even started.

It could have been OK, if they weren't so OP.

This frost one caused me 15-20 deaths. Yeah I am a soft pet sorc, but I try to stay at range and continually put my shield up.

That doesn't help when the dragon throws out a ring of cold that takes up almost the entire area spawns a bunch of adds (at the same time) and then regularly nukes the ground, often with no warning.

This was even with a growing group. Fortunately we didn't wipe a 3rd time and finally killed it, but what a waste of 1/2 hour.

Its a dragon. It should be hard and there should be deaths when fighting one.

peacenote · December 2019

Anotherone773 wrote: »

Those mounts have more hurdles than the Olympics.

This absolutely deserved an awesome!

Anyway, I agree this event is underwhelming; not sure what the point of it is, really, except to release the last berry.

One suggestion I have for folks is that my friend and I will duo the dungeons on normal to get the tickets. If you can find one friend this takes less than half an hour per dungeon if you're not into the dragons. Plus there is a chance for pattern drops and whatnot if you loot the urns.

Raisin · December 2019

Olauron wrote: »

Raisin wrote: »

But what wing attack is this? The only wing slap I have ever received from dragons is the one that is clearly telegraphed. The dragon starts looking at you, considers you, then raises it's wing and brings it down in a slap. Even if you don't pay attention to the head, the part where the dragon raises its wing is the cue for you to dodge or block (I dodge).

Are people lagging so much they don't get the dragons' animations at all?

I have a 230 minimum latency by in-game metrics. It is a bit higher when there are a lot of players spamming abilities. Actually, in the first hours of the event there were so many players that it was so high that I was logged out and lost a ticket from that dragon.

At my experience a dragon can look at any player character when attacks with wing, even at a player on the opposite side. When the wing raises it is already too late to block usually. The best option is to stand far enough if it is possible, but it is not always possible due to the icy ring that is not shown as red on the ground.

Edit:

redlink1979 wrote: »

I've died countless times in that ring of ice, created by the ice dragon, because I can't see it right away... Now, to be better safe than sorry, I approach the dragon on on-going fight by spamming self heals.

The damaging area of the ring is also bigger than the visible area. I have died numerous times when I clearly was standing outside the already visible ring.

Yeah I have a steady 200+ ping on NA, so I know the feel and it's kind of why I asked cause it seems to be the only plausible explanation. That said, in the end that means the attacks are telegraphed just fine, and it's the ping thats the issue... And from what I gather, OPs problem stems from there being a tiny group of people trying to kill the dragon during a time where the server is fairly deserted, so if the ping is that bad with those conditions, there's definitely a bigger issue at hand.

Edit: I wanted to add an idea. The wing slap itself shouldn't be what kills you -- either you get knocked into something or you end up in one of the AOEs that follow (very likely with the high ping issue). I'd suggest instead of trying to block or dodge the wing slap, start shielding up or permablocking and spamming a heal until the whole thing is over. It may be too late to avoid getting wing slapped, but it may protect you from the damage right after.

WillhelmBlack · December 2019

Waa!

It's for a cat charity. If you don't want to do it, don't!

AlnilamE · December 2019

My main problem was getting to the dragon before it died, but now my character has the necessary wayshrines for that.

I usually kill them in the morning, and there are enough people there that we don't wipe.

SpacemanSpiff1 · December 2019

If overland dragons are a problem, do the trial and dungeon instead.

Rake · December 2019

Whoever gave all dragons the soultear is [snip].
They spam this stupid shout and somehow thats "interesting" mechanic players should find fun.

[Edit for bashing.]

markulrich1966 · December 2019

Rake wrote: »

Whoever gave all dragons the soultear is [snip].
They spam this stupid shout and somehow thats "interesting" mechanic players should find fun.

[Edit for bashing.]

if you use a stamina based toon, this shout is no problem using the "vigor" selfhealt (cyrodiil skill-line).

Templars have alternative spells, sorcerers crit surge and pets to heal.

So this shout can be dealt with easily, in contrast to a flap with the wing pushing you in the large ice-circle (this happened rarely though to me).

BejaProphet · December 2019

I’m baffled that I see so many comments saying northern Elsweyr has nobody killing dragons. Every time I’m there it is a huge crowd on xbox NA. In fact I get frustrated that in the northern most location the dragon usually dies before it every takes a single flight.

🤷‍♂️

Rake · December 2019

markulrich1966 wrote: »

Rake wrote: »

Whoever gave all dragons the soultear is [snip].
They spam this stupid shout and somehow thats "interesting" mechanic players should find fun.

[Edit for bashing.]

if you use a stamina based toon, this shout is no problem using the "vigor" selfhealt (cyrodiil skill-line).

Templars have alternative spells, sorcerers crit surge and pets to heal.

So this shout can be dealt with easily, in contrast to a flap with the wing pushing you in the large ice-circle (this happened rarely though to me).

This is an event for all players, yes?
What should low level non templar players do? Carry enough gems to resurrect I guess.

Raisin · December 2019

BejaProphet wrote: »

I’m baffled that I see so many comments saying northern Elsweyr has nobody killing dragons. Every time I’m there it is a huge crowd on xbox NA. In fact I get frustrated that in the northern most location the dragon usually dies before it every takes a single flight.

🤷‍♂️

The OP seems to be playing on EU during very offpeak hours. I've done this myself on both servers, and you'd be surprised how empty it gets. You're looking at groups of 4 people here, maybe 1-2 coming in later into the fight.

RefLiberty · December 2019

BejaProphet wrote: »

I’m baffled that I see so many comments saying northern Elsweyr has nobody killing dragons. Every time I’m there it is a huge crowd on xbox NA. In fact I get frustrated that in the northern most location the dragon usually dies before it every takes a single flight.

🤷‍♂️

Not true really, never had issues not finding the Zerg train. Dunno what are those people talking about.
Maybe they are muppets running around getting late to kill all the time

No, really, it is a constant flow of people grinding from one waypoint to antoher, except maybe from 3-5 AM which is normal during the work days.

Veinblood1965 · December 2019

I hate it when we are "forced" to play events......

FlopsyPrince · December 2019

Tigerseye wrote: »

I can come and help.

Are you in Northern?

I was. I got home a bit earlier today and a crowd was in both places.

Though I still died twice to the cold storm and other attack combos.

It take more than an hour on Monday, but I got both then too. Still very frustrating, not what an event should be.

FlopsyPrince · December 2019

Cirantille wrote: »

Plus you are a range player so there is no way a dragon can catch you if you streak away.

Perhaps if I knew when the attack was coming each time, but some attacks come without warning.

I am almost guaranteed to die if I fall down even if I get up as quick as I can. Though I will check the other skills.

PrayingSeraph · December 2019

Xbox NA has dragons constantlu getting killed in 1-2 min no matter what time of day...

Its been super easy to get daily tickets...

FlopsyPrince · December 2019

Jaraal wrote: »

FlopsyPrince wrote: »

Dying 20 times for a ticket is ludicrous.

And totally unnecessary.

Find a dragon fight in progress, stand way back away from the action, wait until the dragon is almost dead, then hit it with a ranged shot, collect ticket.

Personally, I enjoy being in the middle of the action, and have learned how to avoid death. But if you're just after a ticket, then stand far away and cherry pick.

I did stand far back. At least as I could on that area. I still got nuked repeatedly, usually without notice.

It was a bad run, probably the worst I had and very frustrating, especially after waiting 15 minutes or so for a dragon (any dragon) to be attacked.

Veinblood1965 wrote: »

I hate it when we are "forced" to play events......

Yeah, you aren't forced to do anything. But I pay my money for this and I want to have fun playing. Having key things (the mounts) behind this difficulty is worse than the PvP event. (I despise PvP since I suck at it and likely always will no matter what. I don't have the quick enough reaction skills.)

Give something else for a dragon kill. That would be great, but requiring one when help is sparse and it takes (me with a group at least after 11 pm central US time) 25-30 minutes to kill a dragon makes it very frustrating. I would raid if I wanted to be frustrated like that. I do not for a reason.

RefLiberty wrote: »

except maybe from 3-5 AM which is normal during the work days.

Which is the exact problem if you are in the US playing a character on the EU server just before the reset. Expected, but adds a level of frustration if you get home late from work.

(Yeah, I probably have too many characters, but ZoS has sold more stuff to me in the store and keeps me as an active subscriber because I am an altoholic.)

Raisin wrote: »

The OP seems to be playing on EU during very offpeak hours. I've done this myself on both servers, and you'd be surprised how empty it gets. You're looking at groups of 4 people here, maybe 1-2 coming in later into the fight.

Exactly. Sometimes you can catch a good group that late, but killing a dragon with 4 who are not the studs posting here is a lot harder.

Rake wrote: »

Whoever gave all dragons the soultear is [snip].
They spam this stupid shout and somehow thats "interesting" mechanic players should find fun.

[Edit for bashing.]

I agree with that. I can only use my Pet Sorc in reality because I haven't mastered it other than with a self heal. I need to learn to play better for that of course, but the characters can live just about any other place fine.

AlnilamE wrote: »

My main problem was getting to the dragon before it died, but now my character has the necessary wayshrines for that..

It is a lot harder in Northern Elsweyr. 2 of the dragons are quite a run from the wayshrine. Accidentally hitting square upon death means you will likely lose the dragon kill before you can run back as well.

SpacemanSpiff1 wrote: »

If overland dragons are a problem, do the trial and dungeon instead.

What dungeon dragon? Or is that the one you queue for not a delve? I am guessing that one is just as hard as some of the DLC group dungeons. One of those (big arena fight at the end) causes me to likely annoy everyone else from dying so much. Not intentionally, but I need work for that.

Jaraal wrote: »

FlopsyPrince wrote: »

Dying 20 times for a ticket is ludicrous.

And totally unnecessary.

Find a dragon fight in progress, stand way back away from the action, wait until the dragon is almost dead, then hit it with a ranged shot, collect ticket.

Personally, I enjoy being in the middle of the action, and have learned how to avoid death. But if you're just after a ticket, then stand far away and cherry pick.

So I should let others do the work while I leach? That doesn't sound great, though perhaps I should just run in, get a good shot, and sit dead until they are done. It would cut my death count down, but I wouldn't contribute anything, except possibly to make the dragon stronger (does it scale with # of attackers at all?).

FlopsyPrince · December 2019

Would using full heavy gear be worth it if I had to give up Necropotence on my pet sorc?

RefLiberty · December 2019

FlopsyPrince wrote: »

Would using full heavy gear be worth it if I had to give up Necropotence on my pet sorc?

Just don't waste your time about it a play your character as you like, if you are dying too much, do some damage and sit it over dead while it is done, if the group is not small like 5 people, no one will even notice. Yes we can call it a leeching, but mate no one will even notice with all that aoe crap blinking on ground.

Just relax, tag the dragon and get your ticket. Not like you are hurting anyone, who cares.

Contaminate · December 2019

If you stay at range and keep walking in a smallish circle, you should be able to avoid most attacks provided you’re at range.

For soul tear, either use a shield, or pop a lingering health potion and you’ll be fine.

Dragons have large animations for their wing and tail swipes, but if your lag is very bad, just stand slightly off the side of whoever is tanking (assuming their an actual tank and not running in circles) because they don’t use their frontal head swipe unless there’s no other players at the back or sides to trigger the other attacks.

The sweeping breath attack can be dodge rolled through or blocked, and typically won’t be fatal on its own even if you don’t block, unless you have very low max hp.

The ground AoEs are usually preceded by the dragon shouting, so listen for things besides fus roh dah and croissant and then move in a slow, kinda wide circle, since the AoEs typically spawn underfoot of players. That way you’ll end up out of AoEs without having to rely on seeing them when your lag is bad.

Palidon · December 2019

Hapexamendios wrote: »

Don’t like it, skip it. I am.

Exactly what I did. There was nothing that the event merchant was offering that I was interested in. No sense wasting my 12 event tickets I already had. I was also sick and tired of Dragon slaying and also done with doing any of ZOS' twelve man trials. Rinse and repeat game play gets old at some point and for me it's old.