Atoll of Immolation are the worst group event in the game

Bobby's_UserID · June 2022

With Annihilarch's Chosen style out, I decided to grind AoI every day until I get a drop and I hate it.
Here are the reason why:

No indication which portal is available: This is only a minor problem, but it can be a minute or two, until you find an active portal to even get to the event.
The way to the last section: First of all, you can't sneak past anything. Not even cloak or invis pots work. The aggro system is bad, since it's aggro of the whole group not just a single mob. So if you run far enough away to de-aggro the first mobs, the will regain aggro if you kill/hit/get hit by the last enemies, even if the first mobs have already reset completely. So it takes forever to lose aggro compared to everywhere else, you basically have to fight all the adds even if they are not worth the time. Also enemies that can chain you back are not fun.
The last boss: There is no challenge to this boss, compared to Dragons/Harrowstorms, but it takes forever since there are forced invulnerability phases. It's kinda sad, when the best way to kill him is to not interrupt any mechanic, since it does no damage anyways, and just burn. Also I think it is stupid that killing all the adds give 0xp.

So the simplest way to farm the style pages are just to hope someone ran through to the last boss before you and that they killed all the adds. Then wait for the event to start, do a LA on the boss so that the companion starts to attack and then just ALT + TAB until the event is done. There is no reason to actively try to participate, since nothing does damage there (unless you stand directly in the middle), nothing gives xp and nothing requires any skill. Even dolmen are more engaging, since there is an actual reason to hit all the mobs to get xp and some gold. I don't see players replaying this content once everyone got their style pages and all their leads.
Whats your opinion on AoI?

honglatongla · June 2022

You can just park a character there, you know. At the last boss.

redlink1979 · June 2022

If you don't like the grind, like me, you can avoid all that "time waste" by purchasing the pages at traders.

DLM · June 2022

Bobby's_UserID wrote: »

The last boss: [/b] There is no challenge to this boss, compared to Dragons/Harrowstorms, but it takes forever since there are forced invulnerability phases.

This is a trend that I hate. I am seeing more and more boss fights with invulnerability phases (I can think of the Serpent Caller on High Isle right off the bat).

jaws343 · June 2022

The invulnerability isn't actually forced. This fight is one of the very rare fights where interrupts are not a good idea. The boss will stay vulnerable as long as no one interrupts him. But, many players use crushing shock, so he gets interrupted right away.

I always switch to spamming frags in this fight to not trigger the interrupt.

rootkitronin · June 2022

I couldn't agree more about the pacing and invulnerability phases - I feel like it really kills the momentum of the fight.

Just as you're getting into it, you are forced to stop, go whack-a-mole for a bit, and then get a few more seconds of fight in before repeating the process. In the end, it's just annoying and not really all that fun.

Despite very few mechanics, I personally find the wandering bosses in the deadlands to be a much more engaging fight.

Lydawobbles · June 2022

I wish they would add a daily for it. “Kill the havocrel in the atoll” or whatever. At least people would be there more instead of trying to solo the whole thing lol

Mik195 · June 2022

I don't think its the worst, but definitely the most boring. Harrowstorms and the dying from something that hasn't spawned yet because of lag are the worst. At least the zzzzz copy/paste daedra on the atoll don't seem to lag much.

EF321 · June 2022

Agreed. Very bad and loot is nothing of interest.

whitecrow · June 2022

You can sneak past the generals and the titan that guards the tower. I think you may be able to avoid mobs by going round the other side of the rocks but I'm not sure.

I like that the portals are unmarked and you just have to stumble upon them (or watch for callouts). It gives a much needed feeling of randomness, even if they aren't truly random.

But I agree about the final boss. A few seconds of combat and the annoying invulnerability waves make it very unfun.

kargen27 · June 2022

jaws343 wrote: »

The invulnerability isn't actually forced. This fight is one of the very rare fights where interrupts are not a good idea. The boss will stay vulnerable as long as no one interrupts him. But, many players use crushing shock, so he gets interrupted right away.

I always switch to spamming frags in this fight to not trigger the interrupt.

I've soloed the boss and unless my companion was interrupting the invulnerability phase can happen without an interrupt. I kind of like that the phase exists. It means I can't just ignore the trash.

I kill everything along the way anyway so the not being able to sneak past something doesn't matter to me. I usually wait for the mini bosses along the way to spawn if they are down as I am going through.

jaws343 · June 2022

kargen27 wrote: »

jaws343 wrote: »

The invulnerability isn't actually forced. This fight is one of the very rare fights where interrupts are not a good idea. The boss will stay vulnerable as long as no one interrupts him. But, many players use crushing shock, so he gets interrupted right away.

I always switch to spamming frags in this fight to not trigger the interrupt.

I've soloed the boss and unless my companion was interrupting the invulnerability phase can happen without an interrupt. I kind of like that the phase exists. It means I can't just ignore the trash.

I kill everything along the way anyway so the not being able to sneak past something doesn't matter to me. I usually wait for the mini bosses along the way to spawn if they are down as I am going through.

Ah, then it must just take longer to trigger without an interrupt.

blktauna · June 2022

I dunno, I enjoy these. Every time I see one I jump in and lest the slaying begin. Depending on which toon I'm on it's not all that easy for me, esp all 4 fire dudes in the hall at once.

While its true i don't remember getting anything great in the loot, it all gets deconned or sold so no problem there.

katanagirl1 · June 2022

The boss fight is completely different when there are only two players there and it’s a lot more enjoyable, you can actually do more damage and he disappears much less often.

I think this might be a response to player’s complaints that world bosses don’t scale to the number of players.

Jaraal · June 2022

Agreed, the invulnerability phases seem like a cheap way to prolong the fight for no good reason. Just buff his health to about half of a dragon's (6-8 million) and let us fight.

And yes to camping a character at the boss. It's so annoying to have to fight through all that trash to get to the final fight. The problem is, sometimes it's just me or me and one or two other players. I'm surprised how quickly the portals have become dead content.

Carcamongus · June 2022

I don't mind going through the mobs, though they can be annoying when I'm not feeling very patient. The final boss, though, is a bore. Farming motif pages was only bearable because I'd watch Youtube between fights (many SNL videos last about 5 minutes, which is very convenient, as that's the time it takes for the boss to respawn).

BretonMage · June 2022

Yes, it's a bit boring. I really like how the drops are designed though, even though the specific motif and plans are not really to my taste - specifically that drop chances are increased dramatically for the first few attempts, but you can't get more than one a day. They need to design more rewards this way imo.

Dalsinthus · June 2022

I don’t mind finding the portals or making my way to the last boss. What I hate are:

1) the invulnerable phases: 2-3 per fight at set health points unless the boss is channeling and does not get interrupted. This is unengaging and just drags the fight pointlessly.

2) the unbreakable stun abilities: when the boss charges he will knockdown and stun any player in a large aoe that doesn’t dodge roll (or maybe block). If you’re knocked down you cannot break free; instead you have to wait out the stun timer. Also the telegraph for the aoe is smaller than the actual effect. Just an annoying ability that locks us out of using our core combat skills. The roaming bosses in dead lands do the same attack and I find myself grinding my teeth every time I get hit by it.

Kaelthorn_Nightbloom · June 2022

You know the last boss respawns every 5 minutes right? You don't need to leave the Atoll at the end.

RisenEclipse · June 2022

I've managed to skip the titan every time since he seems to not spawn right away for me, and I manage to sprint to the door by the time he lands on the ground. You could try that next time and see if it works for you too.