Please fix Endless Archive difficulty

MidniteOwl1913 · November 2023

Braffin wrote: »

Toxic_Hemlock wrote: »

Braffin wrote: »

snip...

Reaching ones personal limits in combat IS in fact all EA is about. That's why it's endless.

If someone isn't interested in this, fine. Others aren't interested in ToT, groups, PvP and whatnot.

The solution is always the same: If you aren't interested in a specific part of a game, don't use it.

There a enough people out there, which are interested in this gamemode. There are also a lot of casuals, which are working on better builds and are looking for chances to improve their combat skills. EA offers exactly these chances. It's a place where everyone is able to progress if they are willing to.

It's not a place solely for seasoned veterans and experienced raiders but indeed for the whole playerbase.

And there is absolutely no reason to destroy that.

Taking one point at a time here..

1) Many of us don't want to see what our personal limit is. As a matter of fact many of us IMO just want to have fun and not be stressed out in a game.

2) Yes there are many other game modes, ToT being a non starter IMO as it is not what the subject here is. The others PvP, Trails, Arenas etc. are for more the elites players hence why they have a leaderboard (competition). Overland does not have a leaderboard, hence it is for casuals (non-competitive).

3) Not playing a certain aspect of the game is fine, but as this was and still is advertised as for everyone, it falls flat there.

4) Yes, some will adapt and try different builds, but IMO those are the players that already enjoy this type of gameplay, the rest of us casuals will just go back to overland leaving it un-played.

Finally, nobody wants to destroy it, on the contrary we want it to be playable by everyone, and as it sits now it is not. All I have seen here is suggestions to make it better. Yes, many say it is too easy at early levels and others say the bosses are too difficult for early arcs, but none of us want it destroyed, just improved to be accessible for everyone.

Bottom line. If they want it to be accessible to everyone (as was advertised) they have to decrease the difficulty, that will make the elites upset as they want the challenge. If they keep it as is, or make it more difficult it makes yet another activity some of us will never touch. Splitting normal/vet is the best option, but they don't seem to want to do that. So the only other option (if they want it be be accessible to everyone) is to make it easier at the start. The elite may complain that they NEED to go though multiple arcs of braindead content to get to the good stuff, but at least they can do the braindead stuff, some of us can't even get to the last boss of the first arc.

Very well then, let's see into your arguments:

1) I already told you the solution to that: Simply don't participate in content you aren't interested in. If you aren't interested in experiencing combat with steadily raising difficulty up to your personal limit, you simply aren't interested in EA. That's ok. For other people reaching those limits and testing theirselves isn't stressing, but relaxing and enjoyable. There is enough place for both aspects in this game: Overland is relaxing, something to walk in it and enjoy the atmosphere. EA is a place where you can go if you are looking for a more active sort of gameplay. You can even switch between those places freely at any time.

2) Why is ToT a non-starter? It's a part of the game, as any other (unless EA not open for all players tho, as it's chapter content). Many enjoy it, others despise it. Exactly like EA and any other content (from overland to housing, from PvP to trials, from fishing to trading). Your exclusion is flawed.

3) Yes, EA was advertised for everyone and in fact EA is for everyone. It's free2play and all players are invited to fight in there till they reach their personal limit. I can't see any indication for misleading advertizing. If a player decides to being not interested in the offered content by using their free will, doesn't mean there is anything wrong with the offer. You got what you were promised.

4) Sure, not all players will participate. Some will for a time, some will from time to time, some will try to do it endlessly. I fail to see how this differentiates to any part of the game. It's also not a matter of playerskill (I assume you try to refer to this using terms like "casual" vs "elite").

Finally, nerfing EA down to a point, where everyone can complete it without any effort would exactly destroy this content. You couldn't be challenged and reach your personal limit anymore after all.

Bottom line. For the sake of the more casual players it's vital to leave the lower Arcs at their current state. Otherwise they couldn't progress. For years I read in this forums, that the gap between normal and veteran content is far too high and there aren't places around, where players could train their combat skills in their own pace. Well, here it is, EA is the answer to also this concerns. Once again, there is no need for any difficulty chances (most probably for the sake of most easiest farming). On the contrary, they would be harmful.

I'm not interested in the content. I want the class set for my DK. I fully expect to hate the experience and once I've gotten the set never touch it again. At least I hope to never touch it again. In all probability, there will be leads I want stuck in there and I will have to go back. It will be an unpleasant grind. I will do it because I have to, not because I want to.

Jaraal · November 2023

Sarannah wrote: »

Note: Gear shouldn't degrade in the EA, it loses durability too fast.

I have the watcher merchant repair my gear after most rounds.

spartaxoxo · November 2023

Braffin wrote: »

Tandor wrote: »

I can understand why veteran players don't want EA nerfed, but I still don't understand why they don't support the introduction of a normal mode for casual players (definitions may vary) if that is accompanied in the present design which would become the veteran mode by a beefing up of the early Arcs so they don't have to run through trash content but can launch straight into challenging content. At least, I don't understand it unless @spartaxoxo is right on picking up on the "If I can't have it, you can't either" position of those who wanted a veteran mode for overland content but didn't get it.

Maybe if they supported a normal mode for casual players in EA and it happened, they'd be in a stronger position to argue for a veteran mode for overland content - and get more support from the casual players in doing so.

I don't think that's correct.

First of all EA isn't a playground solely for veteran but for the whole playerbase. The rules are simple: Fight till you reach your personal limit and enjoy yourself while doing so. It's the possibility to progress for everyone, not only veterans. And that's a good thing to have.

I also see zos trying to defuse the conflict regarding normal/veteran overland with EA, as it's procedurally generated (unless already existing arenas) and doesn't become stale as fast this way. As said before, if EA is maintained properly by future updates, the whole conflict regarding difficulty could come to an end.

There are a few improvements for players which are struggling with Arc 1 I'd like to see as further additions tho:
1) A save-function, so breaks are possible while learning how to deal with unknown mechanics.
2) The possibility to fight a boss more than 3 times, so learning of mechanics can be done more consistently.

Those changes would help a lot of people I think, taking away any challenge from lower Arcs simply isn't necessary tho. Relaxed combat is already possible everywhere in overland.

Regarding overland difficulty it's basically the same vice versa: I don't see the need for increased difficulty, if every player may enter EA if their interested in a challenge. It would be nice to be able to start at any already completed Arc to smoothen the experience.

Tbh, the split normal/veteran seems quite outdated if you look at what EA really offers to the playerbase.

I would need to play it to form a full opinion, but if not enough people are getting past arc 1, then I think it would need to be nerfed. As I don't think Arc 1 should be too difficult for the playerbase at large. Obviously, it probably won't be passable for literally everyone (I had a friend quit this game because overland was too difficult) but they should be casting a pretty wide net for Arc 1 IMO. And then, EA gets harder and harder until all but the most elite players can perform. This way we can all see our personal limits.

I'm not thrilled about having to test those limits without being able to come back from a proper break though. Save states would make things so much better.

Braffin wrote: »

We could quarrel all day about the difference between "fact" and "common wisdom", but tbh I've no intention to do so.

About consistency: EA already offers several difficulties, that's the whole purpose if this mode. Overland on the contrary doesn't offer various difficulties. In fact overland is the only part of the game involving combat without any difficulty options at all. You may think, that's fair. I don't tho.

Nonetheless I don't argue for veteran overland anymore, if EA stays untouched difficulty-wise and is seeing ongoing additions. The reason for this is simple: While I personally had preferred difficulty-options across all content, I'm nonetheless fine with splitting the content in a relaxing experience (overland) and a more challenging one (EA). I think it's a fair deal.

I don't think that its fair that overland isn't able to have difficulty customized. Which is why I favor difficulty sliders. I view it as solution that allows players to customize their experience without splitting the players up. Similar to the approach from LOTRO. As a general rule, I favor difficulty options for everyone. But I think the solutions should not split players up too much or otherwise harm the purpose of the game mode. Which is why I would prefer for Arc 1 to be extremely easy rather than a normal and vet mode as well.

Elsonso · November 2023

AzuraFan wrote: »

Elsonso wrote: »

My view is that Arc 1 should be normal mode, and then it progresses to Veteran mode.

That would make no sense. Right now, casual players (I also hate that term - I prefer to say players whose fun in the game isn't focused around the best builds and being great at combat) are having a problem getting past the final Arc 1 boss. If they were to tone that down but make Arc 2 and beyond vet, that wouldn't help. It would just mean that casual players would likely get stuck at the first phase of Arc 2. That's not gaining anything.

I would expect Arc 1 to be normal, but after that it would ramp up, not just do a full veteran send.

Besides, Arc 1 right now is rather interesting in that the Arc 1 boss is quite a leap. I would be interested in seeing how many people end their Endless Archive run without defeating the Arc 1 boss.

In any case, while I am sure a lot of people will continue from Arc 1 to Arc 2, my expectation is that stopping after the first Arc will be a very popular point to end the run. Possibly more people stopping there than continuing on. Normal doesn't need to go past Arc 2 and Veteran can easily start with Arc 3. Again, I would love to see the numbers on that.

The main problem with Normal being Arc 1 is the amount of time it takes to complete it and the number of Veteran people who don't need to have it that easy. Since ZOS did not put in a way to enter the Archives at a certain Arc, Veteran people have to start at the beginning each time. That is the way that the old games used to be, and no one survived from that era, so I can understand the reluctance to do it.

Braffin · November 2023

spartaxoxo wrote: »

Braffin wrote: »

Tandor wrote: »

I can understand why veteran players don't want EA nerfed, but I still don't understand why they don't support the introduction of a normal mode for casual players (definitions may vary) if that is accompanied in the present design which would become the veteran mode by a beefing up of the early Arcs so they don't have to run through trash content but can launch straight into challenging content. At least, I don't understand it unless @spartaxoxo is right on picking up on the "If I can't have it, you can't either" position of those who wanted a veteran mode for overland content but didn't get it.

Maybe if they supported a normal mode for casual players in EA and it happened, they'd be in a stronger position to argue for a veteran mode for overland content - and get more support from the casual players in doing so.

I don't think that's correct.

First of all EA isn't a playground solely for veteran but for the whole playerbase. The rules are simple: Fight till you reach your personal limit and enjoy yourself while doing so. It's the possibility to progress for everyone, not only veterans. And that's a good thing to have.

I also see zos trying to defuse the conflict regarding normal/veteran overland with EA, as it's procedurally generated (unless already existing arenas) and doesn't become stale as fast this way. As said before, if EA is maintained properly by future updates, the whole conflict regarding difficulty could come to an end.

There are a few improvements for players which are struggling with Arc 1 I'd like to see as further additions tho:
1) A save-function, so breaks are possible while learning how to deal with unknown mechanics.
2) The possibility to fight a boss more than 3 times, so learning of mechanics can be done more consistently.

Those changes would help a lot of people I think, taking away any challenge from lower Arcs simply isn't necessary tho. Relaxed combat is already possible everywhere in overland.

Regarding overland difficulty it's basically the same vice versa: I don't see the need for increased difficulty, if every player may enter EA if their interested in a challenge. It would be nice to be able to start at any already completed Arc to smoothen the experience.

Tbh, the split normal/veteran seems quite outdated if you look at what EA really offers to the playerbase.

I would need to play it to form a full opinion, but if not enough people are getting past arc 1, then I think it would need to be nerfed. As I don't think Arc 1 should be too difficult for the playerbase at large. Obviously, it probably won't be passable for literally everyone (I had a friend quit this game because overland was too difficult) but they should be casting a pretty wide net for Arc 1 IMO. And then, EA gets harder and harder until all but the most elite players can perform. This way we can all see our personal limits.

I'm not thrilled about having to test those limits without being able to come back from a proper break though. Save states would make things so much better.

Braffin wrote: »

We could quarrel all day about the difference between "fact" and "common wisdom", but tbh I've no intention to do so.

About consistency: EA already offers several difficulties, that's the whole purpose if this mode. Overland on the contrary doesn't offer various difficulties. In fact overland is the only part of the game involving combat without any difficulty options at all. You may think, that's fair. I don't tho.

Nonetheless I don't argue for veteran overland anymore, if EA stays untouched difficulty-wise and is seeing ongoing additions. The reason for this is simple: While I personally had preferred difficulty-options across all content, I'm nonetheless fine with splitting the content in a relaxing experience (overland) and a more challenging one (EA). I think it's a fair deal.

I don't think that its fair that overland isn't able to have difficulty customized. Which is why I favor difficulty sliders. I view it as solution that allows players to customize their experience without splitting the players up. Similar to the approach from LOTRO. As a general rule, I favor difficulty options for everyone. But I think the solutions should not split players up too much or otherwise harm the purpose of the game mode. Which is why I would prefer for Arc 1 to be extremely easy rather than a normal and vet mode as well.

Arc 1 already has this pretty wide net for Arc 1. But it's not possible to kill Tho'at and several other bosses without paying attention to mechanics. I agree, that the majority of the playerbase should be able to clear Arc 1, but it's not necessary (or desireable) that Arc 1 becomes a no-brainer, which can be completed without any effort. Casual players would suffer the most, if such changes were made. The profiteers would be the players not interested in the content itself, but only in fast reward-farming.

Should a casual player be allowed to progress? I definitely think so and EA is the best option to do so, as the raise in difficulty is far more differentiated than a simple split normal/veteran. EA don't need to become a farming simulator on Arc 1.

Btw, I'm indeed interested in your assessment of difficulty after you had the opportunity to try EA for yourself.

Tandor · November 2023

Paralyse wrote: »

I don't know if there is data yet on "how" people experience EA -- are the duo groups mostly friends, or guildmates, or random strangers? -- but splitting EA would definitely risk diluting the player pool.

I take the opposite view.

At present, the player pool is diluted by those who ere either not attracted to EA or can't progress through, let alone beyond, Arc 1, those players being turned off EA entirely.

Introduce a lower difficulty mode and more players will be attracted to EA and more of them will stay longer. Some may even develop to a point where they switch to the harder mode.

Pelanora · November 2023

Shara_Wynn wrote: »

I did one run of Endless Archive and got The Serpent SA Trial boss in Arc 1 Stage 3. Yay. Was easy up until then, and then it was game over for me. Ah well.

Yea me too how do you beat that guy? Nasty. We tried again and got a good run of bosses and then took out the last guy and made it thru to arc 2 when that Maw guy got us, although i think the mechanics would be ok to beat, but i was too tired by then and he got us.

KlauthWarthog · November 2023

Making companions immune to ground mechanics would go a long way into making that place more accessible for solo players, without impacting the difficulty for duos.

Elsonso · November 2023

Tandor wrote: »

Introduce a lower difficulty mode and more players will be attracted to EA and more of them will stay longer. Some may even develop to a point where they switch to the harder mode.

I guess the interesting thing is whether the numbers support that for the existing normal and veteran mode content. I can certainly see it happening, but I wonder just how often.

Pelanora wrote: »

Shara_Wynn wrote: »

I did one run of Endless Archive and got The Serpent SA Trial boss in Arc 1 Stage 3. Yay. Was easy up until then, and then it was game over for me. Ah well.

Yea me too how do you beat that guy? Nasty. We tried again and got a good run of bosses and then took out the last guy and made it thru to arc 2 when that Maw guy got us, although i think the mechanics would be ok to beat, but i was too tired by then and he got us.

Xynode did a video where he goes through the mechanics for every boss that can appear in Endless Archive. I have not watched it, but Bethesda referenced it on Twitter.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Cpi3YUIpGBI

AzuraFan · November 2023

Elsonso wrote: »

In any case, while I am sure a lot of people will continue from Arc 1 to Arc 2, my expectation is that stopping after the first Arc will be a very popular point to end the run. Possibly more people stopping there than continuing on. Normal doesn't need to go past Arc 2 and Veteran can easily start with Arc 3. Again, I would love to see the numbers on that.

For an endless archive, where the point is to stay in there for a while and go as far as you can, why do you think "after the first arc" will be a popular stopping place for most people? For an endless archive, that would be pretty disappointing.

The main problem with Normal being Arc 1 is the amount of time it takes to complete it and the number of Veteran people who don't need to have it that easy. Since ZOS did not put in a way to enter the Archives at a certain Arc, Veteran people have to start at the beginning each time. That is the way that the old games used to be, and no one survived from that era, so I can understand the reluctance to do it.

The problem of having to fight through entire arcs to get to the end boss is a problem for everyone, not just vet players. Casual players who want to practice against the arc end boss have to fight through the entire thing too.

I sympathize with vet players who can faceroll the first arc (and maybe the second). If I were one of them, it would definitely feel like a waste of time, having to do that every time I wanted to get back to where I lost my last life. Again, difficulty levels would solve this problem and make the archive accessible (and fun) for everyone, regardless of skill level.

Because of the current design, many players will give the EA a look and never go back.

Lugaldu · November 2023

Sorry to say it like that, but all this elitist thinking that some people are displaying here really goes against any sense of community. People want to play ESO because they like the game and everyone is happy about new content and it's just unfair when it turns out that it's not for everyone - as it was advertised. I'm getting really annoyed when I keep running into trial bosses and mechanics in 1.3.3 (!) that nail you down and kill you in one shot with 100,000 damage. I have 43k life and with that I would at least expect that I can do the daily with arc 1 and it won't be a question of luck whether I'll come across bosses like that again in 1.3.3 or 1.4.3 that knock you down in one shot and you end up at 0 again and again.

Treeshka · November 2023

They will probably do some stuff about boss curation for first Arc, if they want to adjust its difficulty. Because some bosses are just dummy and some do have lots of kiting. Some trial bosses have unique mechanics.

For example that last boss from Sanctum Ophidia has that orb mechanic. You need to collect it to protect yourself from explosion. Pillar mechanic from Maw of Lorkhaj and many other difficult bosses that has unique mechanics, which appear in dungeons or trials.

So in first Arc they can make these bosses not appear there. Because i believe most runs end if you encounter a boss that you have never seen before.

Braffin · November 2023

Lugaldu wrote: »

Sorry to say it like that, but all this elitist thinking that some people are displaying here really goes against any sense of community. People want to play ESO because they like the game and everyone is happy about new content and it's just unfair when it turns out that it's not for everyone - as it was advertised. I'm getting really annoyed when I keep running into trial bosses and mechanics in 1.3.3 (!) that nail you down and kill you in one shot with 100,000 damage. I have 43k life and with that I would at least expect that I can do the daily with arc 1 and it won't be a question of luck whether I'll come across bosses like that again in 1.3.3 or 1.4.3 that knock you down in one shot and you end up at 0 again and again.

Has nothing to do with "elitist thinking", but with EA challenging you as everyone else. This game mode is meant to be played this way.

There aren't unavoidable one-shot-mechanics anywhere in Arc 1. Simply learn how to deal with the bosses (some people are already providing guides, if you aren't interested in figuring out the mechanics yourself) and you will finally succeed. And you will most probably be happy about your victory. After you've done that the very same procedure awaits you at Arc 2. That's how EA works.

Araneae6537 · November 2023

Sarannah wrote: »

Absolutely loved the Endless Archive so far!! As a terrible DPS player, I made it to the final boss of arc 2 without any issues(he kicked my behind). Also love the unknown things: switches, ram, quest, etc! And I am fine with not having a save point or restart function, as this dungeon is about how far you can go in one run. Everything is straightforward, easy to figure out. Though the function of the hourglass was somewhat unclear until I tried it(resets the archive so you can restart it).

But the arc's final boss(es) is too much "in your face" to be able to fight them normally, and my tank companion died within a few seconds due to the continuous ground aoe. These were significantly tougher than the arc they are ending, for some reason. These should be toned down quite a bit to be on par with the rest of the arc they are ending. The worst part is, we get them at the end of every arc, so some change is needed.

But that is basically the only negative thing I can say about the endless archive!! Absolutely love it, and will be spending quite a bit of time in there. Even though I am terrible, and probably have to start arc 1 over again and again!

Note: Gear shouldn't degrade in the EA, it loses durability too fast.

PS: I can't finish vMA, so that is saying something about how bad I really am.
PPS: Did EA solo with a tank companion.

Edit: When does the lead vendor in the EA reset?

I’m at a similar level — I haven’t completed vMA and I got to Tho’at at the end of arc 2 today with my Oakensoul sorc. I may look up strategies as whatever I try, she is always on top of me and kills my Twilight Matriarch right away so I quickly lose heals. I know my DPS isn’t great, but I can’t think we’re meant to take out the adds as they appear or that would be a really steep DPS check. 🤔

I enjoyed it too and plan to try it a lot more and with different classes and companions and maybe even a duo sometime. It helps to know the mechanics of some bosses, like the first boss from Maw of Lorkaj, but these are demonstrated in the easy mode of dungeons and trials, and it makes sense that knowledge should give you an edge in these fights.

I hope that there are no major nerfs, certainly even the easiest mode should not be reduced to overland level, where I can continue picking flowers while my companion dispatches whatever!

Herr_Flocke · November 2023

AzuraFan wrote: »

The problem of having to fight through entire arcs to get to the end boss is a problem for everyone, not just vet players. Casual players who want to practice against the arc end boss have to fight through the entire thing too.

yes that's true. But that has been the same for every Arena, be it MA or Dragonstar. To learn the stage where you failed includes to do the stages you mastered before again. I think EA is different in that, because there isn't really new content to master. It's the last boss of the arc that is really new, everything else is a stage adjusted version of existing game content. And adds that just differ in HP. So there's no real feeling of accomplishment in completing a new stage. For me at least, this makes EA rather uninteresting, apart from farming new content with the least time investment possible.

Necrotech_Master · November 2023

Tandor wrote: »

I can understand why veteran players don't want EA nerfed, but I still don't understand why they don't support the introduction of a normal mode for casual players (definitions may vary) if that is accompanied in the present design which would become the veteran mode by a beefing up of the early Arcs so they don't have to run through trash content but can launch straight into challenging content. At least, I don't understand it unless spartaxoxo is right on picking up on the "If I can't have it, you can't either" position of those who wanted a veteran mode for overland content but didn't get it.

Maybe if they supported a normal mode for casual players in EA and it happened, they'd be in a stronger position to argue for a veteran mode for overland content - and get more support from the casual players in doing so.

arc 1 is considered the normal mode, you get the undaunted wall mount trophy for completing arc 1, so even the devs consider arc 1 to be the equivalent to normal difficulty group dungeon or arena

arc 4 is considered the "veteran" difficulty, as that is what awards the undaunted bust trophy, so if you can clear that its equivalent to a vet group dungeon or arena

ive been able to clear arc 1 with even 8-10k dps tank characters, its incredibly slow but i never felt like i was in danger

on my dps toons i can usually make it to arc 3, but because they are not as tanky its pretty hard to clear arc 3, the marauders are also overtuned right now too (which they dont even appear in arc, which shows its normal difficulty)

Tandor · November 2023

Necrotech_Master wrote: »

arc 1 is considered the normal mode, you get the undaunted wall mount trophy for completing arc 1, so even the devs consider arc 1 to be the equivalent to normal difficulty group dungeon or arena

And yet they randomly put high end trial bosses in their with one shot mechanics!

Paralyse · November 2023

To me, casual has always been a function of time and not skill level

Lugaldu wrote: »

Sorry to say it like that, but all this elitist thinking that some people are displaying here really goes against any sense of community. People want to play ESO because they like the game and everyone is happy about new content and it's just unfair when it turns out that it's not for everyone - as it was advertised. I'm getting really annoyed when I keep running into trial bosses and mechanics in 1.3.3 (!) that nail you down and kill you in one shot with 100,000 damage. I have 43k life and with that I would at least expect that I can do the daily with arc 1 and it won't be a question of luck whether I'll come across bosses like that again in 1.3.3 or 1.4.3 that knock you down in one shot and you end up at 0 again and again.

It was never advertised as being for everyone. It was advertised as being AVAILABLE to everyone - because it was part of the base game. There is a difference.

ZOS never made any promises that EA would be something that every player in ESO could progress in. Like many other things in ESO, there is a degree of skill involved if you want to be successful, as well as elements of chance and luck.

I think a lot of players (wrongly) assumed that because it was "base game content" it would be as trivial as the overland base game content already in the game.

On the other hand, ZOS should have perhaps disclosed that a working knowledge of many dungeon and trial boss mechanics would be needed to progress through the content. There are a large number of players who have never run some of the DLC dungeons or done any of the trials, and the game does not offer any sort of hints or guides on their mechanics that would be greatly helpful to those players.

Zyaedra · November 2023

dcam86b14_ESO wrote: »

I am a full-time healer and this place is pretty fun but it needs improvement.

1. The reward table is kind of blah, and the chest drop garbage white trash, that needs to be taken out and replaced with at least a green gear, furniture plan, or something more useful.

2. Bugged bosses, please fix them.

3. Roaming bosses that auto attack should not be a thing. The choice is taken out of the player's hands to fight them or not.
if anything they should stay in a corner to wait to be attacked and if we choose to not fight them then we should be able to progress to the next stage anyway.

4. Maybe tone down the HP until like arc 4 because even with DPS gear and trial gear I am not sure how a non-person can play after a while.

5. Companion AI needs some tweaks in this place, every time my companion is stuck in a red circle and will not move and just dies to random things. Even after telling them to come back to me, it's a pain.

#3 would be AMAZING.

Zyaedra · November 2023

Jaraal wrote: »

Sarannah wrote: »

Note: Gear shouldn't degrade in the EA, it loses durability too fast.

I have the watcher merchant repair my gear after most rounds.

yo, if anyone needs Grand Repair Kits, email me in game (@zyaedra) and i'll send you a stack of 200 free. :-)

Elsonso · November 2023

AzuraFan wrote: »

Elsonso wrote: »

In any case, while I am sure a lot of people will continue from Arc 1 to Arc 2, my expectation is that stopping after the first Arc will be a very popular point to end the run. Possibly more people stopping there than continuing on. Normal doesn't need to go past Arc 2 and Veteran can easily start with Arc 3. Again, I would love to see the numbers on that.

For an endless archive, where the point is to stay in there for a while and go as far as you can, why do you think "after the first arc" will be a popular stopping place for most people? For an endless archive, that would be pretty disappointing.

It is a natural stopping point.
There is a daily quest that stops at the end of Arc 1.
Time constraints will prevent a lot of players from getting far into it.
ZOS is not exactly known for burying players in rewards and Endless Archive is no exception.
The whole place is designed to get harder the further into it the player gets. It is a tractor pull, so people are going to drop out long before they get to the end, anyway.
Privately, I suspect that a lot of players won't even get to the end of Arc 1 before they cash out.

As for your comment about being disappointed, that is my impression of a lot of veteran content here. I question how much of the general game population is actually playing veteran content on a regular basis.

AzuraFan wrote: »

Because of the current design, many players will give the EA a look and never go back.

I think it will be about as popular as Maelstrom.

Alinhbo_Tyaka · November 2023

I had some time yesterday so I decided to check out EA. I had never seen any of the bosses that I ended up with before and I quit after being one shot by the boss in cycle 4. I didn't bother to retry as I had real life things to do. I found the content underwhelming and a time sync when compared to the implementations in other MMOs. To me this is just another arena with rewards that aren't up to the level of the existing arenas. I also don't like that there are no checkpoints or the inability to save your progress. The deafening silence from ZOS on who the target player leads me to believe this is intended for a niche player and not the broader player base. That's fine if that is their intent but it would be nice if they came out and stated who this was designed for as it obviously wasn't for players like me.

Syldras · November 2023

Tried it now. Guess it's not for me. After mindlessly rushing through repeating backgrounds and killing everything on my way for about 45 minutes or so, finally reaching Thoat for the first time, I started wondering why I should continue this for several more hours - having found no furniture plan or any other plan or item of interest, less gold than needed to buy a single cornflower, and obtained a few points of the new currency I can buy nothing for unless I repeat the same brainless thing for at least another 10 rounds/hours or so.

If you enjoy that, fine. For me, it feels bereft of meaning, which would be tolerable if the rewards were interesting enough (in relation to the time spent to obtain enough currency to buy them), which they aren't for me. The whole thing, to me, looks like a time/gold/consumable sink (finally something to waste all the 17492 free crown potions on that you've still stacked on your mule character): "Throw in 3-4 hours of playtime, x potions, x buff food to obtain superraredecorativeitem#5 and feel special!!!"

For the developers, that thing's a win, of course. Easier to develop than the usual Q4 story DLC (basically recycling old content, almost no need for new assets, an amount of new NPCs that you could count on the fingers of one hand, almost no need for dialogue writing and voice acting let alone inventing an interesting story) and you can still announce it as the supercool new thing.

Btw, didn't like the card game either (would have prefered something like TES Legends) and wondering what we'll get next year.

zaria · November 2023

Treeshka wrote: »

They will probably do some stuff about boss curation for first Arc, if they want to adjust its difficulty. Because some bosses are just dummy and some do have lots of kiting. Some trial bosses have unique mechanics.

For example that last boss from Sanctum Ophidia has that orb mechanic. You need to collect it to protect yourself from explosion. Pillar mechanic from Maw of Lorkhaj and many other difficult bosses that has unique mechanics, which appear in dungeons or trials.

So in first Arc they can make these bosses not appear there. Because i believe most runs end if you encounter a boss that you have never seen before.

And even if experienced trial bosses it would be in an organized and guided run where most DD and heal just followed instructions or you just bomb the mechanics

Contraptions · November 2023

Another complaint I have on top of the crap rewards is that unlike most other rogue likes where you can start another run immediately, here you have to end it, port out and wait up to 5 mins for it to reset. You can't even force a reset like you would other content. It's just... I feel like they made this with no consideration for the player's time or efforts.

J18696 · November 2023

can we like just get the function to save our runs because the amount of times i get close to beating a score and the net drops out or the game has a issue and kicks me from the server for me to finally log back in and the arena has reset is absurd

AzuraFan · November 2023

Elsonso wrote: »

There is a daily quest that stops at the end of Arc 1.

Ah, I forgot about the daily. You're right, there will be players who can quickly do Arc 1 and just want to complete the daily and that's it.

ZOS is not exactly known for burying players in rewards and Endless Archive is no exception.

True. I only (almost) finished Arc 1 and I didn't get anything of note. If I hadn't received plunder skulls, the rewards would have been even more pathetic. Good point.

I think it will be about as popular as Maelstrom.

I don't know how popular Maelstrom is, but I think the EA will appeal to a specific type of player, and I think those players will be in the minority once the novelty wears off. But I could be wrong.

Toxic_Hemlock · November 2023

Elsonso wrote: »

Tandor wrote: »

Introduce a lower difficulty mode and more players will be attracted to EA and more of them will stay longer. Some may even develop to a point where they switch to the harder mode.

I guess the interesting thing is whether the numbers support that for the existing normal and veteran mode content. I can certainly see it happening, but I wonder just how often.

Pelanora wrote: »

Shara_Wynn wrote: »

I did one run of Endless Archive and got The Serpent SA Trial boss in Arc 1 Stage 3. Yay. Was easy up until then, and then it was game over for me. Ah well.

Yea me too how do you beat that guy? Nasty. We tried again and got a good run of bosses and then took out the last guy and made it thru to arc 2 when that Maw guy got us, although i think the mechanics would be ok to beat, but i was too tired by then and he got us.

Xynode did a video where he goes through the mechanics for every boss that can appear in Endless Archive. I have not watched it, but Bethesda referenced it on Twitter.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Cpi3YUIpGBI

Watched the whole thing (thanks). Although I could be better prepared for some of the more intricate mechanics, there is no way in hell I could avoid all the circle spam associated with ANY of the trial bosses. For that matter even some of the dungeon bosses would be a royal pain in the backside to try with less than stellar reflexes. Not to mention the final boss being an exercise in trying to keep out of the red circles in a closet.

I'll stick by my original assessment in that if they tone it down I'll try to get my daily occasionally, but if not I'll avoid it like I do most vet content.

edit: another day older, but none the wiser

Alinhbo_Tyaka · November 2023

Contraptions wrote: »

Another complaint I have on top of the crap rewards is that unlike most other rogue likes where you can start another run immediately, here you have to end it, port out and wait up to 5 mins for it to reset. You can't even force a reset like you would other content. It's just... I feel like they made this with no consideration for the player's time or efforts.

I recall a device inside EA that lets you reset the instance. I don't remember its name but it is in the same area where you pick up the quest. I clicked on it and it gave me an are you sure you want to reset message.

Jammy420 · November 2023

Why are people calling for nerfs? Finally we get some pve that will actually help people get better, and it is actually memorable, and people want it nerfed?

I nearly got to the third arch with random dropped gear at lvl 39. Come on now.