Please fix Endless Archive difficulty

SilverBride · December 2023

HalfDragoness wrote: »

A warning to say that the content you're about to do is intended to be done by 2 people.

But it's not intended just for 2 people. It's intended to be done Solo, Solo with a Companion or as a Duo.

This is why there is an achievement for doing Solo without a Companion, because that is one of the intended options.

HalfDragoness · December 2023

SilverBride wrote: »

HalfDragoness wrote: »

A warning to say that the content you're about to do is intended to be done by 2 people.

But it's not intended for 2 people. It's intended to be done Solo, Solo with a Companion or as a Duo.

This is why there is an achievement for doing Solo without a Companion, because that is one of the intended options.

Earlier in this thread there was some discussion aboutthe difference in difficulty between solo and duo. Someone responded to say that in an interview with the devs they said they designed it to be done by duo's, however it can also be done solo. I was arguing for some changes to be made to solo playthroughs to make it faster more than anything but I was then faced with several people comparing it to doing a 4-person dungeon alone... it's doable but not recommended.

I then went to find their update announcement for EA (comment #1378 of this thread) where they said: "In this all-new PvE activity, you can team up with a trusted ally or go it solo as you contend with randomly generated stages filled with waves of monsters and perilous boss encounters." which implies that solo and duo are equally challenging and equally doable. There was then discusssion with EdjeSwift (comment #1379 and #1383) where they suggested that the devs told us that solo and duo were equally doable but that's not what they meant.

I responded to this, just now, saying that the devs need to either make some adjustments to solo playthroughs, or confirm that EA is intended for duo's.

SilverBride · December 2023

HalfDragoness wrote: »

SilverBride wrote: »

HalfDragoness wrote: »

A warning to say that the content you're about to do is intended to be done by 2 people.

But it's not intended for 2 people. It's intended to be done Solo, Solo with a Companion or as a Duo.

This is why there is an achievement for doing Solo without a Companion, because that is one of the intended options.

Earlier in this thread there was some discussion aboutthe difference in difficulty between solo and duo. Someone responded to say that in an interview with the devs they said they designed it to be done by duo's, however it can also be done solo. I was arguing for some changes to be made to solo playthroughs to make it faster more than anything but I was then faced with several people comparing it to doing a 4-person dungeon alone... it's doable but not recommended.

I then went to find their update announcement for EA (comment #1378 of this thread) where they said: "In this all-new PvE activity, you can team up with a trusted ally or go it solo as you contend with randomly generated stages filled with waves of monsters and perilous boss encounters." which implies that solo and duo are equally challenging and equally doable. There was then discusssion with EdjeSwift (comment #1379 and #1383) where they suggested that the devs told us that solo and duo were equally doable but that's not what they meant.

I responded to this, just now, saying that the devs need to either make some adjustments to solo playthroughs, or confirm that EA is intended for duo's.

It is intended for Duos, but also for Solo with a Companion or Solo without either.

When I am deciding which way I choose to play that time I instinctively know that if I go Solo it will probably be more difficult and take longer than if I have help. This is just intuitive for me because that's the way it is with any activity, from World Bosses to Harrowstorms to Dungeons etc.. The more help we have the easier and quickier it will be.

Necrotech_Master · December 2023

HalfDragoness wrote: »

These are the warnings I mean:

the first one i never see, but thats because its a tutorial message and i have those turned off

never see the other one either because you dont get it porting into a dungeon, pretty much never enter them the "natural" way lol

kind of forgot those even existed because i never see them

yeah those are definitely not needed for archive, you dont get those warnings entering say maelstrom or vateshran arenas, which on normal are about on par for arc 1/2, and if you can clear vet on those, should have no problem reaching arc 3/4

HalfDragoness · December 2023

Necrotech_Master wrote: »

HalfDragoness wrote: »

These are the warnings I mean:

the first one i never see, but thats because its a tutorial message and i have those turned off

never see the other one either because you dont get it porting into a dungeon, pretty much never enter them the "natural" way lol

kind of forgot those even existed because i never see them

yeah those are definitely not needed for archive, you dont get those warnings entering say maelstrom or vateshran arenas, which on normal are about on par for arc 1/2, and if you can clear vet on those, should have no problem reaching arc 3/4

You don't see these warnings on Vetashran or Maelstrom because they are solo only activities.

Now I originally didn't think these were needed on EA either and I agree with you. However I feel the content needs a few tweaks (i.e. mobs in arc 3+ having 10% less health because it just takes so long to kill them solo, or verses/visions being slightly more potent, and flame marauder needing shorter reach or less bleed damage).

And in case it's not clear, I am not against the challenge of doing EA solo, I generally prefer solo content as I find coordinating with other people tiring. The part I have a problem with is that EA is sold as being equally challenging for solo and duo, but duo has way more advantages like double visions/verses and being able to have a designated tank and DD. This means that a solo player has to be both (which is fine) but as you get into arc 4 the problem is really the amount of health the mobs have which makes getting to the final Tho'at and beyond just take way too long. This could be solved by either tweaking the content, or by flat out adding a warning message to make it clear that attempting to get to Tho'at 4 by yourself is not recommended.

Necrotech_Master · December 2023

the thing is arc 3 and 4 mobs do not take that long to burn down, even running solo, unless you either got bad luck with visions/verses, or picking the wrong ones

arc 3 mobs only have about 200k hp, arc 4 mobs have about 350k hp, which with offense visions and a dps character they still die quickly, these enemies are not that difficult, most vet difficulty dungeons trash mobs are in the 250-350k range

arc 9 mobs are where the mobs really start to become slogs because they have 1.8 million hp, which definitely goes slow if you havent had good vision selection up to that point

i also believe that the marauders need to be tuned a bit too, the fire one is definitely OP, but it doesnt mean the content needs a full on warning before you go into it

LouisaB75 · December 2023

Solo my DPS build probably could burn the mobs in arc 3 and 4 fast. But my DPS build is too squishy to survive the bosses to get there. My hybrid build can make it there easier but has sacrificed DPS for survivability. Meaning it takes way longer to get through the mobs in those arcs.

Solo (with a companion) it took me about 3 hours last night to get to arc 3, cycle 5, stage 1, where my run ended and other than the second Tho'at fight with the frustrating teleporting atro, it was the mobs that really slowed me down.

Even if I had made it further my playing time was running out for the day.

Duo I still haven't completed arc 4 and again it takes ages to get there which means limited opportunities to even try as it means trying to find the time myself and have that time coincide with another player's play time.

Extra mobs plus tougher mobs makes it a very long slog through them.

Arc 9 for me is an impossibility because even if I was a good enough player to get there, I simply don't have the sort of time it would require to get there all in one run.

AlterBlika · December 2023

HalfDragoness wrote: »

For EA solo players there needs to be either:
A few tweaks in the difficulty/ health of enemies so make solo playthroughs still challening but doable.

Greater currency rewards for doing your run solo

A warning to say that the content you're about to do is intended to be done by 2 people.

1. It's still doable as much as it's doable with duos.
2. Your reward is the challenge you get when going solo. Soloing in this game is always about challenge, not bigger rewards.
3. ??? I don't get it

katorga · December 2023

LouisaB75 wrote: »

.
Arc 9 for me is an impossibility because even if I was a good enough player to get there, I simply don't have the sort of time it would require to get there all in one run.

My experience since the pet/companion patch, Arc 1-5 are easy mode letting azandar companion tank while I dps. Getting past 5 is almost impossible for me due to time required.

Build is pretty basic, vateshran staff, zaans, azureblight, oakensoul, all points in health, all enchants health/health regen. Infused poison early arcs, infused weakening glyph 4-5. Works so far on NB (best), Sorc, Necro.

boi_anachronism_ · December 2023

HalfDragoness wrote: »

Necrotech_Master wrote: »

HalfDragoness wrote: »

These are the warnings I mean:

the first one i never see, but thats because its a tutorial message and i have those turned off

never see the other one either because you dont get it porting into a dungeon, pretty much never enter them the "natural" way lol

kind of forgot those even existed because i never see them

yeah those are definitely not needed for archive, you dont get those warnings entering say maelstrom or vateshran arenas, which on normal are about on par for arc 1/2, and if you can clear vet on those, should have no problem reaching arc 3/4

You don't see these warnings on Vetashran or Maelstrom because they are solo only activities.

Now I originally didn't think these were needed on EA either and I agree with you. However I feel the content needs a few tweaks (i.e. mobs in arc 3+ having 10% less health because it just takes so long to kill them solo, or verses/visions being slightly more potent, and flame marauder needing shorter reach or less bleed damage).

And in case it's not clear, I am not against the challenge of doing EA solo, I generally prefer solo content as I find coordinating with other people tiring. The part I have a problem with is that EA is sold as being equally challenging for solo and duo, but duo has way more advantages like double visions/verses and being able to have a designated tank and DD. This means that a solo player has to be both (which is fine) but as you get into arc 4 the problem is really the amount of health the mobs have which makes getting to the final Tho'at and beyond just take way too long. This could be solved by either tweaking the content, or by flat out adding a warning message to make it clear that attempting to get to Tho'at 4 by yourself is not recommended.

You dont get em in blackrose or dsa

Xzysts · December 2023

I wish ZOS would not nerf every single slightly challenging piece of solo content in the game. I do not think that the things in the game should just be push overs. Where is the fun in making something so easy? Maybe it is not the difficulty, but your build that is the problem? Who knows, but Vet Maelstrom and Vateshran are not nearly as hard as they were at launch. It is supposed to be challenging.

I am all for having a Vet mode and a Normal mode, but the problem with that is that Vet mode becomes useless when they make Normal mode give you all the same rewards. Make a better build, try harder, accept the challenge and overcome it.

Bobargus · December 2023

@Xzysts

Why make a pve content to be appealing for only one type of players, when the devs could offer multiple variations of the same content for all kinds of players instead, casuals and veterans alike?

Xzysts · December 2023

Bobargus wrote: »

@Xzysts

Why make a pve content to be appealing for only one type of players, when the devs could offer multiple variations of the same content for all kinds of players instead, casuals and veterans alike?

I definitely agree that everyone should be able to play and enjoy it, but I’m just saying I don’t think that making the normal ones give the same rewards as best makes sense. Maybe vet gives double drops since it’s longer and harder and normal only gives one drop since it’s easier and faster to farm? I don’t have the solution, I just don’t think that making Vet obsolete is good for the game either. Just as making Vet the only option isn’t good either.

SilverBride · December 2023

Xzysts wrote: »

Make a better build, try harder, accept the challenge and overcome it.

That only works if everyone has a good system to play on, and a great Internet connection, and the same physical capabilities, and the same amount of time to dedicate to the activity, but they don't.

Adjusting the difficulty of the first few Arcs so that more players are able to enjoy the content is not hurting anyone, especially in the Infinite Archive that continues increasing in difficulty as the player progresses.

spartaxoxo · December 2023

Xzysts wrote: »

I wish ZOS would not nerf every single slightly challenging piece of solo content in the game.

It's not slightly challenging, at least Arc 4.

Necrotech_Master · December 2023

spartaxoxo wrote: »

Xzysts wrote: »

I wish ZOS would not nerf every single slightly challenging piece of solo content in the game.

It's not slightly challenging.

depends on the arc # lol

SilverBride · December 2023

spartaxoxo wrote: »

Xzysts wrote: »

I wish ZOS would not nerf every single slightly challenging piece of solo content in the game.

It's not slightly challenging.

I find the Infinite Archive to be very challenging. I've done all the right things to succeed but still haven't made it past Arc 3.

spartaxoxo · December 2023

Necrotech_Master wrote: »

spartaxoxo wrote: »

Xzysts wrote: »

I wish ZOS would not nerf every single slightly challenging piece of solo content in the game.

It's not slightly challenging.

depends on the arc # lol

Yeah. I edited in at least arc 4 because honestly arc 1 is pretty easy haha

spartaxoxo · December 2023

SilverBride wrote: »

spartaxoxo wrote: »

Xzysts wrote: »

I wish ZOS would not nerf every single slightly challenging piece of solo content in the game.

It's not slightly challenging.

I find the Infinite Archive to be very challenging. I've done all the right things to succeed but still haven't made it past Arc 3.

What I meant is that Arc 4 and up is really hard, and the challenge on Arc 3 is a bit higher than slight. There's a reason that Arc 3 and up are leaderboard level content.

I think Arc 3 is about on par with VMA and Arc 4 is harder than the solo arena Trifectas tbh. I kinda like Arc 4 actually. Wish I could play it more often to get the hang of it better, but it takes so long to get there.

Necrotech_Master · December 2023

spartaxoxo wrote: »

SilverBride wrote: »

spartaxoxo wrote: »

Xzysts wrote: »

I wish ZOS would not nerf every single slightly challenging piece of solo content in the game.

It's not slightly challenging.

I find the Infinite Archive to be very challenging. I've done all the right things to succeed but still haven't made it past Arc 3.

What I meant is that Arc 4 and up is really hard, and the challenge on Arc 3 is a bit higher than slight. There's a reason that Arc 3 and up are leaderboard level content.

I think Arc 3 is about on par with VMA and Arc 4 is harder than the solo arena Trifectas tbh. I kinda like Arc 4 actually. Wish I could play it more often to get the hang of it better, but it takes so long to get there.

i dont really feel like it starts to get really hard until arc 5 or 6

definitely recommended to have a more tank oriented setup by arc 4 though

with a 2 person group my avg time to clear arc 4 is usually between 1 hour 45 min and 2 hours 15 min, usually depending on vision/verse choices up to that point, after that it slows down significantly, and usually a run to like arc 8-9 is about 5-6 hours

HalfDragoness · December 2023

I guess you could just replace everything I've previously said with "I would like there to be a way of saving progress because trying to get to the part to EA I want to work on takes an amount of time I don't often have all in one go."

CGPsaint · December 2023

HalfDragoness wrote: »

I guess you could just replace everything I've previously said with "I would like there to be a way of saving progress because trying to get to the part to EA I want to work on takes an amount of time I don't often have all in one go."

This is perfectly reasonable, but will probably not happen. The thing that I find frustrating is that us console peasants can't use the armory assistant in EA, but PC folks can use any number of add-ons to streamline the ability to swap gear on the fly. I would love to have a trash mob build, a "there might be a marauder popping up soon" build, and a Tho'at build, but no....

Things I would love to see:

1.) Save feature with no leaderboard associated. I don't want to constantly have to do the first couple of arcs to be able to work on getting better at later arcs. It's just a matter of time, and constantly having to slog through arcs 1-4 is time wasted. I don't care about the underwhelming leaderboard rewards, but would love to focus more on getting better and experimenting with different builds.

2.) LET US USE THE ARMORY ASSISTANT!!! I'll be happy to buy more slots as needed.

Necrotech_Master · December 2023

CGPsaint wrote: »

HalfDragoness wrote: »

I guess you could just replace everything I've previously said with "I would like there to be a way of saving progress because trying to get to the part to EA I want to work on takes an amount of time I don't often have all in one go."

This is perfectly reasonable, but will probably not happen. The thing that I find frustrating is that us console peasants can't use the armory assistant in EA, but PC folks can use any number of add-ons to streamline the ability to swap gear on the fly. I would love to have a trash mob build, a "there might be a marauder popping up soon" build, and a Tho'at build, but no....

Things I would love to see:

1.) Save feature with no leaderboard associated. I don't want to constantly have to do the first couple of arcs to be able to work on getting better at later arcs. It's just a matter of time, and constantly having to slog through arcs 1-4 is time wasted. I don't care about the underwhelming leaderboard rewards, but would love to focus more on getting better and experimenting with different builds.

2.) LET US USE THE ARMORY ASSISTANT!!! I'll be happy to buy more slots as needed.

if you dont like slogging through arcs 1-4, thats what an "arc skip" feature would be for, saving means you still have to progress through those 4 arcs anyway

i dont see a save to really matter much, as you say you could spend time "slogging" through the first 4 arcs then you save, come back later start arc 5 and lose all your threads to who knows what so your run ends in like 10 min after you "restart" from the save

so i dont see saving as much of a point, but i fully support some kind of mechanic to allow you to skip arcs, giving you a random selection of visions for all arcs you skipped, then you could start at say the highest arc you cleared (so if you cleared arc 8 you could start from arc 9)

i agree some of the deep runs can get long (my runs into arc 9 and 10 have been about 6 hours), and if your just after the challenge, i support adding an arc skip that you can purchase with archive currency to start your next run at a higher arc (forgoing all of the drops from skipped arcs and you get randomly selected visions for each arc you skipped)

SilverBride · December 2023

A save wouldn't really affect how far a player is able to get because they would still only have 4 threads and would eventually reach a difficulty that is too much for them.

This would also help those that want to reach the higher difficulties without having to work through the first Arcs first every time. They would only have to start over once they have used up all their threads.

boi_anachronism_ · December 2023

Necrotech_Master wrote: »

CGPsaint wrote: »

HalfDragoness wrote: »

I guess you could just replace everything I've previously said with "I would like there to be a way of saving progress because trying to get to the part to EA I want to work on takes an amount of time I don't often have all in one go."

This is perfectly reasonable, but will probably not happen. The thing that I find frustrating is that us console peasants can't use the armory assistant in EA, but PC folks can use any number of add-ons to streamline the ability to swap gear on the fly. I would love to have a trash mob build, a "there might be a marauder popping up soon" build, and a Tho'at build, but no....

Things I would love to see:

1.) Save feature with no leaderboard associated. I don't want to constantly have to do the first couple of arcs to be able to work on getting better at later arcs. It's just a matter of time, and constantly having to slog through arcs 1-4 is time wasted. I don't care about the underwhelming leaderboard rewards, but would love to focus more on getting better and experimenting with different builds.

2.) LET US USE THE ARMORY ASSISTANT!!! I'll be happy to buy more slots as needed.

if you dont like slogging through arcs 1-4, thats what an "arc skip" feature would be for, saving means you still have to progress through those 4 arcs anyway

i dont see a save to really matter much, as you say you could spend time "slogging" through the first 4 arcs then you save, come back later start arc 5 and lose all your threads to who knows what so your run ends in like 10 min after you "restart" from the save

so i dont see saving as much of a point, but i fully support some kind of mechanic to allow you to skip arcs, giving you a random selection of visions for all arcs you skipped, then you could start at say the highest arc you cleared (so if you cleared arc 8 you could start from arc 9)

i agree some of the deep runs can get long (my runs into arc 9 and 10 have been about 6 hours), and if your just after the challenge, i support adding an arc skip that you can purchase with archive currency to start your next run at a higher arc (forgoing all of the drops from skipped arcs and you get randomly selected visions for each arc you skipped)

Cant say id use a skip feature that got randomized visions. I generally reset by the end of arc 3 if i dont get anything decent. With my luck id end up with 4 stacks of command lol thats if im going for long run. I normally do that with a friend though. Its about 2hrs to mid arc 7.

Necrotech_Master · December 2023

boi_anachronism_ wrote: »

Necrotech_Master wrote: »

CGPsaint wrote: »

HalfDragoness wrote: »

I guess you could just replace everything I've previously said with "I would like there to be a way of saving progress because trying to get to the part to EA I want to work on takes an amount of time I don't often have all in one go."

This is perfectly reasonable, but will probably not happen. The thing that I find frustrating is that us console peasants can't use the armory assistant in EA, but PC folks can use any number of add-ons to streamline the ability to swap gear on the fly. I would love to have a trash mob build, a "there might be a marauder popping up soon" build, and a Tho'at build, but no....

Things I would love to see:

1.) Save feature with no leaderboard associated. I don't want to constantly have to do the first couple of arcs to be able to work on getting better at later arcs. It's just a matter of time, and constantly having to slog through arcs 1-4 is time wasted. I don't care about the underwhelming leaderboard rewards, but would love to focus more on getting better and experimenting with different builds.

2.) LET US USE THE ARMORY ASSISTANT!!! I'll be happy to buy more slots as needed.

if you dont like slogging through arcs 1-4, thats what an "arc skip" feature would be for, saving means you still have to progress through those 4 arcs anyway

i dont see a save to really matter much, as you say you could spend time "slogging" through the first 4 arcs then you save, come back later start arc 5 and lose all your threads to who knows what so your run ends in like 10 min after you "restart" from the save

so i dont see saving as much of a point, but i fully support some kind of mechanic to allow you to skip arcs, giving you a random selection of visions for all arcs you skipped, then you could start at say the highest arc you cleared (so if you cleared arc 8 you could start from arc 9)

i agree some of the deep runs can get long (my runs into arc 9 and 10 have been about 6 hours), and if your just after the challenge, i support adding an arc skip that you can purchase with archive currency to start your next run at a higher arc (forgoing all of the drops from skipped arcs and you get randomly selected visions for each arc you skipped)

Cant say id use a skip feature that got randomized visions. I generally reset by the end of arc 3 if i dont get anything decent. With my luck id end up with 4 stacks of command lol thats if im going for long run. I normally do that with a friend though. Its about 2hrs to mid arc 7.

it would be interesting to know what your running to get to arc 7 in 2 hours lol

im assuming double dps of course, but to clear arc 6 that is 90 stages, which if your mid arc 7 at 2 hours would be ~1 min per stage, including the ones with marauders, bosses, and tho'ats (and yes i know sometimes the bosses and tho'ats can melt with the right verses, but if you dont get them, you wont finish that fight in 1 minute at later arcs lol)

i usually run as a tank, with a dps partner so i can handle the bosses and marauders, but my dmg output will be awful without some focused efforts lol

spartaxoxo · December 2023

Necrotech_Master wrote: »

spartaxoxo wrote: »

SilverBride wrote: »

spartaxoxo wrote: »

Xzysts wrote: »

I wish ZOS would not nerf every single slightly challenging piece of solo content in the game.

It's not slightly challenging.

I find the Infinite Archive to be very challenging. I've done all the right things to succeed but still haven't made it past Arc 3.

What I meant is that Arc 4 and up is really hard, and the challenge on Arc 3 is a bit higher than slight. There's a reason that Arc 3 and up are leaderboard level content.

I think Arc 3 is about on par with VMA and Arc 4 is harder than the solo arena Trifectas tbh. I kinda like Arc 4 actually. Wish I could play it more often to get the hang of it better, but it takes so long to get there.

i dont really feel like it starts to get really hard until arc 5 or 6

definitely recommended to have a more tank oriented setup by arc 4 though

with a 2 person group my avg time to clear arc 4 is usually between 1 hour 45 min and 2 hours 15 min, usually depending on vision/verse choices up to that point, after that it slows down significantly, and usually a run to like arc 8-9 is about 5-6 hours

I don't do it with a 2 person group, so that's probably part of it why I think it starts getting hard in arc 4. I usually do it solo. Arc 4 is still leaderboard content on PlayStation. So, I think by the most objective measurement that we have available to us, that's definitely where it starts for those of us on console. It's great that it's not hard for you until Arc 5 or 6 though!

Necrotech_Master · December 2023

spartaxoxo wrote: »

Necrotech_Master wrote: »

spartaxoxo wrote: »

SilverBride wrote: »

spartaxoxo wrote: »

Xzysts wrote: »

I wish ZOS would not nerf every single slightly challenging piece of solo content in the game.

It's not slightly challenging.

I find the Infinite Archive to be very challenging. I've done all the right things to succeed but still haven't made it past Arc 3.

What I meant is that Arc 4 and up is really hard, and the challenge on Arc 3 is a bit higher than slight. There's a reason that Arc 3 and up are leaderboard level content.

I think Arc 3 is about on par with VMA and Arc 4 is harder than the solo arena Trifectas tbh. I kinda like Arc 4 actually. Wish I could play it more often to get the hang of it better, but it takes so long to get there.

i dont really feel like it starts to get really hard until arc 5 or 6

definitely recommended to have a more tank oriented setup by arc 4 though

with a 2 person group my avg time to clear arc 4 is usually between 1 hour 45 min and 2 hours 15 min, usually depending on vision/verse choices up to that point, after that it slows down significantly, and usually a run to like arc 8-9 is about 5-6 hours

I don't do it with a 2 person group, so that's probably part of it why I think it starts getting hard in arc 4. I usually do it solo. Arc 4 is still leaderboard content on PlayStation. So, I think by the most objective measurement that we have available to us, that's definitely where it starts for those of us on console. It's great that it's not hard for you until Arc 5 or 6 though!

if i run solo, my dps arcanist starts to run into issues in arc 4, mainly due to the incoming dmg (those bloody dots lol)

if i run solo on my warden tank, while its a lot more of a slog i can easily get through arc 4 (which is why i usually run in a duo, im not entirely reliant on my dmg output if i dont get good visions like focused efforts)

boi_anachronism_ · December 2023

Necrotech_Master wrote: »

boi_anachronism_ wrote: »

Necrotech_Master wrote: »

CGPsaint wrote: »

HalfDragoness wrote: »

I guess you could just replace everything I've previously said with "I would like there to be a way of saving progress because trying to get to the part to EA I want to work on takes an amount of time I don't often have all in one go."

This is perfectly reasonable, but will probably not happen. The thing that I find frustrating is that us console peasants can't use the armory assistant in EA, but PC folks can use any number of add-ons to streamline the ability to swap gear on the fly. I would love to have a trash mob build, a "there might be a marauder popping up soon" build, and a Tho'at build, but no....

Things I would love to see:

1.) Save feature with no leaderboard associated. I don't want to constantly have to do the first couple of arcs to be able to work on getting better at later arcs. It's just a matter of time, and constantly having to slog through arcs 1-4 is time wasted. I don't care about the underwhelming leaderboard rewards, but would love to focus more on getting better and experimenting with different builds.

2.) LET US USE THE ARMORY ASSISTANT!!! I'll be happy to buy more slots as needed.

if you dont like slogging through arcs 1-4, thats what an "arc skip" feature would be for, saving means you still have to progress through those 4 arcs anyway

i dont see a save to really matter much, as you say you could spend time "slogging" through the first 4 arcs then you save, come back later start arc 5 and lose all your threads to who knows what so your run ends in like 10 min after you "restart" from the save

so i dont see saving as much of a point, but i fully support some kind of mechanic to allow you to skip arcs, giving you a random selection of visions for all arcs you skipped, then you could start at say the highest arc you cleared (so if you cleared arc 8 you could start from arc 9)

i agree some of the deep runs can get long (my runs into arc 9 and 10 have been about 6 hours), and if your just after the challenge, i support adding an arc skip that you can purchase with archive currency to start your next run at a higher arc (forgoing all of the drops from skipped arcs and you get randomly selected visions for each arc you skipped)

Cant say id use a skip feature that got randomized visions. I generally reset by the end of arc 3 if i dont get anything decent. With my luck id end up with 4 stacks of command lol thats if im going for long run. I normally do that with a friend though. Its about 2hrs to mid arc 7.

it would be interesting to know what your running to get to arc 7 in 2 hours lol

im assuming double dps of course, but to clear arc 6 that is 90 stages, which if your mid arc 7 at 2 hours would be ~1 min per stage, including the ones with marauders, bosses, and tho'ats (and yes i know sometimes the bosses and tho'ats can melt with the right verses, but if you dont get them, you wont finish that fight in 1 minute at later arcs lol)

i usually run as a tank, with a dps partner so i can handle the bosses and marauders, but my dmg output will be awful without some focused efforts lol

Ive never counted the actual stages but if it is indeed 90 then a min per would be 1.5hrs? I mean its not 2hrs on the nose im sure but pretty close. Also should be noted that with 2 experienced players arc 1- mid 3 trash pulls take seconds. Tho'at arc 1-2 she is down before even reaching the second floor. We also have specific strats as far as boss placement at the beginning of the fight which effectively stacks her with the atro in 3 onward. I dont have a single build, we both have multiple items, sets, ect we can swap out quickly as needed but as a baseline we both go full damage, as much aoe and dot as possible taking only offensive visions and verses until mid way through 4 unless something really good shows up. Example of this is i have a set of weapons with sharpened traits i can use if i dont get a pen vision in the first arc or 2. I also mentioned that if im going in for a long run with someone we are restarting if we dont get decent visions. Thats what makes it a slog. Going far quickly is something you really have to build for, realistically your packing multiple builds for it.

Necrotech_Master · December 2023

boi_anachronism_ wrote: »

Necrotech_Master wrote: »

boi_anachronism_ wrote: »

Necrotech_Master wrote: »

CGPsaint wrote: »

HalfDragoness wrote: »

I guess you could just replace everything I've previously said with "I would like there to be a way of saving progress because trying to get to the part to EA I want to work on takes an amount of time I don't often have all in one go."

This is perfectly reasonable, but will probably not happen. The thing that I find frustrating is that us console peasants can't use the armory assistant in EA, but PC folks can use any number of add-ons to streamline the ability to swap gear on the fly. I would love to have a trash mob build, a "there might be a marauder popping up soon" build, and a Tho'at build, but no....

Things I would love to see:

1.) Save feature with no leaderboard associated. I don't want to constantly have to do the first couple of arcs to be able to work on getting better at later arcs. It's just a matter of time, and constantly having to slog through arcs 1-4 is time wasted. I don't care about the underwhelming leaderboard rewards, but would love to focus more on getting better and experimenting with different builds.

2.) LET US USE THE ARMORY ASSISTANT!!! I'll be happy to buy more slots as needed.

if you dont like slogging through arcs 1-4, thats what an "arc skip" feature would be for, saving means you still have to progress through those 4 arcs anyway

i dont see a save to really matter much, as you say you could spend time "slogging" through the first 4 arcs then you save, come back later start arc 5 and lose all your threads to who knows what so your run ends in like 10 min after you "restart" from the save

so i dont see saving as much of a point, but i fully support some kind of mechanic to allow you to skip arcs, giving you a random selection of visions for all arcs you skipped, then you could start at say the highest arc you cleared (so if you cleared arc 8 you could start from arc 9)

i agree some of the deep runs can get long (my runs into arc 9 and 10 have been about 6 hours), and if your just after the challenge, i support adding an arc skip that you can purchase with archive currency to start your next run at a higher arc (forgoing all of the drops from skipped arcs and you get randomly selected visions for each arc you skipped)

Cant say id use a skip feature that got randomized visions. I generally reset by the end of arc 3 if i dont get anything decent. With my luck id end up with 4 stacks of command lol thats if im going for long run. I normally do that with a friend though. Its about 2hrs to mid arc 7.

it would be interesting to know what your running to get to arc 7 in 2 hours lol

im assuming double dps of course, but to clear arc 6 that is 90 stages, which if your mid arc 7 at 2 hours would be ~1 min per stage, including the ones with marauders, bosses, and tho'ats (and yes i know sometimes the bosses and tho'ats can melt with the right verses, but if you dont get them, you wont finish that fight in 1 minute at later arcs lol)

i usually run as a tank, with a dps partner so i can handle the bosses and marauders, but my dmg output will be awful without some focused efforts lol

Ive never counted the actual stages but if it is indeed 90 then a min per would be 1.5hrs. Also should be noted that with 2 experienced players arc 1- mid 3 trash pulls take seconds. Tho'at arc 1-2 she is down before even reaching the second floor. We also have specific strats as far as boss placement at the beinging of the fight which effectively stacks her with the atro in 3 onward. I dont have a single build, we both have multiple items, sets, ect we can swap out quickly as needed but as a baseline we both go full damage, as much aoe and dot as possible taking only offensive visions and verses until mid way through 4 unless something really good shows up.

3 stages per cycle, 5 cycles per arc (or 15 stages total per arc), 6 arcs x15 stages = 90 total stages lol

i would agree at least the first few arcs with a full dps can go really quickly, dual dps on arc 1 usually takes like 10-15 min (varies a bit depending on verses on bosses)

and that was about the experience i was expecting, dual dps, min-maxing your gear, leaning very heavy into offense

how does that fare on the marauders though? i know arc 2 marauder is pretty easy, but arc 3 or 4 marauders start to hit pretty hard, especially if its gothmau, even missing 1 dodge against him as a dps is basically a 1 tap by arc 3/4