PTS Update 46 - Feedback Thread for Ossein Cage Trial

ZOS_Kevin · April 2025

This is the official feedback thread for Ossein Cage Trial. Specific feedback that the team is looking for includes the following:

Did you enjoy this new Trial overall?
What level and build was the character you used?
Did you complete Normal or Veteran (or both)?
How did the difficulty compare to existing Trials on Normal and Veteran versions?
Were there any mechanics you had difficulty with?
Did you complete the Trial?
Did you have any companions with you?
Do you have any other general feedback?

hamgatan · April 2025

I ran a group through on normal last night. We all (all 12 of us) crashed out of game right after we dealt with the trash right after Blood Drinker Thisa - whole instance reset itself. You can see where it bombed out at 33:26

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=j5b1-UwthDQ

Half the group on template chars, I was on my own copied Tank. One of my scribing abilities didn't copy across though.

Feedback so far though - it's a lot of fun. We all enjoyed it. The portal DoT mechanic certainly is an interesting addition. Will be reviewing again on the weekend when I pull my Vet Prog group into it.

Lykeion · April 2025

Did you enjoy this new Trial overall?
The twin bosses' performance was impressive, but the trash clearing phases feel excessively drawn-out compared to other trials.

What level and build was the character you used?
3600CP Arc & DK & Warden, LE & PW & spaulder as Tank.

Did you complete Normal or Veteran (or both)?
Normal & Vet & HM completed.

How did the difficulty compare to existing Trials on Normal and Veteran versions?
Since the strategy for this trial is still being optimized, it's too early to give any definitive assessment about its difficulty.

Were there any mechanics you had difficulty with?
First boss's slime merge mechanic feels too RNG-dependent. The second boss's mechanics lack clear visual cues - it took me much longer than it should to understand them properly. The chain mechanic during the final boss isn't noticeable enough when it appears.

Did you complete the Trial?
Yes.

Did you have any companions with you?
No.

Do you have any other general feedback?
During the first boss encounter, when an Abomination spawns through slime merge at the exact moment of a wipe, it sometimes fails to despawn properly and carries over into subsequent attempts.

TheDefenestrator · April 2025

My group did a very deep dive of the first boss (Halls) on hardmode.

Most of us found the fight very fair, with room for both safe, consistent play, and risky but rewarding fast strategies. This is very quickly becoming one of my favorite fights. There were a couple of key things that came up in vod review and during gameplay.

The tremor ability from the flesh abomination has an after effect (Falling Debris) that comes out with almost no warning in a seemingly random spot. It's not super dangerous but I think there should be a little bit more time to react to that AOE.

The harvester's Ethereal Fire doesn't appear to have much of a visual cue, and it is a bit unclear when this ability is coming. Similar feelings about most of the fleshspawn attacks, except for colony collapse.

Another major missing visual cue (at least none of us have seen one) is an indicator for which portal is going to open when a Shaper dies. For getting our DDs in as quickly as possible, it would be very valuable to know where to send them at least a second or two earlier.

Reginald_leBlem · April 2025

Did you enjoy this new Trial overall?
Yes
What level and build was the character you used?
Arc/Necro/Nightblade dd
Did you complete Normal or Veteran (or both)?
Vet
How did the difficulty compare to existing Trials on Normal and Veteran versions?
Felt decent
Were there any mechanics you had difficulty with?
Second boss hardmode is frustrating. The mechanics are not clear, and we wipe excessively trying to troubleshoot curses. Either the mechanics need to be much clearer, or they need to be tuned down
Did you complete the Trial?
First boss hardmode yes, second boss hardmode no
Did you have any companions with you?
No
Do you have any other general feedback?
Trash felt too long. The mini bosses are disappointing and we are already skipping them in favor of getting to bosses faster. Maybe a buff as a reward like DSR or some dungeons have? Although in DSR the hardmode doesn't count with the buffs, and that is incredibly stupid, so maybe not if you plan to put cool buffs in a trial and then punish people for using them.

TheDefenestrator · May 2025

A list of feedback on the difficulty of the hardmode for Jynorah and Skorkhif:

1. 11.0.3 nerfs to the upstairs phase felt like they were the wrong part of the fight to nerf. In 11.0.2, my group was able to consistently complete the upstairs component of the fight deathless. We were also able to clear upstairs more often than not (after a short learning curve from a new player) in a pick up group. We believe the phase was nerfed before people had an opportunity to develop clean and consistent strategies.
2. The curse being as early as it is creates a little awkwardness. It is manageable, but I think there should be enough time before the curse for the group to comfortably place the bosses and their stacks where they want them to be. Currently, after the dragons drop, the bosses can get locked in ranged attacks and immediately cast the curse from a distance. If it were about 3 seconds later it would be fine.
3. Damage dealt and damage taken both feel good in the downstairs phases. Heal check feels manageable and my group's healers find it engaging.
4. If you do not take any extra sources of curse, I think it should completely fade by the time Titanic Clash ends, reapplying shortly into the next phase. If groups had just a little more time to deal full damage to both bosses there would be great opportunities to reward damage maximization without allowing groups to skip all mechanics.