Encounter Dificulty ratings?

visigoth18

I know the game is applying a difficulty score to the mobs "like Skirmisher Minions = 1" can anyone tell me all the values or point me in the right direction to work this out? I'm trying to learn how to best balance encounters wile spending my "encounter budget resources, most effectively"
thanks in advance :]

visigoth18

no one knows? or no one cares

incendiarywave

The most important thing you can do is playtest it, it's different for most creatures. However you do have to keep in mind that at higher levels encounters are more difficult, and at lower levels are easier, so you have to strike a balance.

tilt42

Check out my thread Encounters for Dummies (and everyone else) to read more about how all of this works.

almostcool

Set your character level to 31 and try it out. That's when mobs use their special attacks and you can balance from there. Anything lower than 30 is going to find it super easy. I have this page book marked and it gives a really good run down. Thanks again Tilt
http://nw-forum.perfectworld.com/showthread.php?140071-Encounters-for-Dummies-(and-everyone-else)

Edit: Haha beat me to it

zovya

I made a training room and put minions of all types. I wanted to see which were tough and which were weak. I found this the best way to test them all the quickest.

visigoth18

Hey thanks for the feed back, having a good place to start helps a ton, as for testing in the foundry "I get buged and it wont let me equip skills or spend skill points...etc. so thats not an option"

almostcool

Sometimes I set my character to normal and go through the quest and test the encounters just by seeing how much initial damage they do. It can be a bit disheartening for players to finish a dialogue sequence and then get nuked down by a bunch of mobs so adjust accordingly. Of course though its better to finish the quest and then publish it and do some further testing. I don't feel any definite combat balancing actually happens while building the dungeon.

visigoth18

zovya wrote: »

I made a training room and put minions of all types. I wanted to see which were tough and which were weak. I found this the best way to test them all the quickest.

yeah that's a great idea, I did that too. it's been helping allot!

I'm interested in knowing the system at play for encounter difficulty, there has to be one... like skirmisher minions = difficulty 1, so 5/ 1's = easy to a single player... etc and say a Brute Standard = like I dunno 6/ or 7, so a single Brut Standard = an easy/ standard encounter for a single player. it seems like its setup like that, I just don't know the values "and I kinda suck at applying math ~_~"

tilt42

visigoth18 wrote: »

I'm interested in knowing the system at play for encounter difficulty, there has to be one... like skirmisher minions = difficulty 1, so 5/ 1's = easy to a single player... etc and say a Brute Standard = like I dunno 6/ or 7, so a single Brut Standard = an easy/ standard encounter for a single player. it seems like its setup like that, I just don't know the values "and I kinda suck at applying math ~_~"

I describe how this works in D&D 4E in my thread. I have seen nothing to indicate that Neverwinter does things otherwise.

visigoth18

Awesome, I havent had time yet to read your thread, but now you have made me happy! XD

boydzinj

The problem is this:

Mobs, like players have access to different abilities, spells, attacks, and AOE at different levels. There are some mobs that are easier at low level and very tough at higher levels. There is a "HARD" mind flayer encounter that is downright EASY at level 1 thru 10, "so-so" upto level 29, and then they turn very tough at level 30+

Mobs level scale to the player(s). However, the mobs abilities, spells, attacks, and attributes do not. They seem to have specific bumps thru out the leveling process. Goblins and ogres are relatively easier mobs that Fire giants and Mind Flayers - even if both are "HARD" encounters. Likewise, some encounters and specific mobs are ranged, weak to melee... or melee, or slow and hard hitting, or CC (control wizards that can chain lock the player or party), or any combination there of... worse yet... a level 1 character and mob may act differently than a level 30 mob and a level 60 mob... and it is the same encounter!

visigoth18

tilt42 wrote: »

I describe how this works in D&D 4E in my thread. I have seen nothing to indicate that Neverwinter does things otherwise.

Tilt42, That's such an awesome write up "I'm not familiar with D&D 4th edition" so that helps tremendously! its exactly what I asked for/ was looking for Thank you so much! it's the perfect place to start

I seriously wish they would sticky it