test content
Logo
What is the Arc Client?
Install Arc
How to maximize fun in Forum Malvanum
itsbrou
Posts: 1,778 Arc User
1)While waiting for the encounter to start, press O.
2)Look for players less than level 35.
3)If you spot one, use Teleport to Ren Center 4-Pack
4)Requeue and keep repeating until you get a group that will beat Duratok and Ironclad.
If causing hard feeling and a social rift between high and low level players was the aim of this content's design, then Cryptic has succeeded admirably.
2)Look for players less than level 35.
3)If you spot one, use Teleport to Ren Center 4-Pack
4)Requeue and keep repeating until you get a group that will beat Duratok and Ironclad.
If causing hard feeling and a social rift between high and low level players was the aim of this content's design, then Cryptic has succeeded admirably.
Brou in Cryptic games.
Post edited by Unknown User on
0
Comments
And I usually don't leave this alert unless there are two players under level 15 in it. A vehicle using players counts as a level 15 for this specific dps race.
Which isn't a problem because I form teams before attempting it.
The BEST way to maximize fun for this alert is to not worry about getting past round 7 and just have fun obliterating the mobs.
You could do that in an open mission though. I miss those kinds of DPS races.
Counter to that, one of the worst I had had nothing but 40s. It's a real gamble...
I say stuff and I say things, sometimes together but only when I'm feeling adventurous.
I'm @blu8 in game!
You want to win, make a group.
[at]riviania Member since Aug 2009
Except that we're not talking about standards determined by a single or a few people out of elitism. This is purely a game mechanic issue.
Anyone in the low levels, especially fresh level 6 players, have absolutely no business being in an alert that requires the defeat of both Ironclad and Duratok within a 1min 30sec timer.
This goes beyond than the petty complaint of "Oh why you discriminate against low levels?". Low levels will significantly lower the chances of beating that fight for obvious reasons. If a higher-leveled player is able to understand that fact, then it's no surprise as to why they would bail.
Using your logic, I should be in a PUG if I'm okay with losing by default.
Huh what?
Rounds 6 through 10 are bonus rounds, that you can do to get more and better loot. I have never cleared all 10 rounds on a PUG.
So, I would say that a better way to look at it is "PUG if you want to win, preform a team if you want a clean sweep."
@flamingbunnyman in game. Formerly @Roderick in City of Heroes.
Then according to this justification, there's completely nothing wrong with me bailing the alert once the Duratok / Ironclad fight starts if I'm in a PUG, because by default I've already "won" the alert. I will make it a point to tell everyone in the team that I'm doing so, stating the reasons for doing so.
At the same time I'm going to expect nothing less than friendly, mutual agreements on the matter from the rest of the PUG. We've already won on a minimal level after all, and being a PUG means that it isn't worthy of taking it to the next level, right? It's not like they're going to regard me with dissent for bailing on the group unfairly, especially when I tell them "Hey if you want to actually complete the alert, don't PUG!".
Haha, nope.
There are glaring problems with the alert. As Brou stated it creates a social rift between low levels and high levels. There is also a disparity concerning difficulty levels. From various accounts I've been seeing the same report of anything beyond level 6 onwards up to Firewing being trivial compared to Duratok / Ironclad. Shouldn't the hardest fight be at the very end? Shouldn't difficulty also be properly cumulative when it comes to various stages of gameplay?
If the concept of Forum Malvanum is to reward players for how much they've successfully progressed in the alert, fine. I'm all for that. What I'm not fine with is the fact that they've put the most difficult stage right smack in the middle of all of the stages. That's not proper difficulty progression at all.
If I have to use another game for the sake of an example, that's like me playing Mortal Kombat and facing Shao Kahn during the middle of the ladder, then meet Johnny Cage as the very last boss.
1 Lvl39 in team = 20% fail
1 Lvl38 in team = 40% fail
1 Lvl37 in team = 60% fail
1 Lvl36 in team = 80% fail
Full set of Heroic Gears are at least thing to Queue.
And if someone like to fail, never mind anyone leave.
Brou you've been naughty , that's my job. Don't make me get the vacuum cleaner out.
Nepht and Dr Deflecto on primus
They all thought I was out of the game....But I'm holding all the lockboxes now..
I'll......FOAM FINGER YOUR BACK!
[SIGPIC][/SIGPIC]
Nope. Do that, and YOU fail the Alert, but the rest of the team will still win, unless they are dumb enough to follow your lead. Don't believe me? Pick up the daily from the Alert coordinator, do what you suggested above, and see if he gives you credit for completing the mission.
You still have to finish to win. It just doesn't matter WHERE you finish.
No. At that point, you're griefing just as much as the person who was joining the Alert just long enough to give a self-righteous speech and quit. If you are deliberately negatively impacting others' gameplay, you are a griefer.
As stated above, you win when the Alert ends, not when you decide to bail.
When I PUG this Alert, I make every attempt to complete the whole thing, and expect others to try as well, but I don't stress it. If I want to make sure I clear it, I preform.
I won't argue this point.
No, people being jerks causes the social rift.
This is probably the greatest issue with the Alert. Now that the bug with round 7 is fixed, most teams will get the Round 7 complete/round 8 failed reward, or the one for making it to the end. Round 9 is trash mobs, and Firewing is easier than Duratok/Ironclad, and has a longer timer than any two rounds combined.
Agreed again. I personally don't think there should be any hordes of weak enemies after the Vetran Gladiator round, and that the following rounds should increase in difficulty.
However, even if that were the case, and round 10 were the hardest, it still wouldn't be ok to grief others because they aren't good enough to be on your team.
IF YOU WANT TO BE PICKY ABOUT WHO IS ON YOUR TEAM, PREFORM. DO NOT JOIN THE QUEUE SOLO, UNLESS YOU ARE WILLING TO ACCEPT A RANDOMLY FORMED TEAM.
@flamingbunnyman in game. Formerly @Roderick in City of Heroes.
edited10char
Nepht and Dr Deflecto on primus
They all thought I was out of the game....But I'm holding all the lockboxes now..
I'll......FOAM FINGER YOUR BACK!
That may be true, but a studio designing content that encourages people to be jerks is the bigger, underlying problem. Was it thoughtleessness or incompetence? Doesn't matter, it's hard for Cryptic to justify.
Later in the day, I might try to get into a premade so I can do some more forum malvanum; in the meantime playing other games.
On the first point, you're right, so I removed it. On the second, we'll leave that open for discussion. Let's just say that my sense of humor gets less nice when I get in a bad mood, and between jerks at work and getting myself into arguments here, well - I've been in better moods.
I'll let you decide if I'm the baby or the jackass*.
*Yes, I know it's a yak.
@flamingbunnyman in game. Formerly @Roderick in City of Heroes.
Due to my rubbish building skills...I've only managed to kill Firewing consistently on two of my characters..namely Bionic Bullet and ShadowAssassin. (Some of you may have teamed with them)
None of my other characters have sufficient DPS or power to get past this alert...(then again, I'm not a glutton for failure so I haven't tried my other chars..its pure assumptions)
I personally don't like to feel like a burden to a team, so I wouldn't queue unless I was lvl 40 and a DPS style build. <--Yes I realise this is a personal opinion rather than a statement which everyone should follow.
As far as I am concerned, I reserve the right to leave an alert, provided I believe I will fail it, either due to my own faults or the lack of power from others.
Most people do create pre made teams, and still only get to round DuraClad and fail. Some pass it through sheer force of will and pet power.
And on the note of the mission from Lt.Patil..it only completed for me when I defeated Firewing OR the Veterans, not sure how that exactly works but I didn't get any completion till after Firewing ran off crying.
Whether you choose to PUG or make a premade team, that's all down to personal choice.
I hate how limited the timer is..for some groups, it would be the equivalent of trying to Defeat Gravitar and Therakiel within a 5 minute or less timeframe. (Pretty sure this isn't possible..but then again..I'm clearly no PRO builder)
I think its not fair that content is made which is new. But is made inaccessible to a relatively large amount of the player pop. which also locks down new costume and AF opportunities. Then again...this alert might have been better if it was level gated, and we were allowed to operate at maximum capacity.
Either way, this has created a bit of a rift between players as Brou and others have pointed out...this is not right and was pointed out on the PTS and we were told it was intended...so meh...
I'm sure I'm not the only one who doesn't like to be told by Tateklys that I'm not "strong enough" to pass the alert cause that's frankly a load of steaming [CENSORED]...simply give the timer 20 more secs and I am sure it could be done with a higher success rate.
My Characters on PRIMUS
[#]WeNeedHeroicFashion - <Aura Suggestions> - <CO Wiki (WIP)> - <Crowd Control Discussion> - <Telepathy in Champions Online> - How to review The Force Power Set - Join the Champions Online: On Alert Discord!
I am @RavenForce in game
__________________________
Just use the crime computer.
Whoever you are, be that person one hundred percent. Don't compromise on your identity.
It's very unlikely that a PUG has the DPS to make it all the way through round 10. It's called being realistic and accepting that you're probably going to lose at round 8. It shouldn't be news at this point that most of the toons out there are not high DPSers.
This alert is open to people who are level 6. There will be low levels in this alert. That's the way it is. If someone has a problem with that, he or she shouldn't be in a PUG. Very simple.
Going into an alert that anyone can enter at level 6 and then bailing when they do, just makes you a jerk. You are going out of your way to be rude to people you don't even know when all you had to do is make your own team. It takes a lot less time to get your friends on a team than it does to keep bailing until the team meets your needs.
If someone wants to discriminate against low levels, fine. Make a team. There is no need to punish them by bailing because they don't meet your standards.
Saying that low levels have no place in this alert is a standard you are setting. I don't have that standard. I really don't give a damn if I end up in a PUG with 4 level 6 toons. I can probably carry them through at least round 5, but there's no way we'll make it past round 8. And we'll lose because, sadly, this event isn't for the majority of the player base, despite being temporary and one of the few bits of new content we see.
[at]riviania Member since Aug 2009
What you call "realistic and accepting", I call bad game design.
Well here's my counter-argument.
If I'm a level 6 fresh out of tutorial, with just a basic-tier attack with no survivability powers nor any buffs to empower my attacks to contribute significantly in overcoming the massive DPS wall that is Dura-clad, then I could be considered an inconsiderate jerk as well since I'm expecting others to carry my be default. Not to mention that I'd be bringing down the chances of overcoming round 5 if there are others in the group who have an interest going past round 5.
This isn't about discrimination. This is facing facts of poor game design, and these are not standards set by players or myself but by that poor game design.
If Forum Malvanum wasn't designed around a high DPS wall mechanic then I wouldn't have cared that level 6's are allowed to do it.
I'm running a level 40 tempest AT and i've no idea where i am when it comes to the scale of DPS so I don't know if i just need to change the other players or if i'm also not up to the task.
So what is it i need to have to be doing my necessary share or more of that fight?
While she has been rescued
what diabolical mastermind
was behind the devious brain-napping of
the Volterrific Dr Cerebellum?
Caliga's PRIMUS Database! --XXX--The Caliga Build: Threatening Haymakers! --XXX-- Caliga and Conquer fanart!
Yup. Sounds right. You like to play with yourself. Yup.
Nepht and Dr Deflecto on primus
They all thought I was out of the game....But I'm holding all the lockboxes now..
I'll......FOAM FINGER YOUR BACK!
So, basically if we don't like the product that we've supported and spend money on, instead of voicing legitimate grievances we should shut up and not play that part. I don't know what game you've been playing or where you think you are, but I'm tired of dancing around parts of CO because they're flawed to the point of being sickening.
If all I should do is 'make my own team' to do well in this alert, then it should not be an alert. It should be like Nemcon or a Lair. Sort of defeats the purpose.
If it isn't for the majority of the player base, then it should not be accessible to the entire player base. Each and every statement you have made is flawed except one-
I do agree that it's a jerk move to bail out on someone, but at the same time- you should know better than to try and shove your lvl 6 radiant into an alert like this and you deserve it. Also, this is not about me making sure everyone around me has a good time, my personal enjoyment comes first and I don't want to waste my time failing. The difference between high levels and low levels isn't race, nationality, or disability- it means you haven't gotten to a higher level yet, and no one can change that but you. No one is stopping you. So, please, let's stop pretending 'lowbies' are some oppressed minorities that have no control of their circumstances.
- David Brin, "Those Eyes"
Get the Forums Enhancement Extension!
Since this is a level 30 alert, heroes in their 20's should do well because they are getting buffed to level 30. Heroes in their 30's will do poorly because they are getting nerfed to 30. Heroes who are 40 should do well because they have access to Heroic/Legion gear, but they are also getting nerfed.
In my experience, it is the all-30's timed Smash alerts that are in danger of failing due to lack of DPS, especially when the target villain has a damage reducing passive.
I like that you mentioned pet power, because my pet build mows through the entire alert including duratock alar or whatever. But when the final fire guy comes around they maybe can stay alive about 5-10 seconds before they die from his stupid energy form or catch a stray laser from that tunnel thing, which completely kills my dps. To the point where I had to use nothing but a 500 dmg per tick laser gun, and no healing drones because theyd die within seconds of summoning them.
The fact that it even requires 4 out of 5 of your team to be some of the best dps in the game is a fail within itself.
It's probably the top twenty to fifty players.
Whoever you are, be that person one hundred percent. Don't compromise on your identity.
Conversely, if you want to join the alert at a level where your character reduces the chance that the group will make it all of the way through, without facing the very real possibility that someone will leave the alert rather than attempt to carry you, you should preform.
It works both ways.
The alert system is open to people leaving if they don't want to participate with the existing members of the team. That is the way it is. If someone has a problem with that, he or she shouldn't be in a PUG. Very simple.
Your logic works against you as well.
'Caine, miss you bud. Fly high.
Yes this is easily the most poorly designed alert event yet. Any more of these alerts and I won't really care when CO gets canned.
People are broken. - Lum the Mad
Not that I've gotten past it, because pugs all fail and the few dedicated groups I've been in haven't been able to negate the dps wall that is duraclad, but I assume later levels also have the normal timer?
I hesitate to say that I, personally, could probably drop one of the 2 by myself if the timer were set properly. I'd give exactly no craps who I was teamed with if the timer were right, since even 2 skilled dpsers would have a shot of winning. As it is, this is another ao'q fight. You *need* defense penetration to stand a chance with it. Why the hell would you make a major event require a character mechanic that had no legitimate purpose beforehand? Especially since so few powers offer it natively. Defense pen was *useless* outside of pvp before this event. Still would be if the timer didn't start when the cut scene did. I'd have way less of a problem with this if it weren't for one major fact: nobody in any time I've been in has been at any risk of death from duraclad. Even ATs, I think I saw 3 deaths in the 25ish times I ran it yesterday. I was on a Squishy as hell TK blade character and basically went one on one with Duratok without much issue. This is what we like to call "artificial difficulty". I, for one, would much rather have the normal timer but some vague chance of dying during it. This feels less like a fight and more like a dps race. That, to me, is immersion breaking and indicative of bad design. Compare and contrast the harbinger, which had the same difficulty to kill, but also had a chance of popping low level or particularly squishy characters if they weren't paying attention.
RIP Caine
Or your definition of Top-Tier is different than most.
Yep timer on later levels.
Firewing is a breeze compared to Dura-Clad.
Twice I've been lucky enough to be on teams that finished all ten rounds. Once on a PUG and once with a dedicated team.
I was just happy that I didn't drag the teams down.
:biggrin:
CellarRat33 :: formerly Bsquared
***
"The great thing about glory unending is that it's dirt cheap!" - Tateklys
From the Adventures of Thundrax (canadascott)
***
Ironically, some of the less successful tried in that alert were with all 40s. The furthest was a group of one 40 a 34 a 22 17 and 36 (me). The lowest, the one that only made it to round four before kicking bucket all level 40 and one 36 (me again). The second lowest all level 40s including me on my 40. The third lowest three 40s a level 18 and 36(me). The majority of them successful and not, had usually one 40 at least and random levels of others but no team of level 40 I been on made it beyond the 6th round.
I think it's more of how people play the toons and not so much pure levels. Or it's might be when peole see all 40 they get smug and go at it half way thinking someone else will pick up slack but when more than half team get that mindset then it goes south compared to when someone see a couple of low levels, they think they must go all out to make up for the low level and the low level think they must go out to prove and carry their weight and thus the whole team end up putting in 120% of effort.
But overall when I'm teaming I'm already prepared mentally that things may go south and thus do not get pissy pissed angry upset nerd rage when it does. Worse that happens is a few minutes lost and ability to que again. NO big deal. Some people take it waaaaaaay tooo serious and to much personal and anger. Some people need to breathe and just go find and build a team prior with some friends tha tthey know their powers, skills, and chemistry and go for it instead of constantly getting pissed at failing a mish with random people when there is an easy way around that but hey some people liek getting angry and pissed. Or else they will be angry for not having something to be angry about.
I never said not to complain, I'm saying this is the way the alert is. It's not the way you think it should be. You don't like it, make a thread about it, but there is no need to be a jerk to other people who want to try the alert.
[at]riviania Member since Aug 2009
I really don't see how bailing out on your team during an alert in general is really a good move at all. More or less just makes you look like a jerk more than anything. I can understand wanting to win, but that's just plain silly.
The way the alert is designed:
1) you can see the levels of the other characters involved.
2) you can leave if you want.
That is the way the alert is.
'Caine, miss you bud. Fly high.
I see that the popular response is "Don't like it? Go make a team and stay out of PUGs."
Some of our expectations to be able to go beyond round 5 in a PUG clearly has no validity, but the expectation that we should tolerate level 6's in joining the alert clearly should be respected.
In other words, deal with it or stay out.
Since this arrogant stance is going to be adopted, I'll play along.
You want to bring your level 6 into this particular alert and expect to be carried by others? Go right ahead. I'll exercize my right in not wanting to carry that level 6 by leaving the instance since the system gives me the right and ability to do so.
Until Cryptic decides that it's unfair for players to be able to leave the alert, deal with it.
How did they do it then?
Explain to me what was the difference between success and failure in the groups you have succeeded with.
Because i would like to win through this and so-far that's not happening so i would like to know exactly what is all the threshold criteria for success.
While she has been rescued
what diabolical mastermind
was behind the devious brain-napping of
the Volterrific Dr Cerebellum?
Some believe that there is a damage cap to them when coming from your powers. Or maybe that penetration doesn't work at all on them.
Here is one winning team I was on; we made it through Duraclad with 10 sec to spare. All heroes were level 40.
My Toon--level 40 FF inferno; all fire with self-heals; ranged DPS role; Merc and Heroic gear (no legions), one Nimbus
AT Inferno with good gear
FF Tank w/Necrulitic Elixir and good gear
AT Tempest with good gear, Nimbus
FF munitions with super high dodge/avoidance
We did not have dinos, eruption, or Backup devices. People were not loaded with Legion and Vigilante gear. I have been in teams with those things, and the alert becomes actually very easy.
Whoever you are, be that person one hundred percent. Don't compromise on your identity.
Did it successfully 20 times last night with a pre-made team (ZERO drops for me
Here's what worked for us:
1)Take a pre-made with nothing but lvl 40s.
2)1 tank and 4 dps'ers worked fine. The tank needs to be a really good tank though, 4 dps toons can generate a ton of hate.
3)Have good AoE attacks. 2GM, Epidemic and Lightning Storm worked pretty good for us.
4)Most importantly, keep Duratok and Drogen close together so the AoE attacks can overlap on both and AoE the Holy F out of them. When one goes down, switch to a single target attack for the last one standing.
5)Damage-mitigation devices really help as does a Triumphant Recovery. Save them for round 8 so you can max your time on target during that short period.
6)Buy back your stars between runs. Firewing will one-hit squishies from time to time.
Good luck and happy farming.
People are broken. - Lum the Mad
Duratok and Ironclad have to be kept busy AND kept together for the AoE damage to stack up. Otherwise, even an elite group fails.
Whoever you are, be that person one hundred percent. Don't compromise on your identity.
Level 5 = C-
Level 10= A+
Another time today the random group i was in got one down and the other down to a third, which was the best non-success run for me so far.
The time we did get through everything before and after was a total breeze and the bad two went down with a reasonable bit of time to spare. Other times when everyone blasted through the other opponents we still hit the wall at the bad two, so i'm wondering if maybe some otherwise good dps heroes are falling flat on these two.
While she has been rescued
what diabolical mastermind
was behind the devious brain-napping of
the Volterrific Dr Cerebellum?