Frustrations, Bugs, and Other Absurdities

Don't expect a lot of positivity from this post. This is a post about things that are just plain wrong and need to be fixed. Some are mere bugs, some are things that don't make any sense, and some are things that **** me off to no end.

1. Giantsouls that stun you because their red area sank into the ground.

If a giantsoul is below you in terms of terrain, the long narrow stripe where he is going to smash the ground isn't usually visible. I'm really sick of being stunned because of this.

2. Getting chain-stunned until I'm dead.

This is due to a combination of factors. First is #1 above. Second is because in several encounters we're facing THREE giantsouls at once. Third is (I'm guessing) due to the combat rework, where there is now no immunity frame between when you get stunned and when you get stunned again. Giantsoul #1 smashes the ground, giantsoul #2 smashes it again, giantsoul #3 smashes it yet again, and then the cyclops does it a fourth time just for good measure. The devs, either intentionally or unintentionally, stacked the deck against us in the maximum way possible with all these factors. File this under "things that **** me off to no end".

3. Encounters misfiring because the game is lying to me.

This is another thing that drives me crazy. An encounter lights up as being available (cooldown ended), I press the key, and I'm told that it's still recharging. Don't light the stinking button up if you don't intend for me to use it!!! For crying out loud. This is basic stuff!

4. CONSTANTLY having to dodge because everything, its grandmother, and its three-legged dog has AoE.

You devs need to knock this garbage off. This isn't "challenge", it's lazy and/or sadistic design. It's the kind of garbage that, if a tabletop DM did it with every single encounter, would make me get up and leave. I'd think the DM was either incompetent or just sadistic. The sad part is, you *always* overdo mechanics like this. When will you learn to moderate?

5. Sticky cleric feet.

This is another one that drives me crazy. Constantly having to dodge because my cleric encounters or at-wills are rooting me in place for inordinate amounts of time. Why is how you treat cleric powers so different than for other classes?

6. Trolls ignoring root effects.

I suspect that this is due to lag but it's placing players at a needless disadvantage. I mostly observe this when using ranger powers that apply grasping roots. Often trolls will use their "move at the speed of light" charge even though you've hit them first with grasping roots. It even happens when you use your attack as the initial attack in the encounter (i.e. you're attacking them first). It doesn't happen all the time, maybe half of the time. It even happens after the visual of roots grasping them appears. Not. Fair.

7. Knockbacks that stack.

File this under "unfair things that also make no sense". Three trolls simultaneously charge you (which is what usually happens at the start of a fight), so they knock you back thirty feet? BS. Bravo Sierra. *Steaming pile* of Bravo Sierra. If a tabletop DM tried this I'd think he was either an idiot or a jerk.

8. Troll Clone Wars.

All trolls are now exactly the same -- they're all Fell Trolls. They all have *identical* attacks, and *of course* they use the most powerful attacks that any troll has ever been given. Even Runt Trolls are Fell Trolls! Imagine your reaction if a tabletop DM pulled this. How many seconds would you wait until up and leaving? Maybe at least a few seconds, if nothing else out of stunned disbelief at his sheer incompetence or sadism, depending on your reaction.

9. Attacks that CANNOT be maneuvered around.

Ogres and enemies with ogre attacks are guilty as charged. They have an attack where they raise their club over their heads before slamming it down on your head. They also *automatically spin to face you* no matter what you do. Grossly unfair and nonsensical. I'll be kind and presume it's a bug. It needs to be fixed nonetheless.

10. Attacks that *should* keep an enemy in place but don't.

I'm seeing this in the River District, especially with the nothic gazers that try to stun you with that eye attack. They're supposed to remain in place (and maintain their facing) during the attack. That is, you're *supposed* to have a fair chance to avoid it. However, now they often glide and spin to face you no matter what. It doesn't always happen, but it happens often nonetheless. Bug. Please. Fix. It.

11. Quests that send you to the wrong person to turn them in.

Several Sharandar quests have this problem -- yes, more than one. I'm amazed that testing never caught it.

12. Encounters that enemies simply ignore.

I hereby charge Cordon of Arrows with slacking on the job. There appears to be a *huge* lag between when it hits the ground and when it actually affects anything. The lag is so long that enemies often move out of the area before it can do anything to them. This needs to be fixed.

13. Stuns that last SO long that you cannot avoid a second stun.

I'm not sure what I hate more -- ogres (and anyone who uses ogre attacks) or whoever gave them this particular attack. See #9 above. That same attack leaves you stunned on the ground for *so* long that the following attack always, 100% of the time, stuns you again. The attack after #9 is always, always, ***always*** another stun attack where they punch the ground. It's like how "and tired" always follows "sick". If the attack from #9 gets you, the next attack absolutely will stun you again. Ridiculously unfair. Jerk move.

14. Enemies that move around throughout the fight at double speed.

This happens a lot in Point of Contention. Some groups of enemies have a mechanic where they *move to your current location* instead of to a set location. If you have moved far from the trigger point that makes them spawn, they will speed up so they can reach you. If *that* happens, they maintain that speed increase throughout the entire fight. This *has* to be a bug. It's also pretty unfair as it presumes they have perfect knowledge of your location at all times.

15. Enemies that ignore stealth.

Remorhaz's are especially guilty of this. If they start tracking you to toss a fireball, they *continue* tracking your exact location even if you go into stealth. Beyond unfair.

16. Guild Hall items that are just huge paperweights.

Paintings, statues, etc. that you cannot actually donate. This bug is *how* old and still not fixed? It should be simplicity itself to actually fix. The fact that it hasn't should qualify as a Wonder of the World.

17. You can check in any time you like, but you can never leave.

Being unable to exit Fane of the Night Serpent for half a minute after the boss fight is over because it won't let me out of combat. Seriously, what the heck?

18... I'll probably think of more. There are always more.