Curse

Malcus · Jun 26, 2005, 06:00 PM // 18:00

I would like to submit the following and ask that other people try it to see if they are experiencing the same thing. I am a N/Mo17 and I am traveling the explorable with only Henchmen. The area that I am seeing the most unbalanced play is in Mamnoon Lagoon from the Wilds. If you take a group of Henchmen from the Wilds they are all level 12 and you travel to the Lagoon you are at some point met by groups of 7 Wind Riders which are level 17 while attempting to dispatch them you then find that another group of 7 Wind Rider come up from behind. This seems to occur right where the resurecction point is so that when you come back you can continue to get slaugthered repeatedly. Also pay attention to the enemy and see how many times and how often they are able to cast the same skill back to back, example Cry of Fustration is supposed to have a 20 second cooldown but it certainly seems that they are able to cast it far more often than that. Also towrd the unbalanced nature of Mamnoon Lagoon the lowest level creature I have found there is 15 and the highest 19 so if you are traveling with a group of henchmen from the wilds they will be out classed by anywhere from 3 to 7 levels. It just seems a little to in favor of the enemy if you choose to use henchmen for the explorable areas.

Also I have found that some spells don't have the same affect on the enemy as they do you. One seems to be Faintheartedness, if it is cast on you your characters attack does slow. But if in turn lets say you run into a group of Tengu Fierce who use bows and the attack time is every 2-2.5 seconds and you cast this spell on them, there attack time seems to remain unaffected. I look forward to hearing if other people notice this or can duplicate it.

Kishin · Jun 26, 2005, 06:07 PM // 18:07

You can dodge around the Storm Riders if you're careful. There's alternate paths through the Lagoon. Sometimes, trying to fight isn't the best idea.

If you can eliminate the first before the second shows up, you'll also be all right. Or double back and kill the flanking group. I wouldn't recommend it, but its doable. Really, the level of the enemies isn't a big deal if you play it safe and clever.

And yes, the henchman are generally a lower level than PCs you will find in the area. But it's never seem a huge setback.

Malcus · Jun 26, 2005, 06:29 PM // 18:29

I do normally try to avoid anything I can if possible but if you are going in to do the quest that is there in the hollow log you first fight a couple Jungle Skales which typically aren't bad and usually before you can finish them and get to the log the first group of 7 show and unfortunately you can't seem to avoid them. Once that happens it seems the others come up the back side. And in this case with the Henchies, you and them get owned and the darn cycle repeats because you are brought right back where they are.

Tuna · Jun 26, 2005, 06:51 PM // 18:51

If you want an unbalanced zone try going into tears of the fallen. If there were more blog skales the whole minimap would be red.

Malcus · Jun 26, 2005, 08:08 PM // 20:08

Haven't made it there but I know the bog skales around the fisermans haven are bad so I can only imagine. The other thing that is interesting about traveling from the Wilds to Quarrel Falls is that you have to travel there with level 12 hencmen to get there and the creatures you face in Silverwood are not as high level as in the Mamnoon Lagoon. The creatures in Silverwood are mostly Magumma and more Wind Riders and they are level 16 and 12 respectively. And once you get to Quarrel Falls your henchmen are level 15 and its great that they are but seems silly when most of the things you will face are about 3 levels lower respectively in the area around Quarrel Falls in comparison to Mamnoon Lagoon.

Silmor · Jun 26, 2005, 08:22 PM // 20:22

7 wind riders will have 7 cries of frustration at their beck and call. Faintheartedness most certainly affects enemies just as it affects you. Up until level 20, the playing field is most definitely fair, and it seems afterwards it remains quite fair except for the fact that they can exceed level 20 and you cannot.

The Mamnoon Lagoon's wind rider patrols require you to pull one group off the path before the next group arrives - simple strategy. Please don't call for a rebalancing of an area at the first time you're facing some challenge.

Malcus · Jun 26, 2005, 08:42 PM // 20:42

I understand that you need to pull in most case but still a group of 7 against a party that is mostly level 12 and computer controlled does not stand good chance of surviving the encounter. Also if you run into that group of seven and attempt to run with henchmen usually 2 or 3 of them will continue to attack and although you may get away you no longer are equiped to be able to handle that group or maybe 6 remaining with only yourself and maybe another henchie. So you have to die then when you respawn you are back in the middle of these things trying to survive. Its not a matter of being able to pull its a matter of surviving with henchies to pull.

Kishin · Jun 26, 2005, 09:03 PM // 21:03

If you're pulling well, you aren't pulling all 7 at once.

silvertemplar · Jun 26, 2005, 09:25 PM // 21:25

Pulling and Henchmen do not really go well together. I remember that specific area very well, i was an Elem/Mes loaded with area spells, i couldnt get a single spell off, our whole team died at the shrine and died 2 more times because we were "locked-in" at the shrine. My "fondest" memory of the maguuna areas :

[RANT]
Now that wasn't the worst, the worst was the really BS [Blood and Smoke?] quest requiring me to run all the way down to this Tree, and then be told i must run back and ZONE [thus kill everything i killed again] to kill some centaur and then bring an item back by ZONING [thus killing everything yet again!]...how freaking annoying is that? [Nevermind the fact that dozens of maguuna spiders are no walk in the park ]
[/RANT]

Malcus · Jun 26, 2005, 10:24 PM // 22:24

I have to agree with silvertemplar, pulling with henchmen doesn't always work very well and when the group you are trying to pull is 7 not 3 and 4 it doesn't matter how good you are at pulling you are in most cases outmatched. and I feel his pain get locked-in the shrine.