Curse

icymanipulator · Jun 25, 2007, 03:40 PM // 15:40

Looked around and thought this was the best place for this...if not could the mods please move it?

Couple things, first is about grouping in the DoA. Where have the citadel groups gone? Are people just not finishing the quests anymore? It has taken upwards of 2 hours to get together a citadel group in the last week.

Second is in regards to Mallyx himself. The groups I am always in never have problems getting to Mallyx. As soon as we set up on the gate something inevitably goes wrong with his teleport and we get wiped. In fact it seems like he is now able to hit through the gate in spite of being stuck. Tips and suggestions? Maybe something else you guys have found that works?

I have invested close to 12 hours just in trying to get the citadel done and am just plain frustrated at this point...

Vahn Roi · Jun 25, 2007, 05:20 PM // 17:20

...you're concerned that an exploit no longer works?

icymanipulator · Jun 25, 2007, 06:21 PM // 18:21

You're saying its possible to directly tank something that:

-can summon the entire group to its location (thereby foiling the strategy that works in the rest of the ENTIRE DoA)

-you can't use enchantments during for risk of having disabled skills so the bonder is useless and so is the BiP

-conditions and hexes are useless because they heal him

-can knock around the tank for 200 a shot w/ a teleport

I am not bitching over an exploit that may or may not be fixed. I am asking for other strategies that will work. Before you reply with another smartass answer consider whether or not you can add to this or have even made it this far in the game.

zwei2stein · Jun 25, 2007, 06:41 PM // 18:41

you can use succesfully:

* weapon spells and defensive spirits
* shouts/chants/echoes
* stuff like angelic bond.

TabascoSauce · Jun 25, 2007, 07:23 PM // 19:23

Yeah I'd like to cap some of his skills. (This is a joke)

Thanks!
TabascoSauce

GloryFox · Jun 25, 2007, 07:35 PM // 19:35

DoA has always been a Joke since it was released.

BEST solution is to boycott DoA.

Zinger314 · Jun 25, 2007, 07:51 PM // 19:51

Quote:

Originally Posted by icymanipulator

You're saying its possible to directly tank something that:

-can summon the entire group to its location (thereby foiling the strategy that works in the rest of the ENTIRE DoA)

-you can't use enchantments during for risk of having disabled skills so the bonder is useless and so is the BiP

-conditions and hexes are useless because they heal him

-can knock around the tank for 200 a shot w/ a teleport

For those reasons, I have to wonder if Mallyx was ever killed in the testing of DoA...

I haven't heard any Mallyx kills since the exploit fix.

But hey! New PvE only skills!

icymanipulator · Jun 25, 2007, 08:03 PM // 20:03

Allegedly you can still rarely glitch him...seeing as how he now pulls INSIDE the room I don't see how this is possible. Even with a safety valve in the SB on the outside he still pulls in and annihilates the group before a full team rez can happen.

The hope was that with the SB way off in the distance near the City of Tor'qua even if the group got wiped we could rez/chant up and try again. Mallyx parks his ass right in the door and doesn't budge, doesn't break aggro for a second. Soon as the SB got close, it was an instantaneous Summoning Shadows and a Shadow Smash before the rez even got off.

There are only so many people in the group and only so many skill slots. I don't see how we could be expected to maintain the standard DoA setup during the 17 waves and then magically have the correct setup to deal with Mallyx. If they upped the party limit to 12 or even 10 it might be possible but its already a huge ordeal just to form a group for the citadel in the current quest setup. People just don't seem to be getting to this point of completion anymore.

We could use a change here Anet!

GloryFox · Jun 25, 2007, 08:20 PM // 20:20

Quote:

posted by Zinger314
For those reasons, I have to wonder if Mallyx was ever killed in the testing of DoA...

I haven't heard any Mallyx kills since the exploit fix.

I fully agree with Zinger here, Ive beat Mallyx 4x only to use the "Exploit" to beat him. We did try and defeat him without using the exploit 8x only to give up and use the exploit in the end. Since the "Fix" Ive avoided DoA since. As for getting the right skills for the Job (weapon spells spirits etc) I can't see how its possible either since you only have 8 people who must have beaten all 4 area's. That means Warrior Elementalist, Necromancer and Monk are the only candidates for the job.

All other classes are considered unusable for DoA by the community at large.

A good solution would be to increase the party size to 12 for all DOA areas. BUT that has been requested by the community since DOA release. That is not going to happen.

icymanipulator · Jun 25, 2007, 08:33 PM // 20:33

From all outward appearances, and in spite of being directly connected to the City of Tor'qua, the Ebony Citadel seems like its own instance. I don't see any reason why they couldn't up the party limit to 12 just for this one portion of the elite mission.

You could probably squeeze a ranger into the end mission or possibly a ritualist but I can't see anything else making it that far unless the group is overly generous. Rangers can run a half way decent SS build and the rit's can run a half way decent healing build with the added bonus of displacement/shelter. Neither one of these is better than taking a necro or a monk at their position.

I like to be challenged, thats part of the reason I did the DoA to begin with. There is a fine line between challenging and ridiculous...we need a change!

TabascoSauce · Jun 25, 2007, 09:13 PM // 21:13

/Signed in agreement

I would comment further, but I have never beaten, or even come perilously close to beating, Mallyx.

Thanks!
TabascoSauce

Series · Jun 25, 2007, 09:25 PM // 21:25

Quote:

Originally Posted by icymanipulator

I like to be challenged, thats part of the reason I did the DoA to begin with. There is a fine line between challenging and ridiculous...we need a change!

I wonder if Anet is aware that when a game is impossible to beat without the use of extremely specific cookie cutter builds and exploits, it is not challenging but stupid. When removing a glitch makes an area impossible, something is wrong with the game.

Wings of Fury · Jun 25, 2007, 09:47 PM // 21:47

well basicly just before you go in to mallyx gate you let the air ele make a golum and let it die in the corner then you go in.when inside (you may watch the cutscene) you let the hb nt outside and every1 dies at the gate except the tank. rebirth every1 except the bonder (for sos) now if you understand how mallyx ss works you know he wont ever use it when your close in his aggro so simply take 1-2max steps from the gate and form a line from west to east then let the tank catch his aggro and let him run back to the gate.so dont move cos you can get out of mallyx aggro and he uses ss, no hexes, conditions or enchant.so you simply kill the big ape with sos and lightning.the tank doesnt need sb when pulling and you dont have to put away your staffs or weapons.so its simply why ss is being used in the first place and how you avoid him from using it.(basicly 1 hb,1bonder,1sb,1tank,1sf ele,1ss,1bip,1flesh air ele will finish citadel fast)

TabascoSauce · Jun 25, 2007, 09:48 PM // 21:48

Hi Series! It is exactly as you say. Every time they make the game harder, then it is just another step towards cookie-cutter. As I had it laboriously explained to me in a post long long ago and far far away:

Some skills are better than others.
--> (thus) you can conclude that as difficulty rises, a smaller and smaller pool of viable skills remains to choose from.

However, with level 30 and skills that we cannot have, then to me at least it is a no-brainer - of course it will take a trick or an exploit to win. It takes an exploity trick to beat an exploity trick. No balanced group can or will win, since Mallyx is nothing but an exploity trick.

Just do not go down my personal path to defeat by trying to PuG him.

I have bad luck with PuGs, but that was a particularly memorable hammering.

I wonder, was he balanced with the current PvE-only skills in mind @ rank 10? Is that why he could not be beaten in a straight up fight before without those skills?

Thanks!
TabascoSauce

icymanipulator · Jun 25, 2007, 09:49 PM // 21:49

The guy who was ranting and raving over pre-sear barons obviously made a positive impact in that Anet introduced Charr kits.

I am hoping someone from Anet will read this thread and realize that Mallyx has become completely ridiculous to beat. I agree with Series the fact that it takes a very slightly modified cookie cutter team build to clear the zones and a glitch to beat the end boss speaks volumes of the area design.

Throw us a bone here Anet, this should be a beatable mission not a wasted 45 minutes to an hour fighting off swarms of DoA monsters only to have your ass handed to you by a giant purple ape in 30 seconds.

Edit: Tobasco, Intensity and Seed see fairly regular usage in the DoA. The rest of the skills thus far are relatively useless vs. standard DoA monsters nevermind Mallyx. I could see the P/W "theres nothing to fear!" + Focused Anger + "Save Yourselves!" beating Mallyx down but consider what that would entail....A paragon who has completed a significant portion of Factions and farmed enough Kurzick/Luxon to have a decent rank for SY!. He would also have to have completed Nightfall to the point of getting into the DoA as well as a sufficiently high SS rank and LB rank AND need to have completed the other 4 zones. In short...I don't see this happening...and if this is what it takes thats nuts.

Series · Jun 25, 2007, 10:19 PM // 22:19

Quote:

Originally Posted by TabascoSauce

Hi Series! It is exactly as you say. Every time they make the game harder, then it is just another step towards cookie-cutter. As I had it laboriously explained to me in a post long long ago and far far away:

Some skills are better than others.
--> (thus) you can conclude that as difficulty rises, a smaller and smaller pool of viable skills remains to choose from.

However, with level 30 and skills that we cannot have, then to me at least it is a no-brainer - of course it will take a trick or an exploit to win. It takes an exploity trick to beat an exploity trick. No balanced group can or will win, since Mallyx is nothing but an exploity trick.

Just do not go down my personal path to defeat by trying to PuG him.

I have bad luck with PuGs, but that was a particularly memorable hammering.

I wonder, was he balanced with the current PvE-only skills in mind @ rank 10? Is that why he could not be beaten in a straight up fight before without those skills?

Thanks!
TabascoSauce

See, I think Anet goes wrong because Mallyx and similar bosses have no real weakness. Instead of, say, making Mallyx have an incredible spike attack that requires careful planning to avoid and high defensive measures while chipping away his health, he has... well... EVERYTHING. They just made him stronger and stronger until conventional means can not destroy him. Where is the fun in that?

But making it while Mallyx absolutely destroys in some areas yet is weak in others would be fun. Of course, not so that "Mallyx can own everything except an elementalist with lightning orb at exactly 14 air magic with dual attunement and a secondary assassin with 3 shadowstep skills"... that is cookie cutter. But if it was so that a typical rather-balanced party can take him down if they all play their roles efficiently, that would be fun.

mage767 · Jun 25, 2007, 10:54 PM // 22:54

Let Mallyx have all his super defense skills, but reduce his level to 3 (THREE), so that ONLY Koss can pretend to kick his ass (like he does in a quest in the storyline).

ANET, Mallyx is way overpowered! Make Koss level 300 please.

TabascoSauce · Jun 25, 2007, 11:19 PM // 23:19

@icy and series, I wrote a long diatribe and then deleted it about how the power creep in GW (see Mallyx -vs- any prophecies boss) = no fun, and the resulting PvE only skills that you have to grind and grind and grind to make effective = no fun, but I realized that it doesn't matter.

I still like prophecies. People can grind and grind and grind, and see it all go up in a poof of smoke in a few years when they turn off the servers.

I wish I could comment more, but I do not play there anymore - no fun. I can support the heck out of you, because making it less stupid might bring some of the fun back.

Thanks!
TabascoSauce

Series · Jun 25, 2007, 11:37 PM // 23:37

Quote:

Originally Posted by TabascoSauce

@icy and series, I wrote a long diatribe and then deleted it about how the power creep in GW (see Mallyx -vs- any prophecies boss) = no fun, and the resulting PvE only skills that you have to grind and grind and grind to make effective = no fun, but I realized that it doesn't matter.

I still like prophecies. People can grind and grind and grind, and see it all go up in a poof of smoke in a few years when they turn off the servers.

I wish I could comment more, but I do not play there anymore - no fun. I can support the heck out of you, because making it less stupid might bring some of the fun back.

Thanks!
TabascoSauce

Heh heh yes, play games for fun not grind IMO

Vahn Roi · Jun 25, 2007, 11:39 PM // 23:39

The fact that they have created something that is in a word "impossible" to overcome without exploits/glitches is just sad.

Boycot DoA.