Strategy in Hard Mode

Aside from all the nonsense about solo nerf, and hard mode being too "hard", I wonder... has the update really improved tactics, on the player side?

Giving them proper bars rocks; it allows for the use of shutdown/interrupts, but then that thats countered by casters casting 50% quicker.

I don't see any improvements in the AI itself, comes after casters, which is logical. They run fast out of AoE. Overall, nothing new.

With the boosts to IAS and casting speed, seems like it's forcing players into simply killing the mobs before they kill them via heavy damage. Also, it's easily exploited by backfire and SS. Most of the time, my SS spam killed the groups by itself. Is this suppose to be tactics?

Just seems like more of the same. Not dissappointed, but not overly impressed.

Expect SS and backfire to be nerfed in a week or two.

I bet SS, SV and Backfire are nerfed to work on next 1...20 attacks or something.

Yes.... having to watch patrol movements, factor in npc's not dying, upgrading my builds.
I love it

A [wiki]Crippling Anguish[/wiki] mesmer is now viable!!! Awesome.

Nothing new really, still breezing through the missions with my MM's and SF-Ele's. When I pull too many groups at once, I just daze and blind them all with my BHA-Trow Dirt-Epidemic combo. On the other hand, the entire Nightfall campaign never made me break a sweat too (except DoA, for obvious reasons). I suppose the last few mission will get a bit harder though.

Is it? Average mob is going to have 3 warriors or so, and maybe an archer or two. Echoing anguish just to stop two, recharge is 20 seconds, seems silly to me.

Hah, seems like curse necros are going to totally dominate PvE. SS, Shadow of Fear, Enfeebling blood, Meekiness... it's all deadly.

Exactly. The update just hasn't seemed to have affected tactics much. Nothing refreshing.

All in all in later part of the game in NF hard mode people will end up using similar DoA cookie cutter due to the simple fact that you can't out heal double damage and best way to counter is just to cancel them out by prevent damage as a whole.

I wouldn't say its really required to use DoA Cookie cutter but its a good option thou slow and may not be really necessary in hard mode.Some changes to it will still work well

Anyway Trapping ,mm factory with hero corpse is another good option on the list thou a bit on the slow side its still another good option . Not something one can't beat just need some time to get use to it.

As for curse necro I won't say it will dominate in PvE hard mode but more favored in part of a mix team and with a few other good option there still room for other class as a whole.

Spiteful Spirit is overpowered in Hard Mode. No complaints.

ANet once again increased difficulty by simply giving mobs more and faster damage. At least they didn't add more environmental effects or monster skills that doubled damage.

I'm so far enjoying hard mode, though. The hardest fight I've had so far was taking heroes and henchies through the Sulfurous Wastes, and trying to deal with Bohdabi the Destructive. If anyone wants to know, Sulfurous Wastes is one of the areas you need to do something else for first, there are a few groups of Margonites in the northwest that you can't get to because the pillar is still standing.

Weapon of choice = Fevered Dreams

Even the same old "send the tank in first" mentality still applies :X

That mentality will always apply when u need to control and bunch up aggro unless you're using a b/p group.

Because sending in fleshies is the new cool thing to do? Pulling or having your tank aggro is true and tried way of fighting smaller groups and not worrying about getting two or three groups.

If strategy is equivalent to going from two Ele's, ranger, and monk in Great Northern Wall, to an Ele, Ranger, Monk, and Mesmer/Necro with Spiteful Spirit, Empathy, and Reckless Haste, then sure, there's more strategy involved.

Mobs are just as dumb, they have improved numbers. I dont think that play gets any better as a result of this.

My warriors complain because they can't use SS! I demand glad's defense work against adjacent people casting spells as well!

I really haven't seen a challenge (using a standard B/P team). However, the new items, lock picks and titles are enough to keep me happy, as well as the bonus xp and gold.

Now counting down the hours till I can leave work and go home to play


Note****

I have not yet tried any of the elite missions, I am curious has anyone else?

I didn't have enough time to really give a definitive strategy other than the things we know already work.

I did notice more mobs, more patrols, more kiting, and faster casting in hard mode. You basically just need to take a balanced party with certain builds in to be able to effectively go through it it seems. Pulling seems more essential and so does "shutting down" (e.g. interrupting) the foe now more than ever.

I'll post more after I've played more this weekend (-:

Balanced Domination build = pwnage. Good balanced curses builds are the same. Enchantment removal now really makes a difference in PvE.