Not to brag, but why do they say Elona is hard?

Just found out I needed to cap Warrior's Endurance, so I've gone back to Elona for a quick cap. 20 min later, I capped the skill, killed almost everything and done bonus too, with henchies. And it was easy. Ok, I had a better build than the first time (henchies too, but didn't do bonus), but still - there's nothing hard in that mission, why do people die there? I tried it with a PUG just to see - they just die, even on the minotaurs. Same about Ice Caves & Iron Mines - PUGs die, henchies rule.

On another note, did THK on the first run with a 6-man PUG with 1 trapper & mhenlo & lina as monks. Nothing even remotely hard. Go figure

It's really hard to believe I'm that good, but equally hard to believe people are that bad - what's the problem here, why can't players that are significantly stronger than henchies do easy things?

Urfin, the desert is the first place you come to where you really need to co-operate to win the mission. It is easier with henchie because they ALWAYS co-operate. I agree with you 100% often missions are easier with henchie. I've a personal hatred of Elona, but that has more to do with a nasty experience I had there rather than the true difficulty of the mission.

Elona is more about timing and cooperation than might and brute force...unfortunately, this is where the bull-headed and over-zealous get their groups killed...of the three dessert missions...I find this to be the easiest. I'd say you're not bragging....just fortunate enough to not have a bunch of mooks running about like aggro monkies.

There is absolutely NOTHING hard about those missions. I find them actually easier than others. It's just people like to just "do their own job" and not care about the rest of the group as a whole. (But they never fail on complaining about that monk over there, though...)

I guess the PUG behavior quality degree approaches zero swiftly in this mission because of the time "pressure". A half-wise PUG member that would normally semi-cooperate in a regular mission just panics, rushes and aggroes the whole mission map and the adjoining explorable areas too, just for good measure.

About henchies cooperating better than the average player: Right on, sister!

I have to laugh when I'm going to help someone through the Thristy River Mission and everyone is screaming "I'VE BEEN TRYING 2 DO DIS MISH 4 2 MONTHS".

One secret is to leave a group if it has one or more people saying that :P

nothing is hard if you know what you're doing, sadly enough, henchies often know it better than pugs :P

It isn't hard at all. The truth is most of PvE is extremely easy if you approach it with the right build. Typically THK, Thirsty River, Ring of Fire, Elona Reach, and Abaddon's Mouth are considered extremely difficult missions. The truth is that these are quite easy missions.

The problem is that this game encourages poor play through 95% of the game and a select few missions will punish you for it. Most players don't end up learning because the rest of the game is so forgiving.

Eloana is very hard for first time, easy for second time, very easy for thirth time... in some cases the new Ai for henchs let me crazy, monks runs into emeny lines to rez... and die... if u have 2 henchs monks at party, they never try to rez at same time... now them try and in 90% the same member...
but still more cooperative taht some pugs...

Dunno, I haven't noticed any "time pressure" on Elona, my watch must be broken or something

Has anyone managed to do THK with henchies actually? Should be difficult, considering they can't very well split.

Quote: Originally Posted by Urfin

Quote: It's really hard to believe I'm that good, but equally hard to believe people are that bad - what's the problem here, why can't players that are significantly stronger than henchies do easy things? Elona is hard the first time through, when you don't know how much time you really got, where the crystals are, or where the enemies are. If you play with experienced players or know when & where to go, it's a very easy mission.

THK is also quite easy with henchies, although you need a bit of luck with the boss-spawns. That no-skills warrior would've been in trouble had he got the monk boss.

Actually I've done all missions up to and including the first titan quest exclusively with henches. The remaining titan quests are IMO impossible with henches, as the Ascalon etc henches are too low level. I've done the full Sorrows Furnace. Am now working on finding a way of completing the New Underworld with henches (AFAIK noones ever managed, but it should be possible even with the Zaishen loser henches).

Quote: Originally Posted by Urfin

The only thing that turns this mission ugly is the timer. 30 mins is twice as much time as you actually need, but in PUG's you'll always get people who panic and agro every mob in the map trying to run with the crystals.

Henchmen = easy mode. PUG = hard mode. Do it only for the challenge.

LOL the only mission I ever had trouble with in the game was Elona the first time I ever did it with my ranger it took me something like 20 tries, but that was also back when the majority of the game was new to the majority of the players.

Thirsty, THK, RoF, Abbadon's Mouth, Hell - I did them all the first try, with PUGs too.

Quote: Originally Posted by Keyote

Quote: Originally Posted by Lady Lozza I did them all the first try, with PUGs too. Now, that I don't believe, unless you have a strict interviewing methodology to determine who to allow into your PUGs and spend an hour forming your party.

I do thunderhead with henchies all the time. Usually with one guildie that needs it. Most of the time you can do it with no deaths.

Heh, I wish I was able to make a random PUG understand a few simple things in 5 minutes so they don't die. Ok, at least one thing - about aggro. Would be so much more fun to play with humans. You could even *grasp* take 4 half-competent people instead of 8 frags and get more loot...

Fellow EVE player Urfin?