With the introduction of the new Vital Combat system there are many challenges and issues that arise with late game content. Some of my biggest fears that will get hit the most is mainly Shatters related.
The Avatar of the Forgotten King could be trivialized by Damaging and Berserk Buffs, however now they’re receiving a nerf so it will lost likely take a lot longer to bring down in smaller groups due to its large health pool. Furthermore its shot patterns are generally undodgable, if you’re a ranged class (ranging from wands to bows) there is a safe zone to stand and land damage easily, however I think the avatar and enemies spawned on the setpiece such as the Souls, Eyes and Killer Pillars need to be urgently tweaked.
Soul thingies
They have high defence as they are, but they also have the armoured effect slapped on em, hopefully the armoured nerf also affects enemies, which i’m sure it will, but at the same time they already heal an absurd amount, for wand classes, especially ones that do not use DPS builds, the amount that they heal each other and the frequency can prove problematic. With a damage buff it still takes a while to destroy them all in a smaller group.
Eyes
Literal DPS wall. Like the penta, if you kill only some eyes and not all of them within a certain timeframe they will just end up respawning and for groups that lack paladins or warriors this phase can last an eternity. Now with the buff nerfs I think it’ll take even longer unless coordinated correctly.
Killer Pillars
Killer Pillar: PROTECT THE AVATAR
Killer Pillar: PROTECT THE AVATAR
Killer Pillar: PROTECT THE AVATAR
Killer Pillar: PROTECT THE AVATAR
They pack a significant punch that can take you by surprise if accidentally caught by even one of their projectiles. Since Vital Combat affects the regeneration if HP and MP when taking damage above a specific threshold, it would be wise to rethink the way these guys play into the event boss.
The boss itself is very stale and poses little challenge unless you’re a newer player that doesn’t know confuse controls.
If DECA want to make the most of this new VC system that they’re implementing, the shatters itself needs a complete overhaul.
It’s all well and good having early game dungeons be more aesthetically pleasing, however the Shatters has been neglected for too long in my opinion. It’s the only endgame dungeon regularly run by casuals, however it’s very flawed in design and the only real threat is being bombarded by 4 status effects from a single projectiles, not to mention the stupid damage ranges from different enemies.
I’m pretty sure they’ve tweaked minor things in the dungeon a few times? such as the king actually shooting on the last phase no matter how far away you are from him. The ice and fire shots actually track a player too, which in shatters that lack any priests or pallys, this can really thin out the remaining players.
I find the dungeon genuinely unfun. An abundance of status effects, 200+ damage projectiles coupled with the dumbest shot patterns, I have a severe distaste for every run I do of the dungeon. Enemies that have random formations and some that can instapop even thr toughest of characters…
I’m sure these new changes will make it even worse for groups now as many of the shot “patterns” that you usually have to face-tank will now put you in a worse situation.
I personally just wanted to air my opinion about the matter and know what other people thought, as well as other aspects that will need changing if that is not already done by tomorrow.