Gates of Madness Mission (Spoiler)

YunSooJin

YunSooJin

Pyromaniac

Join Date: Aug 2005

Mo/W

Quote:
Originally Posted by justadude
No, my friend, you called a great many things in guild wars tedious, not challenging. You were the one who said most of the game is tedious, I was merely expanding on your 'definition' of challenge in Guild Wars. You must be really bored by how easy Guild Wars is. It's Glint and Shiro for you right? How wait Shiro is easy and I shouldnt be complaining...

I keep bringing up the thing in the waterworks saying that it was 'easy' compared to Shiro. I am in total agreement that it was a joke. I mean change the damage type... no challenge involved in coordinating that attack... rather tedious setting everyone up dont you agree?

No offense, but quite assuming stuff. It is player skill. If I where a better player then I would not be having this problem. I dont consider myself to be a bad player having gone and done some of the more 'tedious' (please read your post again to see that it was you who said most things in guild Wars are not hard, but 'tedious).

You finished the mission and seem unable to fathom that it could be hard for others so you patronize those that are having trouble by saying that we got the 'hard' version of the game. You and your 'Shiro is easy' buddies seem unable to fathom that there are those who have hit a wall on this one. Best of all is that you stand by your point that its easy.

So tell me, what do you find challenging in Guild Wars? I dont think he's patronizing anyone, actually. The reality is that most people do not want to face the facts that some people are better at a game than others. If they do, they don't want to be compared to it. He obviously doesn't want to start playing catch the flame with anyone on these forums who might be particularly sensitive, so he threw out some comments loaded with sarcasm - something you decided to take literally and call patronism instead.

Play against Shiro right, and he's not that hard. Impossible Odds is scary, sure, but if you really are spending 30+ minutes per try and XX hours trying to finish this mission, you should look inward for the problems, not at the game.

semantic

semantic

Lion's Arch Merchant

Join Date: Feb 2005

Shiro is a cupcake without Meditation of the Reaper and Banishment. He's still got some good skills, but seriously. Maybe if he spawned some backup Ride the Lightning drakes or something when he got into trouble, there'd be an issue.

No Spoil Victor, no Spiteful Spirit, not even Prot Spirit. Hell, not even the obivous Paragon skill Angelic Protection (which would probably actually heal the tank during IO).

Cake. In a cup.

justadude

Ascalonian Squire

Join Date: Oct 2006

R/Mo

Quote:
Originally Posted by YunSooJin
I dont think he's patronizing anyone, actually. The reality is that most people do not want to face the facts that some people are better at a game than others. If they do, they don't want to be compared to it. He obviously doesn't want to start playing catch the flame with anyone on these forums who might be particularly sensitive, so he threw out some comments loaded with sarcasm - something you decided to take literally and call patronism instead.

Play against Shiro right, and he's not that hard. Impossible Odds is scary, sure, but if you really are spending 30+ minutes per try and XX hours trying to finish this mission, you should look inward for the problems, not at the game. Dude, did you even read the post? I have faced the facts and am quite okay with them. I met many players who are better than I am and have been grateful for the lessons imparted. I believe I wrote somthing to that effect in the post you quoted. I believe my inwardness is quite okay, thank you.

But lets quit beating around the bush, why dont you help me get through the mission? If Shiro is not that hard I am sure you can get me through. My ign is Persephone Balu.

Ps. I will still think Shiro is way to hard, but I will give you kudos for getting me through and being a good player (I really mean that). Come on put your money where your mouth is.

Antheus

Forge Runner

Join Date: Jan 2006

Quote:
Originally Posted by YunSooJin
Play against Shiro right, and he's not that hard. Impossible Odds is scary, sure, but if you really are spending 30+ minutes per try and XX hours trying to finish this mission, you should look inward for the problems, not at the game. It's not just one person's problem, the mission is annoying.

First, the overabundance of D and P in that mission makes it hard to get a balanced PUG. This mission is made considerably easier if you have one single tank.

Getting to end-part is also annoying, since last part is all vs. one, while during the mission you face typical masses of mobs.

Lightbringer makes going there a lot easier, but many don't have it.

People tend to wipe at portals, since they don't realize how hard chain lightning spike can hit.

Most don't realize that it's better to do bonus. During that, you must not harm Shiro and he won't use IO. Still, some people find it necessary to keep getting his health down, causing more damage than necessary.

Too many monks forget what all out protection means. Shield of Absorption in combination with Life Sheath and Protective Spirit were all made for a reason. But only two WoH healers will make that mission really hard, since they simply can't heal enough. Aegis obviously works as well, as do wards and similar skills.

Spoil Victor, Empathy, weakness, blind, Insidious Parasite, any other anti-melee skill work. Yet, Shiro has unlisted ability to lose hexes. Either IO or Battle Scars will remove one or all hexes (not sure which).

Patrols are pretty annoying on the way there as well, if you engage mobs without pulling them away, you will quickly and almost certainly double-agro.

Many also don't realize that margonite patrols respawn, so they keep on killing them, wasting time and energy, risking a wipe because of accidental over-agro.

When all of this is put together, you do get a really annoying mission. When played right, it is indeed challenging. But it can easily become frustrating. Real people, who even remotely know the issues will be infinitely better than any hero or henchie.

But put a team that knows what they are doing, and the mission becomes a done deal.

aohige

Lion's Arch Merchant

Join Date: Jul 2006

GoW

Mo/

Quote:
Originally Posted by Antheus
It's not just one person's problem, the mission is annoying.

First, the overabundance of D and P in that mission makes it hard to get a balanced PUG. This mission is made considerably easier if you have one single tank. If you can't get a balanced PUG, then get a balanced Hero/Hench team and solo it. It's actually easier that way, as long as you know what you're doing.

Alas, apparantly, the game is filled with people who have no idea how to play the game, and I'm surprised so many of them actually got this far.
Once in a while, rather than relying on others to get you there, perhaps some people should learn to play on their own, to get better understanding of the game.

Antheus

Forge Runner

Join Date: Jan 2006

Quote:
Originally Posted by aohige
If you can't get a balanced PUG, then get a balanced Hero/Hench team and solo it. It's actually easier that way, as long as you know what you're doing.

Alas, apparantly, the game is filled with people who have no idea how to play the game, and I'm surprised so many of them actually got this far.
Once in a while, rather than relying on others to get you there, perhaps some people should learn to play on their own, to get better understanding of the game. Exactly. People are people. Some are good players, some not so good. Some understand how skills work, some have the necessary ones, some don't.

/learn2play is a dangerous argument. It's extremly easy to design a mission in such a way, that only select dozen will pass it. But such missions prove to be cumbersome or impossible for majority.

Just like elite missions rely on specific classes, skills and strategies, they can be considered easy by experienced players. But reality is, majority of players aren't.

And this takes into consideration the fact that many players there don't know what a balanced team is or how to make one, they don't have the patience, they lack skill unlocks or similar. Soloing with heroes is in many cases impossible, since controlling AI efficiently is even harder than playing with people.

This particular mission isn't a test of superiority, it's just a part of primary mission path. The real question here is, is the mission too demanding for this purpose, especially considering other missions before are a whole factor easier and can, for most part, be overcome with brute force.

justadude

Ascalonian Squire

Join Date: Oct 2006

R/Mo

Quote:
Originally Posted by Antheus
It's not just one person's problem, the mission is annoying.

But put a team that knows what they are doing, and the mission becomes a done deal. Two good points. There are many people stuck on this mission. Especially Melee types. This to me is poor mission and game design, but can be corrected. This leads to the second point not being a reality for many. Yes, one could hero/hench it, but a good group that communicates, pickup or guild, is still better than hero/hench. But those are hard to find in this mission.

I am sure when spamming 'sv nerco lfg' I will find many groups and get through, but Dervish are not wanted due to the design of this mission.

I must say I really appricieated your response. I was not the typical 'What you cant hench it? You suck' response. There was at least empathy for the problems faced by many in this mission.

justadude

Ascalonian Squire

Join Date: Oct 2006

R/Mo

Quote:
Originally Posted by Antheus
Exactly. People are people. Some are good players, some not so good. Some understand how skills work, some have the necessary ones, some don't.

/learn2play is a dangerous argument. It's extremly easy to design a mission in such a way, that only select dozen will pass it. But such missions prove to be cumbersome or impossible for majority.

Just like elite missions rely on specific classes, skills and strategies, they can be considered easy by experienced players. But reality is, majority of players aren't.

And this takes into consideration the fact that many players there don't know what a balanced team is or how to make one, they don't have the patience, they lack skill unlocks or similar. Soloing with heroes is in many cases impossible, since controlling AI efficiently is even harder than playing with people.

This particular mission isn't a test of superiority, it's just a part of primary mission path. The real question here is, is the mission too demanding for this purpose, especially considering other missions before are a whole factor easier and can, for most part, be overcome with brute force. That was really well said. Eloquent and true to fact.

YunSooJin

YunSooJin

Pyromaniac

Join Date: Aug 2005

Mo/W

Quote:
Originally Posted by justadude
But lets quit beating around the bush, why dont you help me get through the mission? If Shiro is not that hard I am sure you can get me through. My ign is Persephone Balu.

Ps. I will still think Shiro is way to hard, but I will give you kudos for getting me through and being a good player (I really mean that). Come on put your money where your mouth is.
I'm the kind of terrible person that won't even help people in my gvg guild. I've done enough PvE that I am honestly not willing to do more than I absolutely must (absolutely must mostly referring to selfish goals only). The only exceptions to this rule is a few personal friends that always help me (that have help worth offering) and I do in return. So - no offense, but I'll pass on this one.

Quote: Originally Posted by Antheus It's not just one person's problem, the mission is annoying.

First, the overabundance of D and P in that mission makes it hard to get a balanced PUG. This mission is made considerably easier if you have one single tank.

Getting to end-part is also annoying, since last part is all vs. one, while during the mission you face typical masses of mobs.

Lightbringer makes going there a lot easier, but many don't have it.

People tend to wipe at portals, since they don't realize how hard chain lightning spike can hit.

Most don't realize that it's better to do bonus. During that, you must not harm Shiro and he won't use IO. Still, some people find it necessary to keep getting his health down, causing more damage than necessary.

Too many monks forget what all out protection means. Shield of Absorption in combination with Life Sheath and Protective Spirit were all made for a reason. But only two WoH healers will make that mission really hard, since they simply can't heal enough. Aegis obviously works as well, as do wards and similar skills.

Spoil Victor, Empathy, weakness, blind, Insidious Parasite, any other anti-melee skill work. Yet, Shiro has unlisted ability to lose hexes. Either IO or Battle Scars will remove one or all hexes (not sure which).

Patrols are pretty annoying on the way there as well, if you engage mobs without pulling them away, you will quickly and almost certainly double-agro.

Many also don't realize that margonite patrols respawn, so they keep on killing them, wasting time and energy, risking a wipe because of accidental over-agro.

When all of this is put together, you do get a really annoying mission. When played right, it is indeed challenging. But it can easily become frustrating. Real people, who even remotely know the issues will be infinitely better than any hero or henchie.

But put a team that knows what they are doing, and the mission becomes a done deal. A friend and I did this mission together when NF came out. We wiped the first time versus Shiro. We also managed to fight all the patrols on the way, and deal with two waves of Shiro'Ken. We also didn't realize the patrols at the portals and had to deal with some unnecessary/unplanned aggro while killing monsters at the portals.

The second time was a different story. We sat down, talked about our build a little build, made small adjustments (curse necro + spoil victor, anyone?) and went back in. We skipped all the unnecessary patrols, killed only 1 wave of Shiro'Ken and just ninja'd our way through, and rolled the portal wraiths. We faced Shiro + Lich - killed the Lich, grabbed the bonus, then rolled Shiro's face. I don't honestly know how else to put it. We made sure Shiro was on me (I was tanking) and let the henchies go wild.

My friend was a monk. I was a warrior. More to the point, I didnt have any defensive stances, only d-blow and wild blow. I believe the entire mission took us..15 minutes?

There's already people in this thread saying they charge for runs through this mission. If someone has simplified the mission to this level, then people are seriously doing something wrong.

Also, in regards to the argument that this mission is too hard for the majority - good, finally something is difficult for people. What makes PvE players stupid and stay stupid, is when the environment doesn't let them know that running R/Mo with orison is a Bad Idea. I think it's lamentable that most missions can be simply played through by 'brute force'. Just like THK, which was considered way too hard previously, there should be missions that encourage players to reconsider what they're doing.

I don't think finishing a mission is an entitlement to players, it should be earned. It's weak that people start crying nerfbat as soon as they think something is too difficult.

Quote:
Originally Posted by Antheus
/learn2play is a dangerous argument. It's extremly easy to design a mission in such a way, that only select dozen will pass it. But such missions prove to be cumbersome or impossible for majority. The funny thing is, the mission is not actually difficult. If those portal wraiths are so much trouble, bring some interrupts (seriously, Margrid will pwn their face. Every single freakin time). Can't get the aggro from portal wraiths to be clean? Station your henchies back and use a longbow. I mean seriously why is this so difficult? It's blindingly obvious that you can just hug walls and avoid patrols. It doesn't take new skills or uberleet heroes to see this. When the Shiro'Ken come, they spawn in front of you and behind you, in predictable time intervals. So why not just kill the group in front of you and RUN through? Are people really suggesting that this is too hard for humans to do? Aren't we all born with a basic capability to reason and think for ourselves, or is that not even a requirement anymore?

Honestly, with all the disparaging comments about warriors/wammos in general on these forums, you'd think people would want to distance themselves by learning to play slightly differently - something that didn't require mostly brute strength and the ability for them to spam their spells. Well here's your chance people, please take it for your own self enrichment.

Jeremy Untouchable

Jeremy Untouchable

Wow Stole my freetime

Join Date: Mar 2006

Arkansas

None

W/E

Ok, I may not be the best player ever. but i am in top form at the moment haveing tanked all thro this entire game up untill this point. Sure i had to redo a couple missions here and there. (moduckduckgoose crevice) but the entire game was well balenced up untill this point. In fact, the mission its self is just fine. sure double agro and party wipes are common. but its just fine. Whats NOT fine is not being able to kill a boss at the end of a mission for 4 days in a row. I spent 5 hours last night trying to beat this guy. I could write a freaking book on patrols and there paterns and spawn points. i know every popup and trick on the way to to the boss. I have used full 8 man groups, 4 poeple the rest heros.....its has been the most unfun mission ever. Dont get me wrong i enjoy a chalenge, but this shiro is 10 times the boss he was in factions. and it just isnt right............/endrant................................./begin rant.....................also the couple of people in my guild/alliance say that it was far easyer the first time they went thro, in fact the one guy who beat it before in our guild hasnt been able to beat it with us agian. shiro behaves differntly now then before....So all you people saying that it wasnt hard, or you breezed right thro....Go try it now...........if you still think its such a breeze i guess i should be playing checkers or party poker...........grrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrr rrrrrrrrrrr................./pounds head on table.....OUT

darktyco

Lion's Arch Merchant

Join Date: Nov 2006

I'm a new GW player, NF is the first campaign I have ever played. So far I have worked through the game getting masters in all the previous missions with my N/Me. However, people aren't letting me into groups for this mission because I don't have either SV or SS. Can those skills be found anywhere Nightfall? I tried looking them up on the wiki but couldn't find anything.

In the meantime I'm just going to try to go at this one with heroes, I got to the portals last time I tried but I was standing in the middle of the area when the portals opened up and got owned on all sides.

Antheus

Forge Runner

Join Date: Jan 2006

Quote:
Originally Posted by YunSooJin
The funny thing is, the mission is not actually difficult. If those portal wraiths are so much trouble, bring some interrupts (seriously, Margrid will pwn their face. Every single freakin time). Can't get the aggro from portal wraiths to be clean? Station your henchies back and use a longbow. I mean seriously why is this so difficult? It's blindingly obvious that you can just hug walls and avoid patrols. It doesn't take new skills or uberleet heroes to see this. When the Shiro'Ken come, they spawn in front of you and behind you, in predictable time intervals. So why not just kill the group in front of you and RUN through? Are people really suggesting that this is too hard for humans to do? Aren't we all born with a basic capability to reason and think for ourselves, or is that not even a requirement anymore? Yes, it is too hard to do.

How many understand the difference between longbox and shortbow?
What is hugging the wall?
What is agro circle?
What is chain lightning and why does it wipe my team?
How do interrupts work, how often, how many targets? How will you know that if you never played a ranger?
Why do Shiroken hurt so much?
How far back do you position heros?
When and how will Shiroken spawn?

You just listed so many tactics and strategies that it takes a very experienced player to put this into practice.

And yet, many such players are stuck at this mission. Some are new players, who just bought Nightfall as their first GW game. Some never played rangers, elementalists or necros. For many, warrior and dervish are the only classes they ever played or will play, not even looking at other classes' skills. Some never played Factions and encountered Shiroken elementalists before. Or finished Prophecies to encouter titans or wraiths.

This is what it comes down to. Skills and mechanics are same for all, but experiences vary greatly. And this, is what your team members will be.

This isn't about whether mechanics are wrong, or mission design is wrong. It's about the fact that people perceive this mission as unfun and frustrating. Just like they did THK, and perhaps a few others.

Shanaeri Rynale

Shanaeri Rynale

Desert Nomad

Join Date: Aug 2005

DVDF(Forums)

Me/N

Quote:
This isn't about whether mechanics are wrong, or mission design is wrong. It's about the fact that people perceive this mission as unfun and frustrating. Just like they did THK, and perhaps a few others. Exactly. Every chapter has it's terror missions, Ch1 had THK, Ch2 had Vizunah and Raisu. Ch3 Has this and maybe Jenur's Hoarde

It's not a new thing. In fact it's got better I think. People got stuck for days in THK when Ch1 was new. I love the fact there are these terror missions, in some ways I kinda wish there were more.

Antheus

Forge Runner

Join Date: Jan 2006

Quote:
Originally Posted by Shanaeri Rynale
I love the fact there are these terror missions, in some ways I kinda wish there were more. Surprisingly, this would be a good thing, that would lead to no terror missions.

Shiro and Lich are so "difficult", because they are exact opposite of anything encountered before.

The only design problem with the mission is, that the game doesn't prepare you for it. The strategies for defeating it were listed many times. Yet all those strategies are completely optional in previous missions.

In factions, the players at least experienced sliver armor, which is very similar in effect to IO spike. The only place in NF where I encountered such spikes (apart from half dozen bowmen) is Shiro.

If there were bosses with similar skills on previous missions, this mission would seem much simpler to many.

Rera

Rera

Wilds Pathfinder

Join Date: Jul 2006

Quote:
Originally Posted by justadude
No, my friend, you called a great many things in guild wars tedious, not challenging. You were the one who said most of the game is tedious, I was merely expanding on your 'definition' of challenge in Guild Wars. You must be really bored by how easy Guild Wars is. It's Glint and Shiro for you right? How wait Shiro is easy and I shouldnt be complaining...
Glint is a joke.

You specifically stated that the challenge of Guild Wars is to withstand tedium. Regardless of whether you were expanding on my definition, if this is what you think then it isn't really a game anymore - it's a chore.

Quote:
Originally Posted by justadude I keep bringing up the thing in the waterworks saying that it was 'easy' compared to Shiro. I am in total agreement that it was a joke. I mean change the damage type... no challenge involved in coordinating that attack... rather tedious setting everyone up dont you agree? My point is that, if the Drought is so easy, why bother comparing anything to it? It's like saying, "Hell's Precipice is hard because Pre-Searing is easier!"

Quote: Originally Posted by justadude No offense, but quite assuming stuff. It is player skill. If I where a better player then I would not be having this problem. I dont consider myself to be a bad player having gone and done some of the more 'tedious' (please read your post again to see that it was you who said most things in guild Wars are not hard, but 'tedious).

You finished the mission and seem unable to fathom that it could be hard for others so you patronize those that are having trouble by saying that we got the 'hard' version of the game. You and your 'Shiro is easy' buddies seem unable to fathom that there are those who have hit a wall on this one. Best of all is that you stand by your point that its easy. I guess I forgot the /sarcasm tag in that post. My bad.

Quote: Originally Posted by justadude So tell me, what do you find challenging in Guild Wars? GvG.

Quote: Originally Posted by Antheus /learn2play is a dangerous argument. It's extremly easy to design a mission in such a way, that only select dozen will pass it. But such missions prove to be cumbersome or impossible for majority.

Just like elite missions rely on specific classes, skills and strategies, they can be considered easy by experienced players. But reality is, majority of players aren't. Anyone can become a better player. Until now, nobody has been forced to get better, which has been a fundamental design flaw of GW from the beginning. If you can go from the beginning of the game to the end without learning a damn thing, the game is simply too easy, period.

The fact of the matter is that success isn't limited to a dozen people in this case. Many people have passed this mission with ease. A few are even selling runs. You don't even need a real team to beat the mission. Think about that for a moment.

Quote: Originally Posted by Antheus
And this takes into consideration the fact that many players there don't know what a balanced team is or how to make one, they don't have the patience, they lack skill unlocks or similar. Soloing with heroes is in many cases impossible, since controlling AI efficiently is even harder than playing with people. Time to learn.

Quote:
Originally Posted by Antheus
This particular mission isn't a test of superiority, it's just a part of primary mission path. The real question here is, is the mission too demanding for this purpose, especially considering other missions before are a whole factor easier and can, for most part, be overcome with brute force. The fact that the rest of the game can be overcome by brute force is the design flaw. Again, if the game doesn't force you to get better, the game is too easy.

Quote:
Originally Posted by Antheus
How many understand the difference between longbox and shortbow?
What is hugging the wall?
What is agro circle?
What is chain lightning and why does it wipe my team?
How do interrupts work, how often, how many targets? How will you know that if you never played a ranger?
Why do Shiroken hurt so much?
How far back do you position heros?
When and how will Shiroken spawn?

You just listed so many tactics and strategies that it takes a very experienced player to put this into practice. Most of that is extremely basic stuff you should have learned on the way to this mission. Again, the flaw in game design is that you never *needed* to know before now, and suddenly it matters. But honestly, can there really be people who can't figure out what the aggro circle is? What hugging the wall is? Why do Shiro'Ken hurt so much? Can you be serious?

Quote:
Originally Posted by Antheus
This isn't about whether mechanics are wrong, or mission design is wrong. It's about the fact that people perceive this mission as unfun and frustrating. Just like they did THK, and perhaps a few others. A lot of people find anything that presents any sort of difficulty to be unfun and frustrating. A lot of people go into a game thinking that everything should just be handed to them for free ("I paid for the game, I deserve all of the content! Why should I have to work for it?!?"). Listening to these people, you'd think the best game in the world was where every enemy was a treasure chest that dropped a perfect gold item everytime you hit it.

Do you ever wonder why PuGs get no respect? Or why PvE in general gets no respect? Because everytime anything is even remotely hard, people whine about it and Anet 'fixes' it. The PvE aspect of GW doesn't force anyone to get better because it isn't at all challenging, so the newbies straight out of Ascalon could end up at THK with no knowledge of how to actually play the game.

If you can't see a flaw in that, then I honestly don't know what to tell you.

justadude

Ascalonian Squire

Join Date: Oct 2006

R/Mo

Quote:
Originally Posted by Antheus
Surprisingly, this would be a good thing, that would lead to no terror missions.

Shiro and Lich are so "difficult", because they are exact opposite of anything encountered before.

The only design problem with the mission is, that the game doesn't prepare you for it. The strategies for defeating it were listed many times. Yet all those strategies are completely optional in previous missions.

In factions, the players at least experienced sliver armor, which is very similar in effect to IO spike. The only place in NF where I encountered such spikes (apart from half dozen bowmen) is Shiro.

If there were bosses with similar skills on previous missions, this mission would seem much simpler to many. This is very true. What also underlines this is the fact that skills from other chapters have become requirements for getting into a group. It is a radical turn from anything in the game.

Antheus

Forge Runner

Join Date: Jan 2006

Quote:
Originally Posted by Rera
Most of that is extremely basic stuff you should have learned on the way to this mission. Again, the flaw in game design is that you never *needed* to know before now, and suddenly it matters. But honestly, can there really be people who can't figure out what the aggro circle is? What hugging the wall is? Why do Shiro'Ken hurt so much? Can you be serious? Well, that was my point.

You consider only GvG challenging. This essentially puts you out of the picture of PvE stroryline aspects, since for you they are irrelevant. I won't go into the horror I encountered when I joined top 100 ranked guild group in the deep. It was the worst team play and skill use I've encountered in a year, we never made it past 3rd room, after the same players started going afk, rage quitting, and spewing profanities over TS. So this again, means nothing.

The game doesn't progress linearly to teach the concepts. It gives easy missions up to the last two missions. At which point, many inexperienced players find themselves overwhealmed.

The agro happy wammo with mending and healing breeze is not a myth. It's just a very basic strategy which gets you up until a certain point. This applies to all classes. In NF, all missions except last two can be done more or less with any build. But when faced with last two missions, they turn out unbalanced, since they, for the first time, require too many advanced concepts.

That is the only issue here.

justadude

Ascalonian Squire

Join Date: Oct 2006

R/Mo

Quote:
Originally Posted by Rera
Glint is a joke.
You must be laughing pretty hard by now.

Quote:
Originally Posted by Rera
You specifically stated that the challenge of Guild Wars is to withstand tedium. Regardless of whether you were expanding on my definition, if this is what you think then it isn't really a game anymore - it's a chore.
You did not get it.

Quote:
Originally Posted by Rera
GvG. Yes, pvp does hone a lot of skills and I have learned a lot from pvper who put aside their elitism and imparted with patience some tactics.

Quote:
Originally Posted by Rera
... Generally I get the impression that you cant view this from the other side. Things seem to have to be the way you see them. You expect others to be like you in all regards, or at least live by the same standards. I am sorry I do not view Guild wars the way you do. I do not like pvp and that is allowed. I believe elite style missions are fun but should be optional in the storyline or like the warren and the deep. And that is fine too.

Mai

Mai

Lion's Arch Merchant

Join Date: Mar 2006

Needs Moar[DESU]

Mo/

Quote:
Originally Posted by Antheus
Yes, it is too hard to do.

How many understand the difference between longbox and shortbow?
What is hugging the wall?
What is agro circle?
What is chain lightning and why does it wipe my team?
How do interrupts work, how often, how many targets? How will you know that if you never played a ranger?
Why do Shiroken hurt so much?
How far back do you position heros?
When and how will Shiroken spawn?

You just listed so many tactics and strategies that it takes a very experienced player to put this into practice.
Completely false. Your average player should know most or all these things. It is pointed out in the tutorials about aggroing and the circle if you paid any attention to it at all. Everything else should be learned as you play the game unless your one of those people that want everything hand fed to them. It's called game experience and by the time you reach this mission the player should have a basic understanding of all these things.

justadude

Ascalonian Squire

Join Date: Oct 2006

R/Mo

Quote:
Originally Posted by YunSooJin
I'm the kind of terrible person that won't even help people in my gvg guild. I've done enough PvE that I am honestly not willing to do more than I absolutely must (absolutely must mostly referring to selfish goals only). The only exceptions to this rule is a few personal friends that always help me (that have help worth offering) and I do in return. So - no offense, but I'll pass on this one. *gasp* I never would have figure you to b the way you describe yourself. OMG! Boy, am I ever surprised by this...

lol, I figured you would drop the ball on this. It's what your type does. I guess the challenge was too much for you. Take care.

Antheus

Forge Runner

Join Date: Jan 2006

Quote:
Originally Posted by Mai
Completely false. Your average player should know most or all these things. It is pointed out in the tutorials about aggroing and the circle if you paid any attention to it at all. Everything else should be learned as you play the game unless your one of those people that want everything hand fed to them. It's called game experience and by the time you reach this mission the player should have a basic understanding of all these things. I agree that they should know. But they don't *need* to know.

The game up until that point allows you to get by without knowing these skills. It was the same issue with THK. It required up until that point an unfamiliar strategy. No other mission required you to hold an area and protect someone. So naturally, you could have been a quite decent player up until that point, but faced with new situation, target prioritization, positioning and retreat becoming a must, it simply didn't fit.

Same goes for desert missions. Elona introduced a timer, which was more than enough, yet people freaked out and rushed straight into death.

Thristy river required taking consideration of timer for respawns, and shutting down/killing the priest.

All of these missions were unpopular. Elona still has 24/7 running service, an odd MM or two will run Thristy river.

This, to an extent defeats the purpose. If a mission is "borked" to an extent that many find it unenjoyable, it's not a good thing.


While I agree that all those missions were a preparation for pvp game style, the distinction between PvEers and PvPers has always been huge. And with new story-oriented design, where PvE is a linear sequence of missions, perhaps even redundant.

As a side note, RoF missions don't suffer from that. The common complaint there is lack of players, not mission difficulty. Because they follow the expected pattern. Kill group, move on, kill group, ..., kill boss.

I'm not taking sides here about whether last two missions are too hard or too easy. But the missions I see most people frustrated about are the last two, Gates of Desolation, Jenur Horde and Rilohn Refuge. It's unproductive to claim whether they really are hard, but they do cause frustration.

I'm also not suggesting a nerf of any kind, since it's not really possible to nerf a mission type. But anything that deviates from common mission design causes frustration, which is not a good thing.

My suggestion with regard to this would be, that primary storyline should be "easy", focusing on story itself, without presenting too many obstacles. Then, add more difficult missions, elite style, which can be done at leisure, perhaps even for decent rewards, or area unlocks. But never should any player get stuck for several days on one mission that is part of regular storyline.

This would benefit everyone. Hard-core players would breeze through content in 5 hours instead of 6. Casual players would find gameplay constantly enjoyable. And then, without the presure of "completing the game", everyone could focus on completing the optional objectives. For a casual player, 20 missions is a lot in the first place.

Arx Baron

Academy Page

Join Date: May 2006

Maestus Nex

Mo/

Shiro can't him himself without his Battle Scars stance. So use a Wild Blow when he activates it, the reload for his stance is 11sec and the reload of Wild Blow is 5sec.
Besides, if you can pull him to fight him alone, he doesn't have any enchantment remover, so you're safe with a Protective Spirit. Beware to use the Wild Blow, because his Battle Scars are considered to be Life Stealing attacks, and they will pierce the Protective Spirit.

Rera

Rera

Wilds Pathfinder

Join Date: Jul 2006

@Antheus: If your only concern is whether something causes frustration, there are a lot of things in this game that should be removed. For instance: rare items, PuGs, local chat, etc.

Your proposed solution only widens the gap between veteran players and newbies, which is interesting given the current feeling that the GW community is dying because veteran players refuse to PuG.

Making the campaign harder and forcing people to think would improve the average skill level of the GW playerbase, and thus encourage people to play together because the chances of finding other competent players increases. Making the campaign easier so that anyone can beat it without thinking simply exacerbates the preceived problem.

The fact that the mending wammo is not a myth should be raising red flags for people. Why does he exist, and how can we make him extinct?

@justadude: You don't have to like PvP, that wasn't the point. You asked me what I found challenging, and I answered your question. It has nothing to do with the rest of this discussion, because as Antheus demonstrated PvP is unrelated to PvE.

From what I see, your position is that some people are having trouble with this mission, so it must be too hard. Nevermind all of the people who *didn't* have trouble with this mission, nevermind how little skill is actually required to beat it, and nevermind that people who have done the mission are spoonfeeding the strategy to you. All you have to do is swallow, but apparently some people can't even manage that.

Your response to Yun was also quite predictable. "Well, if you don't help me you must not be able to do it! LOL NUB!" Why should anyone be obligated to give you a free pass through the mission? I hate people who use this tactic and then act like they managed to prove something. The fact is that many people have gotten Master's on this mission with little difficulty. Oh wait, but they didn't help you so they must all be lying! Yeah!

jackwooly

Ascalonian Squire

Join Date: Dec 2005

N/Mo

Bring:

1 SS Hero/Player - Empathy, Reckless Haste, Price of Failure and Insidious Parasite are helpful along with SS.

1 Spoil Victor Hero/Player - If it's a hero just load them up with other blood spells.

1 Wild Blow Hero/Player - Wild Blow is all that is critically needed, defensive stances help a lot though.

I used this load up of Heroes + Warrior, Paragon and both Healer Henchies.

I was a support/healing Paragon using the first build posted in the 'Duo Paragons' thread in the Paragon forum.

Got Masters on the first try and only had around 3 or 4 deaths due to accidental aggro.

In my experience I found the last mission harder because of the bloomin' Torment Claws.

I finished the game today by the way.

darktyco

Lion's Arch Merchant

Join Date: Nov 2006

Well, after being denied entry into groups for being a N/Me without SS or SV (I still don't know whether I can even get those skills b/c I only own Nightfall) I ended up henching it and beating it by soloing this Shiro punk with my oh-so-nottherightbuildforthismission necro.

1st Attempt: Wipe after Shiro spawns his minions before you reach the temple
2nd Attempt: Wipe after the portals are opened
3rd Attempt: Clear all portals by running up, hexing the crap out of single portal wraith, run away, watch him slowly die, run back, repeat. Then run into the temple, own the liche. Ignore Shiro and run to each alter and get the blessing. Kite Shiro back into the middle, space out the henchies and start to whack away at him. At about 25% health Koss keeps dying from Impossible Odds (despite having 3 healers), all henches end up dying after that. I run up the stairs, Shiro chases me. Shiro runs away, I cast Reaper's Mark and Phantasm on him. He chases me and runs away again, so I reapply hexes. Repeat for about 15 minutes, throwing in different degens just to mix it up. Shiro dies.

I don't know how I'll ever get my Dervish through this though, since I can't use this type of exploit and the Derv seems even less desirable in a group for this mission than a non-SV necro is. One of my elementals (who I did not bring along on this mission) has a blind skill and maybe that would make the whole thing much easier.

Don't think I'm complaining here: I did like the set up and challenge for this mission quite a bit. It needed multiple tries and a decent amount of forethought to finish. I liked the tricky pulls, suprise spawns and everything, it kind of felt like working through an instance from WoW (don't lynch me.) I think all of the missions should have at least some of the challenge this one had.

The only thing I don't like is the cheese factor that made the boss so hard, because to properly defuse him requires skills I don't have or know how to get. How the heck am I supposed to get this wailing blow skill onto Koss when none of the hero skill trainers offer it? Or SV or SS when you can only cap the skills from the other two GW games? And like it or not the encounter makes certain classes undesirable for the average-joe pug, and that sucks.

I've only been playing GW since Nightfall was released though, so these are just the ramblings of a newb.

jackwooly

Ascalonian Squire

Join Date: Dec 2005

N/Mo

Wild Blow is a Core skill so a trainer somewhere should offer it, it is a warrior skill as well, linked to the 'No Attribute' section.

Unfortunately you will not be able to obtain SS or SV without Prophecies.

Age

Age

Hall Hero

Join Date: Jul 2005

California Canada/BC

STG Administrator

Mo/

Quote:
Originally Posted by Mai
Nightfall, not factions.

You don't get celestial skills in Nightfall.
What did I say in my post I will reinterate I didn't use celestial skills on any of my chars when beating Shiro in Factions as well as my Monk.

Quote:
Originally Posted by Rera
GvG. This is not a challenge it is teams effort a chellenge is something of a goal.

justadude

Ascalonian Squire

Join Date: Oct 2006

R/Mo

Quote:
Originally Posted by Rera
@justadude: You don't have to like PvP, that wasn't the point. You asked me what I found challenging, and I answered your question. It has nothing to do with the rest of this discussion, because as Antheus demonstrated PvP is unrelated to PvE.

From what I see, your position is that some people are having trouble with this mission, so it must be too hard. Nevermind all of the people who *didn't* have trouble with this mission, nevermind how little skill is actually required to beat it, and nevermind that people who have done the mission are spoonfeeding the strategy to you. All you have to do is swallow, but apparently some people can't even manage that.

Your response to Yun was also quite predictable. "Well, if you don't help me you must not be able to do it! LOL NUB!" Why should anyone be obligated to give you a free pass through the mission? I hate people who use this tactic and then act like they managed to prove something. The fact is that many people have gotten Master's on this mission with little difficulty. Oh wait, but they didn't help you so they must all be lying! Yeah! I never denied that that many people have made it. I simply believe that this mission is not on par with the rest of the campaign. By the nature of its design it is hard to get in a good group to finish it do to the fact that this mission dictated to a large degree skill sets needed. I agree with Antheus views on the subject. Storyline missions should be by design not as exclusive as Gate of Madness is. Every group is preparing for Shiro and only Shiro. If you do not fit the skill set you don't go along. I do not think a storyline mission should have such a design. When I go to the Tombs, Warren or the Deep I can choose the class I bring. In the storyline I am stuck with what I am trying to progress in the story.

Yeah, I have capped skills, bought them and whatnot for this mission. I find that sort of sad, going to Factions to cap a skill for Nightfall, but hey its alright I guess. Yeah, I have gone through the strategies and even had help from some of my pvp guildmates, but at least they agree that its not a sure thing.

Please, Rera, I never said Yun could not do it. I said my request for help and the there in lying challenge to Yun was, as I had thought, too much for him. I think he can do it, but Yun will not put himself in that situation because, one, he said he is selfish. I figured he was that type. It is why he shows so little regard for others in this situation. He did it easy, so should others. Two, I believe and this is only an assumption, that he does not want to put himself in a situation he could fail and be shown up. Maybe the mission is not as much of a joke as Yun (and you btw) would like us to believe. Maybe it isnt a joke, because a joke provide levity. I dont think you or Yun were lacking seriousness in this mission or did you light heartedly slaughter Glint?

Darn, it just hit me, or at least I am going to say it now... Rera, and Yun you too... give yourselves some credit, not everyone is a good as you are. Please, give yourself some credit.

gestalt

Ascalonian Squire

Join Date: Nov 2006

Quote:
Originally Posted by darktyco
Well, after being denied entry into groups for being a N/Me without SS or SV (I still don't know whether I can even get those skills b/c I only own Nightfall) I ended up henching it and beating it by soloing this Shiro punk with my oh-so-nottherightbuildforthismission necro.

1st Attempt: Wipe after Shiro spawns his minions before you reach the temple
2nd Attempt: Wipe after the portals are opened
3rd Attempt: Clear all portals by running up, hexing the crap out of single portal wraith, run away, watch him slowly die, run back, repeat. Then run into the temple, own the liche. Ignore Shiro and run to each alter and get the blessing. Kite Shiro back into the middle, space out the henchies and start to whack away at him. At about 25% health Koss keeps dying from Impossible Odds (despite having 3 healers), all henches end up dying after that. I run up the stairs, Shiro chases me. Shiro runs away, I cast Reaper's Mark and Phantasm on him. He chases me and runs away again, so I reapply hexes. Repeat for about 15 minutes, throwing in different degens just to mix it up. Shiro dies.

I don't know how I'll ever get my Dervish through this though, since I can't use this type of exploit and the Derv seems even less desirable in a group for this mission than a non-SV necro is. One of my elementals (who I did not bring along on this mission) has a blind skill and maybe that would make the whole thing much easier.

Don't think I'm complaining here: I did like the set up and challenge for this mission quite a bit. It needed multiple tries and a decent amount of forethought to finish. I liked the tricky pulls, suprise spawns and everything, it kind of felt like working through an instance from WoW (don't lynch me.) I think all of the missions should have at least some of the challenge this one had.

The only thing I don't like is the cheese factor that made the boss so hard, because to properly defuse him requires skills I don't have or know how to get. How the heck am I supposed to get this wailing blow skill onto Koss when none of the hero skill trainers offer it? Or SV or SS when you can only cap the skills from the other two GW games? And like it or not the encounter makes certain classes undesirable for the average-joe pug, and that sucks.

I've only been playing GW since Nightfall was released though, so these are just the ramblings of a newb. Congratulation, you are competent. Your tactic was not an exploit, kiting is perfectly valid.

Please do not worry too much about your dervish I got my dervish through just fine and I am sure you will be able to as well. Neither SS or SV are necessary to win they are simply nice to have. There are many ways to beat shiro. With decent positioning and a solid strat any competent person can bring any class through.

Unfortunately there are many stupid sterotypes in the average joe PUG. This mission does cause it to be magnified, but either way you clearly showed those stereotypes to be as worthless as they are. Unfortunately I have no solution for this.

This mission is an all or nothing sort of thing with an inadequate strat or excution you can get aced in no time. With correct execution and an adequate strat Shiro is actually easy. The execution is not even hard and there are a plethora of non-exclusive builds that can work. But if you went in with the wrong build/idea you not only lose but get your clock cleaned.

That is why these threads go on forever. Its an all or nothing propostion and those who have failed get their clocks so throughly cleaned that it seems like its all cheesed out.

It may be true that the all or nothing nature of Shiro is cheesy, I dunno. I find it rather amusing but I did it in two tries. I doubt I would be amused after a few days. People can decide that for themselves. It does rather suck to go through the whole thing over and over just for Shiro.

Is Shiro hard? Not exactly, tricky is what I would call him. Is he cheesy? maybe.

Ras Mortis

Ras Mortis

Ascalonian Squire

Join Date: Apr 2006

Order of Ascendant Knights (OAK)

R/N

Hey, good job Darktyco on figuring out what works for you. Korbinus, Audra and Soadlink...great advice and interesting takes on how to beat the mission. That is, after all, what Natuxatu asked for...some helpful tips on how to effectively get through the mission. Good stuff.

I have yet to attempt this mission yet, although I am at that point. I prefer to complete every area (map, cap and master) before I move on to a new area, which obviously is a bit slower than your "gotta have that white-dyed end-game armor first" types. I have yet to include other players in my NF excursions. The added hero's have thankfully made PuGs obsolete. I'm not antisocial, per se, I would just rather lead than follow.

But, mostly, this thread illustrates the main reason I don't dig PuGing it. You always have a few "leetist" types who just don't get it. (It's about FUN, Rera...or so I'm told) And you have those types that must follow the crowd, refusing to try new ideas. There was a time in GW, when the 55 monk did not exist. A time when Dunes of Despair was conquered without Necrotic Travel. And a time when the acronym MM only meant the candy. But someone with a bit of creativity DID think of those builds/tactics.

On that note, Rera is on the right track. If you really want to be good at this addictive frickin' game, learn something from your failures, and attack at a new angle. Otherwise, there are more exciting hobbies out there...like...lawndarts or mouse-trap juggling.

If I had to follow a trend, then I'd follow Darktyco's example...if you don't at first succeed, then try "try again". That is the path to Veteran...young grasshopper.

Shanaeri Rynale

Shanaeri Rynale

Desert Nomad

Join Date: Aug 2005

DVDF(Forums)

Me/N

It's true that Shiro and Lich dont get any build up. It's one of the failings of the story. Tan Dan Ta Here is the Lich and Shiro like some kinda GW WWF match up. Some Forshadowing would be useful.

BUT part of the fun is finding out and developing a counter. It's the very fact it's a tactical surprise is that makes it part of a challenge.

To be really honest, they dumbed S+l Down. Taking down Urgoz or Kanaxi was harder, as are some of the realm of torment areas.

Give it another week or two and this mission will be tamed, like the rest of them. The builds will be out, tactics posted and part of me thinks the game will be less for it.

SnipiousMax

SnipiousMax

Perfectly Elocuted

Join Date: Sep 2005

Please don't wander too far from the original topic of this thread, and at the very least be civil with each other. If this thread degenerates to more arguing and flaming rather than debate and tactics... we'll have to close it.

lennymon

lennymon

Forge Runner

Join Date: Nov 2005

Seattle

Odin's Hammer [OH] - Servant's of Fortuna [SoF]

R/

heehee, I even turned my ranger into an sv/toucher one time, shiro lost a LOT of life because of me. Too bad we had quitters and got wiped, it was fun.
I say more kudos to darktyco and folks like him who find a way... thats how you actually learn and become a good player in this game, not super leet green items of leetness or endgame armor dyed 3blacks and a white, or all skills capped (well ok this helps your learning though as you do your research and see more opponents and skill combos).

Ras Mortis

Ras Mortis

Ascalonian Squire

Join Date: Apr 2006

Order of Ascendant Knights (OAK)

R/N

Just Mastered the mission first time up, all hench/hero! WOOT! And, honestly, I don't think I would have been so successful if I had not read this thread first. So, thank you fellow posters for the sage advice. I can see how this mission could take the wind out of your sails if you go in without some advance intel. Really, for me, the toughest part was the Shiroken attack from the rear and ahead. That was the closest I came to total chaos. I would suggest a push forward through the ambush, vice the semi-orderly retreat that I tried. I also pared down the Hero skills to just 5 or so vital ones to avoid micro-managing the party. Finally, I noted I was not required to kneel at the altars in order to receive each god's blessing. I simply stood near each as I eliminated the guardian Margonites.

gestalt

Ascalonian Squire

Join Date: Nov 2006

Quote:
Originally Posted by Ras Mortis
Just Mastered the mission first time up, all hench/hero! WOOT! And, honestly, I don't think I would have been so successful if I had not read this thread first. So, thank you fellow posters for the sage advice. I can see how this mission could take the wind out of your sails if you go in without some advance intel. Really, for me, the toughest part was the Shiroken attack from the rear and ahead. That was the closest I came to total chaos. I would suggest a push forward through the ambush, vice the semi-orderly retreat that I tried. I also pared down the Hero skills to just 5 or so vital ones to avoid micro-managing the party. Finally, I noted I was not required to kneel at the altars in order to receive each god's blessing. I simply stood near each as I eliminated the guardian Margonites. The shiroken are actually easy, if you know the trick.

The is this: as soon as Shiro starts talking run down the slop past the double claws and then down the slope a little more. Then take the waves at your leisure. The waves from the bottom come through the lower gate and the waves at the top come through that upper gate. Kill the lower gate waves at the bottom and away from the top of the hill. Then kill the next lower gate wave. Do the same at the top. This way you only fight 4 skiroken at a time.

Easy peasy, just avoid the squeeze play and disrupt the pathing of the waves.

Senator Tom

Senator Tom

Banned

Join Date: Aug 2005

California

[Dark]

W/

The mission is cake up to Shiro at 1/4 hp. Ward of Melee pwns shiro, gogo!

clawofcrimson

clawofcrimson

Desert Nomad

Join Date: Sep 2006

Crimson Claw

W/

geez.... are we stilll talkin about this mission?

I will post my screenie when I get home... done first try.... with henchis..

Seriously... I was almost complaining about how easy this game was....till i got to madness. The only hard part was trying to beat it with "human" players. You can almost beat this whole game half asleep with heroes... just target a mob, attack and go get a snack, when your done target the next group and so on.

This game is supposed to be geared towards players having skill, but as soon as a challenging mission comes along, players start crying to a net because they wanna be spoon fed.

...read the skills....think up your own build...and have that sense of accomplishment when you kill shiro...

Batou of Nine

Batou of Nine

Desert Nomad

Join Date: Aug 2005

California, USA

Angel Sharks [AS] (RiP [KaiZ] T__T")

Mo/E

i have attempted this mission 6 times now.
All hench/hero team.
Every single attempt, i had not had ANY deaths until the end fighting Shiro.
The only time my group starts to die, obviously from Impossible Odds.

I consider myself a vary experienced player as i have played since day one of GW and do both PvP and PvE. I have gone through ALL of Nightfall with henchies and heroes, save a couple missions that guildmates did with me. With this experience i have used every possible combination of builds i can think of to shut Shiro down. KD, interrupts, wards, stance breakers, degen, spike dmg, etc etc...

I have tried different setups every time. SS Necro, along with other anti melee hexes. Anti-Melee wards. KD ele spells. KD Hammer warrior. Constant Degen. And several others, all this time using Wild Blow myself to time correctly with his Battle Scars usage. The main problem, as i said, is IO. I can easily get him down to 1/4 life, but as SOON as he starts using IO, his life simply does not drop anymore and my team starts to drop 1 by 1.

So i have tried EVERY counter and build in the book, why can't i kill this guy? Oh that's right, Impossible Odds. 6 times now, 10% moral boost, all blessings from all shrines, Shiro down to 1/4 life, then its over... So far, in this thread, i haven't read any foolproof or solid methods on taking him down when he uses IO. I am sick of repeating this mission and absolutely despise PUGs; So what ARE these so called "Oh, Shiro was so easy" methods?

ugh. cheers!

EDIT: Oh ya, yes i have tried Spoil Victor too, 2 times through. No luck.

gestalt

Ascalonian Squire

Join Date: Nov 2006

Quote:
Originally Posted by Batou of Nine
i have attempted this mission 6 times now.
All hench/hero team.
Every single attempt, i had not had ANY deaths until the end fighting Shiro.
The only time my group starts to die, obviously from Impossible Odds.

I consider myself a vary experienced player as i have played since day one of GW and do both PvP and PvE. I have gone through ALL of Nightfall with henchies and heroes, save a couple missions that guildmates did with me. With this experience i have used every possible combination of builds i can think of to shut Shiro down. KD, interrupts, wards, stance breakers, degen, spike dmg, etc etc...

I have tried different setups every time. SS Necro, along with other anti melee hexes. Anti-Melee wards. KD ele spells. KD Hammer warrior. Constant Degen. And several others, all this time using Wild Blow myself to time correctly with his Battle Scars usage. The main problem, as i said, is IO. I can easily get him down to 1/4 life, but as SOON as he starts using IO, his life simply does not drop anymore and my team starts to drop 1 by 1.

So i have tried EVERY counter and build in the book, why can't i kill this guy? Oh that's right, Impossible Odds. 6 times now, 10% moral boost, all blessings from all shrines, Shiro down to 1/4 life, then its over... So far, in this thread, i haven't read any foolproof or solid methods on taking him down when he uses IO. I am sick of repeating this mission and absolutely despise PUGs; So what ARE these so called "Oh, Shiro was so easy" methods?

ugh. cheers!

EDIT: Oh ya, yes i have tried Spoil Victor too, 2 times through. No luck. SS and SV are not the magic bullet some people say, I had heroes with both my first try when I failed but with me and Koss on Shiro IO killed me too fast although koss and a couple monks survived just barely, but they couldn't do jack to him him alone.

My next try through with a single evasion tank with two stance knockers and postioning everyone else nice and far away was way easier. He couldn't hurt Zenmai that much with IO but he was getting some decent healing from battle scars (probably some of the assasin spikes weren't so great for that part since wild strike would antecede unsuspecting strike but meh w/e), the last quarter was slower but still progressed well enough, I did use SV but I think we had enough damage without it or at the very least sub some other DPS in and the fact that he was only life stealing from one guy made the healing not so bad. Besides Zenmai never went below 50% as my tank so I doubt for the last 10% SV was triggering. It probably let me wear him down nice and fast initially, but the important part where he uses IO was just Zenmai owning him and outlasting him.

SV and SS are nice but they aren't a magic bullet or anything. It all depends on how you do it.

Calahan

Calahan

Academy Page

Join Date: Apr 2005

Europe->Poland->Łódź

Alea Iacta Est [AIE]

Mo/

did it with henchment adn heroes cos no one wanted take a Dervish for this mission:/. Its easy, pull him out to the gate and pown, i've took an necro with spoil victor monk protektor witch PS, many many hexes and ancestors visage. Mesmer hench interupts prity good and my ele owned him with meteors . Took me 3 days to gat my build right, but have no masters :/