Take for instance the ashes quest. On my first run through I was level 12 and had maxed out Markmanship. When I shot a level 8 Charr hunter I hit for around 18 with Penertrating shot and yet he hit me for 35+ with his. That was with 40 armor from Yaks. I endured the entire quest without dying but the damage difference is just out of line with the level of monster.
As the game progressed it got worse and worse.
Wilds is a real nightmare. Santum Cay is about as close to impossible as it gets because if you do not time it EXACTLY you will never complete it. I did it but it took 11 tries with my first character to know exactly what to do and where to go.
I ran Elonas for 4 days just working on a plan of attack. I learned how to use the mines, yeah grab mines and run in and drop them, so a group of enchanted would get blasted. Even when the priests tagged along, before this last patch, the mobs just out damage the entire group of henchmen and me (including the priest which was level 24). I was able to get to the crystals one at a time taking around 14 minutes a side but tonight when I tried to go the mobs were so close that I pulled the entire camp when I ran past them. The group was slaughtered in less than a minute. Two enchanted swords raped me for ~400 hit points before I even got Troll Urgent cast. On the second try I was met with a boss mob that just slaughtered the entire group even after I mined him. On the third try I fell short by about 20 seconds because I go stuck behind my pet at the damn gate going out. It took me 5 minutes to get him to move. Henchmen seemed to run slower and trailed so far behind I had to keep stoping to let them catch up.
I decide to say screw it and took a run over the the the rock but got killed twice. First it was 8 scarabs and a scoripon. I doubt that a full group of level 20s would survive. I was runnig but they run faster and henchmen run even slower.
With the freedom of movement that the mobs have you get bottlenecks where mobs meet and get stuck. I saw a red dot on radar where 6 mobs were stuck together.
Ran into a hydra (level 22) that killed my healer, my pet and me in 2 hits but even with my best skills I am lucky to drop him in 20. Now only a 3 level difference just does not add up when he hits for over 200 damage a shot. Of course the healer was level 17 but my pet and I are 19. Then to top it off I ran into a level 27 Hydra and 2 minions which we owned. Now how is it that a level 22 Hydra solo can own a group but a boss mobs and his minions did not even break a sweat?
Some players just love taking insane damage and dying but this has gone to the point of being absurd. In DAoC I solo'ed 99% of the way to 50 with 2 chars and died a total 9 times yet in this game I have been killed over 50 times already. To me I would rather grind experience than have to resurect over and over just to go fight mobs that have superior skills and out damage me.
I was hoping for a challenging game but this is a bit much. Maybe I am the only player that feels this way. I am sure the majority of you players think the game is so boring and not challenging enough so...
Suggestions:
Fix balance in the game post-searing.
Fix pathing issues with mobs to not be stuck together.
Make the game pera-death so the uber challenged players have some challenge.
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