First run-through of Aurum Vale

I allowed a party of very helpful and patient people wipe 10 times in that freaking dungeon tonight. It was my first time tanking it, I was all ready level 50, iLVL at 53 as I just hit it two nights ago, and decided to work on my relic quest. Course I needed to complete AV to continue it. I never had an embarrassment like that as a tank, ever. I always did very well as a Tank in every other dungeon i been in but this one...this one made me very mad at myself.

I can only be grateful the other 3 players were so helpful and so willing to continue getting me through, but being so late, me being so tired, and getting so frustrated, it was not becoming a good mix. I'll be happy only after I get out of AV.

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Originally Posted by Theodin_Morgoth

I allowed a party of very helpful and patient people wipe 10 times in that freaking dungeon tonight. It was my first time tanking it, I was all ready level 50, iLVL at 53 as I just hit it two nights ago, and decided to work on my relic quest. Course I needed to complete AV to continue it. I never had an embarrassment like that as a tank, ever. I always did very well as a Tank in every other dungeon i been in but this one...this one made me very mad at myself.

I can only be grateful the other 3 players were so helpful and so willing to continue getting me through, but being so late, me being so tired, and getting so frustrated, it was not becoming a good mix. I'll be happy only after I get out of AV.

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You'll be happy to know then, outside of Coil, there is no run quite like AV.

I loved Aurum Vale. Great mechanics, fun environment, fun bosses, great EXP. I wish all the dungeons were like it.

After falling asleep through the other braindead, autopilot dungeons, it was such a great wiff of toxic gold.

I recently did AV for the first time. I'm a FF nUb and my only class so far is a tank. I have to say that as tank I hated that place. You pull one mob and the entire room swarms you while mushrooms climb up your rectum, all while standing in golden pools of screw you.

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Originally Posted by Baditude

I recently did AV for the first time. I'm a FF nUb and my only class so far is a tank. I have to say that as tank I hated that place. You pull one mob and the entire room swarms you while mushrooms climb up your rectum, all while standing in golden pools of screw you.

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Everyday first experience, although dungeons like SV should of taught you to pull mobs in small numbers. Compared to most late game dungeons AV is one of the best in the game imo. Wish we had more like it.

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Originally Posted by Reinfeld

My main gripe with it is that it feels like it takes forever to complete. In reality it's only 30-40 minutes, but all the mobs feel like they have 100,000 HP. And as has been said before, it's ugly.

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i thought the look of the dungeon was perfect espesially since it's a Den for Malboro's. it felt like i was in the perfect environment for them

I ran it for the first time last night and we did okay and in pretty quick time, we did wipe once but that was because the healer didn't notice that the troll was swinging his bat. BUT! Our tank was a dick and died like 4 times because he was a dick. We didn't wipe 3 times because the blm and myself (dragoon) were able to survive. The tank liked to pull as much shit as possible because he was geared and just thought we could handle it all, the rest of us were 47 or just hit 50. He was a good tank though, he knew where to pull things but when he got bored with just the three mobs on us, he would GO and pull another three or more. No we wouldn't get aggroed he went out of his way to pull them. Then when he died for his fourth time he yelled at us. We're thinking you're the one who pulled all those mobs dick. He, yelled because we wernt focusing on one mob but that's tough when their all jammed together and he didn't number them.

IMO,

I believe the hate for Aurum Vale comes mostly from the first room as that is the room with the most dangerous pulls (I remember back during launch period, more than 15mins spent trying to clear first room). For lv47-49, the dungeon hits pretty hard and well....if you pull stuff accidentally it can go pretty bad. For example, I believe the first pull in the dungeon is 2 wolfs + 1 Toad, you can accidentally pull 2 of the 4 jellyfish patrol behind toad. Also, having herp derp tanks who think they can pull more than 2 (IMO 2 is pushing in this certain dungeon) groups, it also can get pretty ugly.

It just one of those dungeon where it has to be taken pretty slow in the beginning to be a bit enjoyable.

First time tanking this I hate it. So many people would aggro additional mobs. By the time I got my zodiac drop I actually enjoyed it. It gets much easier when you figure out how to manage the rest of the party without being an ass to them. Simple things like telling dps to wait till you stop and come to you before engaging enemies really help.

the trouble with AV outside the fact of the poor choice of level sync like said by some other before me. it's the fact that bad player can't hide the fact that they are bad. it where it can be quite frustratring, we will not forget the fact that the dungeon, even with a very good group, take more of 30-40 minute for be completed. the gain of exp that is poor in comparaison of the gain of exp throught fate at the same level for the same time. the loot is even worst, since most of the time they are totally useless junk that no one really need because we already did get tons of gear from quest or dzemael.

Aurum Vale is bad not because it's challenging or the setup, but because of all of other stuff that are poorly designed. when you run it for 1-2 class it's ok, but after 3 class at do this dungeon, you simply hate it. as dps it take age to get inside, the exp is not worst the wait, the gears inside is bad in too many way.... what it offer that worst the fact to run it? nothing. it's not even a challenge actually... the challenge is to get people that know how work them class...

don't get me wrong i'm not against a new player into Aurum Vale, they tend to listen when you advice them to change them way of playing. most of the new player are eager to know tricks and tips that will make them life better. but the dungeon is sooo freaking long and bland... i do hope they will learn from Aurum Vale and avoid the same error in heavenward.

ps: by the way, at the launch it was often impossible to finish it if you had a bad group, you had often to hit the time limit. i think the number of monster or them hp are too high.

Fun facts, the 2nd boss can be stunned, and that includes the big swing

Makes life easer~♪

If your mDPS doesnt stun resist build it tho :|

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Originally Posted by Arkenne

Fun facts, the 2nd boss can be stunned, and that includes the big swing

Makes life easer~♪

If your mDPS doesnt stun resist build it tho :|

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Melees stunning EVERYTHING because lulzfreedeeps is a real problem. ;) I've been guilty of that too, but yeah. Coincounter is probably one of the most punishing sub-50 dungeon fights, really. It's also entirely possible to just kite him indefinitely as a bard though. xD

some tips, I know it pretty good

The first big room I always pull the mobs right of the entrence back to that little hallway you start in. Then the frog. After that I work my way around the left side. As paliden I use provoke to pull the ones that are moving first. Then the frog. Then go after the ones that are stationary.

Just hafta be carefull in there of links. Other areas like that to, where you should pull to hallway before the open room before rushing in.

What sux is when dps run ahead of me and pull in links >.<

AK used to be challenging.

Back when 2.0 launched the game had a massive surge of players playing SMN and SCH since they were the new jobs. Both of them are pet jobs and pets used to be affected by the debuff on Locksmith and the last boss that required you to eat fruit to cure it; unfortunately the player eating fruit didn't cure their pet so the pet would always die.

Pretty much every party back at 2.0 launch would have a SMN or SCH and so every party would struggle massively on Locksmith and the last boss due to the bug killing pets. That's why the dungeon has such a reputation. They fixed that bug a long time ago.

H

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Originally Posted by Selli

AV is by far my least favorite dungeon in the whole game. I cried when I had to do it for my Animus books and I cried again when I had to do it for my Zodiac (got the drop first try, thank RNGesus). I have run it no more than 5 times in the year I've been playing and I will continue to avoid it as long as possible.

It could give out instant level 60 when Heavensward comes out and I still won't run it! Never!

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I cried too when I found myself in there by accident and had no idea of the mechanics! I don't think I'll go back willingly! ☺️

This is perhaps one of the easiest dungeons pre-50, no idea what anyone is complaining about, the only annoying thing about the dungeon is the very first area before the boss, since if you have a bad tank you'll end up pulling half the area and wiping, but hell i levelled an alt recently to 50 and spammed AV and had no issues with using the DF, didn't wipe once either and trust me i had some pretty bad players.

Only problems were the typical stupid healers and don't know what skills to use despite being almost level 50 and the Dps's that ignore tank priority markers and just loldeeps, but those issues are not specific to this dungeon. You can also avoid a lot of the mobs in most areas if speed running for your relic etc with ease. The bosses are also very basic and easy to beat, the second one just requires knowing the difference between Swipe and swing for anyone close to him and killing the adds on the last boss, all things that can be explained in a single sentence before the fight. If you're one of those players who just runs a dungeon blind you only have yourself to blame for wiping, always ask if you're unsure about mechanics or watch a video before hand.

From my earlier post and now have a couple extra weeks under my belt since then, I think this is one of the quickest dungeon runs. If the tank knows what to do or is willing to follow someone who does. Stick to the far left wall throughout the whole dungeon until of course it breaks down to the smaller areas. By sticking to the left wall, you can skip a lot of adds.

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Originally Posted by Arkenne

Fun facts, the 2nd boss can be stunned, and that includes the big swing

Makes life easer~♪

If your mDPS doesnt stun resist build it tho :|

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Even funnier fact, that boss does the very same moves in a short pattern: Frontal swing on the tank (100 Tonze Swipe), Line AOE on a non-tank (Glower). Rinse and repeat three times. After the third Glower, he will move like he's charging and will start casting the Eye of the Beholder. Then the rotation starts again. After 50% HP, he will start casting 100 Tonze Swing (aka the thing you really don't want to get hit with) at the moment he should be using a Swing - basically, there is a chance in each rotation a chance he will use the Swing instead of the Swipe.

As for AV, yeah, it has this nice concept of toxic gold and hazardous zone, but...it feels like there is no real "sightseeing" to be had there. Good surroundings are important imho - the Vale it's just yellow and yellow and morbols and rock. And more morbols. Qarn was also cool in terms of mechanics of the fight, but the Hard Mode didn't do any justice to that, sadly...so I'm not sure an Aurum Vale HM would have brought back the same feeling of Aurum Vale back in 2.0.

I hate it because it relies so heavily on everyone knowing 100% what they need to do and avoiding what needs to be avoided and if anyone messes up it screws you all over. While other dungeons are like this, they are not to this extreme. I wouldn't say its a hard dungeon (nothing in this game is hard. Save Coils and Extremes) but its can definitely be the most frustrating. As a healer I get anxious when people stand in the gold, or when people take to long to eat fruit. These are things that are avoidable and I can only do so much, and when there are multiple people just twiddling their thumbs or who are mediocre at the game it becomes a nightmare.

Also, when you are fresh to the dungeon and you get a too-big-for-their-boots Tank who pulls what he wants and leaves some of the roaming monsters, things don't go fun and it gives you a bad first impression of the dungeon.

AV is also an extremely ugly dungeon and way to claustrophobic for my liking. Does any one else feel like it is probably really damp and humid in there? It would probably smell bad too.

Coincounter is boss that requires dps to do more than sit hammering button = too hard for 90% of people

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Originally Posted by randysquirrel

Coincounter is boss that requires dps to do more than sit hammering button = too hard for 90% of people

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The probem with coin counter is that every enemy in the game, be it trash or boss, kind of educates you to watch for the AoE telegraphs and run out of them.
Then comes coin counter, with no telegraphs at all. While not technically "hard", it's in that way different to every other encounter and causing problems.

One of the best dungeons in the game. You have to have somewhat of a brain to complete it.

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Originally Posted by DeadRiser

One of the best dungeons in the game. You have to have somewhat of a brain to complete it.

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I like it better than its original incarnation. Still not my favorite but it makes for some nice runs when people do actively attempt teamwork and play up to the strength of their jobs (there are a few good moments to be had if you are inclined to snipe, be it with a bow or with spells).

Coincounter's probably the trickiest, I've had milk runs where we downed him with no casualties and other attempts where one or two additional tries were required; I agree that he isn't always easy to read, especially for first timers, and that DPS shouldn't be sitting ducks. Curiously, Miser's Mistress always seemed to be far easier to handle for most parties I've been in (might be that the fruit mechanics and such are well-ingrained by the point you meet her).