A tad dissappointed

Just as the title says.

Finally got around to doing the new HM's and HI to open up my expert roulette again.
Hullbreaker Isle, Stone Vigil, and Tam Tara HM's. I think out of the three Hullbreaker was the "funnest" (but prolly only this initial time), Tam Tara the most interesting. Only because of the story and it was my first time there on HM. Stove Vigil was like..wot?

Don't get me wrong they will get ran again. I think I was expecting more, some unique ideas. I am going to run them again tonight to see if my perspective will change but I'm not sure.

Here is why I'm a little miffed.

Hullbreaker Isle - This was a cool place. Got some new mobs, some good design, music was pretty ok as well. The mechanics were pretty easy to figure out. The trash was trashy. The last boss...the Kraken, well wtf was that fight about. It was like watching a pretty decent movie that has an abrupt ending that leave you like ""WOT?".

Stone Vigil HM - The normal mode is one of my favorite places. The revisit was cool but the duty felt short. The bosses were interesting but required no real tactics and I didn't see how they tied into the SV story at all.

Tam Tara HM - This one was pretty cool as a first timer. Reading all the notes leading up to the final stage was neat. The music was cool and some of the mobs were neat. The bosses were lolwtf. The last boss was a move it or loose it fight. I felt some of the trash there was more worthwhile than the bosses.

Overall I am a little underwhelmed with them. Like I said I will run them again as I want mah bonus and tomes, but I'm not seeking them out. They just don't seem expert as their category suggests.

And the loot..../sigh

Just my 2g

Syn

In general, i have to agree with you here. I felt that Hullbreaker Isle was fun to run, until you got to the last boss which is just an utter disappointment. Kind of interesting mechanic on last boss but overall a let down.

Stone vigil HM is just bland beyond belief. First boss really is copy-paste of Stone Vigil story modes first boss with adds. Second boss is just bland and gimmicky. Third boss is meh, as a healer i find it fun to heal at the moment due to all the spike damage going around to people who are not quite sure of how to handle the boss at the moment.

Tam-Tara HM, on the other hand, is pretty amazing for atmosphere and story. Bosses are quite fun but not exciting. Have to say am loving Tam-Tara HM :)

Hi, I run all three new dungeons and Syrcus Tower the first day.

I liked the places, the music, beautiful images, it's fun, but they seemed a bit easy, though we had some wipes. Somebody had read in Tam Tara comments and gave tips about adds in first boss (after a wipe.) I also expected Stone Vigil HM to be harder and maybe more story related.

We wiped several times at the boss in Hullbreaker's Isle, and then it was over before we tought ("that was it?" sensation.)

The first days with the novelty all the most experienced players run the new places so they might look easier than they will be later when you meet more people that are nearer the minimum entry ilevel. I ran Haukke Manor HM the first day and we passed with some wipes but all in all no problem, while some time after it became a place that many parties were unable to finish.

Also when time passes and strategies are discovered you know more what to do and not to do, and there is more sensation of control. Other type of fun different than the one of not knowing what's going to happen.

I ran Syrcus Tower the first day, no problem but with some wipes, nobody had a clue of what to do, we just killed adds and survived as well as we could. All in all fun and a beautiful place.

The second day it was a nightmare, we wiped lots of times before the first chest. There were people who knew the place and gave instructions, but most players didn't or couldn't follow. And maybe the strategy was not the best, not killing the adds with the donut attack and hoping everybody would avoid the AoE while reacting well to the other attacks. This wipes were followed by bad manners in the chat. Worse than the worst Crystal Tower I have ever been to, or nearly.

Edit: Third day a very nice run, with deaths and problems of course but fun and friendly people, and people explaining a bit. I like the place -beautiful-, the music, the fight. As in CT, you have risk with such a big group. I want to try the Frontier PVP!

It's a difficult balance. If the places are too easy people feel underwhelmed, if they are too hard they get frustrated. Look what happened to Pharos Sirius at first, nobody wanted to go there. I have the sensation that this new dungeons are relatively easier than the last new dungeons were at launch (and also easier than Haukke HM, Pharos Sirius and Copperbell Mines HM at launch). But players have now much higher gear in average than they had months ago. I also would have liked a bit more challenge.

Edit: For what I have seen and read, I like a lot the 2.3 patch. Lots of new things to do.

I really liked Hullbreaker isle though last boss fight can be best described as "purposely idiotic" I think. Still I really like Hullbreaker isle and Syrcus tower.
Tam Tara is rather fun and short. Stone Vigil is just short and kind of "no idea what and why I am doing" even after completing it.

Still, patch 2.3 is super awesome and offer things to do to just everyone.

Agreed, overall I am pleased with 2.3

ST is a lot of fun for me. I am getting close to EX Ramuh so that will be fun too. Just some of the things that were decided in this patch to be included left me sorta ???

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Originally Posted by JonBigwood

I ran Syrcus Tower the first day, no problem but with some wipes, nobody had a clue of what to do, we just killed adds and survived as well as we could. All in all fun and a beautiful place.

The second day it was a nightmare, we wiped lots of times before the first chest. There were people who knew the place and gave instructions, but most players didn't or couldn't follow. And maybe the strategy was not the best, not killing the adds with the donut attack and hoping everybody would avoid the AoE while reacting well to the other attacks. This wipes were followed by bad manners in the chat. Worse than the worst Crystal Tower I have ever been to, or nearly.

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I think this right here is what frustrates most players. On the first day most players who joined were able to clear with ease despite everyone in the raid having absolutely no clue at all.

After the first day...its wipe city. Lately my groups average about 3-4 wipes on the first boss before people "get it". What's most frustrating to me is why can people clear it with ease the first day and then its a nightmare on the second and beyond. All of the people doing the fights meet the minimum gear level to enter so it's a matter of awareness and skill. I know this will never happen for Crystal Tower but I think there should be more skill checks in this game. I think they do an amazing job with locking out players from more difficult content who clearly weren't ready for them. One perfect example is by keeping the newer fights like SCoB and Ramuh Ex out of duty finder. Another is by having players clear the pre-requisite fights. Titan Ex is a great skill check for many players which until recently prevented players from joining levi ex. This made the new fights much more enjoyable for those who actually were there. Ramuh Ex won't have the same lockout because Levi Ex imo is easier than Titan Ex but such is life.

It sad to say there but there are players in this game who will never have the skill/mental capacities required for even a decent level of raid awareness no matter how many times they run content. I know as a player that I have room to improve and that I'm no where near the best...but at least I know red circle = bad. If it looks like something is odd it's probably there for a reason. For example when the first boss in CT2 starts casting Ancient Flare. My first thought is "well this has a super long cast bar...this might hurt, let me see if there is a way to avoid or dodge this attack. No barriers or pads...but there is that circle of water on the floor what happens if I stand in it...well it doesn't cause me damage lets just stand in here during the attack."

Many players don't even bother to focus target the boss during fights (which is ridiculous I might add). Players need to work on their ability to adapt and to be active learners in dungeon content. Don't eat that big AoE just because you don't know what it does. It's an AoE, you know its going to hurt, just get out of the way. The mechanics are fairly simple and easy to figure out in CT2. There is no reason, even on day 1, that it should take more than 1 or 2 wipes for you to figure out the CT2 bosses.

That is because the first time you did it was before all the console players got out of summer camp started up the PS4s.

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Originally Posted by Staris

That is because the first time you did it was before all the console players got out of summer camp started up the PS4s.

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I am a console player and I have no issues.

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Originally Posted by Staris

That is because the first time you did it was before all the console players got out of summer camp started up the PS4s.

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That comment means nothing. You know the PS4 is actually better and faster then some people's PC setups.

Regardless, a controller has nothing to do with the fact. Diehards tend to explore new content immediately, and the word gets out, some people who have missed months of content are now coming back. Just wait until the welcome back campaign that starts tomorrow.

Someone doesn't like that ps4...

On topic though, a lot of folks that run it first day are the "more involved" players I guess. T9 clears, got all EX's on farm and working savage. Once can assume that is. I think what also happens is there are just some first timers out there that have a bit more trouble than the rest picking up the strats. It also doesn't help that a lot of times people don't have patience to explain the new stuff.

New to a dungeon and don't know the strat....you want me to explain it to you....AINT NOBODY GOT TIME FOR DAT!

Many of the newer players may not realize it, but the music for Hullbreaker island is actually the original 1.0 city music for Limsa Lominsa. I spent hours listening to that music while crafting. Quite a few memories evoked from it I might add.

I'd love to hear the La Noscea over-world's original 1.0 theme re-released into higher level areas at some point. The Ul'dal Over-world music was fairly amazing as well, so relaxing and adventurous.

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Originally Posted by Synestr

On topic though, a lot of folks that run it first day are the "more involved" players I guess. T9 clears, got all EX's on farm and working savage.

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My first ST group was like that. There really is a huge difference in the mindset of hardcore raiders and casual players. We figured out the mechanics very, very quickly. I'm actually proud to say I figured a few out myself for the group but I was still a couple minutes behind the quicker ones that had actually done second coil.

Sadly they wouldn't let me wipe us for science. I still want to know what happens if you kill the starfall crystal before the stonefall crystals.

Hmm, that is an excellent question. I think I will enter on DRG or BLM this next run with my LS group and we will do that, it's only one wipe, and hell; IT'S FOR SCIENCE!!!!

Sid would be pleased, and I might get some +1's from Y'shtola ^.~

Syn