Redesigned Test/Practice Mode for harder fights

[Colvin]

First off, I would have put this in another forum but there isn't one for "Fights"... "dungeons" maybe... anyways...

I would like to propose we add a Test/Practice Mode for the Harder fights such as Primals.

If you take in to account the fight design, it is clear that one of the issues with the general populace getting to be able to clear them on a regular basis is the way the fights progress. Every fight is in progressively "harder" stages and unless you have ridiculous DPS (compared to the suggested iLVL), the fights take 2 minutes per phase. This means that when people want to be able to LEARN a fight, they have to get 4-6 minutes in before the inevitably wipe. It follows then, that most people CANT spend the time they need practicing the harder parts of the fight because it becomes 6 minutes getting there.. 30 seconds wipe. Over the course of an hour or so trying that isn't much practice time in what you are trying to learn.

What I think would help this (as well as separate experienced players) is to have a practice mode where you can fight the boss and when you beat a stage and die, it saves your progress at the end of that phase until you beat it. Just to be clear, winning this would give you no rewards, but it might give you a title or something so people know that you have practiced it enough to have beaten it. I think to some extent the Guildhests were meant to do this and perhaps they could expand on those for a more difficult solo experience.

Also, in general, I think they could add a set of "Test" contents where you can test your character's abilities in similar situations solo. Getting various degrees of certification in play would allow you to prove that you know what you are doing. Someone told me they have something similar in Wow At this point.

[Raestloz]

I'd like to add that maybe they can make it so the fight starts at a certain phase. Like Titan EX, for example. When you choose you wanna start at the last phase, the first thing Titan will do is Geocrush the entire area and start summoning Gaolers.

It'd help people to learn things during a certain phase, and not waste time dealing with the previous phases.

And I agree with the learning stuff. I think class and job quests need to be made so you need to coordinate with the bot. The last archer quest does not contain a tank whatsoever, while the other archer heals you throughout the fight. It doesn't reflect the actual content you'll undertake later

[Colvin]

After discussing this with others, I am surprised this threat never got more attention.

Given that our biggest problem at end game is people unable to get better at new content; it seems like a new kind of solution would be in everyone's interest

[Deifact]

How would this be incorporated into the lore? Just out of interest

[Colvin]

How would this be incorporated into the lore? Just out of interest

You know, that is a great question!

Light spoilers below if you are not done with main scenario:

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I would work in Lore around the Echo (Your Character's ability to see in to the minds and times of others). Seeing as how all adventurers HAVE Echo; it could be a situation when you enter your mind as a group and "experience" how the fight would be as a result of your Echo power.

[Kitru]

I would work in Lore around the Echo (Your Character's ability to see in to the minds and times of others). Seeing as how all adventurers HAVE Echo; it could be a situation when you enter your mind as a group and "experience" how the fight would be as a result of your Echo power.

According to the lore, all of the dungeons/primals/etc. that you do are done a single time. Titan HM is when you kill him after the kobolds summon him after his first defeat. Titan EX is when you kill him after the kobolds resummon him a second time. It's not like Titan is just sitting there, waiting for adventuring party after adventuring party to fight him.

The lore operates under the assumption that there is only one group of adventurers called the Warriors of the Light so you can't use Echo to explain the practice.

As for Lore, the Minstrel can pretty much solve anything that's a little out of the norm.

The Minstrel sings songs about your previous accomplishments and embellishes them (which is why it is harder/different). It wouldn't make sense for the Minstrel to sing a song about a fight you haven't yet completed, especially if it's a fight that you need practice for.

The only lore explanation I could see would be some kind of fortune-teller/oracle type NPC who sends you into a trance that gives you a chance to live out encounters in your near future. The trance could even have said fortune-teller/oracle NPC inside there in order to guidel the trance so that you can choose the different phases/start points.

[Vahlnir]

How would this be incorporated into the lore? Just out of interest

Magic. :P As to the OP, it's not a bad idea...but I personally can't see how it would fit in well, especially in an MMO setting with how our progression is set up. Practice groups can be set up in the PF, so that's probably as close as we're gonna get.

[Nabian]

I don't think this would really work. One of the major challenges that most groups face when they fail on a new phase isn't always related to the mechanics of that particular phase. For example...in Turn 5 facing Twintania the last phase is basically a joke. However, the twister phase before it can really be challenging for a lot of parties (many players in this game have difficulty with paying attention). The problem is if 90% of your party is dead entering a new phase..your probably going to wipe and it has nothing to do with the phase mechanics.

Additionally I think this would make many fights too easy (their easy enough as it is). The echo is in place for older content to allow those currently struggling to progress through the fights. That's essentially why they have echo in the first place.

[Colvin]

snip

While I agree there is no perfect solution, practicing a specific phase until you get it done and having cleared phases separately, then having to clear them together (which you could still do in practice) is still better than the current situation.

We have an issue with lots of people in the community unable to do content for various reasons and lots of people that complain they are bad at content. Should we not then look at ways to make them better at content and not just ways to nurf the numbers?

[Nabian]

Snip

You learn by doing. Or for those who are challenged with avoiding red circles then they must wait for better gear to come out. Eventually they will either learn to move properly, or get enough gear to make moving a non-issue