Variant & Criterion Dungeons

[CaedemSanguis]

You can clear it with the crafted 610 gear...

I ... dont think so xD

The ex version is maybe doable with a full i610 group, but savage is definetely not doable with a full i610 group

[AmamiyaSakura]

I enjoyed variant for the lore, loved the music and the boss design, and love that it's accessible to any party composition, including solo.

The housing items are cute, glam is nice and minions are also very cute.

A lot of comments in this thread are ignoring the fact that Yoshida was very clear from the moment this content was mentioned that it is not a deep dungeon. Yet, for reasons I cannot fathom, that's what everyone expected?

I personally really enjoyed this new kind of content. I look forward to challenging criterion in the future.

[Aniya_Estlihn]

A lot of comments in this thread are ignoring the fact that Yoshida was very clear from the moment this content was mentioned that it is not a deep dungeon. Yet, for reasons I cannot fathom, that's what everyone expected?

I've learned that people on the forums and just in the community at large don't watch PLLs or pay attention to news of any kind for fear of being spoiled on it. Because had people done so, they'd have known that 6.3X will have Deep Dungeon #3 and that Variant/Criterion are completely brand new content unassociated to it in any tangible way... if they'd, you know, actually pay attention. Yet here we are.

[Ransu]

I ... dont think so xD

The ex version is maybe doable with a full i610 group, but savage is definetely not doable with a full i610 group

You can absolutely clear the savage in 610 gear.

[MisterNublet]

You can absolutely clear the savage in 610 gear.

You're right. People also cleared p8s with 610 gear. That doesn't mean everyone else can, nor should be attempting at this point. Especially in ASSS. Between time limit, enrages, outgoing damage, and 1 death=wipe... anything not near 630 or BiS is borderline trolling and you'll be stressing out your healer (and annoying your party).

[AmpelioB]

I will admit whole heartedly that I am not clever enough to remember something on another route (I Spent all day hugging walls looking for some kind of lever to stores on the map after killing all the enemies there and to get to the shaded area on route 1). Eventually I grew tired after 3 Attempts (Two were purposely saying Lightning at the door) and went to route 1 with a friend who was having the same issue as I was on route three. Neither of us knew what to do there because nothing stood out. After He logged off, I looked up a guide (Just for one and two, I didn't scroll past that) cause it was very frustrating cause we ran back and forth several times on route 1 after clearing the entire path.

It wasn't until I made a PF to get some help with three that I was told that the hints were in the pages you get after clearing a route, I remained skeptical and pressed onward, they then told me that the codes for one and two were in another route.

Needless to say I don't do the "This quest won't be logged in journal..." quests for the same reason I find these hard: Even when I notice something and write it down I don't seem to fully understand what it is the game is trying to tell me in that moment so me remembering something from another route is extremely hard for me to even accomplish.

And while I know that I could always join a party and get help, like many other people have seen and stated in this thread, they don't know the hints and wind up screwing it up, or as the same friend had told me, they always bicker about which way to go.

Eventually I got into the stores mentioned earlier after I thought about it at the same time as the person helping me mention it but yeah, I don't like this if I have to remember other routes while looking for something I wouldn't recognize blatantly.

The Bosses are also Damage Sponges solo but that's an okay price to pay for being Solo. Other than that, I like the concept and everything.

No, I have not done every route at the time of writing this for obvious reasons as I like to clear things like this route by route considering I spent a combine two hours looking for a hidden switch for the door to the position.

Despite what you might think, no this is not a troll reply I actually spent most of my day hugging walls until I doordashed and the did the PF stuff when I got back.

i'm gonna be honest, I don't think you ever played a puzzle game (i'm not judging you, that's mostly the impression I getting) because that's really common in puzzle games, you are thinking as each route as a separate thing and not as a whole setup, it's not the kind of thing that you just ram down. also is new content don't be sad just because you didn't clear it all day one. it's not an competition.

[AmpelioB]

I've learned that people on the forums and just in the community at large don't watch PLLs or pay attention to news of any kind for fear of being spoiled on it. Because had people done so, they'd have known that 6.3X will have Deep Dungeon #3 and that Variant/Criterion are completely brand new content unassociated to it in any tangible way... if they'd, you know, actually pay attention. Yet here we are.

it may be new content but comparable with content we already have it falls flat. Criterion has the same difficulty of potd +100 and the rewards for it are just poor or worse from content we have from 5 years ago. ...from a content aimed at hardcore players since Criterion has an Savage version.

it was a good addition but they could've done better

[hobostew]

stuff

I think where it stands to be a problem is that in say a puzzle platformer you might run into a puzzle you can't solve because you need something from a different area the general idea is communicated in a much clearer fashion where as here you would expect the puzzle solves to have some in dungeon/visual clues but instead they are tucked away in little notes in a journal. Even worse someone might not have the time or desire to run this more than once or twice any given day and the expectation that you remember what you've tried or haven't over the course of weeks is kind of ridiculous. You also don't know if you got the solve right until you finish clearing the entire thing so you're set to potentially be running the same instance over and over hoping you worked out the correct answer.

I imagine most people will just look up a guide cause at the end of the day ain't nobody got time for that.

[Deveryn]

I imagine most people will just look up a guide cause at the end of the day ain't nobody got time for that.

If people don't have time for that, this game isn't for them. All we have is time and there are groups that have already done it without looking at a guide.

[Blood_Blossoms]

Did it solo as mech pretty easy just keep cure ticking and Rampart up had no problems with it.
Also did it as 3-man DPs and also just tank and healer and also as 3 healers and 4 DPs runs.
Find pretty fast doing it as a Tank and healer over 2 DPS but 4 DPS is pretty fast over all its very balanced on DPS and speed of clears between any comp.

Rewords are meh was hoping for more long-term progression system myself.
Puzzles where lack Luster not really puzzles it was finding the hints was hoping for more mine small game style things mazes, find an object linked to a riddle. maybe a Presher plate puzzle. that also links into hint system. than just switches or kill adds in set orders.
Mechanic change switches that just changed mechanics, but not final outcome story also annoyed me this mostly with first boss only just think was added for just needed something to fill gap its nice but not important at all.