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Loreseeker
- Joined
- 24/05/2018
- Messages
- 193
I'd like to share some feedback on the Ark based on my Mage playthrough. I played on Hard difficulty, was level 20 and was using a caster/elementalist build that relied on spells and high damage more than anything. No summons and very fragile, a true 'glass cannon'. Up until the Ark, this build was more than fine. Undead were a joke, and I could typically kill multiple enemies at once. Enemies with elemental weaknesses were particularly vulnerable. I only struggled against enemies with high resistances, no weaknesses, and dealt heavy, normal damage (like Vorators and Iron Golems and to a lesser degree Earth Elementals). I don't think I ever needed more than 5 potions of any kind before starting the Ark of Lothasan quest.
The biggest challenge was obviously the fact that I no longer had a companion to depend on, and with my build no summons either. Until I eventually found a Tesla Emitter, I had to rely almost entirely on Lightning Bolt for damage using hit and run tactics, which was fine. 2 lightning bolts kill a steel spider, 3 for a steel wizard. It was fairly easy (and cheesy) to dodge wizard blasts while I waited for Lightning's cooldown. Sure they have the technology, but I can dodge bullets like Neo so there
.
The next obvious problem then is mana consumption. Having fared quite well up until this point using my build and only occasionally needing a few potions, it felt like a poorly balanced difficulty spike in the Ark. All in all I needed to go back to town to restock (on both potions as well as the right gear) 3 times and in the process spending 40k gold to finally complete the Ark. Money I was saving up and hoping to spend differently :evil:. I could've opted for a respec, maybe to a build that was easier for the Ark, but I wanted to see if I could manage with the same build that did well everywhere else. Mage was promised to be a versatile class after all (and it is!). Please bear in mind that I went into this with no idea of what to expect, my first time playing through the Ark and having not read any strategies/spoilers.
My main concerns and suggestions are as follows:
1 - not a single mana recovery item drops on the Ark, while a plethora of health recovery medipacks drop. This made it seem like the Ark was designed without Mage class in mind.
but I think that the same line of reasoning that allows mana recovery from the medical facility should've allowed medipacks to also recover a small amount of mana. For a mage, mana is more important than health after all and without it, the dungeon seems imbalanced to me.
Suggestion: Medipacks should recover both health and mana.
Yes it's true that after finding EMP weapons and learning your way around the Ark things do get easier but I think the above suggestions would make the dungeon more balanced and less frustrating, it will still be very challenging, just maybe won't break my bank on stacks of mana potions; or my patience, having to clear parts of the starting level twice in one play through.
Complaints aside, I absolutely loved the twist and storyline of the Ark. Did not see that coming, and the option of a peaceful resolution was not only interesting but a real breath of fresh air. Kudos! (Gameplay of the Ark can be improved though in my humble opinion).
The biggest challenge was obviously the fact that I no longer had a companion to depend on, and with my build no summons either. Until I eventually found a Tesla Emitter, I had to rely almost entirely on Lightning Bolt for damage using hit and run tactics, which was fine. 2 lightning bolts kill a steel spider, 3 for a steel wizard. It was fairly easy (and cheesy) to dodge wizard blasts while I waited for Lightning's cooldown. Sure they have the technology, but I can dodge bullets like Neo so there
The next obvious problem then is mana consumption. Having fared quite well up until this point using my build and only occasionally needing a few potions, it felt like a poorly balanced difficulty spike in the Ark. All in all I needed to go back to town to restock (on both potions as well as the right gear) 3 times and in the process spending 40k gold to finally complete the Ark. Money I was saving up and hoping to spend differently :evil:. I could've opted for a respec, maybe to a build that was easier for the Ark, but I wanted to see if I could manage with the same build that did well everywhere else. Mage was promised to be a versatile class after all (and it is!). Please bear in mind that I went into this with no idea of what to expect, my first time playing through the Ark and having not read any strategies/spoilers.
My main concerns and suggestions are as follows:
1 - not a single mana recovery item drops on the Ark, while a plethora of health recovery medipacks drop. This made it seem like the Ark was designed without Mage class in mind.
I realized after conversing with the Oracle that story-wise, it makes sense for there to not be mana potions dropping,
Suggestion: Medipacks should recover both health and mana.
2 - After completing the Reactor area, and returning to the Ark starting level, the entire dungeon respawned?!?! :shock: WTH?? The first time through this part I had been counting on going back to the medical facility for a full recovery, having exhausted my recoveries and mana potions. Parts of the dungeon I had already cleared! Yes, I realize that nanomachines or whatnot are continuously building new robots on the Ark, but I think a full dungeon respawn is a bit too much. I had to call it a day and use a scroll of recall at this point for yet another trip to restock, re-equip, and make the trek all the way back again... I don't think any other dungeon fully respawns in this way so why here and now??
Suggestion: Please don't respawn the entire dungeon when moving between Reactor and starting level. I think it's enough that a few rooms will respawn new robots at those manufacturing pods.
Suggestion: Please don't respawn the entire dungeon when moving between Reactor and starting level. I think it's enough that a few rooms will respawn new robots at those manufacturing pods.
Yes it's true that after finding EMP weapons and learning your way around the Ark things do get easier but I think the above suggestions would make the dungeon more balanced and less frustrating, it will still be very challenging, just maybe won't break my bank on stacks of mana potions; or my patience, having to clear parts of the starting level twice in one play through.
Complaints aside, I absolutely loved the twist and storyline of the Ark. Did not see that coming, and the option of a peaceful resolution was not only interesting but a real breath of fresh air. Kudos! (Gameplay of the Ark can be improved though in my humble opinion).