Not going to lie, I only read the title of this thread. On that, however, if a developer reads this, please ignore this thread as well as others like it. In stead, there should be threads saying that all the fractals need a buff.
I haven’t played since the 1/28 patch that destroyed the idea of progression in the fractals of the mists, but before the patch I pugged up to level 53. Fractals were actually pretty awesome because once you were at the higher levels, you could count on other pugs being at least competent, if not the outright best players you’ll meet in the game. You would add the members of a successful pug group to your friends list to allow for faster grouping for dailies and progression, and get to know some new people pretty well. Shame all that was lost, but back on topic.
Personally, I believe that fractals should not be a walk in the park. That’s what the other dungeons in the game are for. Story mode is there to hold your hand, and explorable mode is the training wheels. I see fractals as a place where ANet shouldn’t be holding your hand, and should remove the training wheels, and start you down a hill. Some will fall off their bike, but many find a way to adapt, find their balance, and ride on. If you can see the analogy, you might understand why many groups I played with in the higher level fractals actually chose to roll for Shaman. To be on the safe side, the reason is this: The Shaman fractal is the fastest and easiest to complete as it was intended to be played (except perhaps Bloomhunger on swamp if you are able to get the whisps on the first try).
Our goal was speed, challenge, and fun. All three were accomplished (pre 1/28, as fractals lost all of that afterward).
Now, my suggestion for you would be to examine your strategy and approach to this fractal if you are having difficulty. I assume your main difficulty is in the final boss, so let’s focus on that. First, establish your given: If you do not take damage, you will inevitably win. Therefore, you must examine how you take damage, and counteract it. There are 5 ways to take damage in the boss room.
1.) Burning: If you stand still, you will take constant burning damage. Solution: Don’t stand still.
2.) Lava: The island is surrounded by lava, as well as being peppered with small lava pits. Solution: Be aware of your position, and know your next move. Mistakes happen, but try to see the lava pits before you dodge roll into them. You should not have trouble avoiding the lava lake surrounding the island.
3.) Melee AoE Flame Blast: The Shaman will, at times, use a powerful AoE Flame Blast against Melee attackers. Solution: Always stay ranged, with only one exception (next point).
4.) Slug adds: At each 25% life increment, Slug adds will spawn while the Shaman is in his bubble. These can be troublesome, especially when the bubble should always be first priority. Solution: Projectile defenses. Since the Slugs only have a projectile attack, any shield/line/spell that can block, reflect or absorb projectiles completely negates all damage that the Slugs deal. Every single class in the game possesses skills of this nature.
5.) Agony: This is usually the hardest obstacle to overcome, as at higher levels, it will one shot you. Agony is applied if you are hit by the arrow attack the Shaman uses. Solution: Dodge. All agony damage is completely negated if you can recognize the boss’s animation before it fires an arrow and you are able to dodge it. If you have difficulty with this, simply realize that this arrow is a projectile, and that every single class in the game possesses skills that can completely negate projectile damage by blocking, reflecting, or absorbing projectiles.
Beyond that, the Shaman fractal should be very fast, and with some practice (that’s right, it may take some effort), should become a fun challenge that you look forward to.
Hope this helps some of you, and hopefully I’ll see some of you in the fractals if they ever get around to making it fun again!
(If you found me overly cynical toward the 1/28 patch and the current state of the fractals, I apologize, but I did really use to enjoy them before they became just another daily :P)
