I find myself having less fun in dungeons in this game than in other MMO’s I’ve played and often during dungeon runs I have become frustrated with these problems that could have a simple fix. I will try to keep this short, but here are some issues I have with the PvE in the game:
1. Little indication of ability casts
Although there is almost always an animation for a mob/boss ability it can be often missed because most mobs and even bosses in this game are not much bigger than player characters. With a lot of player spell animations on your screen it can be difficult to catch a subtle enemy gesture. Also, many players often move and changing camera angles can make it difficult to watch enemies at all times. Simple additions (which already exist in other games) could help this, such as an enemy castbar or a “target of target” window.
2. Few Waypoints
I realize ArenaNet wishes to avoid exploitation of boss fights, but the length of runs from the nearest waypoint is ridiculous. The waypoint in CM explorable that you get near the fountain is hardly any closer to bosses than the first waypoint (near the dungeon entrance). A dungeon like TA is also a good example of this.
3. Difficulty of some pulls and the resulting use of exploits
Some pulls are perhaps not so difficult as they are time consuming. This is why often stealth and leashing are used to get around fighting mobs. The first pull in TA exp would simply be too frustrating (due to volatile blossoms) if the group didn’t run forward and fight the dogs along with a husk. Of course, most people know that “skip Kholer?” is the normal question when running AC exp. The fight takes too long for the awards it gives (waypoint and pathetic drops) and inexperienced players make it too annoying. I don’t mind using these tricks, but it makes it frustrating if for example someone dies while the group is running through mobs until they reset; then this person must try catch up on their own or have the whole group port back and help them. Also, these make a dungeon more difficult to learn for players new to it.
4. Few rewards
When I turned 80, I purchased masterwork (green) lvl 80 upgrades from the BLTC for every slot. I have yet to replace these with a drop from dungeon chests. The blues and greens from dungeons just get vendored and I can look forward to continuing the grind for blossoms, tears, etc. I wish there was more lustre in opening those chests and that I could look forward to some upgrades from them when just starting to get better gear at 80. Also, it is sad how story mode dungeons provide no rewards other than allowing the player to enter explorable mode. From my experience, story mode often takes longer to complete. In addition, it is disappointing that there are no tokens from chests. If my group falls apart before the dungeon is completed, I feel I have wasted my time (likely over half an hour) because I got no rewards of value.
5. Bugs
As we all know… burrows! Also, there are: volatile blossoms being “obstructed”, players getting stuck in objects, falling through the floor (when using abilities like mesmer’s Phase Retreat), boss abilities traveling through walls sometimes (Kholer), etc.
6. Awkward locations for bosses and mob pulls
Often these occur in narrow hallways, tight tunnels, or in basements with low ceilings. Instead of having a wide clear space to watch for boss mechanics, a player needs to deal with unpractical camera shifts because of tight spaces. This is especially troublesome for tall Norn characters.
7. Boss focus on one person
With having everyone play a DPS role, it is important to have damage evenly split among players or have hard-hitting attacks easily avoidable. Having bosses like Kholer (leaps) or CM’s Sure-Shot Samus (shotgun knockback) stay on you for several attacks is not fun.
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