Wow, that was a lot of changes to one dungeon. While I raged when our usual group ran it for the first time, I believe, just like every NEW dungeon we encounter, it just takes learning it.
We wiped on the spider queen because we weren’t expecting the increase of hp on the hatchlings, but after that initial wipe we managed to get past it. While its doable, I guess I just don’t understand the point of increasing the health of the spiders. If one wasn’t paying attention the constant poison attack could make players fall anyway. It just seems like an effective way to make the dungeon last just a little longer, and maybe make it a little bit more expensive with repairs since there’s no way to help clear out the mobs with the new ‘not on the same level’ mechanic added to the game without being dead in the center of the attacks.
The new champion boss is annoying, but doable without dying. And I’m sure with a little practice we’ll learn to dodge the circles on a consistent basis so he’s not invisible/invulnerable for most of the fight.
Kholer seems just about the same, the adds don’t really add much to the fight, but Kholer has always been an interesting fight to me.
The boss at the end with the infinite spawns and rings of fire was doable after we figured out what to do. But I would like to agree with other groups that tried to fight this boss the way it was meant to be fought (we found it easier eventually just to kite the mobs where they spawned and just have three people on the boss) that the rings of fire don’t last nearly long enough. By the time we could get a group into the fire, it was gone. Either that or they simply refused to follow us into the fire-and since it still damages US, that didn’t seem like a very practical way to do things. The fight is new and interesting, but the fire really does need to last a little longer.
I would really appreciate some level of restraint on the amount of CC that random mobs now have. I’m not a fan of watching my character pinball across the tunnel until she’s dead. I’m sure eventually, we’ll find a good way to encounter this problem, but i can’t see us doing it without specific builds and specific classes to do it properly.
To sum it all up, all these changes I’m sure will be fine after time is devoted to learning all the changes and compensating for all the knockdowns. The problem is, that a beginner dungeon with unimpressive items for tokens, I don’t plan on devoting that kind of time to AC. Its main purpose for most of my guild was to introduce new members to their first explorable dungeon (I really don’t suggest AC anymore), and to level up low levels which seems impossible if they’re not geared up expensively, and why bother when you have to change their armor in 5 levels anyway, or you know how to play them to the best of their abilities, because lets be honest, who knows that much about a level 35 character?
So I guess TA is the new dungeon for new players and leveling, because CM has NEVER been a level 45 dungeon.