In Light of The Dhuum Raid

[Adry.7512]

Could we PLEASE get a shadow behemoth overhaul?? It’s painfully easy, to the point where it makes the game look bad. The behemoth is an easy boss for low level players and review teams to encounter, which could make for good advertising. The problem is that there is nothing going on. I can stand in front of it without moving and not die. It’s arms are huuuge, make it swing at us so we have to dodge left or right, add some spice to it. Sadly it’s jaw droppingly easy, and like I said, for first look impressions on videos and player perception it makes us look bad.

 

Edit;

I would suggest making it more engaging by adding a few mechanics, while keeping the same difficulty level. The problem is just that it’s way too boring, and it hurts Anet’s rep for new players and play through videos and reviews.

[artemis.6781]

No. This is a low level area and thus designed with low level explorers in mind. And you shouldn't be standing there but running around and closing portals.

[Ardid.7203]

If the Shadow Behemoth were easy I could agree with Artemis opinion. However, It is not "easy". It is BOOOORING. So extremely boring it should be changed somehow, anyhow!

[mtpelion.4562]

While the portals are open, everyone standing in the water while also more than 900 units away from an open gate should take damage equal to 33% of their health every 3 seconds. That will force the face campers to either move and help with the gates or wipe in 9-12 seconds.

 

Additionally, the Behemoth should turn to face the direction of the last gate to be closed, so the face campers can't hit him if they stay stacked at the first spot.

[lokh.2695]

Giving it the shatterer treatment, i.e. updating mechanics while keeping the difficulty, would do a lot of world bosses good. There's so much new tech in the game that could enrich the encounters that feel stale for the more veteran players. I'm in :)

 

However, they did make some mistakes with the shatterer update. They leave the explaining to mapchat by lacking tutorials for most of the mechanics and they added loot to the adds. A move I still can't comprehend, as one of the first changes to a world boss was the removal of loot from mobs that spawn in the claw of jormag world boss encounter.

[RoseofGilead.8907]

It already was given an overhaul at some point in the past few years (edit: back in April 2014), so I'm not sure if we'll see any further changes to it. It being in a starting zone kind of limits how difficult it can/should be, though.

[Laila Lightness.8742]

Shadow behe is to hard in truth

[Randulf.7614]

It's a starter zone WOrld Boss. It exists to introduce players to the concept and existence of World bosses rather than introduce challenge and mechanics. There are some bosses which could use an overhaul (Karka Queen, Taidra, Mega Destroyer), but the starter zone ones are fine as they are as the fulfil what they are designed to do

[Kururu.8140]

The difficulty isn't that big of a problem because it IS in a level 1-15 zone. What I dislike about it is how mind-numbingly boring it is. Close portals, hit it, close portals, hit it, close portals, hit it. Most of the WB's need an overhaul if I'm completely honest.

[Orion Templar.4589]

I'd like to see participating on portal closings give you a stacking buff that allowed you to do damage (or do more damage) against the Shadow Behemoth. Or possibly closing portals gives you a stacking defense buff against his attacks. I say that because I get tired of chasing the portals while half the people sit at the starter point waiting for a few of us to do the portals. But if the people who ignore portals couldn't do damage or got easily killed, that might give them incentive to participate, close portals faster, and help everyone advance the event more quickly.

[Yargesh.4965]

It is a starter level map boss.

It is not a raid.

It is only boring if you have done it for the past 6 years.

See my first point.

[Adry.7512]

> @"artemis.6781" said:

> No. This is a low level area and thus designed with low level explorers in mind. And you shouldn't be standing there but running around and closing portals.

 

But so is the shatterer so I find this invalid. The shatterer is in a low level zone, but it was made fun and engaging. Shadow behemoth is just horribly boring and a bad rep for Anet.

 

[Adry.7512]

> @"Ardid.7203" said:

> If the Shadow Behemoth were easy I could agree with Artemis opinion. However, It is not "easy". It is BOOOORING. So extremely boring it should be changed somehow, anyhow!

 

Yes exactly.

[Adry.7512]

> @"Randulf.7614" said:

> It's a starter zone WOrld Boss. It exists to introduce players to the concept and existence of World bosses rather than introduce challenge and mechanics. There are some bosses which could use an overhaul (Karka Queen, Taidra, Mega Destroyer), but the starter zone ones are fine as they are as the fulfil what they are designed to do

 

Right but they don’t have to increase difficulty, just add more engaging, like a simple arm swing here and there to make a player dodge. Very simple stuff, it would make it engaging while keeping the difficulty low.

[mtpelion.4562]

They could also use it (and the other starter zone World Bosses) to train new players about the break bar mechanic.

[infrequentia.3465]

> @"mtpelion.4562" said:

> They could also use it (and the other starter zone World Bosses) to train new players about the break bar mechanic.

 

but then it would be impossible.

 

CC is something pugs and completly random persons don't do.

 

they like veryone else just do auto attack 1 on range till its dead for the drop

[RoseofGilead.8907]

> @"Adry.7512" said:

> > @"artemis.6781" said:

> > No. This is a low level area and thus designed with low level explorers in mind. And you shouldn't be standing there but running around and closing portals.

>

> But so is the shatterer so I find this invalid. The shatterer is in a low level zone, but it was made fun and engaging. Shadow behemoth is just horribly boring and a bad rep for Anet.

>

 

Shatterer is in a level 40-50 zone; Queensdale is a level 1-15 zone. I don't disagree that SB is a bit on the dull side, though.

[mtpelion.4562]

> @"infrequentia.3465" said:

> > @"mtpelion.4562" said:

> > They could also use it (and the other starter zone World Bosses) to train new players about the break bar mechanic.

>

> but then it would be impossible.

>

> CC is something pugs and completly random persons don't do.

>

> they like veryone else just do auto attack 1 on range till its dead for the drop

 

Which is why it would be a training venue for the mechanic.

 

An NPC shouts (via text in the middle of your screen like a Squad Announcement): "Hey! It's raising a defensive shield! You will need to break his Defiance Bar using crowd control effects!"

 

"Use quick effects like Stun, Daze, Knockdown, or Knockback to damage the bar quickly. Use long lasting effects like cripple, immobilize, and slow to slowly damage the bar but also prevent it from regenerating"

 

Then skills that actually work against break bars will get lit up on your skill bar so you can see which ones do that.

[Astralporing.1957]

> @"lokh.2695" said:

> Giving it the shatterer treatment, i.e. updating mechanics while keeping the difficulty, would do a lot of world bosses good.

"shatterer treatment" definitely did not keep the original difficulty. I'd rather not see this kind of treatment applied to more bosses.

 

Still, some minor reworks would likely do some bosses good. In case of Shadow Behemoth, i'd cut down on the portals (move them to a fixed hp phases like 66 and 33%, instead of on a steady timer) but make Behemoth's attacks actually damaging. Just not too much - it _is_ a starting zone after all.

So, something to make it a bit less dull (no, running portals doesn't help there - quite the opposite).

 

> @"mtpelion.4562" said:

> > @"infrequentia.3465" said:

> > > @"mtpelion.4562" said:

> > > They could also use it (and the other starter zone World Bosses) to train new players about the break bar mechanic.

> >

> > but then it would be impossible.

> >

> > CC is something pugs and completly random persons don't do.

> >

> > they like veryone else just do auto attack 1 on range till its dead for the drop

>

> Which is why it would be a training venue for the mechanic.

>

> An NPC shouts (via text in the middle of your screen like a Squad Announcement): "Hey! It's raising a defensive shield! You will need to break his Defiance Bar using crowd control effects!"

>

> "Use quick effects like Stun, Daze, Knockdown, or Knockback to damage the bar quickly. Use long lasting effects like cripple, immobilize, and slow to slowly damage the bar but also prevent it from regenerating"

>

> Then skills that actually work against break bars will get lit up on your skill bar so you can see which ones do that.

...and then they will give it a shatterer-style defiance bar that simply cannot be broken by a normal pug if there's no organized group helping out.

No, thank you.

 

[lokh.2695]

> @"Astralporing.1957" said:

 

> ...and then they will give it a shatterer-style defiance bar that simply cannot be broken by a normal pug if there's no organized group helping out.

> No, thank you.

>

The defiance bar can be broken if enough ppl actually use the bombs, but since the mobs that spawn at shatterers feet give loot and ppl have been used to standing there since launch ppl hardly ever use the bombs. The mechanic is poorly explained as well which doesn't help. If there would be no alternative to the defiance bar it would go down.

Players not knowing what a defiance bar is or what cc-skills are is part Anets fault for the lack of tutorials(i.e. not reworking starter content to match tech added later in the game) but I would put at least some blame on the players not reading their skills, not asking questions and not paying attention to telegraphs or the little box that tells you about the event.

 

[Illconceived Was Na.9781]

> @"Ardid.7203" said:

> If the Shadow Behemoth were easy I could agree with Artemis opinion. However, It is not "easy". It is BOOOORING. So extremely boring it should be changed somehow, anyhow!

 

It's definitely dull for me. It used to be fun, in part because it was new. But also because there was some danger of failure or death. There's probably still some danger of death for new players. And, there's still posts from time to time from new players about how amazing that fight is.

 

Then, new players become veterans and they, too, realize it's not difficult; it's just long.

 

It's hard to find a good balance so that the newbie zone bosses are interesting for veterans and only challenging for newbies. I'd like to see it, but probably after ANet comes up with in game tutorials (also for newbies) and the like.

[Palador.2170]

I know the Shadow Behemoth is a bit dull compared to higher level fights, but there's a reason for that. He's a training boss, basically. To make sure new players have a chance to grasp the mechanics, they have to keep things fairly simple.

 

First, it shows that wide spread events can be linked, using the pre-events.

Then it brings everyone together for some more portals, showing a multi-event chain.

Finally, we get to the real fight. It gives some big AoE attacks to dodge, without being too punishing if you don't or are a bit slow. Then it gives you the weak point to target, teaching that mechanic. Finally, the portals and adds teach that sometimes you need to shift your target to something less obvious in order to progress the fight.

 

Now, while I do think this is a good training boss, we could use something being done about the people that just stand in front of it and wait for it to become vulnerable. Maybe some knockback or launch added to the attacks would help to scatter them a bit. Or, as someone has already suggested, have it turn towards the last portal closed each time. Nothing too distracting from the actual fight, just something so they don't learn "stand here and press 1 to win".

[Ashen.2907]

> @"mtpelion.4562" said:

> > @"infrequentia.3465" said:

> > > @"mtpelion.4562" said:

> > > They could also use it (and the other starter zone World Bosses) to train new players about the break bar mechanic.

> >

> > but then it would be impossible.

> >

> > CC is something pugs and completly random persons don't do.

> >

> > they like veryone else just do auto attack 1 on range till its dead for the drop

>

> Which is why it would be a training venue for the mechanic.

>

> An NPC shouts (via text in the middle of your screen like a Squad Announcement): "Hey! It's raising a defensive shield! You will need to break his Defiance Bar using crowd control effects!"

>

> "Use quick effects like Stun, Daze, Knockdown, or Knockback to damage the bar quickly. Use long lasting effects like cripple, immobilize, and slow to slowly damage the bar but also prevent it from regenerating"

>

> Then skills that actually work against break bars will get lit up on your skill bar so you can see which ones do that.

 

what if the people who show up for the event dont have CC (and dont necessarily have options for switching up yet)?

[Faaris.8013]

When I started playing the game, that boss was the most impressive thing I stumbled over on my first or second day. I think it did a very good job of giving a new player an impression of the game.

[kurfu.5623]

No.

 

It's a level 15 boss, and is often a new players first encounter with a world-boss. It does have certain mechanics that need to be followed, however tedious they may be. It certainly does *not* need the "Shatterer" treatment.