The update, Hollowed Halls, and direction of play

[The Druidic Healer]

Before getting started, let me say I bought the game, played 270 hours, and finished the original content, both as a solo player and in a 2 player group, so I am not some newbie.

Prior to the update, for me at least the game was running well. Since the update, my game is seriously unstable, with multiple crashes and incredibly long loading times. (I have a computer that is way more than than even the recommended for the game, so it is not my computer.) I do understand that some people had issues and some people were unhappy about the 60hz, which I was glad to see the developers address, but many people are also having real trouble since the update which they didn't have before. On discord, some people have even been told to start messing around with their BIOS just to get the game working. That's a red flag for me. You shouldn't need to play around with the BIOS simply to get a game to run properly.

The Hollow Halls in each area are an interesting addition, but the balance is off for many people. The Halls are incredibly long, and the mobs of enemies are overwhelming for many solo and even some small groups. To those who say it is easy - good for you, but not everyone might be as skilled as you. Skilled players complained when it was easier for them and they were listened to. Now it is time to listen when some of the lesser skilled players are saying it is too difficult. As well, not everyone has 1-3 hours to spend in one dungeon. The sheer length of the Halls combined with a lack of save points makes them way out of balance with the rest of the game.

I get that many people find the game too easy, and have been making their feelings known to the developers. However, now the push seems to be let's have combat everywhere, roving marauders on the trails, requests for raids on bases, etc.
Not everyone enjoys that. It seems like the developers don't care about players that are playing not just for combat but also for building and exploring. That is obviously the developers' choice, but they need to be honest with the people that have bought and are going to buy the game.

Finally a last thought for everyone. Just because you like play a certain way doesn't mean that other ways of play are wrong or of less value.

[Intellect Inside]

Never understood the logic of making the game harder for everyone because some people want to level up their character and gear and still have the game be hard. Want it to be hard all the way through? Don't level up. Problem solved, without making the game harder for everyone else. Jeez.

[Asmosis]

I think this content was expected given how "game-ified" most aspects of the game are. I would expect more popular trends to pop up as EA continues and they implement new stuff.

They certainly need to address the lack of player location saving on exit before they add any further content that requires you to be away from home base for potentially multiple hours.

That said, the Hallowed halls are entirely optional. So there's no reason to not have them in the game.

[Sgt.JESUS]

I only played th first hall, level 10 enemies, im 25 mage, it was indeed long, but i saw several points of respawn, always between levels and with anvils to fix gear.
Some people complaint about the pull of enemies, that the agro range is too high so they come in large groups, well i only saw an issue at the very bottom of the dungeon, where 4 doors open and jesus it was like a 100 enemies at once, caught me off guard too since this game never thrown that many at you at once.
I think if i was level 10 or so i would have died, since i wouldnt have the means to kill that many, no infinite fireball and all that. They could tone down a little, but i like the challenge to be fair.
I see a group of level 10 clearing that to be fair, i mean you can have as many as 16 players in one server.

[Sgt.JESUS]

Well if they fix the server secutiry and people can finally open their games to players they are not friends with, i can see myself going inside those dungeons and helping out clear them in a group of strangers of the same level, could be a really fun thing to do.
Thats if they implement some form of base protection against these bastards that have fun ruining games for others.

[ReDsKuLL]

Originally posted by Sgt.JESUS:

I only played the first hall, level 10 enemies, I'm 25 mage, it was indeed long, but i saw several respawn points, always between levels and with anvils to fix gear.
Some people complaint about the pull of enemies, that the aggro range is too high so they come in large groups, well i only saw an issue at the very bottom of the dungeon, where 4 doors open and jesus it was like a 100 enemies at once, caught me off guard too since this game never thrown that many at you at once... You can have as many as 16 players in one server.

There's a couple things to note here. First, respawn points are not what people are asking for. People want to be able to either return to their base to resupply on ammo, potions and food or they want to be able to stop part way in for any number of real life reasons and not have to redo the whole Hall when they log back on.

Second, you've only played the lowest level Hall and pointed out the sheer number of enemies thrown at you. It gets far worse in each successive Hall. The last one gets downright unreasonable at the very end if you're playing solo. The devs have made, to my knowledge, no comment whatsoever about trying to keep things balanced for solo players. All they'd have to do is set up a very basic party size based balancing system. If people have smaller groups or are playing solo, it's perfectly possible to develop a system to adjust the number or behavior of enemies accordingly. I have never heard a downside to this method of game balance.

[The Druidic Healer]

Originally posted by Asmosis:

I think this content was expected given how "game-ified" most aspects of the game are. I would expect more popular trends to pop up as EA continues and they implement new stuff.

They certainly need to address the lack of player location saving on exit before they add any further content that requires you to be away from home base for potentially multiple hours.

That said, the Hallowed halls are entirely optional. So there's no reason to not have them in the game.

I never suggested not including them in the game.
However, the Hallowed Halls are not what most people would consider optional if you want a full game experience. One character for your base is only available through the Halls. Certain base building material is only available through the Halls.
If I didn't want to play the game I paid for, I wouldn't have bought it. However I do want to play it, I just think perhaps there could be some modifications that would make it easier for people who are finding it difficult.

[Asmosis]

The only real complaint i had about the first one is i cleared this giant hall of enemies, went into a side room, and there was at least 50-80 skeletons waiting for me outside when i returned a minute later. Like where the **** did you guys come from??

Can certainly see getting mobbed to death in later ones given they can knock you out of jumps mid air and the player character has zero stun resistance.

That would probably be my biggest complaint about combat overall, the lack if poise. every single attack from rats to bosses stuns you.

[DarkFire]

What Enshrouded really needs are difficulty settings. I don't mean simply easy, normal, hard and death march difficulties but granular difficulty settings such as Conan Exiles has. For anyone who hasn't played it, the game allows you to adjust the damage you do, the damage you take, the damage done by monsters & other enemies, resource respawn time, even the length of the day / night cycle. All of it can be instantly adjusted on the fly at any time. I think this way probably everyone would be happy - those who want a more relaxed experience could have it and those who want more of a challenge could also have it.

On the Halls, I've completed the first one and probably won't be going back. I play single player and did hall #1 when I was at roughly the same level as the monsters (L13 IIRC). It was doable but I ended up using way more resources that I got from it, making it not really worth the effort. I also think that while the difficulty for content aimed at group play was OK, the way in which that difficulty is created is poor. Rather than just spamming hordes of enemies at the player(s), it would be better to have well crafted combat encounters so each room or corridor becomes a tactical problem of terrain, enemy types and target prioritisation instead of mindless gradual retreating while spamming attacks.

[Asmosis]

I was almost going to disagree (as i dont use those myself), but there's honestly no reason those settings *aren't* available at a server level, Ark and Palworld do the same thing. Given how common it is, i'd expect we'll see that before release.

I've completed the first 3, i'll probably return and do a thorough clear incase i missed some crafting stuff but after that i doubt i'd return except to mine the wall bricks.

[Litfod]

Gameplay issues (and there are many) aside, I actually really like having these long, involved dungeons. Some of the environments are gorgeous if you stop to admire them (esp in the Nomad hall). They really went to town on the scale and also the depth of some of the maps.

[OneCarbon]

I like the game the way it is. The amount of enemies was perfect in the halls. I hope the dev's continue in this direction and add mobs :) I want a game I can play and is a challenge. I don't want to walk through every challenge like I am a god with a hammer.

[Asmosis]

Originally posted by Litfod:

Gameplay issues (and there are many) aside, I actually really like having these long, involved dungeons. Some of the environments are gorgeous if you stop to admire them (esp in the Nomad hall). They really went to town on the scale and also the depth of some of the maps.

As far as i can tell they are still within the normal world space not instanced (kinda opposite version of the towers) so in theory you could dig down to them and eventually bust through the roof or something.

There's no real reason to do that though as there's no "pot of gold" at the end, the reasons to return to one (resources) are spread out through the entire level.

[Galadhlinn]

Originally posted by Intellect Inside:

Never understood the logic of making the game harder for everyone because some people want to level up their character and gear and still have the game be hard. Want it to be hard all the way through? Don't level up. Problem solved, without making the game harder for everyone else. Jeez.

lol I have suggested a version of this in numerous games. The players who are always griping the mobs are way too easy are, coincidentally, the same players who one day after game release are bragging that they finished the entire game in three hours. I'm not sure why they choose a game clearly designed for the casual to average player and then expect it (demand) that it be made harder. I always ask them if they tried the bosses with no food/buffs using a wooden sword and rags armor. If they insist on buying a game that was really not intended for, nor designed for them, they should at least try adapting to make it more challenging. : P

[gadfly6363]

For those who "want a challenge", it's a video game. It's idle entertainment. You're sitting in a room clicking buttons. If you want a challenge, turn off the computer and go find a way to help disabled people in your community or something. Video games are for a bit of fun and escapism. If you want it to be "harder", just play with no armor or weapons or some such. Stop whining that the game has to be ruined for everyone else so you can get what you want. I liked this game for what it was at EA drop; a relatively easy game that looks good and has some fun mechanics. It sounds like "the vision" is to make it an endless slog, or impossible to play solo. I don't know one single person who can get 16 people together to play a game, and all my friends are gamers.

[Intellect Inside]

Originally posted by gadfly6363:

For those who "want a challenge", it's a video game. It's idle entertainment. You're sitting in a room clicking buttons. If you want a challenge, turn off the computer and go find a way to help disabled people in your community or something. Video games are for a bit of fun and escapism. If you want it to be "harder", just play with no armor or weapons or some such. Stop whining that the game has to be ruined for everyone else so you can get what you want. I liked this game for what it was at EA drop; a relatively easy game that looks good and has some fun mechanics. It sounds like "the vision" is to make it an endless slog, or impossible to play solo. I don't know one single person who can get 16 people together to play a game, and all my friends are gamers.

Amen! Hard mode was there from the beginning: no armor and punch everything to death. Some people want all the best weapons and armor, yet still want the game to be hard. If the devs listen to these idiots, it will make the game unrecommendable to most gamers. Kill the fun at your own risk, devs. I won't post a review until it's done. Ruin it, and it's thumbs down from me.