Normal too easy, brutal too hard. What do?

[rotkudnoK]

Basically the title. On brutal, bosses such as Errol, Goreswine, Grayson, Quincey feel too, well, brutal. I'm playing with a friend and we managed to kill all of these but Quincey.

The main issue for us was that there is simply too much going on: constant aoe and zone controlling, summoning the most tanky and annoying to deal with mobs such as archers and spear-guys, projectiles flying everywhere, and all we have is ONE single dodge. Every 8 seconds. Well, technically, we also have a counter, but it's useless against aoe and it feels like bosses use aoe for every 3 out of 4 attacks. Add to all this the fact that some attacks deal damage equal to half of our total hp, or even more, while we deal barely anything, and the combat becomes simply not fun.

After a dozen or so tries on Quincey we decided it isn't worth it and changed the difficulty to normal. And, you guessed it, the guy got utterly destroyed on our next try. Like, we weren't even trying to dodge all that hard, because he barely dealt any damage. Half of his aoe attacks are gone, instead of spear-guys he summons regular weak as hell goons... now it's just too easy.

Either way, the combat is, again, not fun. What do we do?

[Ryvaku]

Currently playing through Brutal. It may be me, but after getting passed Maja the game became a cake walk. I always figured Maja is the main boss because she is more like a gatekeeper to the rest of the game.
I guess I'm saying Brutal bosses are easy.

[BingusDingus]

It gets harder as you go, a little too hard in some cases. It feels like some bosses are way too overtuned for their progression level. Like Angram is crazy, spams AOE lasting DOT effects like crazy.
Some also spam attacks that you're meant to dodge but you cannot because you don't have enough dodges to even begin to do so, even if you used the great sword Q ability as another dodge and were using the chaos dodge.

[Pinhead Larry]

Publicado originalmente por opAw←G:

I agree brutal is too hard, it become more like a souls-like game. I'm a solo player most of the time and some of the bosses are just impossible to fight alone, the damage I deal is very cute even if I am the same level with the boss. That Vincent boss is just pure agony, with his slow aura + constant damage and charges at you like crazy.

I'd say late game its more like a touhou game, what with all the projectile spam bosses start getting.

Just a heads up, brutal is massively overtuned on several bosses and basically necessitates a double counter/shield playstyle, preferably with a ranged weapon like pistols or bow but slashers and one handed sword work too. I'm 2/3rds through act 2 and not running double counter/shields feels absolutely impossible since just 1 counter/shield = dash is almost never enough.

[Korintheblack]

Publicado originalmente por Syzygy:

Publicado originalmente por opAw←G:

I agree brutal is too hard, it become more like a souls-like game. I'm a solo player most of the time and some of the bosses are just impossible to fight alone, the damage I deal is very cute even if I am the same level with the boss. That Vincent boss is just pure agony, with his slow aura + constant damage and charges at you like crazy.

I'd say late game its more like a touhou game, what with all the projectile spam bosses start getting.

I'm having some trouble with Solarus' light spam. Why doesn't holy resist pots affect his little light projectiles?!

[Pinhead Larry]

Publicado originalmente por Korintheblack:

Publicado originalmente por Syzygy:

I'd say late game its more like a touhou game, what with all the projectile spam bosses start getting.

I'm having some trouble with Solarus' light spam. Why doesn't holy resist pots affect his little light projectiles?!

They were for me, but Brutal bosses do so much more damage it didn't really seem to make too much difference.

[Korintheblack]

Publicado originalmente por Syzygy:

Publicado originalmente por Korintheblack:

I'm having some trouble with Solarus' light spam. Why doesn't holy resist pots affect his little light projectiles?!

They were for me, but Brutal bosses do so much more damage it didn't really seem to make too much difference.

It doesn't seem to make a big difference in normal either lol.

[Pinhead Larry]

Publicado originalmente por Shacck:

Publicado originalmente por Toxi:

yeah, I think I'll be doing that eventually depending on how this goes.
but you see here's the weird thing though, I just beat Quincy on brutal and again, he seemed ok. Tough? Sure. But he seemed like an Act 2 final boss placed at Act 1, more or less what I was expecting from brutal.

I think there's some inconsistencies with some bosses having some bs attacks, like Lidia's massive overhead aoe and how fast it builds up. Quincy had nothing like that, the mace he tossed was tricky, but you could avoid by moving, same with the shield charge.



It's not even that though, because in that game you have an extended health bar through the Estus Flasks / Blood vials, if you want to look at the health + healing system that way. In V Rising, healing consumables in combat are practically nonexistent. Salves heal maybe a fraction of your health.

Well, in Dark souls you need to step away from the boss and use the flask in a moment when the boss is doing a move you just dodged, same in V rising. I can still use pots in combat. Sidestep the skillshot and as it's still flying hit 5 to start the heal.

The one boss skill I've had major trouble with so far was Quinceys reflect since there's no animation to show he's about to cast it and he casts it almost instantly so what ends up happening is I use vollyshot from copper bow and it reflects back to me hitting me for well over 75% of max HP meaning the fight is basically over.

He casts reflect so quick that I have situations recorded where I cast the volly and as it's flying he puts up his reflect almost like a perfect PvP counter. I cannot know when he will cast this so it feels very much like a % chance to get completely destroyed.
I'm ok with dodging everything else he does, the axethrow cought me off guard the first couple times but even that is fine i keep my distance.

THANK YOU, I thought I was a crazy person being the only one to mention the s/hitty zero-windup counter moves some bosses have. The Ice Dude in act 2 does the same thing with his ice shield, if it weren't for those moves I absolutely would have bodied them in 2 goes at most and it's cheap and dumb that they can whip them out like that with no real logic or pattern behind them.

[CadeOfRoots]

Personally i played solo and have plenty of challenge on normal, the majority of the time i struggle is cause i take on enemys way to high level for fun

[Bing Bong]

I dunno only jade and octavian left in act II for me. So far brutal is.... fair.

Lotta people saying they HAVE to run double block and ranged and its just not the case. Im having fun with the mosquito tequito myself :D, with the heal jewel on it. Ward of the damned or Blood rite depending on the bosses. Mace/reaper combo here.

[Korintheblack]

Publicado originalmente por Syzygy:

Publicado originalmente por Shacck:

Well, in Dark souls you need to step away from the boss and use the flask in a moment when the boss is doing a move you just dodged, same in V rising. I can still use pots in combat. Sidestep the skillshot and as it's still flying hit 5 to start the heal.

The one boss skill I've had major trouble with so far was Quinceys reflect since there's no animation to show he's about to cast it and he casts it almost instantly so what ends up happening is I use vollyshot from copper bow and it reflects back to me hitting me for well over 75% of max HP meaning the fight is basically over.

He casts reflect so quick that I have situations recorded where I cast the volly and as it's flying he puts up his reflect almost like a perfect PvP counter. I cannot know when he will cast this so it feels very much like a % chance to get completely destroyed.
I'm ok with dodging everything else he does, the axethrow cought me off guard the first couple times but even that is fine i keep my distance.

THANK YOU, I thought I was a crazy person being the only one to mention the s/hitty zero-windup counter moves some bosses have. The Ice Dude in act 2 does the same thing with his ice shield, if it weren't for those moves I absolutely would have bodied them in 2 goes at most and it's cheap and dumb that they can whip them out like that with no real logic or pattern behind them.

Blackbrew has a counter ability as well that comes on near instantly.

[D#]

You can edit your file to reduce the boss dmg/hp while keeping the rest of the brutal changes if you want to make it a little easier.

[NiflRav]

Skill issue guys. Skill issue and nothing more. You have a lot of skills. For example you can summon a lot of ads, just to distract any boss, better gear have passive skills like life leach, you can heal up just hitting the target, you can use ranged when boss going aoe.

I am not finished with my brutal run, but already killed all boses from act 1, half from act 2 and accidentally ran into a boss, near a red crystal that was 85 lvl. I was 55. I had to sweat, but nothing too hard. Kiting and throwing sammons at him. And killed.

So it's your's skill issue.

[Korintheblack]

Publicado originalmente por Suhu:

Skill issue guys. Skill issue and nothing more. You have a lot of skills. For example you can summon a lot of ads, just to distract any boss, better gear have passive skills like life leach, you can heal up just hitting the target, you can use ranged when boss going aoe.

I am not finished with my brutal run, but already killed all boses from act 1, half from act 2 and accidentally ran into a boss, near a red crystal that was 85 lvl. I was 55. I had to sweat, but nothing too hard. Kiting and throwing sammons at him. And killed.

So it's your's skill issue.

I'm gonna call ♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥ here. Styx is easy when kiting, but when his 2nd phase pops in you also have to deal with 2 equally leveled gargoyles, not to mention random blood sphere's popping in behind you sometimes.

Video proof plz.

[NiflRav]

Publicado originalmente por Korintheblack:

Publicado originalmente por Suhu:

Skill issue guys. Skill issue and nothing more. You have a lot of skills. For example you can summon a lot of ads, just to distract any boss, better gear have passive skills like life leach, you can heal up just hitting the target, you can use ranged when boss going aoe.

I am not finished with my brutal run, but already killed all boses from act 1, half from act 2 and accidentally ran into a boss, near a red crystal that was 85 lvl. I was 55. I had to sweat, but nothing too hard. Kiting and throwing sammons at him. And killed.

So it's your's skill issue.

I'm gonna call ♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥ here. Styx is easy when kiting, but when his 2nd phase pops in you also have to deal with 2 equally leveled gargoyles, not to mention random blood sphere's popping in behind you sometimes.

Video proof plz.

I can give you screenshots. As you see, my gs is 61 right now. And yes, he summon two gargoyles and one necromancer of sort. In the middle. Then spawn blood spheres and shower of magic missles. And of'c jumping in air time to time.

https://imgur.com/HBTZicX Here is killed boss.
https://imgur.com/x2JDXIb Others is still closed.

So...i will repeat - skill issue.

[rotkudnoK]

Publicado originalmente por Suhu:

Skill issue guys. Skill issue and nothing more. You have a lot of skills. For example you can summon a lot of ads, just to distract any boss, better gear have passive skills like life leach, you can heal up just hitting the target, you can use ranged when boss going aoe.

I am not finished with my brutal run, but already killed all boses from act 1, half from act 2 and accidentally ran into a boss, near a red crystal that was 85 lvl. I was 55. I had to sweat, but nothing too hard. Kiting and throwing sammons at him. And killed.

So it's your's skill issue.

How come you're 90 hours in and still on Act 2?