Bloated combat encounters = extremely long runs, feels like a slog at times

[BRUH.]

So, as the title says, this is pretty much the only big gripe I have with this game. Overall I think they have made mostly good changes to the new game, so this is not a hate post or anything of the sort. I enjoy the game, but only to a certain degree.

I completed Act 1, which was totally fine and fairly easy. Then I tried Act 2. One full attempt at getting to the final boss takes AT LEAST 3 hours, and that's a fast run. In my experience so far, each run attempting to get to the final boss is anything between 3-5 hours. For me this is simply too long for ‘roguelite run’, the average runs in most other roguelikes is nowhere near this long.
So what are the factors that lead to these insane run times? Well, imo, there's absolutely too many combats in this game. It definitely helps when you get the 3 wheels and armor upgrade. But holy hell. There’s just so many combats, and most of them are unavoidable. There's cultist at the end of every region, but on top of that, you also have to defeat a Lair boss to access the mountain. So that's 3 extra right there. For me that is super unnecessary and doesn't really add anything to the game, except adding even more combat encounters in an already bloated combat encounter state. If I get an option to skip combat, I always skip it, even if it gives me negative affinity, which it often does.

So with all the combat, once you get to the later regions, in my case you really suffer some mental fatigue, which in turn makes the game kinda a slog. The final combats before the mountain are just not fun for me. Also one main factor for the long, sluggish run timers is the combat speed itself. In the beginning it's really nice to see the animations and atmosphere, which are great in both cases. But in the long run, the combat feels sooooo slow, I really wish there was a way to speed these up, I mean, it's 2023.

So those are my main points of critiques, which I haven't really seen expressed much by other people. So I was wondering, is it only me? What do you guys think about this? Thanks for reading :)

[Modragor]

Originally posted by BRUH.:

If I get an option to skip combat, I always skip it, even if it gives me negative affinity, which it often does.

So with all the combat, once you get to the later regions, in my case you really suffer some mental fatigue, which in turn makes the game kinda a slog. The final combats before the mountain are just not fun for me.

By skipping combat you dimish the light, by dimishing the light the fights get harder and the mood of your people goes down. So you do this to yourself by your own decisions.

No one forces you to do a run in one go, you can just do one region and leave the game at the inn to play the next region the next day.

Edit: Also if I think about it you get less relics and trinkets by doing less fight, so this again rises the difficulty. This game is about doing fights to get and buy better equipment and build up your party for the boss fight this way.

[BRUH.]

Originally posted by Modragor:

Originally posted by BRUH.:

If I get an option to skip combat, I always skip it, even if it gives me negative affinity, which it often does.

So with all the combat, once you get to the later regions, in my case you really suffer some mental fatigue, which in turn makes the game kinda a slog. The final combats before the mountain are just not fun for me.

By skipping combat you dimish the light, by dimishing the light the fights get harder and the mood of your people goes down. So you do this to yourself by your own decisions.

No one forces you to do a run in one go, you can just do one region and leave the game at the inn to play the next region the next day.

Hello, i dont really have any problem with keeping the light up, so that is not an issue for me.
And i know you dont HAVE to try to get to the end, my point is when you try to get to and end boss, the runs are generally too long and a slog. But i see your point in leaving the game at an inn, and going again at another time. Personally i dont really enjoy leaving it hanging like that, but yeah.
Thanks for replying :)

[BRUH.]

Also for your edit, i dont struggle getting trinkets, i usually feel like im drowning in them, but again, i see your point :) With all respect i just dont think your answers apply to my issue, besides just closing the game mid run at an inn..
Im not saying the game is too hard, as your answers suggest, its too LONG and sloggish at the end

[Modragor]

Originally posted by BRUH.:

Also for your edit, i dont struggle getting trinkets, i usually feel like im drowning in them, but again, i see your point :) With all respect i just dont think your answers, really 'fixes' my only issue with this game, besides just closing the game mid run at an inn..
Im not saying the game is too hard, as your answers suggest, its too LONG and sloggish at the end

With all respect back Darkest Dungeon always was a time consuming game with preparing your runs, equiping and training your party and fighting for hours through dungeons to finally and much too often get smashed by some boss. So I think the community doesn´t want to have a quick and easy match mode as basic mode of the game.

To the relics/ trinkets I don´t think you are right. You just can´t have enough relics with all the possibilities you can buy with it at the inn, the hoarder and at the hospital. And a lot of trinkets which are dropping are just bad or don´t fit your characters, so it is about to get the right trinkets. And with the number of drops the possibility of getting the right trinket increases.

[Son of Satan]

Originally posted by Modragor:

To the relics/ trinkets I don´t think you are right. You just can´t have enough relics with all the possibilities you can buy with it at the inn, the hoarder and at the hospital. And a lot of trinkets which are dropping are just bad or don´t fit your characters, so it is about to get the right trinkets. And with the number of drops the possibility of getting the right trinket increases.

Or you could just use the trinkets you get and not look for the ones you want :/ Hoarder trinkets can't be bought normally, indelible ones are simply too expensive (and they cost baubles, not relics).