Final Boss Issue *SPOILERS, DUH!*

[imaloony]

Let me first say that I didn't come here to whine about the final boss. I did beat it on my first go, and looking back it was a pretty fair challenge for an endgame situation. However, there was some confusing language (or rather, images) with a particular ability that I'd like to discuss, suggest a change for, and hopefully get some better clarity for future players.

So if you haven't figured it out yet, I am of course talking about Come Unto Your Maker, the ultimate attack of Heart of Darkness. I did look up the exact specifics on how it works and I'm perfectly fine with it on a mechanical level, but when it first appeared it caused some confustion that nearly ruined the whole mission for me.

So I had reached that point in the battle where Heart of Darkness uses Come Unto Your Maker and when it first happened, I assumed the game had glitched or frozen. The name of the attack was highlighted in the air and my units were highlighted like they were about to be attacked, but nothing happened. I was confused and waited a bit, but nothing happened. So then I started rapidly clicking around, hoping that I would trigger something that would cause the glitch to pass until suddenly Reynauld died (noooooooooooooooo!). It was only then that I realized that the game was asking me to choose which of my units was to die. However, because no other attack in the game works like this, the confusion it causes might cause a player to unitentionally kill their best unit for the job, ruining the mission and forcing them to slog through all the other stages up until that point. Fortunately, I still had my Virtued Dismas on the job who applied Point Blank Shots to the problem until it stopped, but had I accidentally click on him I probably would have had to start the fight over from scratch, which would have been understandably frustrating.

Basically, what I'm suggesting here is that there's something that communicates to the player that they must now be the one to direct the enemy's attack. I'm not suggesting something as immersion breaking as a big popup box this late in the game, but even something like The Ancestor saying "And now... you must choose." would be really helpful and avoid a really silly wipe at such a critical point in the game, especially as much as flow and story is concerned.

[🎃MaximusBlastalot🎃]

You can simply avoid it by "one shoting it" beyond its "thresshold" as it activates after a certain point.

[imaloony]

You misunderstand. My problem isn't that it happens. My problem is that the way it works makes it so that new players might accidentally blow up the wrong character and tank the mission because it works unlike any other attack in the game. The game needs to give some better indication that the attack wants you to pick where it's aimed.

[Arcangelo]

To be fair, if you hover the mouse over your heroes, they'll hint in some way at this choice you have to do.
However I agree that this event could be confusing.

[imaloony]

Originally posted by Arcangelo:

To be fair, if you hover the mouse over your heroes, they'll hint in some way at this choice you have to do.
However I agree that this event could be confusing.

Right, that's true. However, I thought the game was just bugged. Hovering over the characters didn't even occur to me; I just started rapidly clicking, hoping that the game would progress. Upside, it progressed. Downside, the bromance of the ages was destroyed. The point is that I wish that the game would be able to better convey what you're supposed to do as to avoid confusion for future players, especially since this is a battle mechanic that appears nowhere else in the game.

[Sir Francis]

I wouldnt be against adding a voiceline as suggested.

[Arcangelo]

Originally posted by Sir Francis:

I wouldnt be against adding a voiceline as suggested.

+1

[Hakapik]

agree, the first time I met CotYM I thought the game crashed, LOL

[Rack]

I'd been spoiled on how this works by reading the patch notes for Stygian. Without that I don't think I'd have known what was going on.

[Mothra]

I liked seeing this attack the first time exactly as it was. At first, there was a brief pause, waiting for the attack to happen, then a dawning realization of what 'Come Unto Your Maker' actually does. Further clarification would remove that moment of Anticipation -> Confusion -> Shock.

[Sir Francis]

Originally posted by Mothra:

I liked seeing this attack the first time exactly as it was. At first, there was a brief pause, waiting for the attack to happen, then a dawning realization of what 'Come Unto Your Maker' actually does. Further clarification would remove that moment of Anticipation -> Confusion -> Shock.

Yes, i fear you are right there...

[Rodin]

As someone who clicked his Occultist out of confusion, I second the motion to have the effect made clearer.

[Just Hitting My Stride]

Originally posted by imaloony:

Originally posted by Arcangelo:

To be fair, if you hover the mouse over your heroes, they'll hint in some way at this choice you have to do.
However I agree that this event could be confusing.

Right, that's true. However, I thought the game was just bugged. Hovering over the characters didn't even occur to me; I just started rapidly clicking, hoping that the game would progress. Upside, it progressed. Downside, the bromance of the ages was destroyed. The point is that I wish that the game would be able to better convey what you're supposed to do as to avoid confusion for future players, especially since this is a battle mechanic that appears nowhere else in the game.

Top Ten Anime Bromance Deaths 2017

[Lujo]

+1 absolutely.