the VMA problem

[legoman775]

I know that there is going to be some that say "oh well get gud" and all of that stuff but seriously think about this for a second before you post something dumb like that please. Nothing in SOLO play even comes close to this hard nothing! And then studenly here comes VMA, I get it is supposed to be a challenge but there's a fine line between challenge and outright unfair. It is not outright unfair but it is very close. When you have a completed build and are champ 498 with all gold gear and weapons with the best stuff possible pretty much and you still can't beat this in a timely manner there is a problem. I'm not saying that it needs to be nerfed but it does need to be looked at again. Because the hardness level of this is a bit to high and extremely frustrating, i have looked at guides and they do not help, Its nearly imposssible for me to get any stronger than by doing this. I ask that Zenimax take a good look at VMA and say "yeah that is a bit to hard". At no point in ESO have I ever been so ♥♥♥♥♥♥ off at the game until right now. I have been trying to beat this for days already and still can't. I have played so many hard games in my time including DARK SOULS, Sekiro, Alien Isolation on NIGHTMARE, (i know these aren't the same type of game but still) and I have never said like "oh well that was unfair and nearly smashed my keyboard" But this is just to much.

EDIT: so I finally beat it and let me tell you, it... sucked... and i never want to do it again! And I got the lightning staff which is cool i guess idk, or care. Anyways thanks for the help everyone this mode is horrible.

[sergykid]

i can help you, done vMA on all my chars with scores over 550k and 570k on my better builded chars.

now, be concrete on the subject, where exactly do you have a problem? a specific round or boss? vMA is more about mechanics than gear. You can do it either with survivability and low dps or high dps and no survivability.

once you know the mechanics and you finish it for once, you will see it gets easier and easier. Sure i also die 1-2 times sometimes. Sometimes my own attention is missing, sometimes just RNG. But always finishing it.

[Crowkeeper]

It's mechanics, not gear. Having good trial gear can certainly make it easier, but it is not make or break.

If you can't beat vMA, then you need to practice, plain and simple.

[Requimatic]

Originally posted by WouldSmash:

It's mechanics, not gear. Having good trial gear can certainly make it easier, but it is not make or break.

If you can't beat vMA, then you need to practice, plain and simple.

Pretty much this.

I used to feel the same way back before I could clear it.. then I finally sat down one day and said "I want my damn bow", so I went back to it and started practicing.

After.. numerous deaths.. mostly on the Rink of Frozen Blood, I finally managed to learn mechanics enough to clear it consistently, at around 45 minutes a clear. I wasn't trying to push for score or anything, just completion, so I utilized the sigils whenever I needed to as well.

Around 45 clears later, I finally got my bow.. as well as every other weapon except the Greatsword. And about 13 Resto Staves.

It just takes practice. More damage helps, yeah, but knowing how to handle your build's sustain is more important than that, because if you run out of resources you can't do anything but die.

So in order of importance, I'd say..

1. Mechanics (BY FAR)
2. Sustain
3. Healing
4. Damage

Also, don't be afraid to use the sigils if you need to. One of the worst things about vMA, at least as a Stamblade, were the ranged NPCs that would spawn on some maps that you really didn't have a way to counter if you didn't know where they were going to spawn. The Shield sigil causes ranged attacks to reflect to the caster, so it can be very, VERY helpful on some stages when all of the spawns are casters or archers.

Edit: by the way, I was clearing it with pretty easy to obtain gear, too. Velidreth, Hunding's Rage body pieces, and Briarheart accessories & daggers. Bow was just a random CP160 crafted Bow with a weapon damage enchant.

Also, don't obsess over the bow too much anymore, both Volley and the vMA Bow have been slightly nerfed in U23. After that goes live, Master's Bow will be the best for pure single-target encounters (most bosses) while the vMA Bow will be the best for AoE situations/trash pulls.

I'm not particularly happy about nerfs to anything, but at least it gives folks who can't clear vMA a viable option, as vDSA is much easier to clear, and your chances of getting the Bow from there are much higher.

[legoman775]

I know its mechanics not gear, but the problem is they throw so much stuff to worry about at you in the kitchen sink, and any of those things can 1 shot you, its very irritating and borderlines on bad design. I know i need to practice and eventually i will probably say "how did i die so much" but as it stands now its very disheartening for reference im on the final boss of the Vault of Umbridge

[Drake]

The issue is not vMA, it's the rest of the solo part of the game. The scaling makes the overworld too flat. They need to redesign the regions so that in each region there are easy stuff (like we have now), harder and harder again (craglorn group stuff hard), so that while you can do any region the way you want, you do have access to harder and harder solo content bringing to to the top that is vMA.

We have it with group dungeons and trials, but nothign for solo content, there is easy stuff, and nMA and vMA.

[legoman775]

Originally posted by Sajah:

The issue is not vMA, it's the rest of the solo part of the game. The scaling makes the overworld too flat. They need to redesign the regions so that in each region there are easy stuff (like we have now), harder and harder again (craglorn group stuff hard), so that while you can do any region the way you want, you do have access to harder and harder solo content bringing to to the top that is vMA.

We have it with group dungeons and trials, but nothign for solo content, there is easy stuff, and nMA and vMA.

I totally agree nothing ever comes close to VMA or even prepares you for it! The main story you can beat with your eyes closed and the rest of the solo content is super easy, nMA is difficult but no where on the level of vMA!

[737]

The funny thing is vMA is way easier than it was back when it first came out. If people could beat it before, when the crematorial on the last stage took forever to kill for example, then you can beat it now. The reason people say git gud is not to make fun of you. It's literally the only way to beat vMA. Get good. It's not impossible.

[legoman775]

Originally posted by 737:

The funny thing is vMA is way easier than it was back when it first came out. If people could beat it before, when the crematorial on the last stage took forever to kill for example, then you can beat it now. The reason people say git gud is not to make fun of you. It's literally the only way to beat vMA. Get good. It's not impossible.

I never said it was impossible I said it is a bit to hard especially for a solo thing, nothing in solo gameplay even compares to how hard VMA is, and uf there is i would love to hear it!

[737]

I'm just saying, it used to be way harder before. So I don't think there's room for complaining.

[legoman775]

Originally posted by 737:

I'm just saying, it used to be way harder before. So I don't think there's room for complaining.

Im not complaimg I just said that the game doesnt prepare you for something like this in SOLO, weather it is easier or not is not the point, the point is the game does not prepare you for a solo adventurer like this at any point in the game. Most of the game is with groups, the only solo content is the main story, certain quests and nMA, and vMA.

[Sly-Scale]

The best way to go about being prepared for Maelstrom Arena, both Normal and Vet, is to make yourself able to solo normal/vet Fungal Grotto 1. There's little to no mechanics in that, letting you focus on dealing and taking damage. If you can come out of those boss fights with nearly-full resources, you're prepared enough for Maelstrom Arena. Just a matter of learning mechanics at that point. (But DEFINITELY bring gold CP160 weapons with at least two 5x sets and a monster set.)

[Crowkeeper]

I don't think this has been asked, but what class are you playing, and what is your build?

While it is a fact that vMA is mostly mechs and such, there are certain things that can make it easier.

[cnr]

literally nothing if you have gold gear and everything like that it is user error not game error

[Shifty Mario]

Originally posted by Requimatic:

1. Mechanics (BY FAR)
2. Sustain
3. Healing
4. Damage

It's pretty much this. Based on what you said, you need healing. I had vigor on at all times. You have to be proactive on damage taken. Being reactive will cause those 1-shots especially with the lag this game has.

[Ser Maks]

As others have said already, vMA is all about mechanics. I'll add tactics and survival too. What is your class and build, btw?

If you still on the Vault of Umbridge, try to stay between Hourglass sigil and green pond - if you get hit by flowers, you can heal in the pond quickly. I wish your best with your clear - in my first try, I've spend 5 days on vMA, and still remember "I did it!" feeling, when last boss finally went down...