A personal message to the designer of the Gluttonous Thresher

[TheGZeus]

I hate you.

I'm not being facetious, I genuinely hate you.

This is a boss fight that requires some combination of

A: A high-power shock weapon.

B: An extremely high level character for that point in the story

C: Multiple players


I had almost 17k when I started this leg of the story yesterday. Hours of either this fight or trying in vain to find a decent level enemy elsewhere and this boss has killed me so many times I have just over 1/10th of that.

I'm getting one-shotted through decent level shields if my health isn't at 100% (over 900). This is just bad design, if you want to claim the game is playable single-player.


Let's look at those possible solutions.

A: Maybe if I had a shock sniper rifle (playing assasin) I'd stand a chance, but this game is far stingier than BL1 was. The store has junk nine times out of ten, and good drops aren't common. I kept 3 really good weapons around for most of BL1. It wasn't the same 3 for long, but I really only needed 3 at a time, the rest were take-it-or-leave-it. I have to keep so much in my inventory because X weapon works better 2% better in Y situation... That's fine, but design the boss fight around someone having a reasonably powerful arsenal, don't require a specific strategy that they may or may not be able to pull off with what got them that far.


B: I can't find any place to grind. Nothing gives enough exp to be worth it. If I have to grind up to 30 (from 20, got that off a loader during an attempt) to beat this thing, I'll just go back to Skyrim and Painkiller and never the twain shall meet.

C: I don't do multiplayer. Not since Quake 1 have I enjoyed multiplayer and that was KQP 4v4 which is just bananas. Doubt I'd be into that even, save 20min of nostalgia goggles. I'm not hating on multiplayer, I just don't enjoy it, and I'm not very good at it. I quicksave quite a bit when that's the option. I'm not amazing, is what I'm saying. I'm willing to pay the price for a respawn here (mainly because the stores are rubbish) save for the boss gaining all its health and all the bots just vanishing. Even that would be fine if the boss couldn't ruin you in seconds.


Kripes, even the smaller threshers are overpowered. I tried to grind on those and would get destroyed more slowly. I _still_ can't get away fast enough.

The recharge on its shield is ludicrous.

This is some Matador in Nocturne level nonsense.


You, whoever you are, however many you are; I hate.

I hate that you did this to a challenging-but-fun game.

The required equipment makes it a diceroll for someone playing through the game at a normal pace (I think I got most, if not all of the side quests, even!).

Intense grinding requirements are dated and lame. Particularly when I can't find anything that gives over 100exp that can't kill me in 8 hits, through any shield I have.

The game never says multiplayer is required, so don't bother suggesting it to me. I don't want to. I'd rather grind 1exp enemies for 10 levels. That would take years, but I could find fun ways to do it.


This is a poorly designed boss fight. It's duck-plucking bull hockey.

I went from having much fun playing this to filled with hate within 5 deaths, and still tried to overcome that and persevere.

It just got worse.

I once nicked 15% of its health down with a cover fire strategy involving 3 different elemental pistols (NO SNIPER RIFLE DROPS FOR MY SNIPER) and then flying doodad knocked 1/2 of my shields down and a single projectile killed me.


I'm not asking for anything, other than you reflect on what you've done.


With the most sincere disdain,

TheGZeus

[ShinkuTear]

First things first: There are 0 attacks in the game that can instantly kill a player through pure damage. You could take an attack that deals 999,999,999 damage while at Level 1, and not enter FFYL. How? Make sure your Health is above 50%. This triggers something called Health Gate, which exists to prevent one-shot kills to the player.

"Kripes, even the smaller threshers are overpowered. I tried to grind on those and would get destroyed more slowly. I _still_ can't get away fast enough.

The recharge on its shield is ludicrous.

This is some Matador in Nocturne level nonsense."

The shield has set points where it recharges to full, and IIRC it never recharges outside of those points.

Regular Threshers are actually quite weak, to call them overpowered suggests one of the following: The RNG has screwed you over *that* badly on gear, your build is bad, you suck, or some combo of those three. I'm not going to say what I think is at fault, because I have no way of knowing.

Yeah, Gluttonous Thresher can be like the Matador of the game, but at the same time, a smart player could think up ways to beat Matador easily. Like using Rakukaja, Sukukaja, and making your entire party resist Physical, Wind, or both. Gluttonous Thresher can also be beaten with ease when handled right.

Although you are much higher leveled then it, perhaps try farming an Unkempt Harold from Savage Lee in Three Horns - Divide. Who knows, the nature of the gun could make it useful for you.

You could run through The Dust for some Gwen's Head pistols. Can be any element, and should be a higher level then a Harold.

You are in the worst section of the game for the unprepared, since no Sanctuary cuts out some options for powering up, the Gold Chest and various sidequests. If you have any sidequests available to you at the moment, try running them for the Exp, it might help... maybe.

[dhr09]

get a shock weapon, and lead him back into the other area of the map where you went through the door right before you got to his area.. he can only go just inside the door and no further.
There are some containers you can hide behind then to block what he throws at you and all you have to do is run out shoot him and run back behind cover. repeat until he is dead

[zeromaveric]

@Shinku: i actually have experienced OHKO hits, though it came from a raid boss. i was at OP1-4 at the time using my usual Gaige build that got me to 72. this was before i changed my setup for OP grinding. but i was in a party and we decided to try out Terramorphous, and with my weak setup that was not built for OP levels, i got one shotted just from his tremors. so, yes OHKOs are possible somehow

[Rexic The King]

people had trouble with that early boss? i was playing krieg at the same level as the mission with no shock weapons and it wasnt really difficult. just attacked and healed from the side enemies. no shock weapons or anything.

[[TBoS]Grim_Fate56 | TPI]

Originally posted by zeromaveric:

@Shinku: i actually have experienced OHKO hits, though it came from a raid boss. i was at OP1-4 at the time using my usual Gaige build that got me to 72. this was before i changed my setup for OP grinding. but i was in a party and we decided to try out Terramorphous, and with my weak setup that was not built for OP levels, i got one shotted just from his tremors. so, yes OHKOs are possible somehow

his tremors are multi hit,

its like saying a guy that was higher level with a lightning/fire/corrosive gun one shot me

when actually he hit you, health gated you then the dot killed you immediently

i dont mean to be mean or offencive but i have actually tested this sorta stuff with level 1's XD

[Bulleta©™®]

Never had a problem with it, sometimes I've killed it when it first appears before it goes back into the ground the first time with no special/super weapons.

Matador isn't too bad if you have even 1 demon with Void Force or some of the Drain/Repel Force demons that are available. Or just go solo with the Void Force magatama and run him out of MP. 3 Sukundas and some Sukukajas also work well.

[ShinkuTear]

Originally posted by TBoSGrim_Fate56 | TPI:

his tremors are multi hit,

its like saying a guy that was higher level with a lightning/fire/corrosive gun one shot me

when actually he hit you, health gated you then the dot killed you immediently

i dont mean to be mean or offencive but i have actually tested this sorta stuff with level 1's XD

This is exactly it. Health Gate prevents you from dying from an attack so long as you are above 50% Health. But you get knocked down to about 3% Health when you Health Gate through an attack, so multi-hit moves can easily end up killing you anyway.

IIRC, there is a video of a Level 2 player getting hit by Terramorphous, doing one of the big tentacle slaps, and not dying from it. Terramorphous on Normal/TVHM hits hard enough to give Level 50s a hard time, so a Level 2 player surviving means that there is *something* that prevents instant death from single hits. Health Gate is that something.

[Wayward]

He can be a bit problematic if you get too close, so if Krieg (Psycho) is your first character, you're probably going to struggle a bit. Close quarters with him is suicide if you have partially outdated gear. I'd recommend buying a fire, shock or explosive spike shield in a store to help you out. If you want, I could join your game, kill him and leave. I'm only doing this on Normal and TVHM atm since my highest level character isn't good enough for support on request on UVHM......

[TheGZeus]

Originally posted by dhr09:

get a shock weapon,

Ah, so you didn't actually read anything.

I've found one pistol and one SMG that aren't garbage.

Not the best sniping material.

[TheGZeus]

Originally posted by ShinkuTear:

First things first: There are 0 attacks in the game that can instantly kill a player through pure damage...

Ok, that's interesting information, but what does that have to do with anything here?

I never said "one shot on full health with full shields". I said (paraphrased) "with any damage taken and anything but full shields on a good shield".

So that bit of condescending maths was unnecessary.


"Regular threshers are quite weak... you suck... blah blah"

-_-

SIIIGH.... In isolation, perhaps. That's not what happens in the game. In the game, you go to open an ammo chest, or perhaps walk under a bridge with stone walls on either side and suddenly you're surrounded. Some will be feeler threshers. some will be tiny wimpy threshers. some will be black hole threshers. Then they surround you, and you're lucky to make it out alive.

[TheGZeus]

Originally posted by Rexic The King:

people had trouble with that early boss? i was playing krieg at the same level as the mission with no shock weapons and it wasnt really difficult. just attacked and healed from the side enemies. no shock weapons or anything.

Yes, yes... Your wayng is very large and hairy.

Now that you've shown everyone, can you please put it away and leave?

[TheGZeus]

Originally posted by Bulleta©™®:

Never had a problem with it, sometimes I've killed it when it first appears before it goes back into the ground the first time with no special/super weapons.

Matador isn't too bad if you have even 1 demon with Void Force or some of the Drain/Repel Force demons that are available. Or just go solo with the Void Force magatama and run him out of MP. 3 Sukundas and some Sukukajas also work well.

A: Good for you? "Works for me" doesn't help anyone, for future reference. I find such posts anywhere rather confusing. "My lawnmower is broken" "Mine works" "...Thank you? O_o"

Yes, yes. There are strategies for Nocturne's BS, and they work. The point is if you go in blind expecting a game that can just be played with the information given, well you're hosed.

I went into this expecting a shooter with RPG elements that can be played solo or co-op. I hit a blocker, because I've gotten crap for drops. I think 8-10 sniper rifles the whole game? soooo many pistols and assault rifles. The ratio is bananas.

Sometimes the RNG hates you. This boss wasn't designed with that situation in mind. That's bad design, because it can leave the player out to dry.

I'm out to dry atm. Running around areas I have no quests for just to kill some things. So monotonous.
Reminds me of when I decided I wanted 99/** in all characters in Chrono Trigger and went through the game NG+ over and over, grinding a bit each time (and getting different endings to keep it a bit interesting).

Thing is, that game's turn-based, and I was controlling it with a big fighting stick with my feet while I did other things.


Sorry to digress that much there.

[Jirbj]

that boss has never killed me?

[TheGZeus]

Originally posted by jirbj:

that boss has never killed me?

OK?

[BigFatJuicyMonkeys]

I was going to suggest some things that could help you, but when I read this:

Originally posted by gzeusmants:

The game never says multiplayer is required, so don't bother suggesting it to me. I don't want to. I'd rather grind 1exp enemies for 10 levels. That would take years, but I could find fun ways to do it.

and then this:

Originally posted by gzeusmants:

I'm out to dry atm. Running around areas I have no quests for just to kill some things. So monotonous.

I realize you're just trolling and/or desperately looking for attention and any useful info that would be directed to you, like some already has, is disputed and thrown away.