Trial of Mages

[Elrohir]

I just finished the trial of mages...twice. Its a fun event, good reward (love the regeneration of the wand, definitely worth it), and i think its just challenging enough without being too tough for players far enough in the game to be strong enough for it.

My one issue with it is that i had to complete it twice. Not because i failed the first time, i made it all the way through and got the three visible rewards. I had to complete it twice because it doesnt let you try the 10 minute challenge the first time.

Im almost certain i finished it in under 10 minutes the first time, as i did basically the same thing the second (which i finished in about 8:30) and the second i actually messed up, forgot to stop using fire for the pair of giant fire goblins, and spent like 2 minutes wondering why they would not die. The fact that you cant go for the time challenge the first time you try it and you have to do the whole thing at least twice to get all the rewards seems stupid to me.

[CChancey]

Thanks for the feedback Elrohir!

- Chris, for the Mages of Mystralia Team

[benubird]

I disagree, I don't have a problem with doing it twice. In fact, I'd actually prefer if there was more of it. For instance, if each prize had a difference challenge you had to defeat, with different waves of enemies.

I'd also like a survival mode, with ever increasing waves of enemies, except that's not really viable since once you have area of effect spells the number of enemies doesn't really matter.

[benubird]

Just tried it again, and my time was 4:31, and that wasn't even pushing it. So, the 10 minutes is definitely easy to do - it really needs to be beefed up some, maybe add some restrictions.

[Elrohir]

People keep talking about it being too easy, but not one person that has made that comment has started a new game for it. Everyone keeps talking about it being easy from a very completed game where they have most or all runes, amazing spells, and are playing with a main character more powerful than all the other mages in the game put together. Just once i want somebody to actually play it early on in the game before complaining that it is too easy.

Remember, this is supposed to be a trial to test your skill as a mage, and is something that according to lore the stronger mages go to in order to relax. Zia by end game has mastered the most powerful form of magic and is with the exception of the now returned mad mageking probably the most powerful mage alive.

To test it as its supposed to be go play it after beating twiggs or getting the skyshard. See if you still find the test for aspiring mages easy when you are actually an aspiring mage and not the most powerful person on the planet.

[Azzy]

Well, just for you Elrohir -

It is too easy ;) Just went straight from Sky Temple to Haven, when the Trials first open, and completed it with merely move, impact, detonate, mastery, using the basic wand and no sages met so basic starting elements.

Then added proximity and random, which you get in Haven anyway, and then completed it in 9:37. No rain, no teleport, no negation scepter, no sages to change elements.

[Elrohir]

Well congrats, you are an above average player, whereas I would consider myself average. There are also people who play this game and are below average (because thats how averages work), and some players who are at end game cant even beat the 10 minute mark with everything. You need to remember that we are still playing on the basic difficulty which is supposed to be a fun experience for players of all skill levels. When the game is released and you have things like hardcore mode to enhance the difficulty, see how it is for you then, but dont tell game creators to changing things that will end up ruining the fun for other people and breaking lore (im somewhat self-centered so the fun of other people doesnt concern me so much, but i really care about things sticking to lore).

If this is made much harder then there are already players that cant beat it with everything, and yes they will improve a bit with time, but if they cant beat the requirements you consider simple then how are they going to do against requirements that you want in order to challenge YOU. Especially since you will be able to make it harder for yourself later with other difficulties, while as far as i know there arent any difficulties planned to make it easier.

[Azzy]

Hey, you asked for people to say it was easy without using endgame runes, I just complied, at the earliest point in the game possible. Not sure why you went so defensive about it, since I never once said anything bad... And im not saying make it super hard, but, it shouldn't be able to be done that *fast* with such basic runes, is what I'm saying. And it is my opinion, at no point, did I say "Hey, Borealys, change this now", I merely posted my opinion in a discussion page where they are asking for opinions.

My suggestions would be instead of just different enemy types, throw things in such as puzzle solving in later rounds, needing to use sages to change spell attributes, things like that, so that anyone can progress to a point, but the later rounds are beaten because you, as a mage, are gaining more powerful, and are able to do much more than basic spellcraft (which fits much better into the lore of the trials, since they go there to relax, *or* prove their worth, which wouldmean they were either showing younger mages what they can do, or, more plausibly they were taking on trials that were more advanced)

[Elrohir]

Sorry, its just that in another thread about this im having this argument with people who keep on saying its too easy and needs to be changed, suggesting 5 minutes for the time and other things like that while someone else in that thread asked how we are completing it so fast because his best time is just over 10 minutes.

I myself was not able to complete the trial that early, when i went in after retrieving the shard (and i also had homing which is right at the rise entrance so i didnt really consider that exploring for runes before going to the trial) i ended up losing halfway through round 5.

As for adding things to make it tougher, as i said repeatedly in the other thread making it anything that really challenges skilled late game zia players wouldnt really make sense lore-wise. I assume you have beaten the game but just to be safe i will have this listed as a spoiler. Zia uses Celestial magic, has mastered it, and is able to defeat other people that use it. Celestial magic is in the lore as being exponentially stronger than regular magic, its an amazing powerful thing that normal mages basically do a cheap immitation of with their magic. Having anything that a master of celestial magic cannot accomplish easily, then claiming that people who use normal magic do it easily enough that some come to there to relax, even claiming that this one mage who runs it was about to do it in 10 minutes in his prime and then having late game zia struggle to do that doesnt really fit with the lore. Celestial magic is leagues ahead of the regular magic this mage and the others used, and for him to be good enough in his prime to set a record Celestial magic master Zia has trouble beating would mean he was capable of reaching a level with magic close to what a mastery of celestial magic can accomplish, which is ridiculously lore breaking.

Something i suggested in the other thread as something that could be added to add a challenge in a lore friendly way would be either add an area that was once a lair of the mad king, a known celestial magic user, with traps and security measures designed so that only a celestial mage could get through. I could see him making things difficult on himself, just to ensure that nobody else could make it through, so that could be a good challenge set for only a celestial mage to be able to accomplish. Another thing i suggested was potentially fighting the trolls, since they were too difficult for mages and the mad king had to use celestial magic to get the power to stop them, so that would be a good new enemy to challenge late game zia in a lore friendly way, just adding a door to the lava area that leads to where the trolls are (i believe it was trolls, i may be wrong, its been days since i beat the game and i have finals on my mind so remembering specific details about who past enemies were isnt really working right now, but if im wrong about it being trolls then whatever it was that came from the lava grotto that the mad king had to stop).

[Koa Utkaye]

This is an amazing thing.
BTW i finished the second try in 6min.

[Fate (-{SoH}-)]

@elrohir i did it right after the sky tower.
Only managed 7 waves as the spells you have at that point really limit how you can fight.

With end game spells i'm sure someone could finish it in no time flat but i agree with you earlie game with my limited spell set it's near impossible to beat it at all let alone in 10 mins.

I also agree with your idea an area the mad king once owned for late game people.

Maybe even add in a mini boss to it that has abilitys that make even a fully powered celestrial wizard struggle to survive.

[Elrohir]

I know that its no problem with late game spells. I have an 8 minute completion time late game. But by late game zia is supposed to be overpowered and things like this are supposed to be extremely easily, lore-wise. Glad to hear you like my "mad king lair" idea.

[Princess Plushima]

The real problem with doing a proper endgame version of the Trial is that explosively self-replicating spells with both MP efficiency tricks (Random on Ether, and negation on Casting time) are just too dang good. I'm not sure there's anything that could stand up to me slowing the game to a crawl by filling the entire screen with fireballs.

(3 minutes ~20 seconds on Trial of Mages with a full on danmaku spell here. Get rekt)