I can't play anymore. The game is broken/too tough. Please Fix Swamps.

[Cloudstrike]

I'm sorry I can't play anymore. The game is so unenjoyable since the swamp release. The swamp is way too hard in difficulty compared to the previous expansions. I am a enchantress and I can't even solo one unnamed mob.

Groups are stupid and can take down one boss by rushing it several times with several wipes and people disband after the first boss.

[Cloudstrike]

The difficulty is tuned at least 5 levels above where it should be. I insta die on first mob hit. I'm an enchantress. 1 hit kills are no fun when you are completely buffed.

[BugMage]

I actually enjoy the challenge- theres no point in a good game without some kind of a challenge..

And honestly dont complain, im a lv 35 mage and i soloed every map with 2 deaths- plus noone wants to hear it.

[BugMage]

The difficulty is tuned at least 5 levels above where it should be. I insta die on first mob hit. I'm an enchantress. 1 hit kills are no fun when you are completely buffed.


Its turend up because they expanded the level cap.

[Cloudstrike]

I'm level 31. Buffs are up. Shield is up. If shield is up and i get hit with an attack i lose my shield and 80% of my health and have to spam both potions to stay alive. As soon as my shield drops I'm dead... and that is just with one mob.

[BugMage]

Then dont play if its so "HARD"

[flaimdude]

That's what pugs and guilds and friends are for. :) Imo, soloing is dumb, unless you're a really high level. It's called an MMORPG for a reason. ;)

[Rannos]

Maybe you could solo as a 35 Enchantress, but should not be able to at 31. Were you able to solo in Mega Maze? Even at level 25? 30? If you want to solo, try playing as a warrior- it takes a while, but you can take the damage.

[Rebel]

A challenge is fun. No point in gaining items if I don't feel like I actually accomplished something.

[RedRyder]

Easy would be boring. I love the difficulty, and the funs always with playing in groups.
Interracting with one another making new friends
that's what mmo's are all about

just suck it up and enjoy, this games amazing how it is.

[setec]

I'll admit, I feel the swamps are difficult, but only one of my chars is lvl 35. I'm having to take my time and in turn, I'm getting my money's worth. :)

[asommers]

The game is supposed to scale difficulty based on the number of players in the zone (among other factors). With the swamps, I can certainly see how our difficulty adjustments would make it too difficult for soloing. I'm not sure we are going to change it just yet, as most players seem to like the difficulty.

-ALS

[Endless]

Please don't change the difficulty!!! The game is supposed to be harder as you advance in levels, not easier. Teamwork should be encouraged (guilds, trading, multiple chat windows, pvp, etc). Therefore it should become harder and harder to solo endgame content. Not impossible for the determined but tough enough to wish for a few friends.

[Futumsh]

You can also just go to an easier zone while you level up to 33. The top end zone isn't generally the best place to be trying to solo.

[pokerface]

well u just have to play with the right group of people, this game kick*** no matter what!

[Dizko]

+1 for keeping the difficulty as it is.

Loving the new challenge. And loving to hate that bit...er...witch - frogmar.

[Obliteration]

It is tougher and with way lower drop rates I don't find the game near as enjoyable either.
But I'm trying to hang in there.

[PvP]

Okay, you don't like the map, you don't like the fact you die, so re-spec and adjust yourself to the map.

[Inching]

I think we all have to keep in mind that this is an iphone game and not a full blown PC online game which makes for different dynamics. For this iphone game, solo’ing is an important part of this because not everyone sits at home connected to wifi playing with others. Before we all gang up on cloudstrike we need to think of ppl who don’t spend 5hrs a day talking to other players and getting groups together for farming or playing.

In this respect, I think this game should be evenly distributed in terms of group and solo play. Dorps, PvP, etc aside, I personally think this game should be fun for solo’ers meaning a solo mage should be able to clear the last level maps alone, if not then why would someone who only enjoys solo’ing want to pay for the expansions? Surely not 100% of the community only plays in groups.

I ask you players or Devs, if a fully optimized Mage all buffed and geared u with pinks…. Can they solo the entire Swapms? If so how long do u think it would take to pull each and every bad guy out and kill him…. Would take hours and hours and deaths upon deaths… Which also brings up the topic that not all characters are equal.

In a game like this, you have different classes with different pros and cons. Given this, not one class should be stronger then the other if all things are equal.. we all agree right? To observe the strengths and weaknesses of each class we should observe them each in a controlled environment and see if they perform the same outcome…. Which is finishing the dungeon. The so called “controlled environment” is the swapms (as it’s the hardest map)… the question we need to ask is… can all classes perform to the same outcome.. if yes then the game classes are fairly balanced.. but clearly the answer is no meaning tanks and archers can solo the swamps and mages cannot… and brings us to my conclusion that Mage players will be frustrated and why not then everyone just plays bears???

In conclusion, I agree the swamps are too difficult for solo Mages which for this small part of the community is very true and we shouldn’t be all aggressive towards cloudstrike.

PS my opinion only so don’t be all tough guy and post insulting or condescending remarks.

Thx, Inching

[Rebel]

Of course the characters are not all equal. They each have their own special abilities. You don't see a tank getting to heal himself, but you also don't see a mage equipping armor and taking a lot of hits either (usually). Each class has their own set of talents, and the talents of a mage were not built for soloing.

[PvP]

PS my opinion only so don’t be all tough guy and post insulting or condescending remarks.

Thx, Inching

Just giving you helpful feedback, not insulting you. You agree that if we put all classes in a controlled environment they should all come out with the same basic results. (I feel like im taking a science class) However, this is defying the very aspect MMORPGs are built on. Diversity is the key word we're looking for. You stated "not all characters are equal" but if they were all equal, wouldn't this game be a bit....lame? Whats the point in future PvP if we all have the same end results? Each class needs its own unique abilities, and combined they make a deadly team. This is what MMORPGs are all about and soloing a map should very well be impossible. I do think that you should be able to solo lower maps, and you can. I sometimes wish I could solo the AS maps, but it wouldn't be right if I could. This is my input, but I'll let the devs themselves review your quote.

[Jovians]

IMO everyone is complaining about not being able to solo. This is a mmo they are selling this game as a mmo. U don't solo in an mmo. I understand this is a iPhone game and what not but I feel the devs are delivering a gr8 game set up. ATM the game isn't where we all think a mmo should be. It's in the works but it's not there. One way to keep us in the game mode is making the early game dungeons soloable. But as the game advances and the key aspects of mmo's come into play they need to bring soloing almost to a halt. Anyone that's played an alli in wow would kno within the first 10 levs ur put agiant a mob that would wrek a unskilled grp of 5 but that's what made it fun. And brought along countless runs of lev 1 hogger raids. What good times. :) don't nerf the game.

[Endless]

I'm with ya both, PvP and Jovians.

I'm not trying to bash but in a game where you can interact with hundreds of other players, why play solo? The core of this game is how the three main classes are different yet supportive of each other. If you play the game to solo then more power to ya. But it is built for social gameplay. And as new expansions come out then the difficulty of the maps will increase making solo runs even harder.

Vis a vis, find a friend to play with. You'll enjoy it and who knows, maybe you'll have your own guild one day. ;)

[Inching]

I totally understand all of you and my point being that this iphone game should be for both group play and single play is all. As a Mage player I am stating that its pretty much not possible to solo swamps. That’s the statement.

If other classes can do it, maybe all mage players will switch to a tanks and no more mages… who knows but again that was my observation and thoughts… agree or not… the game is undoubtedly fun but just making an observation.

People on forums like these are so entrenched into games that it’s really personal to them huh…

Well lets end it here, at least for my comments… have fun.

[Splurd]

I actually enjoy the challenge- theres no point in a good game without some kind of a challenge..

And honestly dont complain, im a lv 35 mage and i soloed every map with 2 deaths- plus noone wants to hear it.

I strongly strongly disagree with that.

Complaints are a form of feedback. There is constructive feedback and lousy feedback but nethertheless, as a developer, they need to know *everyone*'s opinion. Yes, even the lousy whiny kids.

I do think the new campaign is too tough. I prefer it easier. It is my personal preference.
Some people like it tough. They love the challenge. That is there personal preference.

There is no right or wrong answer, we leave it to the devs to decide what to do with the game direction, and all we can do is give them our feedback.

[Ajeje]

Difficulty is ok in my opinion, at the end if you can solo the game, what a group should do?

[SlipperyJim]

I strongly disagree with the notion that players should be able to solo the Ancient Swamps. As others have noted, Pocket Legends is a massively multiplayer online RPG. You're meant to play with other people. Actually, I don't think anyone should be able to solo any map unless they're much higher level than the map was meant to challenge. For example, Epimetheus (lvl 35 warrior) was able to solo the "Quick Pain" map in Phantom Crypts. Good for me ... but Epimetheus is about ten levels higher than the characters for which "Quick Pain" was designed....

(What? I was looking for one of the new two-handers from the latest patch? I got one, too....)

I also strongly disagree that all of the classes should be able to do the same things (i.e. soloing certain maps). It's very clear that Pocket Legends was designed for the three classes to support each other. Avians kill stuff really well, but they're glass cannons. Ursans soak damage and control the battlefield (Stomp + Beckon = WIN!), but they lack the firepower of the other classes. Enchantresses support other characters with buffs, de-buffs, and healing, and they can inflict massive AoE damage, but they're also glass cannons. The classes are designed to be different.

With a pointed glance at the original complaint, I will add that Enchantresses are clearly the least self-sufficient of the three classes. They can't soak damage. They can't dish out large amounts of single-target damage. When they fire their AoE spells, they draw aggro from every mob in the area. Enchantresses need other characters. They need tanks to keep the mobs away from them & soak the hits. They need archers to snipe the mobs that have just been weakened by the Elves' AoE nukes.

An Ursan can do some solo work if he's smart. Creep up, pull one mob (Beckon can be good here, but be careful), keep it stun-locked, and kill it. Repeat as needed. However, even an Ursan will die if he's swarmed by too many mobs. (Epimetheus has suffered this grisly fate....) And the Ursan will probably have real trouble with the boss, especially if the boss is ranged.

An Avian can also do some solo work. Sneak up on the mobs, snipe one from extreme distance (yay, crossbows!), and backpedal while shooting all the way. Repeat as needed. However, if the Avian draws too much aggro, his next destination will be a bucket of KFC original recipe (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/KFC#Products). :)

If the other two classes have a difficult time with solo work, the Enchantress will have even more difficulty. (Although Bowchantresses might have an advantage here.) I'm not saying it's impossible. I'm just saying it's really hard. And it should be hard, because you're playing the class in a way that it was not meant to be played!

Lastly, it's not like it's hard to find a group! Just join a PUG, of which there are always several available. Or start a new game yourself and wait for other folks to join. Every time I start a game, I always have people joining me fairly shortly. (Please note that I play on Alterra, the more populous of the two game worlds. This advice might not be true in Fnord.) You don't need a guild to find a group! Actually, PUGs are a great way to meet people and make friends....

Summary for the TL;DR folks:
Pocket Legends is a multiplayer game.
Soloing is possible, but much harder.
Of all three classes, the Enchantress is probably the least suited to soloing.
Groups are easy to find, so join one!

[Cloudstrike]

Thank You Asommers!

Btw I have an idea. How about adding an additional dungeon set that could take us from 30-35. I don't care if it has no rare loot. An explore zone would be cool to just level in and not have to wait for a good group to stick around.

[nerdherd]

I do think the new campaign is too tough. I prefer it easier. It is my personal preference.
Some people like it tough. They love the challenge. That is there personal preference.

There is no right or wrong answer, we leave it to the devs to decide what to do with the game direction, and all we can do is give them our feedback.

After playing the swamps since it came out I will have to agree with you here. I think it's a bit too tough for my liking. I do like having challenges in bosses, but I don't like when regular guys are this tough. I went back to LE and was like "wow, I'm actually killing guys here, this is fun!". It's not that I can't beat the levels, it's just that some of the fun is gone because I don't feel as powerful anymore. I do think it would be cool to have a "Nightmare" mode like Justg mentioned elsewhere that I could play if I really wanted a challenge, but it would also be cool to have a slightly less difficult area (more like LE) for just a casual game before going to bed. Just my 2 cents.

[Sicarii]

We need to keep in mind (as several other have insinuated) that the core of any mmorpg is the group component. That is what they are built around and designed for. It is not like Diablo, which is built as a solo game that has a multiplayer component. This is a multiplayer game, in its entirety... And the fact is, spacetime has done a fantastic job of making groups easy to find, form, and go to battle with.

I think we have actually become spoiled by the lower level content being so easy. The fact is, i cannot think of any mmo where end level content is soloable. In fact, even with groups, you generally find a group of mobs and start pulling... You don't suddenly leap into the midst of the group and start blasting everything. That is a surefire way to get wiped. In my opinion, any mmorpg should come to a point where soloing is not merely difficult, it is impossible. Groups should not be a nice thought, they should be an absolute necessity. If I want to solo, there are plenty of straight RPGs out there that are designed for solo play, and will do a much better job of it than PL. That is not what PL is designed for, and when you design something - anything - you focus on a specific area to excel in. If you try to excel in all genres, you will excel in none.

PL more than excels as a portable MMO, and with upcoming content, it will only get better. Keep it up, Spacetime, and feel free to make the next dungeon even harder.

***PS ... While th edifficulty level rocks, it might not be a bad idea to make it easier to support the survivability of your teammates. An easy way to do this would be to boost the threat level warriors generate, to enable them to maintain aggro better; at the same time, strengthen the heal skill from enchantresses and allow them to be a target AE instead of centered on the caster. That way, they don't have to run into the midst of the stack to heal,then draw aggro, and get one rounded. They can stay back, heal and buff and run around, and keep their teammates alive.

[Cloudstrike]

We need to keep in mind (as several other have insinuated) that the core of any mmorpg is the group component. That is what they are built around and designed for. It is not like Diablo, which is built as a solo game that has a multiplayer component. This is a multiplayer game, in its entirety... And the fact is, spacetime has done a fantastic job of making groups easy to find, form, and go to battle with.

I think we have actually become spoiled by the lower level content being so easy. The fact is, i cannot think of any mmo where end level content is soloable. In fact, even with groups, you generally find a group of mobs and start pulling... You don't suddenly leap into the midst of the group and start blasting everything. That is a surefire way to get wiped. In my opinion, any mmorpg should come to a point where soloing is not merely difficult, it is impossible. Groups should not be a nice thought, they should be an absolute necessity. If I want to solo, there are plenty of straight RPGs out there that are designed for solo play, and will do a much better job of it than PL. That is not what PL is designed for, and when you design something - anything - you focus on a specific area to excel in. If you try to excel in all genres, you will excel in none.

PL more than excels as a portable MMO, and with upcoming content, it will only get better. Keep it up, Spacetime, and feel free to make the next dungeon even harder.

***PS ... While th edifficulty level rocks, it might not be a bad idea to make it easier to support the survivability of your teammates. An easy way to do this would be to boost the threat level warriors generate, to enable them to maintain aggro better; at the same time, strengthen the heal skill from enchantresses and allow them to be a target AE instead of centered on the caster. That way, they don't have to run into the midst of the stack to heal,then draw aggro, and get one rounded. They can stay back, heal and buff and run around, and keep their teammates alive.

Seriously, I thought the core component to any game was the fun factor. You sound new so let me fill you in. Forced grouping = fail. MMORPG = social game. Forced grouping is not social it's anti social. Having chat, auction, guilds, trade IS social.

FYI swamps is NOT end game content. If you think level 35 is endgame then I'm sorry for you but then again you're new. Sometime level 36-40 will come out and so on. Do you really want to have such a roadblock staring at you in your face while you're trying to reach the new end game of level 90 e.g.

[Jovians]

Swamps content isn't hard lol. Don't try soloing it. Esspicaly as a clothey anyone with mmo expirence knos that. :) but I do agree. That the aggro and healing set up could use some minor changes for the better. But still. Doing everything I can to stay alive as a healer after I rip all the aggro because I saved my team is mad fun and keeps me on my toes. I enjoy it Its also what set the good healers from the bad. :) dev team keep up the good work and bring on the new challenges. :)

[Jovians]

Also.... Frogmar and lag owns me it's such a laugh that I'm dead before it shows me alive when they loose contol of that witch. I can't stop laughing. Good old low frame rate FTW. :)

[utopi]

I'm sorry I can't play anymore. The game is so unenjoyable since the swamp release. The swamp is way too hard in difficulty compared to the previous expansions. I am a enchantress and I can't even solo one unnamed mob.

Groups are stupid and can take down one boss by rushing it several times with several wipes and people disband after the first boss.

Just add me in your friend list (utopiii) we will go tru the level together!! nobody is gonna hurt you! trust me.

Man, you got in your hand the best game ever, the iPhone will ever have!!!

[FriedSushi]

It's not that it's too hard, it's just they take too long to kill relatively to the other mobs. I'm not saying this is a bad thing, cuz the other mobs died way too quickly, but I wish instead of us doing lower damage, they have higher hp. The 5s and 10s above their heads are sorta annoying. But they don't do much damage either, so it's balanced. Other than frogmar :(

[Sicarii]

Seriously, I thought the core component to any game was the fun factor. You sound new so let me fill you in. Forced grouping = fail. MMORPG = social game. Forced grouping is not social it's anti social. Having chat, auction, guilds, trade IS social.

FYI swamps is NOT end game content. If you think level 35 is endgame then I'm sorry for you but then again you're new. Sometime level 36-40 will come out and so on. Do you really want to have such a roadblock staring at you in your face while you're trying to reach the new end game of level 90 e.g.

Lol. Yeah. I'm the newb that cant handle swamps. ;)

In case you are wondering, right now the level cap is 35. That means that 35 is currently end game. And, judging by the equipment the devs already are putting out, I would be willing to bet that around 50ish is where they will stop increasing levels. A nonstop leveling grind is a surefire fail for any mmorpg.

And, since you are so keen to insinuate my own lack of experience, let me point out to you that i started going through swamps at lev 26. In PUGs. And guess what? I was usually tanking. Did I die? Sure, at times. But i also got through it. What I did not do was decide to go pull an entire group at once, like i could do at LE, and I died a lot less.

And that is precisely my point. I have played numerous MMOs, and beta tested several others. After about the half way mark in any MMO i have ever played, solo leveling becomes virtually impossible, as does taking a group and rushing into the middle of a camp. You are trying to play this game like a straight one player RPG with multiplayer trade and a chatroom. It's not. Its an MMORPG.

Cant handle it? Go play dungeon hunter.

[Endless]

***PS ... While th edifficulty level rocks, it might not be a bad idea to make it easier to support the survivability of your teammates. An easy way to do this would be to boost the threat level warriors generate, to enable them to maintain aggro better; at the same time, strengthen the heal skill from enchantresses and allow them to be a target AE instead of centered on the caster. That way, they don't have to run into the midst of the stack to heal,then draw aggro, and get one rounded. They can stay back, heal and buff and run around, and keep their teammates alive.

Not to interrupt this engaging debate but I had to bump this. This is a great idea!