Bossing Some relevant Neo Tokyo bossing feedback

Will the presence of certain classes help or hinder the pinning process or is barrage KB irrelevant to stacking attacks from other characters?

 

Mostly irrelevant, the knockback from barrage seems to (almost) always go through, unless someone is attacking from the opposite side and has the ability to KB too.

 

As the OP who suggested indirectly "nerfing" the overpowered position of Buccs in Auf, do you think a different approach should be taken to properly apply the rightful difficulty for the "final" boss in the game since the latest update only made it easier for Buccs?

I once suggested keeping the platforms as they are but making Sed apply in both directions with RNG. This may really boost the difficulty of Auf since it then needs to be kept in the middle, not conveniently in the corner. Characters should glide over Auf if they kite properly from both directions and we will actually have to start timing the sed interval. What are your thoughts on this idea?

 

It will fit the end game bossing where players actually need to fly up & kite the boss constantly.
orrr just simply HP Wash.

Would be interesting to see seduce going both side,
Chaining with x3 bishop mules to holy shield to improve dps (kinda like crash huh) aaand finally have its difficulty similar to BGA where partyswapping + teamwork is required.
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Seems like now we can just stand on the top the middle platform and hold down demolition and enjoy your netflix movie. Since 1 touch of auf + skill won’t kill a 30k hp bucc anyways

 

Do you not think this kiting-by-gliding-above strategy will benefit those classes whose attacks are more flexible from a distance, say Night Lords? Granted, if the boss seduces in both directions, I would expect the strategy of keeping it in the middle would become a necessity lest players should tank two melee hits?

I also wanted to add that while technically possible to make a monster seduce in both directions, it would mean that the seduce timers are separate (i.e. one timer for sed-left, and one timer for sed-right).

 

I actually think changing platforms is still not a bad idea, removing the top right one was good and I think more changes can still be done.
As for the sed suggestion, I actually find it pretty interesting but I wouldn't like it to be even harder for less washed players while remaining the same difficulty for the very washed ones, so it needs to be tested to see how it feels in practice.
I think stuns and usage of skills like holy shield should play a big role in this boss, much like Jooon, but not to the point where you are perma stunned have to bring 3 bishop mules.

 

It definitely gives an advantage to the ranged characters. However, through numerous solo/party runs, I observed an interesting pattern from Auf. It almost always turns and faces the direction of the player(s) that exert the most damage or a forced KB (barrage, guardian). What this means is that if pinning Auf to the middle becomes a norm, the weaker characters will hardly receive the frequent debuffs (stun, dispel) or magic attacks from Auf. The said NLs, with their natural crit + SE, most often deals that highest dmg and often becomes the facing target of Auf. I think this sorta balances the advantage they receive. It also provides extra reason to strategize the positions of each party member instead of just stacking next to each other while facing the same direction.

For the sed moments, timers will be required to "kite" it properly. Unlike HT where sed activation is triggered depending on the presence of characters across the middle line, I believe Auf sed timer, even if directionally separate, should be easy to keep track of, as long as there is a designated duration.

Auf is, for now, the ultimate end game boss in royals. It's supposed to force a challenging mechanism from players but its current difficulty actually lies below that of BGA. Hero's will is there for a reason. Bishop's resurrection, holy shield and Time leap should become vital utility skills in a final boss like Auf. If sed timing goes wrong, even the unwashed melee characters may fly into Auf but that's when hero's will should be utilized. If it happens again, Ress and TL should be available as a backup. If they make too many mistakes, they should start eating stronger att pots to reduce the overall duration. Isn't this what we call an exciting boss run?

 

Even writing a guide on this, its kinda boring.
Bucc, pin left and stand on X platform that bucc would have “immunity” most of the time.
Other dps just stand behind the bucc and kill. Done.

Is it possible that we improve the mechanics for example
80% > 50% > 30% with the summon mechanic.
40% > 0% is where player have to be aware of the “new” mechanic that was suggested by @sparky95
Increase auf total HP. Currently in even a duo situation, it will only take an apple and a few stoppers. To increase Auf’s HP by 50% and reduce 25% HP in royal guard & core blaze.

theres no ~bossHP anymore and players actually have to gauge when it starts its “secondary mechanic” or be punished heavily.

 

Might I also suggest, should there be a greater interest in some particular change, to make a new and separate thread for that, possibly with some way to gauge people’s opinions on it in a more structured way? Thanks guys.

 

Also if the test show that with a new sed mechanic(both sides) melee will be affected meanwhile ranged still have a chill time you could also delay the time between sed/stun "announce"(animation+sound) to the actual effect and make sed last longer, meanwhile make it the called skills like a hit(Wich means that can be avoided by getting hit). Havent gave much of a tought, so feel free to tell me the holes of my idea, but it seems that main concern is how mindlessly auf has become to certain Jobs, So it will work like this: Since the staff preffers to discourage the use of mules(and perma stun just makes 3 bish Holy shield chain a must). These changes in adittion of no "safe spot" for buccs, will force everyone to pay atention. How so?, Well, ranged atackers will have to be in the perfect position to just have to tank 1 auf atack(maybe increase the dmg of magic atack to be similar to touch would be good), they will have to be in the proper height and as far as possible(meanwhile still able to hit) to not being killed by either sed direction.They cannot touch the body bcs of that distance, so that would make them, really pay atention to stay in the right position. Meanwhile melees will have the power to avoid sed+stun BUT with a short notice of lets say 1 or 1.5 secs(bcs probably if sed animation will be done in the middle of a barrage wich will be an overkill for buccs) now melees are forced to pay atention and touch the body(and pray to not get a miss) to avoid sed or stun , and it must be avoided since 3 body touch(2 for drks) its GG for anyone(except for washed shads). With this, everyone has to pay atention, everyone is tense, you cannot watch netflix in any job, aaaaaand youre not targeting anyone, since every job/role will have the oportunity to be relevant.(not to count that, if dispel can be avoided some way, Heros will stop being a deadweight here too)

 

I really think the original aim of lowering that bucc platform is so they wouldn’t be virtually immune to stun lol. I’m not sure anyone expected things to be easier for them with platform lowering and I can’t work out why they’re not getting stunned from that platform even though it’s clearly within auf’s stun attack range. I don’t play a bucc though so for anyone who does - is this an actual bug?

It’s also worth mentioning when buccs use barrage on auf it for some reason lowers its height such that ranged attackers miss it from the usual ‘safe height’ people glide to. Whilst this would just be annoying for NLs it virtually makes BM/MMs unplayable since they can’t attack while floating (in saying this, very few if any archer mains go to auf atm anyway). I’m not sure if sairs are affected by this ?bug.

All in all i think making auf seduce in both directions will be difficult to execute and cause more problems than the challenge we seem to be looking for, nor do I think we have sufficient testing capabilities currently to assess the full impact of this change.

 

Based on my own experience, it's not a bug but Auf's I-frame which somehow, doesn't allow projectiles to hit when their origin is too close to Auf's body. Mysteriously, throwing stars aren't affected by this I-frame. Corsairs can still float and shoot from an adjacent angle so it's avoidable.

 

3 things I suggested before and are still very relevant:

1) Dunas V2: the drops table needs to be better, more mid tier items need to be added and Rush 30 drop rate improved.
Pianus spawn timer was reduced, Rush 30 price is dropping too and I don't see a reason why Rush 30 drop rate should be so low from boss.
It either drops pots and coins only or a WS fragment, anything else is a rarity.
2) That annoying middle platform in Nibergen, I would still like to be able to jump down there please.
3) WS fragments were a nice idea to make these bosses relevant, but it created a situation where people who can just solo them, and people who can't mostly just don't touch them.
I would still like to see them become tradeable or atleast have a system that allows ALL party members a chance to get one (while not allowing one person with mules get multiple btw).

 

Still eager to hear feedback on Auf Haven after the latest changes. I hope my previous messages didn't put a damper on any theorycrafting or discussion.

 

I can only give you feedback from my personal experience:

- as a Bucc: it almost remained the same as before, there are one two differences:
1) you get hit a few times on the left platform until you pin Auf to the corner, the risk of getting hit twice in sed is still small so I wouldn't say it made a lot riskier.
2) it is easier to pin, since I don't have to use the edges of the platform anymore but I can use the whole platform instead.
Nothing else changed really, I still get stunned exactly 0 times and I can't say the difficulty increased.
- as a Paladin: nothing changed
- as a Corsair: nothing changed

Muling:
I can't really sit on a chair and avoid sed as effectively anymore, but muling still remained pretty easy.
I just stay on that top right platform and fly over to rebuff whenever I get dispelled.
The risk of getting hit for 9k twice in sed is there, but it happens very rarely and can be avoided by having Hero's Will.

In conclusion - it's a positive change, but a small one.

 

I personally miss the ~23.5k touch damage that was really challenging when its first released, but I definitely agree its too punishing for unwashed players.

Ever since the nerf, even BGA has a higher difficulty then auf, yet it drops the BiS helmet and its our current end game attraction.
Its just a glorified shao. Lol
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For royal guard & core blaze, its basically a similar boss to HT preheads, lowering the HP on both of the bosses by 25% each and increasing the main attraction, auf by 50% imo would be a pretty good idea.

Does anyone even find royal guard & core blaze as enjoyable as auf..?

Also, @sparky95 idea of it sedding left and right randomly instead of just right should be considered.

A enraged mode when HP is around example 30%, similar to HT head B after 50% where it starts to get dangerous would be a pretty interesting addition as well.

- Once auf is at 30% HP, she will stop using genesis. Slash skill would be used alot more frequently.
- Dispel & random direction seduce will remain the same.

Players would have to reposition more, holy shield value would also increase significantly with this change.

 

What if auf can summon mavericks

 

1/1s (and super high damage like 60k) affect washed and unwashed players equally, though in my self interest as a sair it would be preferable for it to have a reactable animation.

 

Then I won't be able to solo with sair.