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Is heart of thorns meant to feel this hard as a new player?


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If anything it’s not even close to being as difficult as it used to be. It’s watered down now since a lot of other players complained about it being too difficult. I wish it was more challenging but sadly the player base here doesn’t like challenge . It also depends on your build/skills too but it’s fairly easy now compare to when HoT was first released. If your having issues it can be because of your armor or build. I recommend trying to master the HoT mastery & take a lot of cleanse/stability if possible. If you need assistance please feel free to message me in game , id be more happy to help you out :) I’ll be on today

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It is intended.

Lore-wise, your character is deep behind enemy lines, cut off of most of the reinforcements.

Mechanic-wise I can suggest you study the enemies you encounter. Most have a pattern of attacks and you need to actually dodge/block/invuln some of them as they one-shot you if you don't. Give the maps a chance and try to improve, it will become easier/more manageable.

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Its true that now it is easyer than before but its also true that the dificulty scales too much from a player that has just finished core game story , also a lot of hero points need people to play together to get it, i understand it gives 10 hp instead of 1 and so it must be more chalenging but i dont thibk its well done if you need people or having clases like ranger or nigro that have pets to help, its open world in the end if one wants difficulty there are fractals , raid and pvp modes to play hardcore

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Did you do any Season 2?

Season 2 did help bridge some of that difficulty as it included many of the Mordrem that weren't the Mordrem Guards. But, yes HoT is meant to be a step up since the Personal Story was far, far too easy in places. HoT is a lot easier now than it was on launch though.

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@zaswer.5246 said:Its true that now it is easyer than before but its also true that the dificulty scales too much from a player that has just finished core game story , also a lot of hero points need people to play together to get it, i understand it gives 10 hp instead of 1 and so it must be more chalenging but i dont thibk its well done if you need people or having clases like ranger or nigro that have pets to help, its open world in the end if one wants difficulty there are fractals , raid and pvp modes to play hardcore

Hahahaha not even close to being the same but ok

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If you skipped Season Two and the associated maps (Dry Top and The Silverwastes), you've skipped a learning opportunity.If you don't want to do the LW Season Two Story, at least spend some time in the maps.Remember, a lot of the playerbase had 3 years to learn how to play their characters before venturing into the Heart of Maguuma.

Good luck.

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It can be challenging and was harder before. That being said, are you running only the gear you got during the leveling process? If yes, it is far from optimized for you regardless of being exotic or rare.

I would suggest getting an open world build from metabattle, gearing a little more efficiently which will make things easier.

I would also suggest if you are comfortable with it, getting someone who is a veteran to assist you in your party.

Also, I would suggest looking at a walkthrough online so some things will be easier and maybe make more sense.

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In addition to what was said above, Core Tyria / Personal story is about levelling, only the final zones (Orr) offer any challenge. HoT is max level content, which assumes that you are not only LV80, but are wearing some semblance of optimized gear, while with Core personal story you would just mix/match stuff as you went.

The same goes with traits and utilities: as you levelled and unlocked them, you started using new abilities. By the time you're at HoT though, you should be using a competent build that synergies with your stats, gear, upgrades and utilities.

So my first step would be to check out your gear. Are you at least wearing all LV80 Rare? Even if yes, getting all LV80 Exotics would be a good step forward. How about the stats on the gear? Are they optimized for your profession/ build and stats? How about the upgrades? Do you have all 6 of the same rune slotted so you get the 6pc bonus? Are you using the correct runes for your build/profession/stats? Same question with sigils?

Then look at your build. Are your traits the right choices for your build/profession/stats? Utilities? Do you know what they do? Go here for some guidance / inspiration, (https://metabattle.com/wiki/Open_World) but these aren't rules set in stone. Just use it as a blueprint and build off what you have.

Are you using the correct weapons for your build/profession/stats? Do you know what each attack does? Do you weapon swap?

Sounds silly, all these questions, and yet you can play LV 1-80 successfully without answering any of my above questions with an affirmative. You can create a character, just slot in random gear, and push random buttons until Zhaitan is dead.

But Heart of Thorns and beyond, things are very different.

Start with that and see if that doesn't make things a bit easier. If you want to post what your current profession / build is, we can help with ideas.

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HoT is hard, although not as hard as it once was as some have said, specially because it was indeed a leap in difficulty from previous content. But I think is one of the best concept Anet came up with lore wise. The maps are a complete mess as they were supposed to be, there are strong enemies coming from everywhere at all times, which gives a feeling of neverending disorder, chaos and a bit of a challenge, as you would expect from going into a territory that is literally a living elder dragon. Said that, I can see as it can be overwhelming for new players who are not familiar with their classes and game mechanics and I acknowledge the game doesn't do much to help you with it. My advice is get someone to join you and/or get better equip and get more familiarized with your class and its mechanics. Also, try not to go for pre-made builds, specially if they are glass canons, try to mix and match with your specializations for a confortable point of damage and survivability.

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@DisabledVelociraptor.7865 said:The leap in difficulty from the personal story to heart of thorns is insane... forgive me for complaining here but this is kitten near unenjoyable.. I wish there was some kind of difficulty setting for instances because I just want to experience the story without feeling like i'm being completely crushed by everything

There have been two full living world seasons between the end of the personal story and Heart of Thorns. Season 1 is lost forever and Season 2 requires extra payment. I can understand why for a new player the expansion might seem really hard. When going directly after finishing the personal story, the average player won't have the experience, the build or the gear to succeed in the expansion.

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Heart of Thorns isn't too bad.

It does however, introduce a few enemies whom are pure evil incarnate.

Mordrem Snipers like to do like a bajillion damage and then when you try and kill them, they go invisible. While still shooting you. Still invisible.

The vine tendril things also like to screw over melee because lul-1-shot-you attacks where they whirl around and do like 10 bajillion damage.

Then there's also the Mordrem Stalkers, who also like to do about a bajillion damage. They also like to stealth around and stab you in the butt when you least expect it and if you try and kill them they're all like "lol" EVADE EVADE EVADE EVADE STEALTH STAB YOU IN THE FACE

Every other enemy is not worth talking about because they're just as easy as anything from Core Tyria. Those 3 though, you have to learn to prioritize taking them out and using your entire kit to murder their face whenever you see them otherwise you'll end up on the floor.

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@"Taril.8619" said:Heart of Thorns isn't too bad.

It does however, introduce a few enemies whom are pure evil incarnate.

Mordrem Snipers like to do like a bajillion damage and then when you try and kill them, they go invisible. While still shooting you. Still invisible.

The vine tendril things also like to screw over melee because lul-1-shot-you attacks where they whirl around and do like 10 bajillion damage.

Then there's also the Mordrem Stalkers, who also like to do about a bajillion damage. They also like to stealth around and stab you in the butt when you least expect it and if you try and kill them they're all like "lol" EVADE EVADE EVADE EVADE STEALTH STAB YOU IN THE FACE

Every other enemy is not worth talking about because they're just as easy as anything from Core Tyria. Those 3 though, you have to learn to prioritize taking them out and using your entire kit to murder their face whenever you see them otherwise you'll end up on the floor.

Two words: Pocket Raptors ;)

(the trick here is to spam AoEs, but if you can't they can rip you appart fast)

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@lokh.2695 said:

@"Taril.8619" said:Heart of Thorns isn't too bad.

It does however, introduce a few enemies whom are pure evil incarnate.

Mordrem Snipers like to do like a bajillion damage and then when you try and kill them, they go invisible. While still shooting you. Still invisible.

The vine tendril things also like to screw over melee because lul-1-shot-you attacks where they whirl around and do like 10 bajillion damage.

Then there's also the Mordrem Stalkers, who also like to do about a bajillion damage. They also like to stealth around and stab you in the butt when you least expect it and if you try and kill them they're all like "lol" EVADE EVADE EVADE EVADE STEALTH
STAB YOU IN THE FACE

Every other enemy is not worth talking about because they're just as easy as anything from Core Tyria. Those 3 though, you have to learn to prioritize taking them out and using your entire kit to murder their face whenever you see them otherwise you'll end up on the floor.

Two words: Pocket Raptors ;)

(the trick here is to spam AoEs, but if you can't they can rip you appart fast)

Yeah, also honourable mention to Bristlebacks, when they do that channel that seems to do about 500x your max health in damage and lasts for 3 days and you can't stop because they have a fat breakbar and they track you with it.

Gosh they're fun. /s

(However, if you have access to projectile reflect...)

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@Taril.8619 said:

@Taril.8619 said:Heart of Thorns isn't too bad.

It does however, introduce a few enemies whom are pure evil incarnate.

Mordrem Snipers like to do like a bajillion damage and then when you try and kill them, they go invisible. While still shooting you. Still invisible.

The vine tendril things also like to screw over melee because lul-1-shot-you attacks where they whirl around and do like 10 bajillion damage.

Then there's also the Mordrem Stalkers, who also like to do about a bajillion damage. They also like to stealth around and stab you in the butt when you least expect it and if you try and kill them they're all like "lol" EVADE EVADE EVADE EVADE STEALTH
STAB YOU IN THE FACE

Every other enemy is not worth talking about because they're just as easy as anything from Core Tyria. Those 3 though, you have to learn to prioritize taking them out and using your entire kit to murder their face whenever you see them otherwise you'll end up on the floor.

Two words: Pocket Raptors ;)

(the trick here is to spam AoEs, but if you can't they can rip you appart fast)

Yeah, also honourable mention to Bristlebacks, when they do that channel that seems to do about 500x your max health in damage and lasts for 3 days and you can't stop because they have a fat breakbar and they track you with it.

Gosh they're fun. /s

(However, if you have access to projectile reflect...)

You know its funny i have no issues with any of those mobs, but i do have issues with frogs. gawd i hate the frogs.

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HoT can be difficult. Take your time learn the attacks for what ever it is that you are trying to fight. Learning the enemies tells are a big part. You actually need to know when to dodge and when you can absorb the hit. These are things that you don't really need to do in the personal story / core tyria. Try not to draw multiple things in at once unless you are simply trying to get through the area. Also make sure you have people with you for the Hero Points some of them are especially tough in HoT. Don't forget about upgrading your armor to exotic if you haven't already and maybe try and find an open world build that fits your style.

Stay safe and watch your ankles for those pesky ankle biting pocket raptors.... I hate even thinking about those things especially during the pre-mount days.

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It is a big leap in difficulty, especially for solo PvE players. You now have to contend with high condition damage, getting hard CC’d, facing mobs of these creatures, and multi-level tiers of maze-like maps. Almost none of the hero points are solo-able.

The main adjustment is to do things with other players, even the story.

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First time playing it I too thought it was a lot more difficult than what I was used to at the time.What I did was I actually jumped ahead to the first Part of Path of Fire just to get the Raptor unlocked and then went back. It helped a tonne.

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@Solanum.6983 said:First time playing it I too thought it was a lot more difficult than what I was used to at the time.What I did was I actually jumped ahead to the first Part of Path of Fire just to get the Raptor unlocked and then went back. It helped a tonne.

tbh as bad as it sounds if i would have just started with both expansions..i would have played through POF first to the point where you can get the Springer as well. between the two of those mapping HOT becomes way easier.

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Like others have said, make sure you gear is up to snuff, and your build isn't crap. You can to a search on the trade post for some exotics and runes. They're not as pricey as you would expect, just make sure you're getting the right ones. Next, look into metabattle if you're not interested in discovering your own builds.

But at the end of the day, you are going to have to learn what your abilities do (it's time to REALLY grasp the text in each tooltip,) the value of your traits, the usage of boons and conditions, and know when to simply evade. You can't just mindlessly spam through your weapon bar abilities with all signets on your right bar outside of core (I was guilty as charged until I raced into PoF for my mounts.) In some cases you might even have to change your build based on what you're fighting, like if the bulk of your DPS is burn damage, you're not going to do so hot against anything with burn immunity, pun intended.

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My friend tried HoT recently after completing the core story. He got angry and took a break for a few weeks. He is trying again but it definately affected him negatively. A re-work of some of the core story that incorporates build and equipment training would help soften the HoT shock (which does exist for new players btw.)

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