Silent Surf needs better visual clarity

[MercurialKuroSludge.8974]

Ik, this is gonna look like me whining...
You would be correct, but only because I have to spend half of the final boss fight rezzing my team who all can't seem to get used to mechanics after more than 30 mins on the fight and several resets.

The environment is really dark on the boss fight itself, which is good, because its thematic.
What is less good...are how most of the patterns match that gloom, and are kinda hard to see.
So, a few changes I would like to ask for-

1. Better Visual Clarity for Flux Bombs Axes when a player gets it.

Spoiler

They keep dropping it on top of the boss, if they are playing melee...just yikes.

2. Better Visual Clarity for Sunqua Water Tethers. So people can react, and get close to the corresponding mini-platform sooner.

Spoiler

The minimap indicator is fine, people just can't seem to get onto the platforms faster for whatever reason.
Also...these adds are kinda chonky for any healer, so seeing and reacting early is very important.

3. Better Visual Clarity for Roman Numerals, specifically making the numbers stay over the players' heads until the boss fully completes Rushing all 5.

Spoiler

Numbers 4/5 keep forgetting the Rush Attack is still going, and then proceeds to down many of the team by walking over.
If the Indicator just stayed up until the Rushes were complete, Im sure this will help a lot of players.

4. Better Visual Clarity for Roman Numerals, maybe changing it to the basic Dragon's Stand Bright Red Indicators will help.

Spoiler

As with the other Indicators, they are very hard to see, or just too dark.

5. Less Roman Numeral in the later stages of fights

Spoiler

Once he goes below 66%, he just spams the Roman Numeral dashing.
It is lowkey annoying to fight a boss that is constantly moving around like a kitten.

6, Less HP for the Aspects during 66/33% HP phases.

Spoiler

Yes, the big hit is dodge/barrier/etc possible to mitigate.
But I'm pretty sure failing to kill the Platform Aspects, just means there will be more Aspects during the fight, which honestly do more damage than the boss itself, especially on days with "Afflicted" instability.
Ideally, a healer shud kill the Aspect early, then return to the main platform and prepare their defensive boons/barriers/etc, to help teammates who fail the dodge, but thats kinda annoying to do due to the HP size of these Aspects.
In addition to healers, some condi builds that require ramp up time to deal better dmg, can take a bit too much time.

This problem will get better as people get more used to it, and properly deal with other mechanics.
But as people have pointed out, N skill 1 is a bit clunky, so even if people prepare early, or try to swap tether to cover healer, the Aspects can still be annoying to kill.
 

Ik the Fractal will get easier, as more people get used to it, so people may not agree with all/any of these proposed changes.
Still, would highly prefer the base Fractal itself to be visually super easy to navigate, as we don't even know how different the Challenge is going to be.
 

Edit: just realized didn't post in "Instanced Group Content" section, requesting mods to move post.
Edit Edit: ty!

Edited July 3, 2023 by MercurialKuroSludge.8974

[Hologram.2810]

Visual clarity in this game? Never!

 

[Jay.5128]

Agreed or the players I ran this content with on several occasion suffer from IRL blind.
the spiny AOE swards and the just normal AOEs Can be bit of a hit or miss but the boss targets you for bit before they drop on you but yeah they just look like normal AOE indicators so noticing can be bit of hit miss. but for me I noticed he targets you by facing you.

I have also noticed lot the same old same old group standing on top each other thinking they can just eat all the damage like the older fractals with out doing the mechanics. I do find them clear to some degree enough to go oh I can see them, but not amazing if your type person that just tunnel visions your Hud and rotation only, and is not oblivious to world around them. there's also fact if your visually impaired, so over all I feel like they need bighting up a little and to be able to tell the difference between the AOES a little before they drop on you.

I keep hopping for day they add a  colour blind mode as I have tritanopia.

Edited wording a little.

Edited July 5, 2023 by Jay.5128

[SlayerXX.7138]

Yeah visual clarity is a nightmare in general in this game. Someone did tell me once what I have to change to make the game playable. Still afraid I will one day click the default button on the graphic settings.
I'm 99% sure the dev don't have the standard settings on when the develop the game. If you have default setting, instanced content is incomprehensible. 

[Zekent.3652]

Quote

6, Less HP for the Aspects during 66/33% HP phases.

If i'm not wrong, the last time i did this fractal, was a T3 rec, the boss had like 20m HP on T3 lmao, that's probably even more than the average T4 boss.

Edited July 13, 2023 by Zizekent.2398

[SoftFootpaws.9134]

i think the biggest offender is on scourge and vindicator (maybe some other classes to?), some of your skills have a yellow circle and for some reason the palette they used in this boss fight makes it look exactly the same as all the orange circles, leaving you unable to see attacks.

[MercurialKuroSludge.8974]

4 hours ago, Zizekent.2398 said:

If i'm not wrong, the last time i did this fractal, was a T3 rec, the boss had like 20m HP on T3 lmao, that's probably even more than the average T4 boss.

I am referring to the Adds that spawn on the surrounding 5 minimplatforms, during said 66/33% phases.

If you are on a healer spec and your party just didn't do the boss mechanics properly, you might get tagged by the 5th Tether, and even if you instantly jumped to the platforms upon them showing up on minimap, some classes have have a hard time dpsing down the Aspects/Adds in time.
The same could be said for Boon dps builds that are on the lower end as well.
Obviously, if a pure dps can't do their job properly during this phase, they just suck.

But that still makes the fight unfair towards 2/5 party members, I sincerely despise raw dmg checks like this that are difficult to mitigate even if you are playing the mechanics perfectly, just because you aren't playing pure dps.
Either reduce the HP or make it a Break Bar, something less skewed.

[Zekent.3652]

1 hour ago, MercurialKuroSludge.8974 said:

I am referring to the Adds that spawn on the surrounding 5 minimplatforms, during said 66/33% phases.

If you are on a healer spec and your party just didn't do the boss mechanics properly, you might get tagged by the 5th Tether, and even if you instantly jumped to the platforms upon them showing up on minimap, some classes have have a hard time dpsing down the Aspects/Adds in time.
The same could be said for Boon dps builds that are on the lower end as well.
Obviously, if a pure dps can't do their job properly during this phase, they just suck.

But that still makes the fight unfair towards 2/5 party members, I sincerely despise raw dmg checks like this that are difficult to mitigate even if you are playing the mechanics perfectly, just because you aren't playing pure dps.
Either reduce the HP or make it a Break Bar, something less skewed.

I see, that's a good point. 

[Shadowmoon.7986]

On 7/2/2023 at 9:14 AM, MercurialKuroSludge.8974 said:

 

1. Better Visual Clarity for Flux Bombs Axes when a player gets it.

  Reveal hidden contents

They keep dropping it on top of the boss, if they are playing melee...just yikes.

2. Better Visual Clarity for Sunqua Water Tethers. So people can react, and get close to the corresponding mini-platform sooner.

  Reveal hidden contents

The minimap indicator is fine, people just can't seem to get onto the platforms faster for whatever reason.
Also...these adds are kinda chonky for any healer, so seeing and reacting early is very important.

3. Better Visual Clarity for Roman Numerals, specifically making the numbers stay over the players' heads until the boss fully completes Rushing all 5.

  Reveal hidden contents

Numbers 4/5 keep forgetting the Rush Attack is still going, and then proceeds to down many of the team by walking over.
If the Indicator just stayed up until the Rushes were complete, Im sure this will help a lot of players.

4. Better Visual Clarity for Roman Numerals, maybe changing it to the basic Dragon's Stand Bright Red Indicators will help.

  Reveal hidden contents

As with the other Indicators, they are very hard to see, or just too dark.

5. Less Roman Numeral in the later stages of fights

  Reveal hidden contents

Once he goes below 66%, he just spams the Roman Numeral dashing.
It is lowkey annoying to fight a boss that is constantly moving around like a kitten.

6, Less HP for the Aspects during 66/33% HP phases.

  Reveal hidden contents

Yes, the big hit is dodge/barrier/etc possible to mitigate.
But I'm pretty sure failing to kill the Platform Aspects, just means there will be more Aspects during the fight, which honestly do more damage than the boss itself, especially on days with "Afflicted" instability.
Ideally, a healer shud kill the Aspect early, then return to the main platform and prepare their defensive boons/barriers/etc, to help teammates who fail the dodge, but thats kinda annoying to do due to the HP size of these Aspects.
In addition to healers, some condi builds that require ramp up time to deal better dmg, can take a bit too much time.

This problem will get better as people get more used to it, and properly deal with other mechanics.
But as people have pointed out, N skill 1 is a bit clunky, so even if people prepare early, or try to swap tether to cover healer, the Aspects can still be annoying to kill.
 

1. I am fine with that, but unsure how they could fix that. The issue is you need to find an effect that is not used for another mechanic.

2. Fine as is. You get whispered, there is large white orb above kanaxai with the line pointing straight to the aspect you need to kill. This is a player skill and tunnel vision issue.

3. Fine as is. Exactly the same as the ko strike.  I would rather tells for mechanics to be same from encounter to encounter.

4. Same as 3.  Larger numbers will only make the Visual noice worse. Sorry this sounds like a tunnel vision issue.

5. I do not think you understand how forgiving having the numbers phase happen to be. Him doing numbers give you time to self heal and for your cc skills to come off cd. This is better than the look away mechanic because you can at least range dps. I find at the end of the fight his auto attacks are what down the most people. If numbers is downing people, that is a skill issue.

6. Hp is lower enough, healers can still kill them. If they fail to kill the ascept it is ether failure to notice the mechanic (tunnel vision) or failure to use to gappling hook (skill issue).