Updates coming to Silent Surf August 22

[Rubi Bayer.8493]

Hi all, I want to let you know that we've been reading your feedback about Silent Surf and have some updates incoming.

As you can imagine we are all heads down on the final stretch before Secrets of the Obscure launches on August 22--only four more weeks! Our next full build is scheduled to ship then, so we'll include these updates with that.

For now though, I have an early look at the update notes for Silent Surf so you can see what the team is working on:

Bug Fixes

• Fixed an issue that caused Captain Thess to have an incorrect effect icon during the third encounter.
• Fixed an issue that prevented Aspects from applying Extreme Vulnerability on Challenge mode when striking with Dread Visage.
• Fixed an issue that allowed players to bypass World Cleaver.
• Fixed an issue that could cause the final boss to focus on attacking pets more than intended.
• Fixed an issue in which the Peace and Quiet achievement did not require Master tier, causing it to be inconsistent with the achievement description.
• Fixed an inconsistency with other Challenge mode encounters in fractals so defeated players can now be revived during the final encounter.
• Fixed an issue that allowed Frightening Speed to be blocked.
• Fixed a timing issue in the Challenge mode version of Dread Visage's large-eye warning effect that prevented it from detonating at the same time as the smaller eyes.
• Fixed an issue that could cause an Aspect to return to the main platform during World Cleaver without selecting a new target for Phantasmagoria.
• Fixed multiple issues with phase transitions and the synchronization of Dread Visage attacks:
  • The final boss and the Aspects no longer gain alacrity, regeneration, or quickness from boon-stealing attacks.
  • Sugar Rush has been removed from the list of Mistlock Instabilities for Silent Surf.

Other Updates

• The final boss's health has been reduced on Challenge mode.
• All checkpoints now require only two players regardless of fractal tier.
• In addition to Sugar Rush, the following instabilities have been removed from Silent Surf: Mists Convergence and Toxic Sickness.

As always, thanks for your constructive feedback and keep it coming!

[LINKAZZATORE.8135]

Supposedly, haven't tested it myself, the aspects can tether players with aegis which prevents it from working correctly, which can cause issues during world cleaver, you should double check that and other types of invulnerability to be filtered out.

The aspects can retarget players with their tether while they are teleporting to an island, which can cause issues with prioritizations, should take a look at that too.

Also is the tethering supposed to be to the closest player or random? Because currently it's so inconsistent that making it work on range prioritization would ease the behaviour

Edited July 25, 2023 by LINKAZZATORE.8135

[TexZero.7910]

Can you also take a real hard look at the grapple being one of the most inconsistent launch mechanics in the game sometimes throwing you under your target location instead of to it.

[NtNaTn.6590]

I guess it feels good to have gotten the title on CM CM mode.

[Xentera.4560]

So nothing about hooks or tethers?!! REALLY?!!

Edited July 25, 2023 by Xentera.4560

[TheThief.8475]

53 minutes ago, Rubi Bayer.8493 said:

In addition to Sugar Rush, the following instabilities have been removed from Silent Surf: Mists Convergence and Toxic Sickness.

Honest question

Why are you removing sugar rush and toxic sickness? What's the problem with those? I can understand that mists convergence would mess up with grapple and cause a wipe (but that's because we need to use the grapple in the first hand, why don't you just add a jumping mushroom to reach each platform and not change all those other stuffs just because they mess up with grapple?)

 

Additional fixes needed

Also look for lasers because sometimes they target you so late that you don't have enough time to go and kill the add before the end of world cleaver - causing wipe (happened 3 times today);

Title achievement requires the party to reset instance every time someone dies. I think it's intentional but there's no reason for that. Please change the requiremenet to "defeat the boss of SS in CM  without anyone dying" instead of "complete the fractal SS in CM  without anyone dying". It's one of the most annoying things I've even seen in GW2.

 

Additional boss HP considerations

Boss HPs need a nerf in all tiers because the encounter is too long and combined with few mechs it results in a mega boring experience; The HP nerf request wasn't asked because the fight is hard, but because it's too long, and this apply to all tiers and non CMs. Please make the experience better for everyone, if you want fractals to stay popular for a long time!!

Edited July 25, 2023 by TheThief.8475

[Noro.2879]

This covers most of the issues I've had, but there's circumstances where an aspect will spawn in the middle of 33/66 phases and give phantasmagoria late causing an inevitable wipe.

If you fail the 35%/70% CC it's most likely, but I have seen it happen outside that. It's hard to figure out what exactly is going on.

 

My suggestion is a buff on the boss's bar that tells you exactly how many aspects are currently alive so when you hit that 33% phase and you've got 6 alive you know it's a wipe or if it counts up randomly it's easier to tell what happened.

[Noro.2879]

Just now, TheThief.8475 said:

I'm sorry but why are you removing sugar rush and toxic sickness? What's the problem with those? 

I can understand that mists convergence would mess up with grapple and cause a wipe (but that's because we need to use the grapple in the first hand, why don't you just add a jumping mushroom to reach each platform and not change all those other stuffs just because they mess up with grapple?)

Sugar Rush and quickness are what cause desynchronized eye attacks.

 

Toxic sickness is just a problem when you have so little dps uptime and only further punishes people who don't feel like playing scourge or cvirt.

[TexZero.7910]

Just now, TheThief.8475 said:

I'm sorry but why are you removing sugar rush and toxic sickness? What's the problem with those? 

I can understand that mists convergence would mess up with grapple and cause a wipe (but that's because we need to use the grapple in the first hand, why don't you just add a jumping mushroom to reach each platform and not change all those other stuffs just because they mess up with grapple?)

Sugar Rush is because it cause the Fear mechanic to bug out and trigger at inconsistent times despite the visual and audio indicator being over.
Toxic sickness is probably just anet being extra cautious in making the difficulty not be too punishing since you want to stack to manipulate the bosses pathing and only spread when you absolutely have too.

[Exo.2143]

It still feels weird to only fix this in 1 month, despite the explanation.. It is bugged beyond reason right now, and delaying fixing feels weird.

[Nosrorav.4703]

49 minutes ago, Rubi Bayer.8493 said:

Hi all, I want to let you know that we've been reading your feedback about Silent Surf and have some updates incoming.

As you can imagine we are all heads down on the final stretch before Secrets of the Obscure launches on August 22--only four more weeks! Our next full build is scheduled to ship then, so we'll include these updates with that.

For now though, I have an early look at the update notes for Silent Surf so you can see what the team is working on:

Bug Fixes

• Fixed an issue that caused Captain Thess to have an incorrect effect icon during the third encounter.
• Fixed an issue that prevented Aspects from applying Extreme Vulnerability on Challenge mode when striking with Dread Visage.
• Fixed an issue that allowed players to bypass World Cleaver.
• Fixed an issue that could cause the final boss to focus on attacking pets more than intended.
• Fixed an issue in which the Peace and Quiet achievement did not require Master tier, causing it to be inconsistent with the achievement description.
• Fixed an inconsistency with other Challenge mode encounters in fractals so defeated players can now be revived during the final encounter.
• Fixed an issue that allowed Frightening Speed to be blocked.
• Fixed a timing issue in the Challenge mode version of Dread Visage's large-eye warning effect that prevented it from detonating at the same time as the smaller eyes.
• Fixed an issue that could cause an Aspect to return to the main platform during World Cleaver without selecting a new target for Phantasmagoria.
• Fixed multiple issues with phase transitions and the synchronization of Dread Visage attacks:
  • The final boss and the Aspects no longer gain alacrity, regeneration, or quickness from boon-stealing attacks.
  • Sugar Rush has been removed from the list of Mistlock Instabilities for Silent Surf.

Other Updates

• The final boss's health has been reduced on Challenge mode.
• All checkpoints now require only two players regardless of fractal tier.
• In addition to Sugar Rush, the following instabilities have been removed from Silent Surf: Mists Convergence and Toxic Sickness.

As always, thanks for your constructive feedback and keep it coming!

All very nice changes, but what about the fix for the missing lore? 😞

[TheThief.8475]

15 minutes ago, BANNED.9527 said:

Sugar Rush and quickness are what cause desynchronized eye attacks.

Toxic sickness is just a problem when you have so little dps uptime and only further punishes people who don't feel like playing scourge or cvirt.

I see but that's not the right way to fix this bug...

[Danek.9450]

Just now, TheThief.8475 said:

I see but that's not the right way to fix this bug...

Well, it's not a bug - the skills go off faster according to the effects of Quickness / Sugar Rush 

[Jokkerzzz.5471]

1 minute ago, TheThief.8475 said:

I see but that's not the right way to fix this bug...

this entire strike fractal is a bug

[TheThief.8475]

1 minute ago, Danek.9450 said:

Well, it's not a bug - the skills go off faster according to the effects of Quickness / Sugar Rush 

A mechanic like that should not be affected by such things, the problem is that this was not considered during developement because of the strike mission situation

Edited July 25, 2023 by TheThief.8475

[Danek.9450]

5 minutes ago, TheThief.8475 said:

A mechanic like that should not be affected by such things, the problem is that this was not considered during developement because of the strike mission situation

Don't intend to disagree too much with that sentiment, but this happening has nothing to do with the suggestion of Silent Surf having been a Strike at some point during development and everything with not having set up the skill correctly in the first place - player skills can already be flagged so as to not be influenced by Quickness (e.g. Renewed Focus) and I hope that monster skills could be flagged in a similar way 

Edited July 25, 2023 by Danek.9450

[Phyrosite.2504]

Thank you for the fixes; however, making Frightening Speed both unable to be blocked and unable to be dodged isn't very fun in my opinion. Please let us use the tools available to us to deal with mechanics, counterplay is fun.

[Nimris.3781]

9 minutes ago, TheThief.8475 said:

A mechanic like that should not be affected by such things, the problem is that this was not considered during developement because of the strike mission situation

Quickness affects every action performed, just like we can ressurect or gather nodes faster and the same goes for mobs, this is how this game is programmed.    quickness/sugar rush affected encounter in many unintended ways, not just Dread Visage ( tho this was biggest offender)  but also tethers, Frightening Speed and probably even Gathering Shadows or World Cleaver as well.    mobs are not supposed to have quickness/alac

Mist Convergence was also extremely annoying at times (abomination, etc.)

also lets be honest, toxic sickness is annoying everywhere so for me they might as well delete it completly

[VictorLeal.4102]

Come on.. Let us dodge and reduce the HP in all tiers, this boss is boring af.

Edited July 25, 2023 by VictorLeal.4102

[Serpiente.4510]

2 hours ago, LINKAZZATORE.8135 said:

Supposedly, haven't tested it myself, the aspects can tether players with aegis which prevents it from working correctly, which can cause issues during world cleaver, you should double check that and other types of invulnerability to be filtered out.

The aspects can retarget players with their tether while they are teleporting to an island, which can cause issues with prioritizations, should take a look at that too.

Also is the tethering supposed to be to the closest player or random? Because currently it's so inconsistent that making it work on range prioritization would ease the behaviour

The team and i experienced all those features yesterday, even after re-starting the instance three times. Needless to say, we gave up right after. 

 

[Izzy.2951]

What about the HP of the boss in T1,T2,T3 and T4 normal modes?

[Jokuc.3478]

There's still more things to be fixed (such as fixing the inconsistency between the island platform heights which can make it really frustrating to get to your add), but this is a good start I guess.

Also unpopular opinion, but I don't think the boss health is too high. The issue isn't his hp, the issue is that he keeps doing the same attacks over and over and the fight never changes, which makes the encounter really tedious and repetitive. If he started doing completely different mechanics from say, 66% - 33%, the fight would suddenly feel much faster.

[Echostorm.9143]

This fight takes forever on all tiers, the HP need cut in half at least.

What is the point of giving us dodge and not letting us use it? 

A lot of my groups are actively avoiding this fractal and the forums are filled with complaints that it is too hard and takes too long and all I see here are changes to make it worse.  Make the CM hard to satisfy the powergamers and nerf the regular or take it out of the daily rotation.

[Kilty.4906]

2 hours ago, Rubi Bayer.8493 said:

Fixed an inconsistency with other Challenge mode encounters in fractals so defeated players can now be revived during the final encounter.

Aw, I always disliked the idea that you can use revive orbs during the encounter. I think this "fix" should be the opposite, and the other fractals should follow this rule, or at least t4 fractals should.

[Dark Red Killian.3946]

The only thing about this I don’t know if I agree is on the hp. If hp is reduced, cc bars come quicker, giving ppl less time to recharge, resulting in more cc fails. Great idea. Which means people will be holding dps more to let skills recharge… so it won’t really go quicker.