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All of the latest Mists of Pandaria newsPlayer reaction to the 5-man Trial
by Mike Schramm 
Aug 6th 2009 at 8:00PM
All right -- patch 3.2 has been out for a few days now, and I would say that most people who are interested have had a chance to go in and run the brand new 5-man instance. Of course it's not the only change in the patch (far from it), but it's the one I was most looking forward to, and unlike the raid instances, it's all in there and doable, ready for our judgment. So what did we think?I tried it yesterday, and my first impression was "underwhelmed." I definitely don't feel that way about 3.2 as a whole, but the instance itself seems less than impressive, a one-room fight with almost as many boring moments as there are exciting ones. The fights themselves are actually pretty commonplace for a Heroic -- the jousting fight is probably the least-liked among the playerbase (seriously, whoever really loves the jousting mechanic over at Blizzard needs to take a good long look in the mirror for some self reflection), while the best is of course the Argent Confessor, who summons a random figure from our "past memories" to fight. I got Illidan and Onyxia the first few times I ran the instance, but of course Hogger and Van Cleef and Heigan the Unclean also have a chance at making an appearance. I did like the fight, but I was kind of bummed the old memories didn't bring any of their abilities with them -- they all have the same three abilities to throw at the group.
As for the lore, I'm torn. On the one hand, I did like that Blizzard mixed it up a bit, and tried to get us a little more involved in what the NPCs are doing than just having us go off on our own and take down a dungeon. On the other hand, that intro will be even longer the 25th time I'm doing it, and I'm still not convinced that messing around with an Argent Tournament is worth our time. One person dies in the whole instance (spoiler: it's the Black Knight, and he dies three times), and so while it was cool seeing our names shouted and being cheered on by the crowd, I can't help but think that it's still all just fun and games. When do we get to put somebody's eye out?
Filed under: Patches, Analysis / Opinion, Instances, Lore, Bosses, NPCs
Reader Comments (Page 5 of 8)
niwaar Aug 6th 2009 10:24PM
The instance itself is fairly short, there are some glaring issues with it however.
1) The 5 minute preshow -
This was fun and interesting the first time around, but there should be a way to tell them to shut up and get on with it.
2) Jousting -
Jousting was fun for most people for about 3 days. Continuing the Jousting experiment even further is just plain unfun after 2-3 runs through. Gimmic encounters tend to be like this. (ie The Oculus).
3) 1 is not enough -
I am completely sure that if Blizzard said to us that they were going to give us a few more months of raiding Ulduar, but gave us interesting and progressively more difficult 5man content at a rate of 1 per month, we'd all be more than extatic.
In the end, it is just a tease of what end game could be if they tried a bit harder.
Wensbane Aug 6th 2009 10:35PM
I quite like the new instance, to be perfectly honest. Then again, I'm one of the "few" who actually like jousting.
It needs to be made more complex, obviously, but the truth is that I've waiting for an MMO that offers true mounted combat, for a VERY long time. This instance offers just that. Take THAT, Lana Stouthammer!
Really liked the fight against the Argent Confessor as well. Her "Summon Memory" ability is really entertaining, even after several runs.
danawhitaker Aug 6th 2009 11:03PM
Jousting needs to be *more* complex? No, no thank you. I can joust just fine, and have been doing the dailies since a week after 3.1 came out, but no thank you. It is at a perfect balance where it's easy to explain to newcomers without making their heads explode (which is usually what happens when you try to explain the EOE and Oculus drakes to people. It's bad enough trying to keep my shields up while running around trying to joust three bosses. Add anything more to it, and I'm pretty sure my head will explode.
It's bad enough it's even in an instance. All of the people I run with are regular jousters too, and they *all* wish they could banish that portion of the instance into oblivion already after just two runs on heroic and about four on regular. The problem is, the gear is too good. We're running Naxx 10 right now, and so much of the gear from heroic (and some even from regular) is better that we can't afford *not* to be running it for the upgrades alone. Let alone the Champion's Seals.
Jeremiel Aug 7th 2009 6:46AM
I agree - It's weird that people talk like there's an overwhelming majority of people who hate jousting.
Only one or two people in my guild have ever really spoken against it.
Perhaps that's unusual, I don't know. The only people I can really understand speaking against it so vehemently are those who play with a great deal of lag.
I don't mind jousting at all, and I actually enjoy that first section of the instance perhaps most of all. I find it satisfying to focus-fire down each mob with a chain of Charges from your whole party.
Generally, I'm not a big fan of vehicle fights - I lose a lot of confidence when I'm given a ton of new skills to quickly figure out, and am still always a little unsure for Malygos/Oculus, or in a Demolisher for FL.
But jousting is much simpler in my opinion, and you've plenty of time to practice on your own time should you find it difficult and want to improve.
To me, the jousting section just adds a new and interesting way for 5-mans to be easy (as they inevitably are when well over-geared), rather than just nuking every mob into oblivion.
Raventiger Aug 7th 2009 12:12AM
Ok I'm one of those strange people who actually enjoys the jousting, so according to your article I should be looking in mirror for some self-reflection? Thanks but no thanks. Just because you don't like one aspect of the game doesn't mean you should go thowing stones at the developers and those of us who do like that aspect of the game. No one forces you to run that instance or joust, unlike PvP which has been forced upon the non-pvp player base at times.
roberttlewis Aug 8th 2009 6:05PM
But they *are* forcing you into this content!
For casual players (the majority of accounts), and for raiders' alts, ilvl 219 gear from a relatively easy Heroic 5-man is simply irresistible. By putting this gear in here, they rapidly advance people past Naxx25.
Why did they decide to make WotLK content so rapidly obsolete? Figure out a way to revive Heroics without blowing up all raid instances before Ulduar. Impossible?
Lirendà Aug 6th 2009 11:11PM
I confess that as a whole the new instance is disappointing. Whilst sure it has some great loot (playing on a relatively new 80 lock) and a couple of interesting mechanics, it has none fo the amazingly pretty factor of say the drop in AN and well.... its a single room fight, how depressingly boring does it get. I confess to being slighly irritated by the fact that in over 10 runs i am yet to see the confessor, experience her apparently sexy voice or see any of the memories.
Sure its a great shard farm but the instance certainly lacks in the imagination sector
Caz Aug 6th 2009 11:32PM
I really like the new 5-man, although I've only run it on heroic. The Conquest Emblems and Champion Seals are most welcome. I also love jousting...so all you haters can stay the heck out so those of us who do like it can stop getting the "additional instances cannot be launched" message.
WoWie Zowie Aug 6th 2009 11:33PM
the babble at the top of the encounter is not cool. i figure people will get into the habit of starting the fight, and then summoning and buffing people.
the fights themselves are really really easy. and the loot is 25-man naxx quality. i guess that's cool. and we get to pause between the 3 fights.
it seems like "dungeon lite". free epics for everybody come and get them.
and i suppose that's cool, at least ulduar still means something.
Kyle Aug 7th 2009 12:02AM
i think you've been spending too much time on the wow forums reading those troll posts, sir... i think i can speak for a majority that actually likes the new 5 man, i've run it on normal at least a dozen times and i've managed to get into the heroic each day so far. i'm having a blast with it, the jousting mechanic isn't too bad, i mean we're so far into an expansion that focused terribly heavy on vehicle combat that you gotta get used to it eventually. and i definitely gotta agree with karilyn on the lore side of things.
Wyred Aug 7th 2009 4:37AM
Why do you think you can speak for the majority? The forums aren't complimentary, neither is this post or the majority of the comments. What led you to this conclusion?
SaintStryfe Aug 7th 2009 12:10AM
A five man people don't like is one thing - why isn't there more raves for this fantastically fun Battleground they just released?!
Wyred Aug 7th 2009 4:52AM
The snapshots I can see of it through my stuttering lag do indeed seem awesome. I look forward to playing it one day.
Mickthathick Aug 7th 2009 9:13AM
My impression of the new BG is that there is WAY too much going on.
I'm sure this will change after I run it more, but it really doesn't make sense to me atm. It seems the middle turns into 1 giant zerg, or you zerg in front of the opposition gates until you are insta-killed by the people on the zepplin, or you zerg in the courtyard of your own fortress while the rest of your team zergs in the courtyard of their fortress.
I love AV, I love AB, and I love SotA, but this bg just doesn't seem that much fun to me. I'll give it a bit more of chance, but I'd rather spend my time in one of the better designed bgs then this mish-mash.
Harhar Aug 7th 2009 12:50AM
One of the memories is also of Priestess Delrissa from Magister's Terrace.
Wyred Aug 7th 2009 4:44AM
Now there was an instance. This patch seems like the 2.4 of Wrath, but the 5 man sucks in comparison to MgT. And the priestess fight was the best part of it. I wish blizz would make a 5 man with some depth to compare to the TBC heroics.
KaptK Aug 7th 2009 12:56AM
I'm really sick of the continuous bitching about the jousting stuff. Get over it!
I like the new 5 man. The intro does take a long time, but I find the fights enjoyable.
Myria Aug 7th 2009 1:02AM
I've come to despise this instance faster then anything else I've ever run into in the game.
Jousting? Easy (When in doubt, circle strafe. When not in doubt, circle strafe), but boring as hell. Long intro? Ditto. Transition from mounted to normal with half your team insta-gibbed before they've even gotten their weapons equipped? Sheer genius!
Way too many "Bang, you're dead" issues you can't do anything about (Insta-two shot by a hunter, are you kidding me?) but worse, far, far, far worse, it's more of Blizzard's -- nay, GC's -- philosophy of turning difficulty up by pressuring the healers. it'd be nice if GC and crew tried at least once to be clever enough to come up with some way of making things harder with resorting to placing it all on the healer's shoulders. The answer is not always "MOAR DAMAGE!!!111!".
When I wasn't getting one-shot during the transition (perhaps the stupidest mechanic to ever make it to live) or insta-gibbed by ranged mobs that have apparently finally figured out to kill the healer first, I could heal it... But it was tight.
Ulduar geared tank I've known and healed for years, and spamming 11K gheals and praying guardian spirit is off of cooldown is barely enough to keep him up? That's just not right.
No other heroic -- including MagT at release -- comes even close to stressing the healer as much as that place, and heaven help any healer not raid geared who steps in there.
Frankly you shouldn't have to be raid geared to reasonably do a heroic.
Amapele Aug 7th 2009 8:09AM
Let me preface this by saying I'm a girl, and I have no problem admitting that I have an addiction with this game, lol
"No other heroic -- including MagT at release -- comes even close to stressing the healer as much as that place, and heaven help any healer not raid geared who steps in there.
Frankly you shouldn't have to be raid geared to reasonably do a heroic."
I've only scanned these comments but it's nice to see people awknowledging how heal intensive this is. Now I've run it multiple times on normal and have run it all three days on heroic. First day days went beautifully, I renewed my love and adoration for Divine Hymn and was immensely greatful that I have an 18k mana pool and other tricks in my back pocket to keep it all up. Yesterday however...
After taking an hour, yes an hour *I* started taking the fault of this particular PUG not going well, as do most healers when a PUG sucks, to which I say good luck to the group and leave....pretty upset. I'm not going to tote that I'm an awesome priest or that I have this amazing gear but I have no problem running any other heroic and I had no problems running this heroic prior to this one group. What does this group do? Start bashing my gear in GENERAL chat, and knocking me down because of my blue headpiece and my one green trinket. One person was actually like, "Look at your gear before you start running raids."
Excuse me? Get off your elitist pedestal and get your eyes check. First it's a heroic not a raid and second I may not be decked out in Uldar gear but I have 18k mana pool, almost 1800 sp and about 450 mana regen. That's not awful....right?? *sigh*
Anyway I guess I just vented that all out but I was pretty upset about the whole situation. Moral of the story: it'd be nice if people were a little less harsh on their healers in this until EVERYONE gets a good handle on the instance.
Let the "wow it's just a game" comments begin...
Xiol Aug 7th 2009 8:56AM
> Transition from mounted to normal with half your team insta-gibbed before they've even gotten their weapons equipped? Sheer genius!
As a tank, this is the reason I will only ever DPS this instance again.
When that transition happens and I'm not fast enough to re-equip my weapon, pick up 3 mobs that may be at least 50 yards apart from each other with 30yard range spells/taunts, and half my team dies, I feel like that's a failure on my part - despite it being the most stupid mechanic I've seen in game.
There's asking the tanks to do a lot, and there's asking tanks to do the impossible. I have yet to run this instance where it hasn't been a wipe on that transition in both normal and heroic - the only difference being that everyone dies faster on heroic.
People are saying "well run out and reset it". The point is, we shouldn't have to.