How are the encounters to you?

[deepshades]

I think they're a bit hard, but thats just slightly. Grimaxe hold is an example where you can be rushed easily by seven or eight orcs while being shot at by numerous archers that never seem to miss, and they're swinging giant battleaxes with x3 crit multipliers.

You'll probably be about a high enough level to take one crit at full life from the seven to five orcs that will be rolling for their auto 20 crits. Thats the only place I think is rather hard for the level you can really fight them for xp.

Its often even a very proficient meat shield will find himself at 80% life and then a random two crits from orcs with battleaxes will send his screen to the Forest of Eternal night as the rest of his less armored crew joins him in the next few moments.

[rustediron]

Sorceror? having trouble soloing? lev 3? GET THE SLEEP SPELL!
With that I can solo out the muckspear village (minus the chief) with my level 4 BARD!
PWNGE! 'Nuff said.

[Saulus]

From the point of view of a lvl 3 newbie sorceror - i.e. me - they're far too hard to do solo. In groups there's generally one or two powerful chars who can tank or work otherwise to ensure the rest of the group at least survives. But I haven't found a single area where I can work solo without dying.

This wouldn't be a problem if there were people on all the time who you could meet up with but that's not the case, and hanging around Jimmy's or the crossroads in the hope someone'll log in doesn't quite cut the mustard. It would be nice to have somewhere to get some action when there's no one else on; even if we're talking about very easy, very low xp reward npcs.

Keep in mind we are developing a quest system for solo play but the encounters you find free-roaming will not ever be designed for solo play. We also have our RP XP system in now so even if you aren't out fighting you will be getting XP regardless.

[Sammael]

From the point of view of a lvl 3 newbie sorceror - i.e. me - they're far too hard to do solo. In groups there's generally one or two powerful chars who can tank or work otherwise to ensure the rest of the group at least survives. But I haven't found a single area where I can work solo without dying.

This wouldn't be a problem if there were people on all the time who you could meet up with but that's not the case, and hanging around Jimmy's or the crossroads in the hope someone'll log in doesn't quite cut the mustard. It would be nice to have somewhere to get some action when there's no one else on; even if we're talking about very easy, very low xp reward npcs.

[Rannarix]

Think that while they encourage groups, they have a greater attraction to people building powergaming characters which have no RP viability.

[Blue_Wyrm]

Another thing I think greatly helps lower levels get started is the availability of armor pieces with temporary hit points. Having a larger buffer zone to experience fights before collapsing is a plus when you don't know the areas too well, in my opinion. So yup I think the level of difficulty is great like it is.

[ThePaganKing]

I think the areas are challenging; however, if you prepare properly, you can defeat most areas without too much effort. The preparation is the right party and the right equipment and pots. I think they could maybe be a bit harder or maybe not harder, but have the AI actually use spells that will really hurt, like stripping your buffs........hehe, this is easy with all my buffs, what...damn..ouch.....hey, where am I? I know that in NWN1, many classes that rely on buffs to survive died very quickly when their buffs were stripped. I had a cleric that was awesome against undead and such, but when he fought dragons that stripped buffs, he died pretty quickly.

I think the possibility of multiple or changing spawns is good if it can be implemented.

[ipsissimus]

The DM events tend to be easier mainly because the range of classes and levels, when you have a mass of the high end of the server in one area with a few scattered lower levels really it's a cake walk for us...which is probably why those bloodmaims couldn't die until a DM allowed it to.

Though when I went toe to toe with a bane wraith knight, I had just enough time to say "wow, this guy hits really ha..."

Team work, team dynamic, I've seen some encounters run so smoothly because everyone was working in harmony and many times watching a mass death because party member A and B thought C and D had all their healing magic quickened.

Unless there's some place I haven't been to yet, so far choosing your battles and being prepared for them, keeping a watch of your hps/spells will generally give you positive results.

[Scavar]

I haven't been in a DM encounter yet, so I can't really talk about that.

With PvE though, Soloing is a little harder then I'm use to but that doesn't make it wrong at all. The fact that it semi forces you to group is nice I find though, as it works really well in groups.

Two of better RPs so far involved me saving someone in a fight, and being saved, so I thought that was really cool. If it was up to me, and I know it's not at all, I'd leave them as they are, and increase xp by like .5%.

[Rhifox]

I'd say that PvE encounters are fairly hard. As a player who prefers to solo when grinding, I've been met with much pain and, because of that, been forced to really learn how to play my class. Prior to playing on Sundren, I didn't really know the ins and outs of DnD combat, but I've been forced to learn thanks to the encounters here. Which is nice, DnD's magic system isn't as daunting as I used to find it anymore.

Fighters find the encounters in the early end of the game fairly easy, while dex/caster types find it somewhat difficult (but still soloable. I can solo Spittlefist caves now with any character at level 3 by approaching the fights in the proper fashion). Main thing is consumables are a bitch, making it very expensive to grind... that's the main issue with soloing, making sure you keep at least a 1 to 1 rate of money acquisition compared with consumable consumption. Which is fine. I have no idea what exploit Aux is mentioning (you guys know I tell you when I find exploits, and if I find it I'll be sure to let you know).

For DM encounters, however, I feel that in general they're much too easy. I'd like to see more DM events that have monsters as tough as the Bloodmaim mobs. Stuff that really makes players prefer to run than fight without having lots of PC or NPC support.

[undeadsteak]

, i'd love more challenging battles and the such. *Shrug.* And stuff thats simply just impossible to beat. Stuff thats hard. Yeah. = More grouping and not "lol lookie at me, im an epic cleric that can solo!" ^^

[Machiavelli]

With a decent party, they're all doable without too much pain. Always take a meatshield and a priest, and everything'll be just fine . Or if you're a total badass I reckon most things can probably even be soloed.

[moondiggidy]

I like Aux's idea of changing spawn points from time to time. I am a fan of surprises.

As far as the encounters that are out there, I like them how they are. It is difficult to solo out there with a non-fighting class, and that's the way it was intended.

[Aux]

They are easy enough if you concentrate on your health, and make sure you don't get surrounded... it just costs a lot of money on consumables. Especially wands. Wait is that the definition of hard?

It does cost alot of money, but what with the merchant exploits folks are happily sharing with each other instead of questioning and reporting, im sure you can all afford it.

[rustediron]

They are easy enough if you concentrate on your health, and make sure you don't get surrounded... it just costs a lot of money on consumables. Especially wands. Wait is that the definition of hard?