Elemental Resistances and Dragons : V

» Mon Dec 12, 2011 8:52 pm

>All week, people complain about Dragons being too easy.

>Patch comes out, breaks player resistances, and dragons become tougher opponents.

>People complain that dragons are too hard.

» Mon Dec 12, 2011 5:19 pm

Ive never used resistance against dragons yet. Ancient takes away 600 hp in 2 seconds from me...

» Mon Dec 12, 2011 3:52 pm

let me summarize that for you:

people complain.

» Mon Dec 12, 2011 8:05 am

Good thing spellbreaker has a ward too...

» Mon Dec 12, 2011 1:33 pm

Meh, they could've made Dragons harder without breaking resistances. I'm not entirely certain that the breaking of resistances were linked to Bethesda trying to make Dragons harder. It's probably a knock on effect from some other change... but I don't know for sure.

» Mon Dec 12, 2011 4:54 pm

Its likely not the same people complaining, brainiac.

For my part, I find dragons difficult as a two-hander warrior. I don't have shield ward protecting me from Dragon Breath. Resistance potions have been helping me survive. Without them, I fear my fights are bound to degenerate into potion chugging contests, which svcks more than an lusty argonian wench.

» Mon Dec 12, 2011 11:14 am

Meh, they could've made Dragons harder without breaking resistances. I'm not entirely certain that the breaking of resistances were linked to Bethesda trying to make Dragons harder. It's probably a knock on effect from some other change... but I don't know for sure.

I highly doubt they broke it on purpose, and yes, it should be fixed obviously. But people aren't complaining so much about the resistances being broken themselves, as much as they are complaining that because of it, Dragons are much, MUCH more difficult.

Though, personally, I never bothered with magical resistances at all my first playthrough, and dragons, even Ancient ones, didn't hurt me with their breath at all by the time I was level 40.

» Mon Dec 12, 2011 11:51 am

Find a different strategy then?

» Mon Dec 12, 2011 5:29 pm

I highly doubt they broke it on purpose, and yes, it should be fixed obviously. But people aren't complaining so much about the resistances being broken themselves, as much as they are complaining that because of it, Dragons are much, MUCH more difficult.

Though, personally, I never bothered with magical resistances at all my first playthrough, and dragons, even Ancient ones, didn't hurt me with their breath at all by the time I was level 40.

So lets say you by the game today. You're a newbie. You go, make a nord, you fight your first dragon(which mine was an Ice dragon) and it just whoops the piss out of you. Try again, same effect. This happens repeatedly. How do you feel?

» Mon Dec 12, 2011 7:18 pm

I highly doubt they broke it on purpose, and yes, it should be fixed obviously. But people aren't complaining so much about the resistances being broken themselves, as much as they are complaining that because of it, Dragons are much, MUCH more difficult.

Though, personally, I never bothered with magical resistances at all my first playthrough, and dragons, even Ancient ones, didn't hurt me with their breath at all by the time I was level 40.

My 100 health mage pretty much relies on resistance/wards during Dragon fights. If he gets hit with a shout he's a gonna. So this probably won't affect me too much as my current playing style is to avoid breath attacks all together. That won't help me with other builds though :cryvaultboy:

» Mon Dec 12, 2011 5:15 am

>All week, people complain about Dragons being too easy.

>Patch comes out, breaks player resistances, and dragons become tougher opponents.

>People complain that dragons are too hard.

In an amazing turn of events, on forums with large populations of posters?

The people complaining about one thing, are very frequently, different from the people complaining about another thing!

Shocking, no? :tongue:

Though, personally, I never bothered with magical resistances at all my first playthrough, and dragons, even Ancient ones, didn't hurt me with their breath at all by the time I was level 40.

Just ran into my first Ancient dragon yesterday, frost. I've got 50% frost resist on my shield, and the "resist elements" Block perk. With my shield up and blocking, the frost breath from that dragon svcked large chunks off my level 46 character's ~400hp. Needed to blow a good bit of healing in that fight before I could kill it. (This is on PC, 1.1 patch.)

» Mon Dec 12, 2011 10:53 am

I'd welcome tips on avoiding breath attacks. Especially ground ones, because he just turns his head and his body to keep breathing at me. And of course, cover does f all against breath.

» Mon Dec 12, 2011 12:17 pm

And of course, cover does f all against breath.

Find a bigger rock/tree to hide behind, it saved my butt numerous times.

» Mon Dec 12, 2011 7:21 pm

I usually still take damage behind them.

There's also the issue of being a melee fighter. I'm up in his face. So by the time I get to the rock, I've already taken substantial damage from the ancient dragon, and by the time I get back to the dragon, he's up in the air. >.<

I've gotten better at fighting them. I'll move around their flanks, sprint under their tail. I do a pretty good job of keeping them from being able to breath at me proper, but whenever they manage to, I'm toast.

Well, I wasn't thanks to resistance potions. I will be toast without them.

» Mon Dec 12, 2011 8:47 am

once you realize that dragons ARE scripted you can exploit them along with any of the AI very, very easy.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yoGTfOI-OKw

» Mon Dec 12, 2011 10:42 am

So lets say you by the game today. You're a newbie. You go, make a nord, you fight your first dragon(which mine was an Ice dragon) and it just whoops the piss out of you. Try again, same effect. This happens repeatedly. How do you feel?

If I hadn't had experience with it before, I would assume that is how it always was and I would simply try harder to win. Or turn the difficulty down.

once you realize that dragons ARE scripted you can exploit them along with any of the AI very, very easy.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yoGTfOI-OKw

Well, yeah, SOME of them are scripted. All the ones on Dragon Perches are. The ones that appear randomly in other areas are not; the truly random ones don't even deform the ground when they crash.

» Mon Dec 12, 2011 1:44 pm

Find a bigger rock/tree to hide behind, it saved my butt numerous times.

This ^

I've never been so thankful for a large christmas tree, standing between me and a fiery death.

» Mon Dec 12, 2011 7:45 am

I usually still take damage behind them.

There's also the issue of being a melee fighter. I'm up in his face. So by the time I get to the rock, I've already taken substantial damage from the ancient dragon, and by the time I get back to the dragon, he's up in the air. >.<

I'm playing a melee fighter (some stealth, but the majority of combat is sword & board). When they're on the ground, I run up to them. And whenever they start to breath, I shield bash - just like spellcasting, dragon breath is interrupted by a good solid bash. I only need to run back behind a rock when they take to the air again.

(Fought my first Ancient in a small village - it spent alot of time on the rooftops breathing frost at me. I spent alot of time on covered porches, not taking any damage. Of course, when it did get a good angle on me, I lost a good chunk of health.)

» Mon Dec 12, 2011 2:16 pm

If one wanted dragons to be harder, making them do more damage and have more health would be a better method than breaking a game mechanic. I'm not saying they did it intentionally, I'm just saying the dragon difficulty in itself is not what most people are complaining about with the new patch.

» Mon Dec 12, 2011 8:31 am

....I always forget I can bash with a two-hander. I really need to remember that.

I swear I'm not a terrible player. I'm usually pretty darn decent. But I admit I'm just being stupid here, haha.

» Mon Dec 12, 2011 6:09 am

....I always forget I can bash with a two-hander. I really need to remember that.

I swear I'm not a terrible player. I'm usually pretty darn decent. But I admit I'm just being stupid here, haha.

I ALWAYS forget that I have shouts. My Nord wasn't cut out to be a Dragonborn. :sadvaultboy:

» Mon Dec 12, 2011 7:27 am

Well, yeah, SOME of them are scripted. All the ones on Dragon Perches are. The ones that appear randomly in other areas are not; the truly random ones don't even deform the ground when they crash.

All of them are. Same as all of the trash mobs. easily predictable.

fly around hilltop/mountainside blasting mobs below while swooping around.

land on rooftop and blast away at townsfolk. take to flight after a few breath attacks.

land on ground, stomp forward, if in range, bite, shake and release. take some damage, take to flight.

/edit
What I'm saying is, I've yet to have a dragon, in it's last attempt before taking off leaving itself wide open, is grab me with it's claws, take to flight....and drop me to my death.

» Mon Dec 12, 2011 5:04 pm

Meh, for my level 17-18 Nord dragons are still doable after the patch (but harder), maybe because they are leveled. But those Mage Apprentices with ice spikes kill my Nord in two shots, they currently give me more problems than a dragon, lol. Unless you can get close to them by just waiting behind a corner and then jump in front of them to kill them in close combat.

» Mon Dec 12, 2011 8:47 pm

Meh, for my level 17-18 Nord dragons are still doable after the patch (but harder), maybe because they are leveled. But those Mage Apprentices with ice spikes kill my Nord in two shots, they currently give me more problems than a dragon, lol. Unless you can get close to them by just waiting behind a corner and then jump in front of them to kill them in close combat.

Use the Whirlwind Sprint shout! You'll close the distance fast.

» Mon Dec 12, 2011 8:50 pm

What exactly is broken about magic resistance ? It doesnt reduce any damage anymore ? It only reduce a small portion of dmg ?