Searing Heights & Update 4

[Baervan]

I understand the need to make a F2P explorer area for 8-10's but with the new update, all that was done was butchering an existing explorer area and expanding the level range. The new Searing Heights is frustrating and simply not fun to bother with.

Level 4 minimum? Give me a break! The level 4 BARBARIAN in our party got 2 shotted twice in a row for pete's sake. The damage and hitpoints of the new pirates is totally out of whack and did I mention that I tried it with one of my level 7 casters and I couldn't cast anything that the pirates didn't save on?

The best option would be to revert Searing Heights back to it's Update 3 form and have the Devs create another stand alone F2P explorer zone for 7-10's (maybe use the Faithful Departed outdoor area?). Searing as it stands now is garbage IMO.

[robertmotley]

I was surprised when I headed back there last night. It is alot tougher.

[samthedagger]

I hated Searing Heights before U4.

[johnnyputrid]

I agree. The dual-wielding hobgoblins are the primary culprits here - they seem to put out a lot more damage than most comparable CR 7 mobs do. I took my lvl 8 monk/FvS out there on the way to the new quest and got absolutely chewed up by those guys with a buffed AC of 30. An AC of 30 or so used to make you close to untouchable out there, but now it doesn't matter at all, you still get hit all the time.

Same thing with the new Sentinels quests - the hobgoblins hit way harder than every other mob throughout the entire chain. The pirate zombies, drow, casters, minotaurs and kobolds were a joke, barely doing love taps for damage. Now I don't mind a challenge at all, but it just seems like that one particular mob is a tad overpowered compared to the rest of the mobs. The trolls and minotaurs in Gwlyan's Stand on hard don't even hit like these new pirate hobbies (at least that is my perception). I'm wondering if they equipped these guys with some sort of thorn guard armor or something - I was still taking damage long after I whacked someone with a paralyzer.

Eh, I guess we'll just have to deal with Searing Heights being more annoying than it was before.

[IgorUnchained]

I hated Searing Heights before U4.

LOL you and everyone else. At least now it is useful and a bit more varied.

I went through there, soloing with a level 6 Paladin build and his cleric merc, and was beating down the usual SH suspects with relative ease while looking for the entrance to the new content. I eventually stumbled across a campsite in which I aggroed about 4 wolves and another 4 pirates (wasnt like I was zerging through there either). My cleric got two shotted (lvl 6 hireling) and I didnt last 20 seconds.

Im sure "level appropriate" people can avoid that area (close to the entrance to the new content) and be fine....but calling SH a lvl 4 min zone has always been a joke. Ive seen better players than I...playing a lvl 8 cleric....with fire resist...die there before the update. Between the tripping wolves, the arrows coming from everywhere, and the mass amount of fire damage dealt, it is no place I would have taken a lvl 4 toon in my first year of playing the game at all.

[Thriand]

I didn't even notice it changed, I guess thats because I never had a reason to go there. At least they put something there so it isn't a complete waste of an explorer zone.

[sigtrent]

The hobs have some hard core sneak attack when TWF. Don't let them sneak attack you and its not so bad.

I was playing with my wizard re-spec and using the skeleton mage summon. He was able to "solo" in searing heights without any help from me. He's not all that beefy but he's immune to crits/sneak attack. Not many characters that level are however.

Try a ranged weapon, they don't have all that many HP and they can't sneak attack you from 100 feet away.

[LunaCee]

The dual wield hobs are a little much. They were hitting my level 6 stalwart fighter for 10-12 though my DR 5 with about a 10-15% chance of hitting my AC 40 when not using pots to buff my AC further up.

Still very easy to kill them off... but yeesh. If you aren't an AC tank with some DR they are bad bad news.

Oh and the orange named mino is also probably going to wipe some squishy people now and then. Couldn't hit me most of the time, but he did land some 20 point hits.

[brian14]

Im sure "level appropriate" people can avoid that area (close to the entrance to the new content) and be fine....

Can you explain this? Are you saying ONLY south part of Searing Heights got re-worked? Because that's the only place I peeked at since the update.

It was a short peek. My Rog 1/Wiz 3 went in with a cleric hireling in tow. I did my usual outdoor tactic: order hireling to "sit!", sneak attack the mob, summon hireling -- and lasted through about three encounters. The bug which makes you always miss a hobgoblin who does not see you is still there -- and in this case, it makes a huge difference. Chill Touch combined with Greater Nihil worked great -- both hobgoblins and kobolds failed almost all saves, -- but still, CR 6 mobs in "level 4" area? Cleric hireling barely kept up with my heals, and we both died in the river when I tried to fight some wolves and got jumped by hobs from behind.

And they don't even drop collectibles!

but calling SH a lvl 4 min zone has always been a joke. Ive seen better players than I...playing a lvl 8 cleric....with fire resist...die there before the update. Between the tripping wolves, the arrows coming from everywhere, and the mass amount of fire damage dealt, it is no place I would have taken a lvl 4 toon in my first year of playing the game at all.

I would go quite that far. My ranger began exploring Searing Heights at level 5, and with a supply of Fire Resistance potions he did fairly well. Still, unless at least part of Searing Heights stayed as it was, it is no place for a level 4.

[Rathinosk]

I'm wondering if they equipped these guys with some sort of thorn guard armor or something - I was still taking damage long after I whacked someone with a paralyzer.

I noticed this same thing - glad to know I'm not the only one with this issue.

I figured I should do a quick run through the quest line before taking any of my lower level toons out there. I took my fairly durable lvl14 Fighter/Rogue in there - he had a 30 AC, a paralyzer in one hand and a wounding sword in the other. I went into the Bargain Bazaar on *normal* and was surprised that they were even hitting me, let alone when they were paralyzed. They also did not appear to be taking any CON damage either.

I turtled up a little, raising my AC to 36 and they still managed to hit me! They kept hitting me in spite of the pretty green swirls around all of them. I watched as the single digit damage numbers streamed by at a mad pace while my health dropped. I was surrounded by paralyzed bugbears, and I was constantly taking hits as I continued to crit them into nothingness.

The rest of the monsters in the quest went down quietly - what is the deal here?

I submitted a bug report... this can't be right.

[brian14]

Well, I checked north of the Ruined Stage, and Searing Heights has new denizens. Quickfoots are gone, place is taken over by kobold and hobgoblin pirates, CR 6 or 7. At least xp award for slayer has increased -- my Rog 3/Wiz 1 got 285 xp after 10 kills, and next award (at 25) will be 393.

My Ranger 9 has long maxed out on Searing Heights xp, but now I will send her in and see what happens.

[redraider]

Well... I am not sure what you'll are talking about. I always run Searing Heights about lvl 6 for all the explorers and whatever rare pops up during the run. Find it a quick and fun jaunt.

Now with release 4, I did not see much bad about it. I can see where a lvl 4 might have issus but they would have before update 4. The key is to get House P buffs before doing searign heights. Once you get the 20 resists, searing heights is cake. Remember - Info is Key elite in the harbor and all of Tangleroot on Hard gets you house P buffs.

As for the new quest in Searing Heights - seemed easy on Hard on my lvl 8 WF Battle FVS solo. Maybe Dungeon Scaling really kicks in on these, but it was pretty painless - I imagine a 38 AC and 100% fort also helps. WF are THE MASTER RACE!

[LunaCee]

Basically as soon as you start getting flanked they will start punching through even a 40 AC. They really do have a very high attack bonus. The pirates also have some very nasty sneak attack from what I've heard. I'm a WF and have full fortification, but I was STILL eating 10-12 point hits through DR 5 from the dual-wielder hits when in a full party out in searing heights.

[brian14]

but still, CR 6 mobs in "level 4" area?

Except it isn't any more. I looked more carefully at my Quest panel, and it says Searing Heights is level 6 -- "to get full experience you must be level 4-10".

Fine -- so my AA will get some more work out of it, and junior toon will wait a level or two.

[Grimdiegn]

I really have no clue what you "guys" are talking about. I went in there last night on a level 7 (sorc4/pal2/rog1) with a cleric hireling to do the new quest and cleared the place out like I have always done. I think the changes were fine and the area is not harder than before.

/shrug

[Drakos]

I turtled up a little, raising my AC to 36 and they still managed to hit me! They kept hitting me in spite of the pretty green swirls around all of them. I watched as the single digit damage numbers streamed by at a mad pace while my health dropped. I was surrounded by paralyzed bugbears, and I was constantly taking hits as I continued to crit them into nothingness.

The rest of the monsters in the quest went down quietly - what is the deal here?

I submitted a bug report... this can't be right.

They were hitting my AC:50 Monk consistantly so don't feel to bad. But onlt the Hobgoblin pirates not the rest of the trash. Heck they hit me more than the bosses.

Edit: Oh and I have 100% Fort as well.

[Yazston_the_Invoker]

They were hitting my AC:50 Monk consistantly so don't feel to bad. But onlt the Hobgoblin pirates not the rest of the trash. Heck they hit me more than the bosses.

Edit: Oh and I have 100% Fort as well.

Really? I only got hit maybe 1 out of every 10 attacks on my AC38 fighter, though I got a few more glancing blows than normal, but I chalk that up to the extra attacks from the dual-wielders. Still seeing plenty of grey "Miss" markers floating up from my head.

All in all, I did not think it was any more difficult. I've taken characters from Lv5 to Lv9 through there, and though I'd say it's more difficult than Cerulean Hills or Tangleroot, I don't think it's overly tough, and it definitely hasn't gotten any tougher. Granted, I play primarily melees with good dps, so it might be different with a squishie.

[vettkinn]

I just hate it when some comrades complain that a certain quest is too difficult. It's sad to see that some people hate challenges.

[Drakos]

Really? I only got hit maybe 1 out of every 10 attacks on my AC38 fighter, though I got a few more glancing blows than normal, but I chalk that up to the extra attacks from the dual-wielders. Still seeing plenty of grey "Miss" markers floating up from my head.

All in all, I did not think it was any more difficult. I've taken characters from Lv5 to Lv9 through there, and though I'd say it's more difficult than Cerulean Hills or Tangleroot, I don't think it's overly tough, and it definitely hasn't gotten any tougher. Granted, I play primarily melees with good dps, so it might be different with a squishie.

Those in Sering Heights were not as bad as in the new quests but they were hitting me more often that I would think that should.

[LunaCee]

Well I've not gone in there without some form of DR lately... I have to wonder if most of the "issue" is some of the bugbears having a damage guard... Because I see zeroes go by when I kill them.

I was only getting hit 10-15% with AC 40, mostly from an extra popping in and flanking. And it was only for 10-12 damage when they actually hit.

So is it that they have a damage guard and that those without any DR are getting chewed up because of that? Because I certainly don't see the huge strings of single digit damage others have mentioned.