The Hounds are Hunting...

[FengXian]

I got my bloody footprints. It wasn't easy. We had close calls. At the end of the favor run, of our dedicated group, only 3 of us were still alive and going for the last 500 or so favor. Now the questing lv cap has been lowered, AND these hounds...I can't even take a bio break? Come on.
Im not the most uber player, but I have played FOREVER. Since launch pretty much. I used to play on Xoriat server. I still call "Stopping the Sahuaghin" > "The Low Road"
I do know what I am doing, but I'm not sure I want to slog through this season just to get bent over by the end of it. Was someone complaining it was too easy to get 5k favor? I don't see how it was.

I can relate. And I'm pretty sure that people dying here after a decent time investment won't be coming back with a new toon. This season might really be cutting off a pretty big chunk of the HCL playerbase.

Which means only static groups will be around at higher levels, so even the careful planning players that make it won't be able to pug at that point.

The more I look into this the more failed a design it seems. Fix it before it's too late.

[Kaldair_Returns]

These hounds have already killed dozens of players and the server just opened.

Many many people are complaining that they are way too powerful, being stronger than reapers,
and appearing in normal zones and slayer wilderness zones, killing people before they even had a chance to run.

Now I'm all for new mechanics, but this seems a bit strong to have reaper powered mobs killing players on normal and in slayer zones

There will be a minority voice that says 'its hardcore, good' but I disagree - many people come here and are new to the game or the event and many get frustrated by this sort of overpowered early death - SSG nerfed all the low level traps because they used to be instakill for the same reason - people don't even know they need to run and they're dead to these things.

Certainly different if you're in an elite or reaper quest - but on normal? In a slayer zone? On korthos? seems like the balancing is not correct and they are too powerful - i mean why not just make reapers spawn in public zones and just signal the end of times?

I mean these hounds are spawning underwater - is that correct?

If there was ever a voice to listen to SSG, it would be this one.

I'd be happy if the bugs were fixed for now - no one, and I mean no one, likes unfair deaths. Untargetable mobs - just no. Especially reaper clones. Especially HCL. I mean please ...

[Kaldair_Returns]

(I'll try to gather all reported info into this post and the mirror Wiki article...)

Reported behavior:

Hounds can appear in both quests and wilds, including the Solo quests in The Harbor, starting at Level 1. It seems there is a timer (~5 minutes?) before the first appears. starting when the first party member enters the quest/wilderness.

There is a "howl" that all can hear that announces their imminent arrival. Some short time later (observed as short as ~5 seconds before the Hound appears, but perhaps occasionally also much longer?) a random(?)* party member becomes "hunted". For a second or three there is a blue arrow pointing down at the target, and they receives a debuff "Target of the Hunt", visible in their de/buff bar at the top of the screen.

(* Several times, the "last" party member was observed to be targeted, someone who had fallen behind the main group or had entered late - but it's not clear if that was a factor in the target selection.)

In any quest* or Wilderness, Hounds spawn up out of the ground, and "on the trail" of their target, i.e. where that character has recently been (or where they currently are if they have stopped long enough at the wrong time) before beginning the chase. This can include spawning in water (tho' it's not been reported that they attack in water). They can "wait" (for an unknown time, but at least a minute) outside a Wilderness quest entrance after targeted party members have entered.

(* This includes previously "non-combat" quests such as Baudry 1 & 2, etc. It appears nowhere is safe.)

Hunting Hounds are strong and tough, but they are not particularly fast - they can be kited fairly easily (observed w/ standard +25% run boost from Anger's Step). However, they will teleport to their target if it is "too far" away, similar to some Reapers. (Note - when they do t-port, there is a short "pause" before they become active again, allowing the target to gain some small distance on the 'Hound before it attacks/chases again.)

It's very possible to have Champion Hounds, which only makes them worse (red named cannot be crowd-controled, etc.) Unlike normal monster champions, this starts in Level 1 quests. Champ Hounds can drop rems (rem chests have not (yet?) been reported).

It's possible to pull the aggro off the original target.

Any party member can receive an appropriate "elemental" debuff, one or more stacks of ''X Vulnerability, +20% damage'' - and it stacks 20x!

Estimated cooldown between hunts ~5-10 minutes (unconfirmed). Finishing a quest does not stop this timer. It's 100% confirmed that Hounds can spawn after a quest is finished - do not dawdle at the end chest - get your loot and get out!

(more info as it comes in... )

---

Suggested Tactics:

1) Stay with the herd - er, stay with the group! Strength in numbers. Do not zerg ahead, and definitely do not fall behind or go off on your own!

2) Keep your head on a swivel - keep looking behind the group, anywhere you've been, especially right after you hear The Howl.

3) Apparently(?), these things do not scale with party size - do not solo, try to quest only with a (nearly) full party.

4) Treat the hound as a dangerous Champion or Reaper - kill it first!

5) If you hear a howl, let the party know. If you are Hunted, let the party know!

6) If you observe party members who do not "help" Hunted members - it's your call what action to take, but consider your options.

7) If your build starts off weak at Level 1 (or you just want to get stronger before risking hounds), you can do the quick Solo quests in The Harbor. If you dawdle, a Hound can spawn in those Solo quests, but if you do the quest efficiently it seems you're out before that can trigger. You can easily get Level 2 this way (with just a little repetition), and it's possible to get 3 (with a lot more).

8) The Hunt timer keeps ticking after a quest is finished. Get your loot and get out!

Good luck!

Some new observations - I ran my level 5 Artificer through the WW chain, including hunting rares in the sewers. I ran with my pet, the lvl 3 frog & the lvl 5 satyr. Many hounds, and I never took any dmg worth noting. So there's a meta for them at least before they start the insane dots. Two things I noted. 1) I was always targeted - never the hires/pet. 2) The hounds almost always, with a couple of exceptions, did not go for me first - they usually went for the frog. I concluded that their scripting prefers the lowest level character in the party. I noticed this playing Saltmarsh too. I usually got targeted when I was lvl 4 & the party were all lvl 5's ...

[C-Dog]

2) The hounds almost always, with a couple of exceptions, did not go for me first - they usually went for the frog. I concluded that their scripting prefers the lowest level character in the party. I noticed this playing Saltmarsh too. I usually got targeted when I was lvl 4 & the party were all lvl 5's ...

I'd like some confirmation on this before adding it to the Wiki - have others seen this as well?


@ All: QUESTION: It's been noted that the stacks of elemental debuff change to DoT "at level 5 quests" - is this equiv quest level 7, or would a Lvl 5 quest on Normal show this as well? What about Wilderness* (which are effective "normal" difficulty) - are DoT's showing in Lvl 5 Wilds (3BC, Feywild), or not until Lvl 7 (Sorrowdusk, Isle of Dread)?

(* https://ddowiki.com/page/Wilderness_...dventure_Areas - btw, Searing Heights is Lvl 6)

[FengXian]

I'd like some confirmation on this before adding it to the Wiki - have others seen this as well?


@ All: QUESTION: It's been noted that the stacks of elemental debuff change to DoT "at level 5 quests" - is this equiv quest level 7, or would a Lvl 5 quest on Normal show this as well? What about Wilderness* (which are effective "normal" difficulty) - are DoT's showing in Lvl 5 Wilds (3BC, Feywild), or not until Lvl 7 (Sorrowdusk, Isle of Dread)?

(* https://ddowiki.com/page/Wilderness_...dventure_Areas - btw, Searing Heights is Lvl 6)

Someone said they show up in the Feywild, so I assume base lv 5 quests and wilderness.

[sabella]

Edit: what I love about this mechanic is it makes you think about every ROOM you go in. What if a hound comes ? What will I do during this fight if it does ? Going into any fight without thinking it through could be death. Love that.

THIS! That's what I'm loving too. I love me some DDO. We've (my little family group) played this game so long that I still get a little shock when I walk up to the marketplace from the Harbor below level 4 - wait, aren't I too little to go through that gate?

I still love the game, but it has totally gotten easier and easier over the years, and what I miss most is the need to strategize on every quest or every debuff (how do you get out blind, does everyone know where all the rests are in case we have to run to one?). We would fail a quest, talk about a new way of attacking it and try again.

This isn't quite that - try again is kinda limited in permadeath, but still the strategy for each room, dungeon, area? That's a blast! Thanks for setting it up for me

PS: I would very much like to see the bugs fixed. Nobody wants to get hit with a bug and if you can get rid of most of them, I'd appreciate it. Please and Thank you

[knightindullarmor]

Disagree.

I killed 2 solo, one each as Level 1 and Level 2, with an arti w/ PBS (only) and the Ember repeater. Not a "weak" build, but nothing special.


Not true. I observed one spawning next to one of our party members while we were paused - there was def "time to run" if the player was observant.

What is not allowed is a chance to go afk or stop paying attention.



Yes - no easy street, no kiddies' pool, no "perfectly safe" way to level.

We've seen people give the "advice" to simply run Easy/Hard and farm Slayers and limp to 20 for that reward - very doable (previously). But now, even that is "Hard Core", and that's (literally) the name of the game).

And truly "new" players are not funneled to HC - it's a decision they choose to make, and (one would hope, after all the discussion) an informed one.


Bottom line - stay alert, or risk getting dead. Just that simple. :/

So you don't have a problem with them using the highest DPS build at level 1 and 2. Sure later in the game, other classes can shine, but no other level 1 class can do the sustained DPS that an Artificer can. Even a fighter who spends a feat on proficiency doesn't have the ability to make +1 bolts and/or the enchant weapon spell. YES, that makes your build "special" compared to other classes.