October 28, 20187 yr So um... now that this is live, I'm kind of disappointed by it. It looks like they fixed the "issue" was causing Vela to wander around in combat, so it seems that all she does is cower in place wherever she was when combat began... which basically just means I can't retreat is all. Does this change over the course of the challenge? Or is this just the way it is?
October 29, 20187 yr Author So um... now that this is live, I'm kind of disappointed by it. It looks like they fixed the "issue" was causing Vela to wander around in combat, so it seems that all she does is cower in place wherever she was when combat began... which basically just means I can't retreat is all. Does this change over the course of the challenge? Or is this just the way it is? I imagine it doesn't change. Can you keep the Watcher far from the party and come later to join the battle, leaving Vela in a safe place?
October 29, 20187 yr So um... now that this is live, I'm kind of disappointed by it. It looks like they fixed the "issue" was causing Vela to wander around in combat, so it seems that all she does is cower in place wherever she was when combat began... which basically just means I can't retreat is all. Does this change over the course of the challenge? Or is this just the way it is? I imagine it doesn't change. Can you keep the Watcher far from the party and come later to join the battle, leaving Vela in a safe place? Yes. In fact with this run I'm just charging into battle a lot, which means Vela stays far back away from the fight.
October 29, 20187 yr yeah ill be staying far away from this challenge. im not as apposed to escort quests as most people are but to have one drag on for the whole playthrough thats where i draw the line
October 30, 20187 yr Author I think I'll leave this for a future pt. It'll be in PotD and based on what people are saying the difficult is appropriate now. So no reason to make it that hard of an experience when it's just my second run.
November 7, 20187 yr Playing with this more, it's less lame than I originally thought. First, while Vela is a low-priority enemy for enemies, as I do more battles, some enemies will target Vela. Rogue-types are the worst; frequently when I get them to low health, they will Escape way past my front lines next to Vela and start attacking her. Second, I underestimated how much I reposition my party throughout a fight. Frequently I'll have thought that Vela was back somewhere safe, and I find myself backing up and moving the front lines back as I try to keep my squishy characters safe. Wuh oh. Third, enemy bounce spells and recklessly targeted AoE are the worst. Fourth, even though you could theoretically engage combat with your mainchar really far back and then run forward, there are a decent number of encounters (including bounties) where combat starts without any chance to reposition, or there's not a lot of map space to reposition. Nekataka ambushes and ship boardings are the worst. Withdraw is definitely MVP spell here. Dodged a few gameovers with a quick Withdraw on a Near Death Vela (a sight that any parent should freak out to see). So too are push effects, but Withdraw is foolproof protection. Sometimes I wish I could just yell at Vela "come here! come here!" but I suppose her not listening to me even as battle rages on all around her is pretty accurate representation of young child behavior. Edited November 7, 20187 yr by thelee
November 7, 20187 yr I tested the Vela challenge and can agree with your observations @thelee. So far i like this one even though Withdraw sometimes seems to be essential. But what i hate much more than jumping Rogues or bouncing spells/abilities is this challenge combined with Magrans no-pause madness. As someone who refuses to use any AI setting this is far beyond any nightmare - especially when playing with permadeath. PoE II: Druid Shifter: Evolution Mod
November 7, 20187 yr I remember that **** from Resident Evil 4. She was pretty useless and the gaming experience was bad, as long she was in your party. When she would be more like Elizabeth from Bioshock Infinite.
November 8, 20187 yr Author First, while Vela is a low-priority enemy for enemies, as I do more battles, some enemies will target Vela. Rogue-types are the worst; frequently when I get them to low health, they will Escape way past my front lines next to Vela and start attacking her. Cowards! Outrageous! Fourth, even though you could theoretically engage combat with your mainchar really far back and then run forward, there are a decent number of encounters (including bounties) where combat starts without any chance to reposition, or there's not a lot of map space to reposition. Nekataka ambushes and ship boardings are the worst. Ship boardings... Holy s***, I hadn't considered those before. Withdraw is definitely MVP spell here. Dodged a few gameovers with a quick Withdraw on a Near Death Vela (a sight that any parent should freak out to see). So too are push effects, but Withdraw is foolproof protection. What other abilities are mandatory? Beetle shell? Stasis Shell is foe only, but I think it is worthy testing on Vela. Who knows...
December 2, 20187 yr Buy a bunch of withdraw scrolls. Cast withdraw on her at start of combat seems pretty straightforward
December 2, 20187 yr Ugh but just texted she can’t be revived. Forget it this challenge is not happening for me. Too much rng unless you want to play this on non trial of iron but where is the fun in that
December 14, 20187 yr Well holy mother...! A hidden change of 4.0 is that Vela now periodically wanders around the battlefield in addition to cowering, significantly escalating the difficulty of this challenge. I just spent two hours clearing two and then failing to clear a third encounter in the BoW bridge ablaze sequence, because if I don't have Withdraw at 100% uptime, she will wander and she will get one shot by either a burned archer or a burned soldier. I don't know what extra defenses Vela got in the patch, because it sure ain't helping much. Withdraw and/or Beetle Shell are basically mandatory for this challenge. Edited December 14, 20187 yr by thelee
December 14, 20187 yr It must be a bug. They mentioned it in an earlier patch. Got it confirmed that this is intended behavior. Whooo this run is going to be a doozy now. I might have to save the other two DLC for a future run.
December 15, 20187 yr Author Got it confirmed that this is intended behavior. Whooo this run is going to be a doozy now. I might have to save the other two DLC for a future run. Well, it is more realistic. But it is also much harder now.
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