A report on why I give up on the game.

[xzar_monty]

I agree: SSS is not super hard. The megabosses are, although even with them I'm not sure if it's a question of difficulty (mind you: could well be) or simple grinding. I have tried two of them once, and as it felt like I was banging my head against a huge wall of hitpoints, I quit mid-fight, because it was just taking too long and felt pointless.

I hadn't thought about those loading screens in SSS, I wasn't bothered by them. But now that I think of it, it does appear you're quite right. There is a design flaw there, and it can cause a lot of frustration on some computers.

[Boeroer]

The main part of the DLC doesn't have any problems with loading times/screens - it's just gladiator-like: fight after fight after fight and some stuff on the island itself. That might be cool with some players and be lame for others, but that's not a design flaw. 

What you mean are the side quests that have you travel around the Deadfire to retrieve items (that weren't there before). It's the classical "go there and get me that" quest design - which can be pretty boring even if you are only requires to do it once in a while. Here's it's like a whole chain of those quests which not only are quite boring when we talk about quest design but also add a ton of loading screens as our said. 

You can totally complete the DLC without those side quests. I did so the first time because I really couldn't be bothered to sail around the Deadfire even more than I already did because I wanted to complete the playthrough. 

So I wouldn't say the DLC itself is designed badly - it's just those "retrieve" sidequest.

Maybe wouldn't be a problem if Deadfire only had a quick-travel function. Still don't know why they didn't include that after all the complaints with long loading screens after PoE. It would have cut a lot of them especially with those types of quests. 

Edited December 31, 2020 by Boeroer

[xzar_monty]

4 minutes ago, Boeroer said:

You can totally complete the DLC without those side quests. I did so the first time because I really couldn't be bothered to sail around the Deadfire even more than I already did because I wanted to complete the playthrough.

I can also vouch that the DLC can be completed without the side quests. I only ever did two of them, because their FedEx nature felt a bit cheap.

I wonder whether there's a consensus regarding the respective merits of the DLCs. For me, Beast of Winter is by far the best. The problem with FS is that it comes so late: by that time, I already want to finish the game. Also, epic-level adventures are not as interesting. But I'm happy to agree that these are not so much faults of the DLC as such, simply its placing. The story in FS is quite all right. SSS doesn't have much of a story, which is always a minus for me.

[Slotharingia]

Yeah I mean those side quests. I always feel compelled to do everything, so stuff like those and the mega bosses are annoying to me Though the main part also involves a lot of traipsing around the arena, resting, going back in, but it's not that bad.

I also like Beast of Winter best, mostly because of Vatnir. I agree FS is too late, both it and SSS would benefit from being accessible earlier. In my last playthrough, I was so frustrated after SSS, I just rushed through FS and then forgot to chat with Aloth in Ukaizo as I was so desperate to finish and the rambling encounters with gods are my second least favourite part of the game after loading screens.

I do think the mega bosses are too hard. I get they are for nerdy players, but they won't be playing the game on normal. I can complete the entire game with my party without any problems, even if I have no spells for the second half of a lot of fights, but those bosses would require a different main character and a bunch of min-maxed mercs as far as I can tell. Or I just suck too much.

[xzar_monty]

11 minutes ago, Slotharingia said:

I do think the mega bosses are too hard. I get they are for nerdy players, but they won't be playing the game on normal. I can complete the entire game with my party without any problems, even if I have no spells for the second half of a lot of fights, but those bosses would require a different main character and a bunch of min-maxed mercs as far as I can tell. Or I just suck too much.

They may well be too hard. As I said, I only attempted two of them, and both of them only once. (After reading these forums, I have realized that I am probably not a very good player when it comes to the battles. I would probably struggle on PotD in the main game, but then I'm mostly interested in the story and the sense of adventure, not battles as such, so I'm fine with being just average at fighting.)

The megabosses also have the problem that they can realistically only be beaten at or near the end of the game. From this it follows that whatever items you're going to gain from them are not going to help you a lot, if at all. So there's no real motivation to beat them, except the sense of completing everything (which I don't have). I certainly like to do all the quests I can find, but beating all possible monsters is not on my agenda.

So what happens if you chat with Aloth in Ukaizo after FS? I have no idea, I didn't do it...

[Slotharingia]

23 hours ago, xzar_monty said:

So what happens if you chat with Aloth in Ukaizo after FS? I have no idea, I didn't do it...

Just a romance scene, if you opted for it