Difficulty : From Tier1 to Tier2

[girierm]

Hi,

A feedback here for the difficulty scaling. I think the new scaling is okay, with 1 big exception : going from tier1 to tier2. It's not really a difficulty progress but a difficulty wall, that you probably have to cheese to cross and is probably a nightmare for new players.

To go from tier1 to tier2, you'll need stinkbug, bombardier, and ladybug.

- Bombardier beetles : There doable with tier1 axe, armor and shield, and some upgrades.

- Ladybug : it's an epic boss fight with the tier1 hammer, and the head needed for the axe is rare, so you'll have to kill more than one.

- Stinkbug : They're doable with tier1 but only if you have a gas mask... but you need stinkbug parts to build the mask. I don't know if it's me but the rotten gas mask seems to have disappeared from the hedge lab, even if it's still mentioned into the lab log. It was a story option to fight stinkbugs and go from tier1 to tier2.

You can get some parts by farming spider eggs, for example the ladybug's head. It's a solution, but not really a rewarding one : it's really random and nothing point to it for a new player. I've done this in a playthrough with the hedge eggs, and it was a chore.

My suggestion is to remove the stinkbug's parts from the gas mask components. Make it craftable with only tier1 parts (replace stinkbug parts with algae ?). This way, you can have a crafting/fighting route where you can craft the hammer by killing stinkbugs and bombardier, and then use it to kill the ladybugs for the axe. It'll still be a hard route, but at least one within reasonable reach and a clear path.

[Tyverus89]

I tend to agree. Once I have acorn armour, I'm quite ok fighting the ladybugs and, recently I've gotten better at fighting the bombardiers, but the stinkbugs present a huge problem. You could possible fight them but jumping into melee and dashing away when he raises up for his gas attack; I usually shoot them from a distance, but the issue with this is that the t1 bow and arrows don't really do enough damage to it.

[AvMAN]

In my experience I have found that my best option has been to let the bugs kill each other. This is for the exact reasons you describe. The Tier II stuff requires parts that are very hard to obtain with Tier I Weapons/Armor.  
I'm not sure what the Devs thought is, as to how players are to progress.  

I have found it quite easy to kill a few lone Red Solider Ants & Worker Ants to get the parts needed to build a full set of Red Ant Armor.  The Perk it gives allows me to be ignored by all types of Red Ants.  
I then use that to my advantage and lure Stink Bugs in to the Red Anthill.   They Ants then fight and kill the Stink Bug.  This comes at a heavy cost to the Red Ants though too.  So I just pick up the spoils of the battle.
This allowed me to get the parts needed for a Gas Mask.
Now I am able to lure just about every other bug (Stink, Bombardier, Lady) into the gas filed trenches. They die pretty quick, and I can run in and grab the parts. 
Or you can pit them against each other and then usually kill the winner as they are low health.

 

Not sure if this is what the Devs wanted, or if I'm cheesing the system. But its what allowed me to go from Tier I to Tier II etc... 

Edited July 1, 2022 by AvMAN

[Mr Shinythings]

I've honestly felt the same about stinkbugs being needed to craft a tool needed to.....fight stinkbugs. I've had much more luck killing them off with an insect bow, but you'd have to then fight wolf spiders early on. Devs should consider tweaking the gas mask recipe.

[Alynxkia]

If you go to the hedge you can usually get everything you need for tier II from the spider sacs in the branches. As the game prompts you go there for the lab so I don't think that getting to tier II is that bad for new players. (I'm pretty sure in the latest update it still prompts you but I have a small sliver of doubt as I honestly wasn't paying much attention to that part on my latest restart for the update.) There are also a couple spider sacs around the tree as well though new players will need be careful to avoid the orb weaver and wolf spider near by. 

The first stinkbug I get is usually the one in the dry grass by the log fence near the tree. If you get up on the fence you an snipe it easily and on the taller logs avoid the gas. 

 

Edited July 14, 2022 by Alynxkia

[Creepercharge56]

I have killed exactly one stinkbug. my method: don't have a respawn point set, go to the field station with 3 of them, try to run away, fail, get repeatedly spawn-killed while punching one, loot its corpse and flee. I had no shield, no gas mask, no vantage point, only tier 1 equipment.