So I was browsing social media, and one thing, out of the blue, is giving me a tire screech moment.
Boss Rematches? Boss rematches, hmm? From what little I'm gleaning in between typing this, these are brand new, hot off the oven as of only a few hours ago. They offer difficult rematch fights against Arc 1 Bosses, and are apparently the promised source of Arc 1 Spellements to higher-level Wizards.
How interesting! It'll take me a while to do the fights and offer my criticisms/complaints, but this looks intriguing.
I have done one, I crafted the Lord Nightshade rematch.
Rematch Lord Nightshade is a Rank 20 Boss.
In addition to regular combat he has a 1,000 point Deer Knight cheat EVERY round. This means you have an average total of 7-8 rounds to defeat him.
I understand the nature of a challenge. But there is a fine line between challenge and "what the? why should I try this again?"
I did them, actually, a while ago. Here are my opinions:
Overall, these fights are incredibly challenging. Perhaps even TOO challenging, given that these are intended to be the place to get Spellements as a higher-level Wizard. I tried to attempt them solo, and only managed to defeat Krokopatra. They are clearly designed to be attempted by a group.
However, what if you can't find a group? What if, for one reason or another, it is difficult to arrange times to do this with other Wizards? Then, it seems, you are reaped by Lord Nightshade, zapped by Krokopatra, tricked by Meowiarty, stomped by the Oni, and bested by Malistaire Drake.
None of this, certainly, should detract from the fact that they are a good addition. Their Spellement rewards are fairly lenient, and I even got Cantrip spells as drops, too. However, the strength of these bosses prevents you from reliably doing anything meaningful with their rewards unless you have a regular and reliable group with a good strategy (which, let's be honest, is difficult at the best of times)
Pros:
Appropriate challenge for higher-level Wizards.
Offer much of the new content as drops. Mainly Spellements, but also Cantrips.
Cons:
Difficult/nigh-impossible to complete without a coordinated group.
Some fights, namely Lord Nightshade, Meowiarty and the Oni, can be difficult and time-consuming, especially if you are unfamiliar with how they work.
Lack meaningful rewards other than Spellements and Cantrips.
Suggestions:
Expand the drop table. Include rare items from the first five Worlds that are currently restricted to just a few bosses, including housing items and equipment for stitching. Perhaps even add in things from early packs like the Emperor's Attic and Eye of Bartleby packs.
Revise the bosses difficulty. These fights are incredibly complicated and challenging, and therefore unfriendly to newcomers and veterans alike. They need minor revisions to make them slightly more forgiving.
I have done one, I crafted the Lord Nightshade rematch.
Rematch Lord Nightshade is a Rank 20 Boss.
In addition to regular combat he has a 1,000 point Deer Knight cheat EVERY round. This means you have an average total of 7-8 rounds to defeat him.
I understand the nature of a challenge. But there is a fine line between challenge and "what the? why should I try this again?"
The Lord Nightshade rematch has a damage cap bubble of 500, then 1000, then 2000, then 4000, and each turn he does damage to everyone equal to the damage cap with a Deer Knight. It's pretty much impossible to solo as he has more health than you and you won't have an easy time hitting the damage cap multiple times a turn.
He's definitely designed for a team. If you want a solo fight, I recommend Krokopatra - she hits like a freight train but you just need to stick a few Traps on her and bam.
I've done every one of these except for the Malistaire one (I had gotten a team and we just forgot to fight him lol, we put it off for tomorrow and then that never happened). They're pretty fun, though the Oni fight is noticeably more complicated and messy than the rest. Don't expect them to be as good a source of Spellements as low-level farming however. I think that they should have their own unique drops as well, so that they aren't just there to serve as an inefficient source of Spellement farming for players who don't have a low-level wizard.
