Did you ever get help and if so how? I am a fire and my friend is a death and we have been trying forever to get some help with the rat battle but no one has been willing. Now the next world is out and we can't go.
I hope I can still go to the new world, since I didnt beat the last dungeon.
Use the Team Up button. Tell those you are grouping with that you haven't beaten the fight yet and that you appreciate any advice they have. Change up your deck according to their recommendations. Within a few attempts, you should be done with the Rat.
Seriously KI, you need to do something about this expletive-laden battle. This is not Darkmoor, it's not optional, yet we've been stuck at the end of Polaris for over a year now because it's impossible to juggle all of his cheats plus 70,000 health!!!
If two wizards can't make it through despite NUMEROUS attempts, taking into account all the advice that is out there and having tried multiple different approaches (while taking notes!), there is something wrong with the over-powered cheating boss and not the wizards.
So, here are some suggestions:
You could drop his health by 1/3, or extend his minion cycles by a couple of rounds, or, I don't know - how about if we do manage to kill the minions (all three versions of them), they stay DEAD. Maybe reduce their freaking resistance - I mean seriously, even 45% pierce on top of 85% innate damage isn't enough?!?!.
Better yet, scale the difficulty to the number of wizards, so those who have smaller teams still have a chance to succeed. Do something. This is beyond ridiculous, my first ever complaint on these boards. This battle should not be beyond the abilities of two wizards who have successfully teamed every other battle and dungeon in the game.
Nothing stopped us until Rat-spew-a-ton of Minions.
Alia Misthaven (Who is very unhappy after spending the whole weekend losing to the Rat Pack.)
Seriously KI, you need to do something about this expletive-laden battle. This is not Darkmoor, it's not optional, yet we've been stuck at the end of Polaris for over a year now because it's impossible to juggle all of his cheats plus 70,000 health!!!
If two wizards can't make it through despite NUMEROUS attempts, taking into account all the advice that is out there and having tried multiple different approaches (while taking notes!), there is something wrong with the over-powered cheating boss and not the wizards.
So, here are some suggestions:
You could drop his health by 1/3, or extend his minion cycles by a couple of rounds, or, I don't know - how about if we do manage to kill the minions (all three versions of them), they stay DEAD. Maybe reduce their freaking resistance - I mean seriously, even 45% pierce on top of 85% innate damage isn't enough?!?!.
Better yet, scale the difficulty to the number of wizards, so those who have smaller teams still have a chance to succeed. Do something. This is beyond ridiculous, my first ever complaint on these boards. This battle should not be beyond the abilities of two wizards who have successfully teamed every other battle and dungeon in the game.
Nothing stopped us until Rat-spew-a-ton of Minions.
Alia Misthaven (Who is very unhappy after spending the whole weekend losing to the Rat Pack.)
. . . and the good news is that we'll be adjusting this fight in an upcoming update so that it's a bit easier! I think you'll be happy with the changes when they arrive.
. . . and the good news is that we'll be adjusting this fight in an upcoming update so that it's a bit easier! I think you'll be happy with the changes when they arrive.
Seriously KI, you need to do something about this expletive-laden battle. This is not Darkmoor, it's not optional, yet we've been stuck at the end of Polaris for over a year now because it's impossible to juggle all of his cheats plus 70,000 health!!!
If two wizards can't make it through despite NUMEROUS attempts, taking into account all the advice that is out there and having tried multiple different approaches (while taking notes!), there is something wrong with the over-powered cheating boss and not the wizards.
So, here are some suggestions:
You could drop his health by 1/3, or extend his minion cycles by a couple of rounds, or, I don't know - how about if we do manage to kill the minions (all three versions of them), they stay DEAD. Maybe reduce their freaking resistance - I mean seriously, even 45% pierce on top of 85% innate damage isn't enough?!?!.
Better yet, scale the difficulty to the number of wizards, so those who have smaller teams still have a chance to succeed. Do something. This is beyond ridiculous, my first ever complaint on these boards. This battle should not be beyond the abilities of two wizards who have successfully teamed every other battle and dungeon in the game.
Nothing stopped us until Rat-spew-a-ton of Minions.
Alia Misthaven (Who is very unhappy after spending the whole weekend losing to the Rat Pack.)
It took me forever to get through the Rat battle too. Here's another suggestion. Go to "Mercenaries for Hire" and request their help. They are there to help Wizards in these kind of battles. http://wizard.mercenaries101.com/
NO. No change to the Rat is needed. With a decent team, you can clear him easily.
The problem is, finding a decent team, and ensuring that you have everything you need, isn't nearly as easy as the perfect team clearing him out. Personally, I will ever only do the Rat unless someone needs me or it's my main quest. Otherwise, I'm not going to farm him. Many players don't have time to hunt down 'the perfect team' and end up relying on Team Up, which is a wild card at best. You just may end up getting a good enough team to actually defeat him....or a team that doesn't work together and you all die quickly. I only cleared the Rat on the ONE wizard to that point because I requested help, and we figured out strategies based on guides from experts. But never, EVER assume that everyone is able to easily find a perfect team to clear a difficult boss without a hitch. Especially the casual players like myself, who play when we can, and only a few hours at a time the few days we have off of work. I love KingsIsle games, and have memberships on both games, but I don't have endless time. I either attempt the boss with the people I CAN find, or I leave that wizard there and work on another wizard.
I am so disappointed in the updates KI did to Rat. I am sure to be in the minority here based on this thread that probably influenced KI to make Rat easier. Rat was fun because it had unique challenges that no other battle had. It required both skill and proper gear.
For example, Wizard101 has stats for pierce and even jewels to increase pierce (6%). Other than probably in PVP, where else is pierce even important or essential in the game? Rat was the one battle that required you to have at least 21 or 31 pierce to spam the level 1 and 2 minions respectfully. Or you can use an aura as an alternative if you didn't have the high pierce gear. That gave meaning to wizards who have a high pierce set up and can play an important role in Rat. Now you can kill the first level minion with 4 pierce, which almost all wizards have already on their base gear. The 'proper gear' aspect of the game was essentially removed.
Secondly Rat with max life of 70k gave us a good challenge. Think of the max life for the end battles of the last 3 worlds. If you combine the life of the Morganthes, you have what, 100k? Grandfather spider is 99k himself. Rat at 70k was nice, now at 35k he is a push over. Combine that with the non-pierce factor anymore and the battle loses all it's appeal, at least to me.
I get KI wants to get more wizards into Mirage, the new and exciting world but where I used to enjoy playing Rat as either spammer (with high pierce gear) or hitter (with damage gear) or even healer with life mastery amulet, now it has lost all its luster. I have little interest in playing it unless i'm questing a new wizard or a friend needs help. Just disappointing. I don't know if others feel this way too. At this point Rat can be soloed with the right set up. A final boss at the end of a world should not be that easy.
I battled the Rat 6 times before is was nerfed and everyone of those times where long and frustrating. Many players got so frustrated, they gave up without completing that battle; even I did. KI nerfed it due to numerous complaints and I'm glad they did because now 2 more of my wizards will finish Polaris. This game is for everyone to play with different playstyle not just those with the greatest strategy and the know hows. What may be easy for you maybe difficult for others. Those who think the battle is now to easy, my advice is change your strategy by down grading your gear, use less enhancements and/or pick a team that isn't too strong for your needs. Nerfing the Rat battle was needed.
I am so disappointed in the updates KI did to Rat. I am sure to be in the minority here based on this thread that probably influenced KI to make Rat easier. Rat was fun because it had unique challenges that no other battle had. It required both skill and proper gear.
For example, Wizard101 has stats for pierce and even jewels to increase pierce (6%). Other than probably in PVP, where else is pierce even important or essential in the game? Rat was the one battle that required you to have at least 21 or 31 pierce to spam the level 1 and 2 minions respectfully. Or you can use an aura as an alternative if you didn't have the high pierce gear. That gave meaning to wizards who have a high pierce set up and can play an important role in Rat. Now you can kill the first level minion with 4 pierce, which almost all wizards have already on their base gear. The 'proper gear' aspect of the game was essentially removed.
Secondly Rat with max life of 70k gave us a good challenge. Think of the max life for the end battles of the last 3 worlds. If you combine the life of the Morganthes, you have what, 100k? Grandfather spider is 99k himself. Rat at 70k was nice, now at 35k he is a push over. Combine that with the non-pierce factor anymore and the battle loses all it's appeal, at least to me.
I get KI wants to get more wizards into Mirage, the new and exciting world but where I used to enjoy playing Rat as either spammer (with high pierce gear) or hitter (with damage gear) or even healer with life mastery amulet, now it has lost all its luster. I have little interest in playing it unless i'm questing a new wizard or a friend needs help. Just disappointing. I don't know if others feel this way too. At this point Rat can be soloed with the right set up. A final boss at the end of a world should not be that easy.
I think the fact that players needed "proper gear" is a big reason why it was nerfed. No storyline battle should require perfect gear ... because not many have it. Hence why so many people were having problems.
A challenging battle that requires a unique strategy is one thing. Requiring the best gear in the game is another.
As to your health point - the Rat's health is not what made the fight difficult. It was more how if you bladed, you eventually got hit with an AOE insane bolt. If you trapped, stacking debuffs were put on you (including a -90% weakness). Although healing minions were the best of the worst, they still packed a powerful spinysaur punch which was potentially deadly for people without the best resist gear.
The fact that the Morganthe bosses add up to 100k health doesn't matter when you can still kill them all at the same time with an aoe. Whether it's one 25k boss, or four, you still need the same number of blades to take them out. Grandfather Spider may have 99,999 health, but he doesn't have the pesky minions that punish you for buffing.
My point is, each fight is different and requires a different strategy. I don't think only comparing their health (while forgetting their cheats) is a realistic challenge evaluation.
Regardless, I'm sorry to hear that you're disappointed with the nerf. You're certainly not alone. Difficulty has been a touchy subject for a lot of people lately.
I am so disappointed in the updates KI did to Rat. I am sure to be in the minority here based on this thread that probably influenced KI to make Rat easier. Rat was fun because it had unique challenges that no other battle had. It required both skill and proper gear.
For example, Wizard101 has stats for pierce and even jewels to increase pierce (6%). Other than probably in PVP, where else is pierce even important or essential in the game? Rat was the one battle that required you to have at least 21 or 31 pierce to spam the level 1 and 2 minions respectfully. Or you can use an aura as an alternative if you didn't have the high pierce gear. That gave meaning to wizards who have a high pierce set up and can play an important role in Rat. Now you can kill the first level minion with 4 pierce, which almost all wizards have already on their base gear. The 'proper gear' aspect of the game was essentially removed.
Secondly Rat with max life of 70k gave us a good challenge. Think of the max life for the end battles of the last 3 worlds. If you combine the life of the Morganthes, you have what, 100k? Grandfather spider is 99k himself. Rat at 70k was nice, now at 35k he is a push over. Combine that with the non-pierce factor anymore and the battle loses all it's appeal, at least to me.
I get KI wants to get more wizards into Mirage, the new and exciting world but where I used to enjoy playing Rat as either spammer (with high pierce gear) or hitter (with damage gear) or even healer with life mastery amulet, now it has lost all its luster. I have little interest in playing it unless i'm questing a new wizard or a friend needs help. Just disappointing. I don't know if others feel this way too. At this point Rat can be soloed with the right set up. A final boss at the end of a world should not be that easy.
Horizon Hold drops okay gear, but camping it is optional, especially due to the presence of similar or better items in Omen's cave and in Mirage.
KI's nerf was done to increase player access to Mirage. Clearly, the change is an important one to make, and will benefit many players.
The overall strategy of this battle doesn't change. What does change is the length of the battle, or perhaps the number of blades and traps to stack up. Consider that you can get +100% damage by simply stacking a pair of sharpened Elemental Blades using a pet or amulet. In short, this only reduces the battle duration by a round or two when good tactics are in use.
In spite of this, the challenge level still seems important to you. Why is that? Are you camping for something here?
Thanks for both your opinions Patrick and Vanessa - they are well taken. One suggestion I thought of but may be too much trouble or awkward to incorporate - is there some way the old Rat battle/format could be retained and played as an alternative for people who enjoyed the challenge? Like keep the new version as the main one (the default) but somehow have an option to play the old version. This way you know if you team up for the 'old version', you're likely to get a good team that knows and enjoys the challenge. I would certainly be inclined to do that. Like I said, I don't know how exactly you put that out there as an option and not have it be confusing but it's a thought.
As a side note, I thought the difficulty in Mirage was right on point compared to Polaris which I think you'll find many believe to be a little too easy (except Rat of course:). I know that has been made easier also though and one or two of the bosses in the last 4 battles have reduced life.
Thanks for both your opinions Patrick and Vanessa - they are well taken. One suggestion I thought of but may be too much trouble or awkward to incorporate - is there some way the old Rat battle/format could be retained and played as an alternative for people who enjoyed the challenge? Like keep the new version as the main one (the default) but somehow have an option to play the old version. This way you know if you team up for the 'old version', you're likely to get a good team that knows and enjoys the challenge. I would certainly be inclined to do that. Like I said, I don't know how exactly you put that out there as an option and not have it be confusing but it's a thought.
As a side note, I thought the difficulty in Mirage was right on point compared to Polaris which I think you'll find many believe to be a little too easy (except Rat of course:). I know that has been made easier also though and one or two of the bosses in the last 4 battles have reduced life.
Being able to pick your difficulty setting is an idea that has actually popped up a lot recently. I think it would be interesting, but (like you pointed out) probably hard/complicated to implement. Who knows though - anything could happen! :)
Thanks for both your opinions Patrick and Vanessa - they are well taken. One suggestion I thought of but may be too much trouble or awkward to incorporate - is there some way the old Rat battle/format could be retained and played as an alternative for people who enjoyed the challenge? Like keep the new version as the main one (the default) but somehow have an option to play the old version. This way you know if you team up for the 'old version', you're likely to get a good team that knows and enjoys the challenge. I would certainly be inclined to do that. Like I said, I don't know how exactly you put that out there as an option and not have it be confusing but it's a thought.
As a side note, I thought the difficulty in Mirage was right on point compared to Polaris which I think you'll find many believe to be a little too easy (except Rat of course:). I know that has been made easier also though and one or two of the bosses in the last 4 battles have reduced life.
Hey, now that's a great idea too. It's like having your own game optional control button. It can work like this: You step on the lit circles, the option window pops up; easy or hard, you click on the one you want then click on x for team up. Those who click the same option will be your team and It can work on other battles like the Rat; even dungeons through out the spiral. The question is what all will be involved for KI to make such an add on? If possible, I truly believe this will work
