Also, yes, I'm calling it "Dungeon Remaster" because it's mainly focused on dungeons. Fite me.
-Short Answer-
I love the Dungeon Remaster but it could be better off if we go back to DN's roots.
I love the Dungeon Remaster but it could be better off if we go back to DN's roots.
-Long Answer-
The new implementation of the dungeon remaster is a God sent for players who are sick of seeing the same dungeons everyday. Along with this is the new mission bulletin board (with its corresponding points and store), that further gives you options on venturing out Saint Haven and re-experiencing the entirety of Lagendia's dungeons, because you don't 1-shot the enemies. However, there are issues that I believe stems from this new implementation and they are the following:
(1) The sudden difficulty spike from Abyss to LB-01 and onwards;
(2) The dungeon's that do not sync well with the new difficulties that ED implemented;
(3) The lack of incentive/rewards to pursue higher difficulties in dungeons; and
(4) The absence of variety that makes each dungeon have a purpose.
-#1: Difficulty Spike-
It isn't new that Dragon Nest always had a problem with its sudden increase of a mob's HP and damage. This dates back at 40 cap, in which the difference between Master and Abyss is apparent. Within the current cap and dungeon remaster, you can damage/kill a mob in Abyss with your kicks but can barely make a dent in LB-01. This is just a single level step-up but the scaling of difficulty is taking 2 steps further. Whoever does the difficulty testing in Dragon Nest needs to be replaced because the game is basically a min-max and no-inbetween as of now. It's either they're ridiculously easy or near impossibly hard.
Balancing difficulty and fun has always been an issue in every games and will always be an issue but, right now, there's just a big gap between the difficulty levels. Personally, the gap is notably present in:
(A) Abyss to LB-01;
(B) LB-03 to LB-04; and
(C) LB 06 to LB-07
mfw I want to test out the higher difficulties but you're just a mere casual who's running a full tank Guardian all alone
-#2: Dungeon Syncing-
Whilst the dungeons have a new form of experience to them with the added option to increase difficulty, there are just some old dungeons that did not sync well with the difficulty increase from the dungeon remaster. A good sample would be from Dark Overlord Keep's Gargoyle's boss. Whilst my dungeon run was fun, it started to become a slog when I hit the boss. The boss has a mechanic where it will harden up and begin to absorb all you attacks with 1 damage (Irregardless of equipment) and continue to do so until you either (1) Break his Super Armor or (2) Wait for him to cancel his stance. The thing is, playing this dungeon in higher difficulties makes his Super Armor God-Tier, so you have no other option but to wait it out (Which is forever).
I can only imagine what it would be like for those guardian gargoyle's who heal themselves whenever they get into this stance. That must be hell.
Look at this dude's smug ass look, fully knowing he's got a cheat card.
-#3: Rewards in higher difficulties are shit-
All you get in higher difficulties is an increase of points (Dungeon, Nest, Nightmare, and if you get lucky, the BST points). The trade off of playing an additional 15 minutes v.s receiving an extra +100 points is NOT worth it. Give the players a better incentive in playing at higher difficulties other than dungeon points or making the experience harder. Personally, I'm already happy that I'm able to play the lower level dungeons without having to be Thanos but at least give us something worthwhile our time (The Mission board is RNG based, so good luck getting the dungeon you want lmao).
To be fair though, I did enjoy myself a lot but jeezus fuck, 31 minutes just for this much points.
-#4: Variety is dead-
Dungeons used to have an identity and a purpose, where certain items would drop within a certain probability and you would see people form parties or run these dungeons to hunt down these items to craft something. Whilst DN has had introduced quality of life improvements over the years (e.g: Increasing the amount you can hold from 10 to 20 to 50 to 100, and now to 1000. God bless you whoever proposed this), they have also simplified the game too much that it's sort of dumbed down.
Whilst the new Dungeon Remaster does give me enjoyment to run different dungeons, it does not give me a reason to run them. Give dungeons an identity and a purpose and this will lead to players having a goal, instead of just running them for some basic points.
I just want these colorful gems back man (Codes can come back too but I'm okay with Jades)
-Suggestions-
(1) Increase the amount of difficulty levels and use this to spread out the mob's HP/Damage, so we can get an even distribution of where we want to stay and not have to choose between "too ez" or "go fuck yourself". That and play test your damn difficulties;
(2) Whilst not that of a higher priority, we'll need to definitely revisit some old dungeons and see if they'll work well with the higher LB difficulties and check whether the mechanics won't get in the way. I'm guessing ED just implemented a value to increase a mobs HP and Damage, depending on the difficulty, and didn't look into each dungeon's mechanics. This could lead to some fuckery;
(3) Give us something more than points that motivates me to work my ass off for an extra 10 minutes. Hell, even an increase of gold at this point is okay because of how I need them (I've already completed all my quests so stop telling me to run them lmao); and
(4) Bring back the variety in this game and give dungeons a purpose. Seriously. A dungeon shouldn't just be a place where a player should use to level up (Although, some dungeons specialize in that regard). Including variety of items in the game would definitely help give you options of which dungeon should drop which. Bring back the Rubies/Sapphire/Topaz/Obsidian gems (They're colorful okay) so there's a good reason why we're running these dungeons in the first place. Have them drop off at different rates (Depending on the difficulty) in different dungeons so they can have purpose.
-Conclusion-
All in all, the World Remaster is a great implementation that I'm happy was put in the game but there's definitely more to be improved and introduced. Also, the original BGM for Calderock Village is just orgasmic. Bless you ED.
What do you guys think? I'd love to hear your thoughts about it. Personally, I just want them to bring back the variety in the game, so each dungeon can have their own purpose (e.g: Explosion Forest having that Dragon Shard crafting material). I think if DN were to go back to its roots (Whilst keeping the quality of life improvements over the years), the game would be better off.
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