Devil's Roar Eruptions

  • Morgs Nefar
    Marauder
    Insider

    I just attempted an Athena's Voyage with two guys I have been playing with since beta. We're all Pirate Legends, we've all counted hundreds of hours in the game and yet, we failed. The reason? The eruptions. They are too frequent, too long in duration, and the area of effect is way too broad, literally overlapping the eruptions of islands that are adjacent to one another. A single island erupted as we were on it, then we left and waited for something like 10 minutes, got hit by the Meg, sailed back, within 30 seconds of our arriving, it erupted again. And then we sailed back after another 10 minutes and it erupted AGAIN. How are we supposed to do these when the islands will not stop erupting? THEN we finally just tapped the single chest we had to do for this riddle and sailed to the next island which once again erupted, killing all hands instantly. We sank twice during all of this and the 2nd time we were so far away, it was nearly on the edge of drawing distance.

    I love this game. It is one of my favorite all time games. I have spent countless hours in this game, and rarely have I ever logged off out of frustration due to the game itself. I have a couple of times due to player interaction, and that's fine, but when the game itself is the cause, there is a problem. This area is a problem. I want to explore it, experience it, etc, but I just get so frustrated with it. It's not a matter of "git gud" it's a matter of unplayability. I know I am not the only one that hates this. I think this is a reason for the lower amount of players in the game which causes the server mergers so often (which did occur during our game.)

    Please, Please, Please fix this! I don't want to leave a session out of frustration. I know you guys don't want that either. I know you, at Rare, love this game with passion. Just please address this. I implore you.

    Sincerely and with utmost respect and admiration.

    Morgs

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  • Goedecke Michel
    Marauder

    We know this from time to time, but we do not share your opinion.

    When the volcanoes of one island erupt, we simply take a different one for the time being. It is quite rare to have to wait in front of an island until an eruption subsides. Most of the time we can complete an Athena Quest in Devil's Roar even faster than in the other world - because the ways are longer over there. For yesterday's three Athena Quests in Devil's Roar we played for four hours, but only once we had to sink an enemy sloop that wanted to attack us. And on Ruby's Fall we experienced a similarly nervous volcano as you describe it. Digging up the five treasures of the mission took a long time, of course. Find treasures, die three times - for each. Digging them up, die four times. Carry to the ship, die twice. But the volcano also helped us a lot with the removal of the skeletons of a simultaneously active mission of the Order of the Soul, which was done by the island all alone, fast. Quid pro quo.

    It often happens that the landing squad is wiped out in one fell swoop, but the area is notorious for this and therefore there are more reputation, higher rewards to be gained.

    We haven't lost a ship in Devils Roar since the first trip to this area. We always have one person on board as well as sufficient consumables. One person can prevent a sloop from sinking with the bucket alone, with a brigantine at least until another hand has come back from the ferry of the damned, a galleon often takes so little critical damage that one gets along with it for a very long time. In Devil's Roar we prefer sloops, which can be parked so close to rocks, cliffs and overhangs that you can stop at the island at little costs.

    In our opinion, the scenario described by you is not what is experienced on average in this area. No need for correction.

  • Genuine Heather
    Captain
    Insider

    I admit I haven't done many voyages in the Devil's Roar for this and several other reasons. It's a shame because it really is a neat area. The atmosphere becomes quite oppressive after a while, which makes sense but limits the time I'm willing to spend there. But I'm fine with that. I voyage elsewhere, and when I do enter the Devil's Roar, it's almost like a whole different game. It's dangerous and exciting, even if the volcanoes do seem a bit overactive. I think they could probably be turned down a notch, but not too much.

  • WeakDexx
    Captain
    Insider

    Soloing Athena DR. And i did not solo just 1 voyage. I solo'd from lvl 7 to lvl 10 Athena in the DR.
    I had no problems with the vulcano's.

    Ill admit in the beginnging when i first sailed into DR. It was hard. Just doing it more and gaining more XP in doing it made it less hard. To be honest now i think its not hard it just takes time.

    also u say u with a crew? That being on a gally? If so than u need to go back to the game and get more XP. DR = Gally territory. Gally can just tank the rocks. The bottom deck gets hit rarely. Just patch once the hole is there.

    In my opinion DR is fine as it is.

  • Goedecke Michel
    Marauder

    And shouldn't it be a matter of chance when which volcano is triggered? Many complain that there are not ten minutes between two eruptions. So what? Why should volcanoes be predictable? They all erupt at the same time? This can happen by chance, however small the probability may be.

    It is fine.

  • Qui3tCool
    Master
    Insider

    @morgs-nefar

    You are not alone feeling this way. Many pirates feel the same way. Below is the place for specific feedback on issues like this and all other things in the Devil’s Roar.

    The randomness of the volcanoes is very wacky. Eruotions can occur very frequently back to back. There are rare times some do not erupt at all. The outpost should not be on an island with an active volcano either. There are also issues with blast range, damage, and targeting.

    So far no changes after all the feedback. Perhaps involvements will come in the Shrouded Spoils.

    https://www.seaofthieves.com/forum/topic/73310/mega-thread-forsaken-shores/

  • Barnacle Blake
    Captain
    Insider
    Founder

    Devils roar feels nerfed, ever since the ferry of damned stuff started.

  • WeakDexx
    Captain
    Insider

    @theunionjames

    No it should not be with a trigger in my opinion. Its a vulcano they erupt when they feel like it.

    @x-Crowheart-x
    I like the fact they put an active vulcano on the outpost. Adds to the risk and uncertainty of whats to come. Do u sell there at the risk of being caught in eruption or do u take a long route to sail out of DR.

  • D3ADST1CK
    Vanguard
    Insider
    Founder

    The volcano implementation is not very challenging. Once you know the signs that an eruption is going to happen, you go back to your ship and take off. On rare occasions you'll get unlucky and a volcano will erupt with very little warning and obliterate you and your ship before you can really do anything. The problem is that the need to evacuate happens a lot, so a lot of time in Devil's Roar is spent sitting on a ship and watching volcanoes erupt. How riveting!

    They should have enough feedback in the mega thread to see that this is annoying to a lot of people. There's also feedback on how to make it less of an exercise in tedium and a more compelling experience. I think they would have acted on it if they were planning to by now. They've moved on to the next set of content for Shrouded Spoils and The Arena, so I doubt DR will be getting any changes.

  • ClosingHare208
    Marauder
    Insider

    @morgs-nefar whoa mate that really bad luck and they should fix the eruptions

  • ClosingHare208
    Marauder
    Insider

    @barnacle-blake ok

  • NeedSmokes
    Commander

    Any vessel other than a Galleon is a challenge there. Make sure you stock up 200+ on all items and you won't even need to bother sailing away whilst the Volcano is active, just keep 1 player in the hull of the ship, another on top dodging incoming rocks and two on the island, once one dies the player on top deck fires themselves ashore from cannon and resumes, then the player coming back from the ferry takes over ship repairs and so on..
    If you are doing an Oos island at the time, it will be ever so easy to finish off the waves/captains, just keep running around and they happily fall to a pile of bones all by themselves.. Just make sure you spend time gathering resources before going there and you can pull off an Athena in no time at all.

  • m1sterpunch
    Master
    Insider

    There should be somewhat of a cooldown to an island's chance to erupt. Two eruptions back to back is silly and it really feels like the proximity to the island triggers it, not eruptions at random like it should be. Also the rocks need to just be random. They seem to have an algorithm attached to their chance to hit you much like the AI skelly cannons do. In this way it feels like the island is attacking you instead of just being a volatile environment.

    It's very frustrating at the end of a voyage and it feels though the game itself is working against you. Erupting isle that you need to be on, 3 gunpowder skellies spawning at random that can run faster than you during earthquakes. And sailing into the wind. EVERY. TIME.

    I've rage quit at the last map before an Athena just because the game is no longer fun at that point.

  • DarthTayTay7014
    Master
    Insider

    Grab a galleon, barley takes damage on the lower deck, when there is an eruption one person can keep ship afloat.

  • Chronodusk
    Commander
    Insider

    Sounds like bad luck combined with possibly needing to anticipate the environment a little more proactively.

    My crew and I sail the Devil's Roar in a Brigantine, and we find it pretty easy to handle. Here's what we do:

    When voyaging in the Devil's Roar, we get the ship in position next to the island. The anchor does not stay down for any reason, and the ship is pointed outward for the island. Positioning the ship this way with the anchor up sets you up for an easy sail-drop escape.

    We will voyage as normal until there's an earthquake. Once an earthquake begins, one person must go back to the ship - no questions asked.

    The person who goes back to the ship will monitor the volcano during the earthquake. Once you hear the loud cracking sound of rocks or see the black smoke over the volcano, an eruption is confirmed. The person on the ship drops the sails, and sails away. Once you're out of range, raise sails and wait.

    If you're caught sailing in an eruption, one or two crew mates MUST be below deck at all times. Always remember that the volcano aims for players, not the ship specifically, so If everyone is above deck for even a second, you run the risk of your whole crew being one-shotted at the same time. Then your ship is gone. See ya, ship.

    We have always had profitable voyages and we've only ever lost two ships in the Devil's Roar. Both times can be sourced to flaws in our own gameplay.

    Most of the time, things aren't as unlucky as what you got. So as long as you're on your toes you'll be fine.

    Good luck!

  • AceBead40319154
    Master
    Insider

    Some days THE ROAR is a little louder than other days. Just got bested, get back up, regroup, and take care of biz_nass.

  • Bosun Rotrr
    Master

    DR is a challenge, but I like it that way. I solo sloop DR and I don't want it nerfed. I do die alot and it's frustrating, but that makes it all the more satisfying when I have success there.

    Having said that, I do sense DR is more like a security system being triggered by an intruder rather than a natural random volcanic geologic process. The rocks are obviously like homing missles (or skellie cannons) - which should not happen. Volcanoes don't have conscious awareness and the ability to home in on a target (unless these volcanoes are intended to be possessed, evil volcanoes that know we are there and want to kill us for trespassing... It could be part of the lore, so if that is the case, I'm fine with it).

  • Lottyloo91
    Marauder
    Insider

    I haven't even attempted a DR Athena, the reach of the volcano is too far that by the time I've used the stupidly slow rowboat the volcano has stopped and my crew have over taken me to get to the island and get it done asap before the next eruption.
    I love the added risk but the spread is just crazy far, you can move far enough away from one volcano and then another one goes off and you're a target again. I spend more time trying to find the "safe spots" then actually doing the voyages.

  • BlindNev
    Captain

    I don't find them challenging, just annoying at times. I remember we had a game where the same island erupted 8 times in a row. It erupted again each time within 30 seconds of us going back to the island.

    If you have a galleon crew that knows what it's doing and have plenty of supplies, voyages there are really easy. Just need one person to stay inside and repair while the others go to the island and complete whatever you were doing there.

    The problems start when you are low on supplies or using the smaller ships. Having to go back and forth between the island and a safe zone is not challenging or fun, just time consuming.

  • Zormis
    Marauder
    Insider

    @morgs-nefar I have been playing for 3 months, me and my wife are PL's and play with my son who isn't. We have done many ashen Athenas and we just fight through the eruptions most of the time unless there is an island near that isn't erupting that we have a map for. Most of my runs are finish under 2 hours so I believe we are doing it right.

    Yes it sucks when you wait for an eruption to end only for it to start back up but I don't mind it so much, the rewards are worth it. For DR if you have a good crew and a well stocked ship, it's not bad at all.

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