I don't think this is a contest anymore

This is a rant. Get over it.

I've finally gotten to terror level to do some of the quests/mini games that only begin
at this level. My primary bone of contention is the Countess. But this surliness is
justifiably augmented by other encounters. Maybe its my personal concept of "gameplay".

Gameplay is interesting to me as a contest - pitting wit,tactic and skill against an A.I.

Early encounters: I've previously encountered some mobs with an ability to remain
invisible until they attack. This is 'normal' (imo). What frosts me in these Act I
terror level encounters is that now these mobs are remaining invisible AFTER they attack and WHILE they attack.

Well jesus, why don't we have a knife fight with a blind man and crow about our prowess after we kill the blind slob. Invisible WHILE attacking ?

My class is a sorceress - so with billowing clouds of poison tornados around me,
alternating with blizzard flinging ice orbs, I can't even see the stupid little carvers most
of the time - so I just spit in their general direction. But at least your basic carver-sprite has a shape and a color that occasionally can be seen through the hurricane
of spell animations.

These invisible blob whatevers aren't even seen while attacking. They are silhouetted
occasionally by the 'splash" effect of spells such as sorceress 'Lorenado' twisters and 'Abyss' - which other than silhoutetting them - is useless
because the blobs are immune to poison - so I switch to ice and .. what the hell do I have to shoot at ? ('nothing' is the only ACCURATE answer).

Standard "tactical approach" for a mob you can't see to target, would be to 'target an
area': if you can't target the mob - target their approximate location. So at first
I tried casting "Abyss" orbs whcih have an AOE effect.

Except that for reasons known only to the design team - AOE is a total failure against this mob. This ice susceptible invisible mob is completely impervious to the spinning
ice orbs cast by "Abyss" - I have surrounded myself with up to 4 of this mob at a time
and literally flooded the screen with over twenty abyss orbs - and they don't lose a
single hit point. So I switch to "frigid sphere" which takes them down in about 4 hits -
once I am pointed in the correct direction against this mob (which remains invisible even during its attack).

Like you can explain to me why a blizzard doesn't touch you, but a snowball can kill you ? (the only comment this level of frustration produces for me is: refer to prior statement "conceptualization failure").

And explain to me how an AOE ice effect like "Abyss" doesn't so much as scratch them,
while a single target spell like "frigid sphere" does. Lets see that math = a 1400 dmg point AOE ice attack (x20 orbs) misses them but a 1200 dmg point single target ice attack hits them.

On to my primary schtick - The Countess. I have died about 11 or 12 times figuring out
how to manipulate the witches out of my patch. No complaint there - simply the price
of an education and learning the parameters of the equation before me to solve.

I have died each time I killed the Countess (7 times), I have NEVER seen her. There is
this "bale-fire" like pillar we are all famililar with from dancing with dragons in act II.
The trick with the dragons is to keep moving. So I assumed this was the tactic for the
Countess "bale-fire like attack.

It appears not to matter whether I move or don't move, whether the pillar lands atop of me, next to me or across the room from me. The only explanation I can think of is that
possibly unlike the dragon's attack which is clearly single point, the Countess attack must be some type of AOE. So far anytime she has fired - no matter where the hell I position myself - I'm dead.

Which has brought my aggravation level to make this comment: I do not consider this
experience a contest. I do not regard designing a mob with a tactical nuke which there is no counter or avoidance to, to be a 'game' worth playing anymore than I would regard a boxing match between a heavy weight champion and a bantam weight champion - a contest.

I fail to see any constructive point in investing my time in engaging this level of pointless frustration. Everytime today I have tried to consider returning to this previously engaging game, my circular thinking just keeps returning to "whats the point".

It was MDMAzing to read that text

1) First time I see a rant about act 1 assassins since I started playing this game. 8/10

2) Read abyss description, you are making a fool of yourself. The orb does no damage. The spinner instantly annihilates them when they show up.

3) Countess & minions deathstrike on death. You have 1 second to move out of its small aoe. If you actually keep running there is no way this is killing you.

This is an example of someone who saw the docs and said ''TL:DR, better lets jump into gameplay and complain in the forum. What could go wrong? Not like I'm gonna make a fool of myself.''

word.

also

Moon Struck wrote:Everytime today I have tried to consider returning to this previously engaging game, my circular thinking just keeps returning to "whats the point".

Have you ever played old games actually (like Diablo II). They are hard but as long as you dont mind possibility of losing, it's going to be fun anyway and that's the point.

also.2
Have you noticed this additional quest is marked as challenge in docs? It's supposed to be hard (supposed)

also.3
Using abyss requires skill and aim, then it's best skill you can have on sorceress.

also.4
Tell us what level you are, skill placement, equipement you use. Considering you play this mod first time, advices from experienced players should be welcome yes?

Read the docs and read guides here. Abyss is one of the most powerful skills in the game. You're doing it wrong.

FYI, the countesses minions have death strike on dying, meaning once you kill them, a small black circle forms beneath your toons feet and you have one second to move before it strikes. If you don't move, it's instant death (not sure if avoid% can dodge or wearwolf transform can avoid), but there aren't too many of these characters, so it shouldn't be that hard. I did countess numerous times *in Hardcore* without dying... just requires a bit of skill, but admittedly, I haven't bothered with countess since 1.z series so I don't know if it's been changed or not.

Not ranty enough. And next time, please avoid using so many line breaks, it makes reading so awkward.

Anyways back on topic - I don't think there are monsters invisible while they attack. They are invisible while moving, which can include repositioning. Either way, you're not supposed to engage them 1v1, just have some spell/splash going on and they'll die eventually. Easy peasy.

By the way, all "instakills" in the game are either counter-able or avoidable. There would be no point in a spell that kills you without any warning, it would be no fun. Deathstrike creates a mark in the ground before falling from the sky. It happens pretty fast, yes, but if you know it'll happen then you can anticipate it and just keep moving. Also, killing the countess minions one at a time helps a lot since you need to do less kiting.

@SuchBalance "rant about act 1 assassins"

I regret that describing a mob as a "blob" is somehow associated with the sprite for assassins to your thinking. I am referring to some type of "spirit" which looks like a large amorphous blob.

re:line breaks
I have always had difficulty following posts that are a series of run on paragraphs all glomped together with no breaks. Maybe I'm 'over compensating'.

re: Abyss spell
Playing a pois/cold sorc: Abyss has been my number one crowd control spell for all poison immunes for 84 levels - has worked flawlessly until changing from hatred lvl to terror lvl. I am curently mystified as to any explanation for the apparent change in the operation of its mechanics. I have several screen shots of poison immunes surrounded by Abyss orbs - who appear to be taking zero damage (full health bars) from Abyss.

re: "you're using it incorrectly"
That is always a possibility. I don't understand how, since I am using it in the same way I have previously used it to great effect. My current use is primarily to get from the waypoint to the Tower to do the Countess. What may be significant (?) is that in order to successfully navigate through the tower, I have no summons up, and I've left the merc dead since he is a witch magnet. I can't picture how the absence of merc & summons would change spell mechanics, but I'm open to any advice.

re: The Countess
When you enter the BloodThrone level, the main entryway branches into right and left corridors after you pass the main couryard. After repositioning the witches to open a path to those corridors, I usually take the hallway on the right. This places you at a pair of anterooms. You pass through anteroom 1 -> to reach anteroom 2 - which is adjacent to the Countess room. There are usually a couple (or more) witches here which also require repositioning.

By repositioning the witches in anteroom 2 -> back to anteroom 1, I effectively block any path of escape through anteroom 1, and any utility of maneuverability into anteroom 1. The fight with the Countess and her minions all takes place at anteroom 2.

I have tried to 'peel' off the minions from the throneroom by drawing them into anteroom 2 -> by means of lol summons placed in the doorway of the throneroom into anteroom 2. So far this is a fail as it has drawn ALL the minions from the throneroom into the anteroom. The Countess usually follows like the caboose of the train. I kill all the minions and usually the Countess (last), but each time I die from the death strike.

As previously posted - it does not matter where I stand or move to. I change position every two seconds. The deathstrike miraculously lands on my pointy little head no matter where I was two seconds prior to the cast.

The only thing I haven't tried yet is summoning up a room full of ice elementals at the second anteroom adjacent to the throneroom - once I have gotten the witches repositioned back into anteroom 1.

re: my "rant" post
I've expressed the frustration I'm experiencing at this point, to the best of my understanding. Admittedly this includes 'to the best of my misunderstanding'. I don't know what I'm not 'getting', but to those of you who have extended me the benefit of their experience and strategies, I thank you !

It's fine to get upset from such things, it's part of the learning curve. Try to keep criticism or questions devoid of rage or frustration since they usually invite trolling/flaming/sarcasm (not that I find it justified). First thing you should do is ask yourself "what am I doing wrong" and not "what's wrong with this mod" because this mod has been bug-fixed and polished ever since it was released. If you can't figure out what you're doing wrong you're welcome to ask your questions in the Newbie sub-forum. People are friendly and like to help if asked appropriately.

Moon Struck wrote:re: Abyss spell
Playing a pois/cold sorc: Abyss has been my number one crowd control spell for all poison immunes for 84 levels - has worked flawlessly until changing from hatred lvl to terror lvl. I am curently mystified as to any explanation for the apparent change in the operation of its mechanics. I have several screen shots of poison immunes surrounded by Abyss orbs - who appear to be taking zero damage (full health bars) from Abyss.

Abyss is working as intended, and unless target is immune to cold dmg or has 100% avoid it should take dmg. As noted, it's the rotator around the orb that deals dmg and not the orb itself, so you'll need to cast away from targets in such a way that the rotator will spin and hit them. D2 graphics aren't perfect so you can try to cast Abyss off target, and while holding right/left mouse button move mouse slightly towards and away from the target. You'll eventually get the idea and know exactly where to cast it. Can you post these images?

Moon Struck wrote:I have tried to 'peel' off the minions from the throneroom by drawing them into anteroom 2 -> by means of lol summons placed in the doorway of the throneroom into anteroom 2. So far this is a fail as it has drawn ALL the minions from the throneroom into the anteroom. The Countess usually follows like the caboose of the train. I kill all the minions and usually the Countess (last), but each time I die from the death strike.

You use poison against them right? In this case even when you move back, those that got poisoned might die a bit later in a domino-effect which means you'll need to fall back a few screens to avoid subsequent Death Strikes. You can also just open a TP before engaging them, and once you get the swirlies go town to complete the minigame. AFAIK, there's no reason to farm countess since it's not CLoD and runes aren't rare.