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Smuggler's Arena

AuthorMessage
Lieutenant
Jun 16, 2012
103
Been running this gauntlet on some of my different pirates. It is very hard with my lv65 swashbuckler and max level crew. Best I did was 5 bouts last night before they got me with most of the companions who joined battle being carried out feet first.

It was even worse today on my lower level characters, went in with a lv13 witchdoctor and a lv27 privateer. Only way to survive if you are lucky is if the lv65 pet shows up in time. And that only works for one or two bouts before you go down.

I started looking at what the enemy combatants had for skills. This last battle, the lv27 privateer was getting the beat down with 3 ranks of relentless as an example (plus other ablilities). Can I have ranks like that with my baby pirates?! Jokes aside, I think the level is scaled for the level of the pirate but the skills are not.

This isn't really a solo friendly gauntlet and it doesn't give you the find group option so I am inclined to think it is intended for solo play. I have not found anyone to try grouping up for a run to know how it might work out that way.

Lieutenant
Feb 15, 2014
140
it will take time
i spent all my crowns before i could get it
hahaha

Lieutenant
Jun 16, 2012
103
I tried the arena again after the patch. Pretty much the same results for all three characters, the swashbuckler only managed to win 4 bouts this time. I had hoped things would be tweaked and I guess they were in that the cooldown timer to go again was lowered. Not what I had in mind. I apparently missed the memo that it was Death Match Gladiator 101 on the other side of that trap door.

The concept of this gauntlet dungeon did intrigue me but the implimentation doesn't work. I will say thank you for letting us test, you saved me some money and much frustration as I wouldn't be buying Smuggler's Arena on live.

Pirate Overlord
Mar 16, 2012
10631
I now have a more balanced view point of the Smuggler's Arena. Last night I managed to wrangle an invite to join a group going in to try it. I had only tried to solo it before. It was easier and we managed to complete the entire dungeon with in 2 hours, losing only one or two companions per team member.
Its nice that the cool down time has been reduced, however, this is not something I would want to do everyday; it would then become a grind. Hunting ships for scrip seems a better option. I will be buying an Arena when test goes live, and save it for special occasions with my friends.
But one thing bothers me about the arena - we enter it from our homes, yet when we exit, we're in Avery's Court. Shouldn't we exit from where we entered?

First Mate
Mar 30, 2011
483
Did you do the Smuggler's Arena with other players? Because that's kind of the point of Gauntlets :p

Lieutenant
Jun 16, 2012
103
Noble Tyler Strong on Nov 22, 2014 wrote:
Did you do the Smuggler's Arena with other players? Because that's kind of the point of Gauntlets :p
If that was directed at me, I stated before I did it solo as I don't know anyone and there is no group finder option. Gauntlet means "a testing ordeal", doesn't say anything about finding other people and zerg it.

If it is intended as a group dungeon then there needs to be a group finder thing when you enter.

Developer
anecorbie on Nov 22, 2014 wrote:
I now have a more balanced view point of the Smuggler's Arena. Last night I managed to wrangle an invite to join a group going in to try it. I had only tried to solo it before. It was easier and we managed to complete the entire dungeon with in 2 hours, losing only one or two companions per team member.
Its nice that the cool down time has been reduced, however, this is not something I would want to do everyday; it would then become a grind. Hunting ships for scrip seems a better option. I will be buying an Arena when test goes live, and save it for special occasions with my friends.
But one thing bothers me about the arena - we enter it from our homes, yet when we exit, we're in Avery's Court. Shouldn't we exit from where we entered?
I now have a more balanced view point of the Smuggler's Arena.

Isn't it amazing what can happen when you have time to process a new update?

It was easier and we managed to complete the entire dungeon with in 2 hours, losing only one or two companions per team member.

Uh huh.

Its nice that the cool down time has been reduced, however, this is not something I would want to do everyday; it would then become a grind.

As the Arena is a crowns item, it's completely opt-in for people who do want that.

And as only one person needs the Arena, and as it is tradeable, it's a great way to make friends.

Hunting ships for scrip seems a better option.

I agree.

And it's another great way to make friends. Hunting ships is much more efficient with even one friend.

But one thing bothers me about the arena - we enter it from our homes, yet when we exit, we're in Avery's Court. Shouldn't we exit from where we entered?

There are technical obstacles to that.

Ensign
Oct 02, 2012
7
I bought the smuggler's arena and I'm very upset!
I think I wasted my money.
It's way too hard!!!
I used to play with my wyfe and in this dungeon we tried with a captain 65 and a swash 65. All the companions maxed.
At the first round 1 companion dies as the opponents make a critical hit 3 of 4 times and they can reach 1800dmg per hit...
The only way to survive with all the crew seems to hide everyone and boost all the crew before the attack.
...and it will end with a too small amount of scrips.

May be there's something wrong.
I hope there is something wrong.
...I hope You will fix it soon
...
or give me back my crowns!!!

Ensign
May 09, 2013
14
I reckon that some of these guys may be overpowered a bit, but in the same vain, I believe that different tactics are in order (e.g. fighting with a group).

As they said, you can try out new tactics in the practice matches (that will allow you to keep your companions) and when you're ready you can go for the real thing.

A bit frustrating that there is no cooldown period though. It's just one after another.

Ensign
Oct 02, 2012
7
Aussie Fire on Jan 6, 2015 wrote:
I reckon that some of these guys may be overpowered a bit, but in the same vain, I believe that different tactics are in order (e.g. fighting with a group).

As they said, you can try out new tactics in the practice matches (that will allow you to keep your companions) and when you're ready you can go for the real thing.

A bit frustrating that there is no cooldown period though. It's just one after another.
Ok Aussie, but I started playing P101 after 2 years in italian W101, I always played solo or with my wyfe.
This is a game that I like to play in this way.
I think that if fighting with a group it's the only reasonable way to win without loosing almost all the crew for only a little bit of scrips they should write this in advance.

Admiral
Nov 23, 2011
1407
The Smuggler's Arena is not intended for solo play, and if you are scrip hunting it is pretty much useless if you are running solo. But again, the designers made it to be a serious challenge for a group of pirate captains, not an individual pirate crew.

As much of my time is spent playing solo or as part of a pair of crews (where the Smuggler's Arena is still deadly), I find I do not use it much at all anymore.

One of the main reasons I have almost completely stopped playing Wizard101 is that it has become increasingly unfriendly to solo play - not just in gauntlets and special optional dungeons, but in the core game as well. So far the solos-stay-away approach in Pirate is limited to the Smuggler's Cove and the Tower of Moo Manchu, and that's fine - it is nice to have group challenges. I just hope we don't see this approach creep into the core game as well.

I, personally, would love to see the equivalent of Moo's Tower or the SA designed exclusively for solo play. I am not sure how easy that would be to design, though... it might require different sequences of fights for the different classes of pirates, which would distract a lot of programming time from the core game!

-Indigo

Ensign
May 09, 2013
14
As I said they may be a bit OP, but I agree with Indigo in that if they were to create solo-friendly versions, then too much time would be detracted from creating new worlds, etc.

I reckon just leave well enough alone. If you don't like the SA then farm scrip by destroying ships. Don't like the tower? don't run it.

I too hope that group dungeons don't become the norm, as I like to solo as well. Especially since it's hard in a different timezone than most (don't know how many aussies are on here).