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The Terror-Cotta Troupe - And Why It's Ridiculous

AuthorMessage
Gunner's Mate
Jun 22, 2011
208
This ability is the single most overpowered ability in the entire history of the game by a large margin. It is the only ability that has ever existed that allows you to win an entire match almost instantly with absolutely no downsides. It creates a group of nine terror-cotta warriors with seven hundred health each, that all possess (in my experience) multiple Brutal Charges and a Leviathan's Call. This makes for a total of 12600 damage minimum output to completely destroy them. This also means that they have the ability to reduce everyone on your teams' accuracy to effectively zero for five rounds. Each of the nine summoned Terror Cotta Warriors has Hold the Line Three, preventing your group from moving and halving their dodge. With one power, your opponent eliminates your and your companions' accuracy for five rounds and halves your dodge while immobilizing you.
This allows for a perfect game if a Swashbuckler gets the Imperial Robes.
Round One: Black Fog, agility buff from Fan, accuracy/dodge buff from Toro. Round one is done.

Round Two: Terror Cotta Troupe, use any other buffs such as Shadowdance. Round two is done.

Round Three: Super Strike/Assassin's Strike enemy for a total of roughly 7200 damage. Relentless untill all are dead.

This is an insanely unbalancing move, and one that necessitates farming the Tower for this one piece of gear. I have played eighteen Ranked PvP matches. All have been 1v1. I've won twelve. All of these matches have been against non-Imperial Robes enemies of varying classes. I've lost six. All have been against swashbucklers with the Imperial Robes. I've lost within seven rounds on every match despite my frequent usage of Valor's Armor, Valor's Fortress and Leviathan's Call.

If anyone has any answers, PLEASE share them.

Thanks.

Pirate Overlord
Mar 16, 2012
10631
AlphaWolf02 on Aug 20, 2015 wrote:
This ability is the single most overpowered ability in the entire history of the game by a large margin. It is the only ability that has ever existed that allows you to win an entire match almost instantly with absolutely no downsides. It creates a group of nine terror-cotta warriors with seven hundred health each, that all possess (in my experience) multiple Brutal Charges and a Leviathan's Call. This makes for a total of 12600 damage minimum output to completely destroy them. This also means that they have the ability to reduce everyone on your teams' accuracy to effectively zero for five rounds. Each of the nine summoned Terror Cotta Warriors has Hold the Line Three, preventing your group from moving and halving their dodge. With one power, your opponent eliminates your and your companions' accuracy for five rounds and halves your dodge while immobilizing you.
This allows for a perfect game if a Swashbuckler gets the Imperial Robes.
Round One: Black Fog, agility buff from Fan, accuracy/dodge buff from Toro. Round one is done.

Round Two: Terror Cotta Troupe, use any other buffs such as Shadowdance. Round two is done.

Round Three: Super Strike/Assassin's Strike enemy for a total of roughly 7200 damage. Relentless untill all are dead.

This is an insanely unbalancing move, and one that necessitates farming the Tower for this one piece of gear. I have played eighteen Ranked PvP matches. All have been 1v1. I've won twelve. All of these matches have been against non-Imperial Robes enemies of varying classes. I've lost six. All have been against swashbucklers with the Imperial Robes. I've lost within seven rounds on every match despite my frequent usage of Valor's Armor, Valor's Fortress and Leviathan's Call.

If anyone has any answers, PLEASE share them.

Thanks.
I'm developing a strategy for fighting the terror-cotta as a buckler, and have had some preliminary success ( it still has a few problems ) but unlike some, I'm doing my testing in the 1v1 ranked pvp and not housing arenas.
first thing to remember is - DO NOT FOG!
If you use fog the cotta will either attack obstacles or ( and this is more likely to happen ) they will Levi and you don't want them to do that.
My choice of companions - El Toro, Ratbeard and Bonnie Anne
when the cotta are placed you use Gunnery. Ratbeard uses his damage reduction, use El Toro's buff.
The cotta will then move toward you, and you have time to use a fort or armor on yourself. Place RB at the head where his HL3 is most effective, move Bonnie Anne to the back, move El Toro behind RB.
The next turn should bring the cotta close enough for Bonnie to use scatter shot, reducing their accuracy and dodge. you use hurl knives reducing movement and doing AOE damage.
Then the cotta those who miss RB's HL3 will be among you, but they will be badly damaged and you can easily defeat a couple causing an explosion/chain reaction destroying the rest.
Of course, Jonny Pirate will not be sitting on his hands while this is going on and it all depends on what class of pirate Jonny is.
Musketeers will be using Chantal's sniper shot against you ( that's why you need to fort ).
Witchdoctors will be using their best distance powers, so be prepared for Mournsong, Soul Reaver or Ghost Wail. Some have wands that have a ridiculous range. so those mojo storms will be doing damage.
to be continued.

Pirate Overlord
Mar 16, 2012
10631
AlphaWolf02 on Aug 20, 2015 wrote:
This ability is the single most overpowered ability in the entire history of the game by a large margin. It is the only ability that has ever existed that allows you to win an entire match almost instantly with absolutely no downsides. It creates a group of nine terror-cotta warriors with seven hundred health each, that all possess (in my experience) multiple Brutal Charges and a Leviathan's Call. This makes for a total of 12600 damage minimum output to completely destroy them. This also means that they have the ability to reduce everyone on your teams' accuracy to effectively zero for five rounds. Each of the nine summoned Terror Cotta Warriors has Hold the Line Three, preventing your group from moving and halving their dodge. With one power, your opponent eliminates your and your companions' accuracy for five rounds and halves your dodge while immobilizing you.
This allows for a perfect game if a Swashbuckler gets the Imperial Robes.
Round One: Black Fog, agility buff from Fan, accuracy/dodge buff from Toro. Round one is done.

Round Two: Terror Cotta Troupe, use any other buffs such as Shadowdance. Round two is done.

Round Three: Super Strike/Assassin's Strike enemy for a total of roughly 7200 damage. Relentless untill all are dead.

This is an insanely unbalancing move, and one that necessitates farming the Tower for this one piece of gear. I have played eighteen Ranked PvP matches. All have been 1v1. I've won twelve. All of these matches have been against non-Imperial Robes enemies of varying classes. I've lost six. All have been against swashbucklers with the Imperial Robes. I've lost within seven rounds on every match despite my frequent usage of Valor's Armor, Valor's Fortress and Leviathan's Call.

If anyone has any answers, PLEASE share them.

Thanks.
Continuing:
Privateers, need I say more? This is the class that the cotta really work for and this is the class where my strategy won't work. In their case I will buff, fort then fog and flipping charge that annoying robe abuser.
Buccaneers will be taking the time to buff and shield, if your a swashbuckler, as soon as you see him making his move across the board, fog and charge him!
Another Buckler if they fog, fog yourself. and take time to use any further shields or buffs.
I know this isn't perfect, or consistent but it seems to me to be working toward a solution.

Gunner's Mate
Jun 22, 2011
208
It's quite a good strategy, except for the minor issue that once you've defeated the Terror-Cottas, you have Bonnie and Ratbeard which may not be optimal for a buckler team. I can see this working very well for a witchdoctor or musketeer, though. Also, what if the enemy in question decides to attack you at the same time as the Troupe? A swashbuckler's 7200 damage spike from all companions in conjunction with the Troupe would not be pretty. I think the optimal solution may be to either remove both Charges and Leviathan's Call in addition to HTL3, or make the Imperial Robes nonPvP. They provide too much of advantage to the players with them over the player without, making PvP more of a burden than it should be and taking away all the enjoyment from it.

Developer
1) We're trying some changes to tone down the Robes, but it doesn't look like any of the fixes are working as intended.

2) That notwithstanding: Set aside the Robe for a moment, then take your pick of other rare, high-level gear. It WILL provide a huge advantage to players who have it versus players who don't.

Investing time and effort into the PvE experience to farm for the best gear is assumed in the game balance. If you don't want to farm for the best gear, you are choosing to limit your advancement in the ranks.

While we agree that no single piece of gear should attain "must-have" status, we also have no intent of putting just anybody with bargain-bin gear on the same footing as people who worked to prepare themselves to compete at the highest level.

People with average gear will tend to limit themselves to the tier of other players of average skill or average gear. People with above average gear can maybe punch above their weight class against more skilled opponents.

But the top tiers of play will be dominated by players with above average gear and above average skill. Achieving either of those things requires effort, and effort is rewarded.

PvP is just like other competitive pursuits in that respect.

Lieutenant
Feb 02, 2013
119
AlphaWolf02 on Aug 20, 2015 wrote:
This ability is the single most overpowered ability in the entire history of the game by a large margin. It is the only ability that has ever existed that allows you to win an entire match almost instantly with absolutely no downsides. It creates a group of nine terror-cotta warriors with seven hundred health each, that all possess (in my experience) multiple Brutal Charges and a Leviathan's Call. This makes for a total of 12600 damage minimum output to completely destroy them. This also means that they have the ability to reduce everyone on your teams' accuracy to effectively zero for five rounds. Each of the nine summoned Terror Cotta Warriors has Hold the Line Three, preventing your group from moving and halving their dodge. With one power, your opponent eliminates your and your companions' accuracy for five rounds and halves your dodge while immobilizing you.
This allows for a perfect game if a Swashbuckler gets the Imperial Robes.
Round One: Black Fog, agility buff from Fan, accuracy/dodge buff from Toro. Round one is done.

Round Two: Terror Cotta Troupe, use any other buffs such as Shadowdance. Round two is done.

Round Three: Super Strike/Assassin's Strike enemy for a total of roughly 7200 damage. Relentless untill all are dead.

This is an insanely unbalancing move, and one that necessitates farming the Tower for this one piece of gear. I have played eighteen Ranked PvP matches. All have been 1v1. I've won twelve. All of these matches have been against non-Imperial Robes enemies of varying classes. I've lost six. All have been against swashbucklers with the Imperial Robes. I've lost within seven rounds on every match despite my frequent usage of Valor's Armor, Valor's Fortress and Leviathan's Call.

If anyone has any answers, PLEASE share them.

Thanks.
Bucklers and Moo robes together are not fun, but you seem to be primarily addressing the issue as for the Moo robes. I personally have a couple of strategies that work through trial and error. Note that Moo's robes are bugged(as the multiple charges) and the Ai needs some work(not being able to move first turn will allow it to have "nothing better to do") so I will simply use counters as if the robes worked as intended:

Non-specific counters: -Levy does not block everything, if you train gunnery you can take about 1/3 of their overall health, same can be said w/ mojo blast. If you have high range, you could invest in a mojo storm which can take about 75% of their hp away. -Technomage glasses are a good counter, just play it after their initial charges. -You technically can purge the levy away if it is that much of an issue. Using the Repel line(and their ranged counterparts) can kill some before they can get to use their charges. You could also bring your own moo robes as well.

counters: I don't have much experience here, but from what I have seen their specific counters are limited. Basically, buff your companions up and power through it, or charge in before they play the Moo robes. After cottas are up, don't try to charge in, as HtL3 will stop you.
counters: Big Guns and bring Marchioness(free dispel ). you could also defensive stack if you fear an attack from the opponent on top of the cottas.
counters: dodge buff and wait out the debuffs. use shadowdance/knives to not waste main powers
counters: AoE spam. they can't tank through because as stated, levy can't block everything. They get distracted by other minions(hoplites, scorpions, pets, etc.)
counters: these are by far the easiest class to counter these with. Basically, the only go the easiest route: place bombs on that path(and any other traps you can find) and w/ and overwatch team, you will be able to take out most of them.

There will be circumstances, but this should work out for the most part

Pirate Overlord
Mar 16, 2012
10631
AlphaWolf02 on Aug 20, 2015 wrote:
It's quite a good strategy, except for the minor issue that once you've defeated the Terror-Cottas, you have Bonnie and Ratbeard which may not be optimal for a buckler team. I can see this working very well for a witchdoctor or musketeer, though. Also, what if the enemy in question decides to attack you at the same time as the Troupe? A swashbuckler's 7200 damage spike from all companions in conjunction with the Troupe would not be pretty. I think the optimal solution may be to either remove both Charges and Leviathan's Call in addition to HTL3, or make the Imperial Robes nonPvP. They provide too much of advantage to the players with them over the player without, making PvP more of a burden than it should be and taking away all the enjoyment from it.
I completely agree. AlphaWolf. They should have the charge and levi removed - this still leaves them with HL3, Cheap Shot and their explosions, they would still be viable gear for players in PVP. Of course the best thing would be to ban them since the other Moo gear is banned and those would be excellent counters to the Cotta if allowed.

Lieutenant
Jun 09, 2013
159
Possibly Effective Strategy Which Addresses Most of Your Problems

NOTE: This strategy has not been tested, but was just something I threw together. I apologize if it does not work for you (if you so wish to test it) or if someone else voiced the same or a similar strategy before I had (and if this is the case, I’m not trying to steal credit from you).

Required Companions:
  • Egg Shen (or Zang Cha) w/ First Strike 3
  • Bonnie Anne w/ Overwatch 3
  • Ratbeard w/ First Strike 3 and Hold the Line 3

Required Abilities:
  • Dispel Magic ability (available through Technomage’s Glasses)

Required Pet:
  • Any w/ Scent, Scent 2, or Scent 3


After The Terror-Cotta Troupe have dealt their damage, use Dispel Magic (to remove the Reduce Accuracy that ails you so) then use Ratbeard to knock them back with his Clear the Decks.

*You can use Bonnie Anne’s Scatter Blast beforehand, but for best results, just have her attack the same target as Egg Shen/Zang Cha (as the reduce dodge can be better used on Swashbuckler units or whomever the Swashbuckler’s team includes and attacking the same target as Egg Shen/Zang Cha will heighten the chances of getting rid of one or multiple enemy summons).

When the Troupe returns, they will no longer pose much of a threat.

Companions with First Strike 3 and the pet with Scent will take care of those hidden by Black Fog (or hidden at all, for that matter).

Ensign
Nov 29, 2013
18
I agree with the robe being to over powered I've done 20 matches 17/20 matches have been fought vs the robe
Either being summoned round 1 or 2d which for me is buckler Is ok but if for instance fog doesn't show my team and me are practically done on health... All my team gets to yellow in 2 rounds I heard the fix on them of less charges and I tested it and there is no difference with charges or levy they will levy full health. Other then them hitting when my pirate is in elusive 3 at 240 dodge. I say the robe should be banned in rank just like the rest of the items were banned or allow the other items as well to balance

Pirate Overlord
Mar 16, 2012
10631
I beat a buckler who used the Moo Robes
I used my strategy in the above post with my team of El Toro, Bonnie Anne & Ratbeard. His team was El Toro, Fan, and Yagi.
In the end my poison and assassin strike wore him down, even with his fort. And when his debuffs and shroud wore off, I knew I could win. hide and revive then rally. I then was able to defeat fan, el toro and yagi ( in that order. )

Commodore
Feb 02, 2013
838
Ruthless Jack Jack... on Aug 20, 2015 wrote:
Possibly Effective Strategy Which Addresses Most of Your Problems

NOTE: This strategy has not been tested, but was just something I threw together. I apologize if it does not work for you (if you so wish to test it) or if someone else voiced the same or a similar strategy before I had (and if this is the case, I’m not trying to steal credit from you).

Required Companions:
  • Egg Shen (or Zang Cha) w/ First Strike 3
  • Bonnie Anne w/ Overwatch 3
  • Ratbeard w/ First Strike 3 and Hold the Line 3

Required Abilities:
  • Dispel Magic ability (available through Technomage’s Glasses)

Required Pet:
  • Any w/ Scent, Scent 2, or Scent 3


After The Terror-Cotta Troupe have dealt their damage, use Dispel Magic (to remove the Reduce Accuracy that ails you so) then use Ratbeard to knock them back with his Clear the Decks.

*You can use Bonnie Anne’s Scatter Blast beforehand, but for best results, just have her attack the same target as Egg Shen/Zang Cha (as the reduce dodge can be better used on Swashbuckler units or whomever the Swashbuckler’s team includes and attacking the same target as Egg Shen/Zang Cha will heighten the chances of getting rid of one or multiple enemy summons).

When the Troupe returns, they will no longer pose much of a threat.

Companions with First Strike 3 and the pet with Scent will take care of those hidden by Black Fog (or hidden at all, for that matter).
The geese cant train fs 3

Ensign
Dec 12, 2012
10
There is pet ability that may also help with destroying the terra cotta warriors. I havn't really seen anyone use it other then myself.

Sweet meteor of doom, it damages all summoned pets & summons, hope this info helps you

Gunner's Mate
Jun 22, 2011
208
Ratbeard on Aug 20, 2015 wrote:
1) We're trying some changes to tone down the Robes, but it doesn't look like any of the fixes are working as intended.

2) That notwithstanding: Set aside the Robe for a moment, then take your pick of other rare, high-level gear. It WILL provide a huge advantage to players who have it versus players who don't.

Investing time and effort into the PvE experience to farm for the best gear is assumed in the game balance. If you don't want to farm for the best gear, you are choosing to limit your advancement in the ranks.

While we agree that no single piece of gear should attain "must-have" status, we also have no intent of putting just anybody with bargain-bin gear on the same footing as people who worked to prepare themselves to compete at the highest level.

People with average gear will tend to limit themselves to the tier of other players of average skill or average gear. People with above average gear can maybe punch above their weight class against more skilled opponents.

But the top tiers of play will be dominated by players with above average gear and above average skill. Achieving either of those things requires effort, and effort is rewarded.

PvP is just like other competitive pursuits in that respect.
To address 1: Is there a manner in which the Robe differs from other pieces of gear in your ability to change the statistics of it and the Troupe? If you wanted to change the Boarding Knives to do 240 base damage instead of 217, could you do it that relatively easily, or is it a long process that involves more work than a simple StatisticDamage adjust from 217 to 240? Is there a Property:HasLeviathansCall Yes:No function?

To address 2: That's the thing about the Robe. It has attained must-have status. It is so ridiculously powerful that the very threat of fighting against it causes players to switch companions, gear and powers. Look at all the suggestions for fighting the Robe! They all involve switching companions to less powerful more specialized ones because the threat of fighting against the Robe makes it impossible to effectively do otherwise. There is no strategy against it that works while also allowing the use of effective powers and top tier companions suiting your play style meaning that if the other person has the robe you are at a disadvantage regardless of the match. The only way to remove that disadvantage is to have the Robe, as the two robes balance each other out. This robe is indeed a "must-have" item. I believe it should be banned from PvP. While I agree players who don't have the same gear level shouldn't be on equal footing, I think it should be possible to participate successfully in PvP without the hours of farming that come with it, albeit not on a champion's level.

Gunner's Mate
Jun 22, 2011
208
Ruthless Jack Jack... on Aug 20, 2015 wrote:
Possibly Effective Strategy Which Addresses Most of Your Problems

NOTE: This strategy has not been tested, but was just something I threw together. I apologize if it does not work for you (if you so wish to test it) or if someone else voiced the same or a similar strategy before I had (and if this is the case, I’m not trying to steal credit from you).

Required Companions:
  • Egg Shen (or Zang Cha) w/ First Strike 3
  • Bonnie Anne w/ Overwatch 3
  • Ratbeard w/ First Strike 3 and Hold the Line 3

Required Abilities:
  • Dispel Magic ability (available through Technomage’s Glasses)

Required Pet:
  • Any w/ Scent, Scent 2, or Scent 3


After The Terror-Cotta Troupe have dealt their damage, use Dispel Magic (to remove the Reduce Accuracy that ails you so) then use Ratbeard to knock them back with his Clear the Decks.

*You can use Bonnie Anne’s Scatter Blast beforehand, but for best results, just have her attack the same target as Egg Shen/Zang Cha (as the reduce dodge can be better used on Swashbuckler units or whomever the Swashbuckler’s team includes and attacking the same target as Egg Shen/Zang Cha will heighten the chances of getting rid of one or multiple enemy summons).

When the Troupe returns, they will no longer pose much of a threat.

Companions with First Strike 3 and the pet with Scent will take care of those hidden by Black Fog (or hidden at all, for that matter).
So basically, use Dispel Magic after they've hit you with Vicious Charge and then whack them into the ground?

Lieutenant
Jun 09, 2013
159
zuto4011a on Aug 21, 2015 wrote:
The geese cant train fs 3
Oops! Thanks for bringing this to my attention!

Gunner's Mate
Jun 22, 2011
208
Spiffykelsey on Aug 21, 2015 wrote:
There is pet ability that may also help with destroying the terra cotta warriors. I havn't really seen anyone use it other then myself.

Sweet meteor of doom, it damages all summoned pets & summons, hope this info helps you
If you could get the name of this ability it would be appreciated.

Pirate Overlord
Mar 16, 2012
10631
AlphaWolf02 on Aug 21, 2015 wrote:
To address 1: Is there a manner in which the Robe differs from other pieces of gear in your ability to change the statistics of it and the Troupe? If you wanted to change the Boarding Knives to do 240 base damage instead of 217, could you do it that relatively easily, or is it a long process that involves more work than a simple StatisticDamage adjust from 217 to 240? Is there a Property:HasLeviathansCall Yes:No function?

To address 2: That's the thing about the Robe. It has attained must-have status. It is so ridiculously powerful that the very threat of fighting against it causes players to switch companions, gear and powers. Look at all the suggestions for fighting the Robe! They all involve switching companions to less powerful more specialized ones because the threat of fighting against the Robe makes it impossible to effectively do otherwise. There is no strategy against it that works while also allowing the use of effective powers and top tier companions suiting your play style meaning that if the other person has the robe you are at a disadvantage regardless of the match. The only way to remove that disadvantage is to have the Robe, as the two robes balance each other out. This robe is indeed a "must-have" item. I believe it should be banned from PvP. While I agree players who don't have the same gear level shouldn't be on equal footing, I think it should be possible to participate successfully in PvP without the hours of farming that come with it, albeit not on a champion's level.
Excuse me, in what way is El Toro, Ratbeard or Bonnie Anne "less powerful" or not "top tier"? These companions are all in my top tier and work with my play style. Toro gives me a necessary buff, Anne delivers a nice de-buff. Ratbeard with HL3, FS3, Repel Boarders2 and bladestorm is a force to be reckoned with, its not surprising to me that most players identify him as the threat to be neutralized.
I never cared to use Fan Flanders as she is too squishy for many battles. I used to use Nausica, but its hard to keep her "on target" and I was always worried about whether it was worth giving her a fort or not. Likewise Sarah is extremely squishy. So is Itzen Kaan ( tribal pack aztecosaur ) despite his Rally heal and his own buff. I prefer to save these last listed for PVE situations.
The companions I've chosen are versatile and able to be used in many situations. As to whether the robe is a "must have" I have proven it can be beaten. You just need to work out a strategy that suits your class.

Ensign
Nov 29, 2013
18
anecorbie on Aug 21, 2015 wrote:
I beat a buckler who used the Moo Robes
I used my strategy in the above post with my team of El Toro, Bonnie Anne & Ratbeard. His team was El Toro, Fan, and Yagi.
In the end my poison and assassin strike wore him down, even with his fort. And when his debuffs and shroud wore off, I knew I could win. hide and revive then rally. I then was able to defeat fan, el toro and yagi ( in that order. )
You could do that but only possibly vs other swashbucklers but what if they were muskets or witches? Your companions would get Gg by range attacks such as bombs or storms and your companions would be able to but besides maybe Bonnie but would highly doubt because of overwatch being triggered by the terra them selfs

Ensign
Nov 29, 2013
18
Ratbeard on Aug 20, 2015 wrote:
1) We're trying some changes to tone down the Robes, but it doesn't look like any of the fixes are working as intended.

2) That notwithstanding: Set aside the Robe for a moment, then take your pick of other rare, high-level gear. It WILL provide a huge advantage to players who have it versus players who don't.

Investing time and effort into the PvE experience to farm for the best gear is assumed in the game balance. If you don't want to farm for the best gear, you are choosing to limit your advancement in the ranks.

While we agree that no single piece of gear should attain "must-have" status, we also have no intent of putting just anybody with bargain-bin gear on the same footing as people who worked to prepare themselves to compete at the highest level.

People with average gear will tend to limit themselves to the tier of other players of average skill or average gear. People with above average gear can maybe punch above their weight class against more skilled opponents.

But the top tiers of play will be dominated by players with above average gear and above average skill. Achieving either of those things requires effort, and effort is rewarded.

PvP is just like other competitive pursuits in that respect.
I was probably the 3d best player I. The whole game in pvp even before rank came out and never used moo robe and when fighting against it was a real struggle I farmed that robe over 200 runs and hitting the 2nd chance chest and never got a single robe from it until now I've never lost to such low skilled players and due to. That robe in rank I've lost 2 matches completely won by that robe... There should be huge fix on it as soon as possible or ban it like the rest of the gear or allowe at least blood flames to counter the terra.

Developer
AlphaWolf02 on Aug 21, 2015 wrote:
To address 1: Is there a manner in which the Robe differs from other pieces of gear in your ability to change the statistics of it and the Troupe? If you wanted to change the Boarding Knives to do 240 base damage instead of 217, could you do it that relatively easily, or is it a long process that involves more work than a simple StatisticDamage adjust from 217 to 240? Is there a Property:HasLeviathansCall Yes:No function?

To address 2: That's the thing about the Robe. It has attained must-have status. It is so ridiculously powerful that the very threat of fighting against it causes players to switch companions, gear and powers. Look at all the suggestions for fighting the Robe! They all involve switching companions to less powerful more specialized ones because the threat of fighting against the Robe makes it impossible to effectively do otherwise. There is no strategy against it that works while also allowing the use of effective powers and top tier companions suiting your play style meaning that if the other person has the robe you are at a disadvantage regardless of the match. The only way to remove that disadvantage is to have the Robe, as the two robes balance each other out. This robe is indeed a "must-have" item. I believe it should be banned from PvP. While I agree players who don't have the same gear level shouldn't be on equal footing, I think it should be possible to participate successfully in PvP without the hours of farming that come with it, albeit not on a champion's level.
re: 1, we have all sorts of tools in place to change powers, from simple to complex (these are simple). Those tools, already well established and working, were used to tone down the robes. And yet those tools are not working in this case.

Bugs. Go figure.

Gunner's Mate
Jun 22, 2011
208
anecorbie on Aug 21, 2015 wrote:
Excuse me, in what way is El Toro, Ratbeard or Bonnie Anne "less powerful" or not "top tier"? These companions are all in my top tier and work with my play style. Toro gives me a necessary buff, Anne delivers a nice de-buff. Ratbeard with HL3, FS3, Repel Boarders2 and bladestorm is a force to be reckoned with, its not surprising to me that most players identify him as the threat to be neutralized.
I never cared to use Fan Flanders as she is too squishy for many battles. I used to use Nausica, but its hard to keep her "on target" and I was always worried about whether it was worth giving her a fort or not. Likewise Sarah is extremely squishy. So is Itzen Kaan ( tribal pack aztecosaur ) despite his Rally heal and his own buff. I prefer to save these last listed for PVE situations.
The companions I've chosen are versatile and able to be used in many situations. As to whether the robe is a "must have" I have proven it can be beaten. You just need to work out a strategy that suits your class.
The Robe is a must-have item because it requires the changing of companions to others who while may be top-tier, would not fit at all into a pirate's playstyle. The only way to circumvent this companion change is to get the robe yourself. As most players would not like Ratbeard, an extremely defensive companion, on their swashbuckler team, they have to go get the Robe themselves. This makes it so there are then more Robes floating around in PvP and more people frustrated about the Robe who go and get it and frustrate other people who go and get the Robe. It's a never ending cycle and one that can only be stopped by fixing the Robe.

Is there any other item in the game that you need to create a strategy just to beat? Any single item?

Developer
AlphaWolf02 on Aug 23, 2015 wrote:
The Robe is a must-have item because it requires the changing of companions to others who while may be top-tier, would not fit at all into a pirate's playstyle. The only way to circumvent this companion change is to get the robe yourself. As most players would not like Ratbeard, an extremely defensive companion, on their swashbuckler team, they have to go get the Robe themselves. This makes it so there are then more Robes floating around in PvP and more people frustrated about the Robe who go and get it and frustrate other people who go and get the Robe. It's a never ending cycle and one that can only be stopped by fixing the Robe.

Is there any other item in the game that you need to create a strategy just to beat? Any single item?
Is there any other item in the game that you need to create a strategy just to beat? Any single item?

I can almost guarantee that there will always be at least one such item.

Most players are not particularly creative. They will catch wind of "the uber strat" and just mindlessly go with what they think is an easy win.

When Moo's Robe is brought into line, watch this forum for the next "urgent problem." (Will it be the Beast Banner? Baar himself? Nausicaa? Tune in to find out!)

Looking into my designer crystal ball, I foresee an endless game of whack-a-mole, trying to nerf the current best item/power/companion in the game (or whatever scapegoat players settle on for their losses).

Lieutenant
Feb 13, 2013
143
Ratbeard on Aug 24, 2015 wrote:
Is there any other item in the game that you need to create a strategy just to beat? Any single item?

I can almost guarantee that there will always be at least one such item.

Most players are not particularly creative. They will catch wind of "the uber strat" and just mindlessly go with what they think is an easy win.

When Moo's Robe is brought into line, watch this forum for the next "urgent problem." (Will it be the Beast Banner? Baar himself? Nausicaa? Tune in to find out!)

Looking into my designer crystal ball, I foresee an endless game of whack-a-mole, trying to nerf the current best item/power/companion in the game (or whatever scapegoat players settle on for their losses).
Or you could ban the robe witch would not only help ranked pvp but also save you lots of time.

Lieutenant
May 09, 2013
157
Ratbeard on Aug 24, 2015 wrote:
Is there any other item in the game that you need to create a strategy just to beat? Any single item?

I can almost guarantee that there will always be at least one such item.

Most players are not particularly creative. They will catch wind of "the uber strat" and just mindlessly go with what they think is an easy win.

When Moo's Robe is brought into line, watch this forum for the next "urgent problem." (Will it be the Beast Banner? Baar himself? Nausicaa? Tune in to find out!)

Looking into my designer crystal ball, I foresee an endless game of whack-a-mole, trying to nerf the current best item/power/companion in the game (or whatever scapegoat players settle on for their losses).
I predict a logarithmic decrease in complaints with each ranked update.

Then charming gaze enters the arena and everyone freaks out about masque of the lotus, with good reason.

Lieutenant
Nov 26, 2010
163
Ratbeard on Aug 20, 2015 wrote:
1) We're trying some changes to tone down the Robes, but it doesn't look like any of the fixes are working as intended.

2) That notwithstanding: Set aside the Robe for a moment, then take your pick of other rare, high-level gear. It WILL provide a huge advantage to players who have it versus players who don't.

Investing time and effort into the PvE experience to farm for the best gear is assumed in the game balance. If you don't want to farm for the best gear, you are choosing to limit your advancement in the ranks.

While we agree that no single piece of gear should attain "must-have" status, we also have no intent of putting just anybody with bargain-bin gear on the same footing as people who worked to prepare themselves to compete at the highest level.

People with average gear will tend to limit themselves to the tier of other players of average skill or average gear. People with above average gear can maybe punch above their weight class against more skilled opponents.

But the top tiers of play will be dominated by players with above average gear and above average skill. Achieving either of those things requires effort, and effort is rewarded.

PvP is just like other competitive pursuits in that respect.
I completely agree,

Is the Moo Robe as it is OP? Absolutely with the fact there powers REGENERATE one the changes to Moo Robe Ratbeard INTENDED are applied and work as according to plan it will still be an amazing MUST HAVE item currently in THIS META but that does not mean people who farm it will get an auto win, there are currently (That I know) 4 people who've made it to Champion w/ out Moo Robe (By the time this is posted most likely 5) who have gotten to Champion w/ out Moo Robe (Including my Buccaneer) so it's not impossible it just takes skill, time, effort, and persistence.