Balance Hard Mode Flashpoints

[Onashu]

I have been having a very, very difficult time with some hard mode flashpoints. I run with a group of three others that have been playing together since the launch of the game. We're all experienced players, and together we make a very formidable group of players (a juggernaut tank, an operative haler, a mercenary DPS, and an assassin DPS). We all have at least full 208 gear, and some 216 gear.

 

Despite all of this, we simply cannot beat some hard mode flashpoints, even though the recommended gear level is 200 for hard modes. We've tried over ten different flashpoints, and I've done a bit of research into the issue. It sounds like hard modes simply scaled poorly for 4.0. Some are ridiculously easy, and some are impossibly hard. Here are the flashpoints that we have been unable to beat, or even come close to beating:

 

• Red Reaper
  
• Depths of Manaan
  
• Legacy of the Rakata
  
• Blood Hunt
  
• Battle of Rishi
  

 

And here is the list of the hard modes that we've been able to complete, either no problem, or with a decent, reasonable challenge (most bosses took 1-5 tries to beat, but we eventually figured it out. That's what I typically expect from a hard mode flashpoint):

 

• The Black Talon
  
• The Foundry
  
• Mandalorian Raiders
  
• Cademimu
  

 

We've noticed that there's a pattern where the near-impossible hard modes are ones that were introduced with Shadow of Revan, or are new to 4.0 (Red Reaper).

 

I understand that a large majority of players have opted to do the daily story mode operation rather than hard mode flashpoints to gear up, and while my guild is interested in doing operations, we have a very strong desire to complete every single hard mode flashpoint there is.

 

I hope the dev team can look into balancing the hard modes, as it's started to get extremely discouraging to spend 3-4 hours in a hard mode flashpoint and still have to give up because the final boss is simply impossible to beat.

[fifthhorsmen]

red reaper isnt that hard did it with my guild without knowing any new tacs with2 mellee. the others are indeed hard but if youre skiled with good team not to hard only on i havent got is blood hunt Edited January 28, 2016 by fifthhorsmen

[branmakmuffin]

red reaper isnt that hard did it with my guild without knowing any new tacs with2 mellee. the others are indeed hard but if youre skiled with good team not to hard only on i havent got is blood hunt

I agree with the OP's assertion that some are ridiculously easy (e.g., Foundry, Directive 7) and at least one is ridiculously hard (Blood Hunt).

Edited January 28, 2016 by branmakmuffin

[Muljo_Stpho]

I think what they should've done with the 4.0 group finder overhaul is:

1) The scaling of the enemies in the hard mode flashpoints should have remained where it was (50 / 55 / 60 / 65).

2) Each HM should have a bolster up to a bare minimum for its intended level (maybe)

3) Each HM should have level sync down to its level (or down to 1 over its level)

4) The single unified hard mode queue is fine, but make 50HMs 50-65, 55HMs 55-65, 60HMs 60-65, and the 65HM 65 only.

 

There's some leeway built into that with level sync since accuracy, alacrity, critical, defense, shield, and absorb are not capped. (Mastery, endurance, power, max health, and weapon damage run into caps or get altered, but everything else is still allowed to grow through overgearing.)

 

There may be some hiccups though, so long as sync's kinks aren't worked out. (All temporary bonuses are currently accounted for before cutting values down to the cap, so differences from buffs, stims, adrenals, procs, etc. are not seen unless you were severely undergeared anyway. These effects ought to apply afterwards (either directly or scaled down in some way) and boost stats beyond the gear caps.)

 

(Similar suggestion goes for tacticals. Keep at originally designed levels. Bolster to level or to level+1. Sync to level+2 or to level+3. Gate access by minimums only (start 2-3 levels below designed level) but keep them available to all levels after that. The bars are of course looser when setting up the scaling here since it's not hard mode and isn't meant to be a massive challenge. (But then again, tactical mode shouldn't quite be easy mode either because solo mode is easy mode.))

 

But this format would have kept the scaling on all of the hard modes lined up (mostly) with what they were originally designed around instead of massively tinkering with the balances by rescaling everything up to 65. (It would also be more future-proofed. With everything scaled to 65, they must rescale everything again to 70 when the cap goes up to 70. With everything synced down to original levels, very little changes as players get to reach higher levels. (They just get the subtle bonus of being able to equip their secondary stats a bit higher.)

Edited January 28, 2016 by Muljo_Stpho

[trashy_spartan]

Despite all of this, we simply cannot beat some hard mode flashpoints, even though the recommended gear level is 200 for hard modes. We've tried over ten different flashpoints, and I've done a bit of research into the issue. It sounds like hard modes simply scaled poorly for 4.0. Some are ridiculously easy, and some are impossibly hard. Here are the flashpoints that we have been unable to beat, or even come close to beating:

 

• Red Reaper
  
• Depths of Manaan
  
• Legacy of the Rakata
  
• Blood Hunt
  
• Battle of Rishi
  

 

Impossibly hard? No, I've done them in 3 dps/1 healer as the healer (and no, my main is not a healer) and they were not impossible because we finished them (bonus bosses included). They're not very different from their SM/tactical version, they just have harder HPS/DPS check.

 

Red Reaper is as easy as its tactical version. ( Just one new mechanic on last boss)

Rakata was the easiest HM FP in 3.0 and is still one of the easiest now. (One new mechanic in rancor boss and last boss)

Manaan is a bit harder than tactical. ( One new mechanic in the first boss)

And Blood Hunt and Rishi don't have new mechanics, just harder DPS/HPS check. I must admit that Blood hunt 3.0 pre-nerf was *********** hard as hell but now it's fine.

 

If you die in the boss fight, it's most likely you are not following the mechanics properly and do what it's called "stand in stupid" or you don't know your class well enough or both.

 

And here is the list of the hard modes that we've been able to complete, either no problem, or with a decent, reasonable challenge (most bosses took 1-5 tries to beat, but we eventually figured it out. That's what I typically expect from a hard mode flashpoint):

 

• The Black Talon
  
• The Foundry
  
• Mandalorian Raiders
  
• Cademimu
  

 

These HM FPs are the same as the previous SM FPs were before 4.0. Same mechanics and really easy DPS/HPS check. In some way, they're not real HM FP.

 

I hope the dev team can look into balancing the hard modes, as it's started to get extremely discouraging to spend 3-4 hours in a hard mode flashpoint and still have to give up because the final boss is simply impossible to beat.

 

HM FP are fine as it is now. Some are easier than others but there is no reasons to nerf them the harder ones. None of them are impossible to beat. You just need to learn the mechanics and learn your class.