Objective Meridian, Republic issue

[Shipwright]

I am baffled. Been playing MMO's for years and I am no stranger to game mechanics etc. Yet, I have been stymied by the final boss in a simple story flashpoint.

 

Also, something definitely seems "off" with the flashpoint.

 

In short, as a jedi sage, I fight Malgus and within 1 minute something bizarre happens. I float slowly upwards, the screens goes black, and I am defeated.

 

No cast bar/channel to interrupt, no AOE to run out of. It is like an instant, no cast or channel time, one hit kill.

 

Can't be. I have to be missing something.

 

So, I watched several videos of the fight. It is a different fight, not the fights I see in the videos. In the videos, the only similar feature is Malgus's "shockwave" cast attack, a short abrupt knockback that can be interrupted ( provided your interrupt is not on cooldown).

The similarity ends there. Not one player was slowly lifted up, fade to back, and defeated. Also, in the videos, Malgus summons "shades of malgus", clones of malgus to be defeated. I never had to fight these, Malgus never summoned any.

 

What is it I am missing?

 

The FP is very buggy for me, for what it's worth. Arn and Tau frequently do not fight/participate ( easily 50% of the time).

 

Anyway, what is it that I am missing? I have done group content in MMO's for years, and in swtor since slightly after launch. How the hell can this simple story mission be such a mystery?

[Crystal_Mind]

Before I speculate further, some things you didn't mention:
1.) What level are you?
2.) What level is your gear?

You are penalized for being undergeared relative to your actual level when downscaled, so some mechanics and attacks can become oneshots that are not otherwise likely to have that effect.

Nothing you describe sounds similar to anything I've seen in game, so if you are geared appropriately, a video might be appreciated.

[Shipwright]

9 hours ago, Crystal_Mind said:

Before I speculate further, some things you didn't mention:
1.) What level are you?
2.) What level is your gear?

You are penalized for being undergeared relative to your actual level when downscaled, so some mechanics and attacks can become oneshots that are not otherwise likely to have that effect.

Nothing you describe sounds similar to anything I've seen in game, so if you are geared appropriately, a video might be appreciated.

Hey, thanks for taking the time to reply.

As to level and gear, I first did the FP at level 77 with gear varying from 270 to 284. Last attempt ( before I gave up out of disgust) was level 80, 324 gear.

As you mentioned, nothing I see matches anything I have ever seen in the game. It baffles me. I have not made a video in many years, I'd have to get video capture software and get up to speed with the software again.

Without video, this is the best description of what happens:

While fighting Malgus, my character is almost gently lifted upwards off the platform. As my character ascends, the screen rapidly fades to black, and I am defeated.

I can see no cast bar or channeled ability to interrupt. I see no AOE to run out of. And again, my fight appears to be very different from the fights of others I have watched on Youtube. Others have to fight "Shades of Malgus"; in my fight Malgus never summons them. I see no other player being gently lifted up off the platform by an unseen force, having their screen fade to black, and then defeat.

Since it is a story FP, I cannot bring a friend along with me to observe. Moronic design decision; an MMO where I cannot play the game with a friend? 

11 years of playing this game and have never seen anything like this. I have done Operations, FPs, almost always as a healer, I am very familiar with game and class mechanics so I find this very baffling. I am by no means new to this.

 

 

Edited March 17, 2023 by Shipwright
typo

[HypSpec]

Definitely sounds buggy to me. I have never experienced anything like that and done it a ton of times. The comps have often been sitting there but only for a few moments, or I can't see them but know they are dpsing/healing. The screen should have a black shroud effect when the shades show up (along with muffling the sounds), but the floating up to defeat, never, that's whack.

Maybe try to switch things up a bit? Aggro but pause before you start jamming dps. In managing the comp issue, maybe have them attack first. Maybe also be off center (but not edge) of the platform before shroud phase starts?

Good luck.

[Shipwright]

7 hours ago, HypSpec said:

Definitely sounds buggy to me. I have never experienced anything like that and done it a ton of times. The comps have often been sitting there but only for a few moments, or I can't see them but know they are dpsing/healing. The screen should have a black shroud effect when the shades show up (along with muffling the sounds), but the floating up to defeat, never, that's whack.

Maybe try to switch things up a bit? Aggro but pause before you start jamming dps. In managing the comp issue, maybe have them attack first. Maybe also be off center (but not edge) of the platform before shroud phase starts?

Good luck.

Thank you for your reply!

Here are the things I have done trying to figure out this freak show I see in my instance.

First, whenever I see a fight on a platform, I am exceedingly cautious. I know somewhere on the design team is a dev who giddily awaits the opportunity to blast an unaware player off the edge. Malgus has a short, abrupt knockback, a conal attack that tracks with the target. It can be interrupted if your interrupt is not on CD. So I always am trying to position myself so that I have the greatest amount of space behind me. If I get caught in that, I will have the greatest amount of space possible behind me. 

So, I have played this fight as all Sage specs. Doesn't make that much difference really. In the end, the results are identical. I float upwards slowly off the platform, the screen rapidly fades to black, and boom I am defeated. Like I said, no cast to interrupt, no AOE to avoid.

I have dismissed and summoned Arn to try to snap him out of it. Sometimes it works, others it does not. Tau is beyond player control but she is generally better than Arn.

I noticed that "shroud" effect in the Youtube videos I watched. I never see it in my fight as Malgus never summons his shades. 

As you say, it is whack. I have UBER casual friends in game, they just spam attacks when playing, no care for learning rotations, no real concern for boss mechanics, and they waltzed through this on the 1st try.

It has been a while since I tried again as I am so frustrated by what should be extremely simple. Going through the whole thing to reach Malgus only to have this happen each time is very unappealing.

I did try leaving my character parked in the instance so I could relog later at the Malgus fight to figure out what is happening, but no good. I find myself outside the instance, but not at the very beginning when you are on the ship. The instance puts me at the point you arrive on Corellia and must fight through the whole thing again.

So tired of the mess that if I could just skip the whole thing and continue with the story I would but that is not allowed.

[Crystal_Mind]

13 hours ago, Shipwright said:

As to level and gear, I first did the FP at level 77 with gear varying from 270 to 284. Last attempt ( before I gave up out of disgust) was level 80, 324 gear.

Thanks for bearing with my questions. I'm with HypSpec, this sounds like the most bizarre of bizarre bugs. Out of curiosity, what does the defeat/combat log text say is killing you?

If you can capture video to confirm the bug (nvidia has a shadowplay feature that's handy for stuff like this), you might be able to appeal to Customer Service/Support to skip you past it, though that's iffy. I know they were doing it for the Cargo Loader droid on Manaan a while back.

I might have a sage close to that story beat. Might see if I can go in and replicate later this weekend; if I can, I'll let you know.

Edited March 17, 2023 by Crystal_Mind
additional info

[Shipwright]

Hey, thanks.

That is a question I have: has ANYONE in the game seen a duplicate of this freak show I experience?

I did not think to look at the damned combat log 😕

As distasteful as it is to me at this point, it may be necessary to go through the FP again and find out what the combat log says. What should be fun and entertaining, this FP has become tedious and aggravating, slogging through it only to meet this bizarre end.

[LD_Little_Dragon]

I've never seen anything like what you are describing and have done the story version, solo, vet, and mm version several times with multiple classes.

Have you tried repairing the game?  It could be a corrupted files issues (purely a guess).

There's also the 'lower your graphics settings' bit to try in case it's a graphics issue of some sort.

Also see if can you do it on another character if you have one high enough level.  You can do the solo (not story) version through the activity finder.  See if it's just your one char that is bugged.

 

 

[Shipwright]

14 minutes ago, LD_Little_Dragon said:

I've never seen anything like what you are describing and have done the story version, solo, vet, and mm version several times with multiple classes.

Have you tried repairing the game?  It could be a corrupted files issues (purely a guess).

There's also the 'lower your graphics settings' bit to try in case it's a graphics issue of some sort.

Also see if can you do it on another character if you have one high enough level.  You can do the solo (not story) version through the activity finder.  See if it's just your one char that is bugged.

 

 

I will try doing a repair and see what happens.

As to graphics, I was wondering this: could some AOE circle not be rendering for me? Am I standing in something I cannot see? Yet...nobody seems to ever experience what happens to me. Is it possible that I am the only one to make this mistake because I simply cannot see this particular AOE?

Activity Finder, I may be wrong but I do not think I saw it listed. I will have to check. I was under the impression that if I do not complete this story flashpoint, it is technically the end of the road for any more story progression, and I am unable to begin anything further.

Nobody can share their solo mode with me for example, several friends have tried.

[Shipwright]

I just checked, in Activity Finder, "Objective Meridian" is NOT there, I was correct. I am stuck with the solo-story mission which cannot even be abandoned if one wished to.

[LD_Little_Dragon]

1 hour ago, Shipwright said:

I just checked, in Activity Finder, "Objective Meridian" is NOT there, I was correct. I am stuck with the solo-story mission which cannot even be abandoned if one wished to.

That's because when you're in the middle of the storyline it's taken out of activity finder for that character.  Normally it shows up for level 75 and higher characters.  

The kotfe/et era that started the 'solo-story, no grouping allowed' bs with the newer flashpoints was a really bad design choice on bioware's part.

[Shipwright]

24 minutes ago, LD_Little_Dragon said:

That's because when you're in the middle of the storyline it's taken out of activity finder for that character.  Normally it shows up for level 75 and higher characters.  

The kotfe/et era that started the 'solo-story, no grouping allowed' bs with the newer flashpoints was a really bad design choice on bioware's part.

Yes, I agree. In an MMO, one may not group with a friend or friends? It even applies to the story instances often.  It is daft.

[Crystal_Mind]

23 hours ago, Shipwright said:

That is a question I have: has ANYONE in the game seen a duplicate of this freak show I experience?

So, I did have a sage at Objective Meridian. However, I was completely unable to replicate your experience. I engaged malgus with a minimum of dps. Arn and Tau quickly pushed him to shades of Malgus. I tried to 'wait out' the shades thinking there might be a hidden timer, and maybe they weren't rendering for you, but no dice. Ignoring the shades does nothing. You'll just sit there in stalemate forever.

So... I've got nothing. Game repair, check combat log, video if you can for the official bug report. If the problem persists, I'd strongly recommend contacting support with the evidence and see if they're willing to skip you past it.

[Shipwright]

1 hour ago, Crystal_Mind said:

So, I did have a sage at Objective Meridian. However, I was completely unable to replicate your experience. I engaged malgus with a minimum of dps. Arn and Tau quickly pushed him to shades of Malgus. I tried to 'wait out' the shades thinking there might be a hidden timer, and maybe they weren't rendering for you, but no dice. Ignoring the shades does nothing. You'll just sit there in stalemate forever.

So... I've got nothing. Game repair, check combat log, video if you can for the official bug report. If the problem persists, I'd strongly recommend contacting support with the evidence and see if they're willing to skip you past it.

 I tried the minimum dps at the start too. Dropped a DoT on him ( I tend to like the DoT specs for Boss fights), waited for Arn and Tau to start fighting. I began to do each attempt by being behind Malgus, wondering if I were somehow missing some kind of fatal force lift. So I stayed to his rear and held back dps  so as not to steal aggro from Tau ( easy to steal threat I think; happens often).

Just one of many approaches I have tried. But, no good. It happens every time. I never reach the "Shades of Malgus " stage, and always end up with that bizarre , almost gentle sort of force lift, fade to black, defeat.

Probably will be at the mercy of support, as you say.

Oh, and thanks for taking the time to explore this!

Edited March 18, 2023 by Shipwright
typo

[Shipwright]

So, I took a character into the so-called solo mode in activity finder; the fight is "normal", not the freak show my Sage experiences.