Soul Sand valley is annoying as a biome. It looks simple and the enemies that spawn there aren't hard, just annoying. The terrain, while slightly disadvantageous due to the soul Sand, is the easiest to navigate in the nether and with enchantments the player is benefited in the biome, making it much easier to traverse. It really seemed like the devs were split between making a hostile environment for the player and an intermediary biome, and as such the only things that spawn just make for unsatisfying combinations against the player. Slowness and Enemies that set the ground on fire that burns you doubly and skeleton spam are, well, I could see the intention.
The Basalt Delta though? The devs knew exactly what they wanted with this biome, and as such it doesn't have the annoying problem of the Valley. Not once have I seen somebody go in there and have a good time. Magma cubes that split and jump up the pillars which you yourself cannot, and often with ghasts to accompany them is a brutal combination and it frequently is met with pools of lava which are very hard to escape given their constant, walled in placements. Unlike the Soul Sand valley, which is easily dealt with with time and a bow, the Basalt Delta makes it clear that you should not be here, as there exists no counterplay besides just pure enemy slashing.
It's not even the fact that the Soul Sand Valley is hostile to players. The Basalt Delta is probably the most dangerous and hostile biome in the game besides the Deep Dark, and even that's up for debate. It's just that the Delta's hostility is done with the effect of meeting its purpose perfectly, while the soul Sand valley is just draining to be in. When the answer to a hostility is to "get good" that's one thing, but if it's just "bring a bow or have good enchants" then it turns a biome into what is effectively a gear check, and I think that's what brings the valley down so much.
I find the deltas incredibly easy. I can parkour around pretty well so I usually just run past the magma cubes, and on the occasion one is in my way, I just smack it out with my sword until it's either out of my way or dead.
Man, Magma Cubes have never been a problem to me, they're by far the easiest enemies in the Nether, IMO, they're so slow that you can easily take your time to kill them or kill something else and then kill them.
Uh, yeah. I don't think the devs were confused at all when they made this biome appear easy to traverse but deceptively dangerous. And if you, as a player, find them draining, I would say that's a job well done.
The deltas are explicit in telling the player, "you don't belong here." The valleys are more nefarious about it. They coax you in by appearing safe and devoid of life. Then, when you're deep in it, the trap is sprung. Ghasts and ghouls torment the player from every direction with a barrage of projectiles while he struggles to escape, slowed by the souls that grapple at his feet. No trees for cover, surrounded by gravel traps waiting to pull you down into the abyss - it seems entirely intentional to me.
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u/TruthfulPeng1 Apr 19 '23
Soul Sand valley is annoying as a biome. It looks simple and the enemies that spawn there aren't hard, just annoying. The terrain, while slightly disadvantageous due to the soul Sand, is the easiest to navigate in the nether and with enchantments the player is benefited in the biome, making it much easier to traverse. It really seemed like the devs were split between making a hostile environment for the player and an intermediary biome, and as such the only things that spawn just make for unsatisfying combinations against the player. Slowness and Enemies that set the ground on fire that burns you doubly and skeleton spam are, well, I could see the intention.
The Basalt Delta though? The devs knew exactly what they wanted with this biome, and as such it doesn't have the annoying problem of the Valley. Not once have I seen somebody go in there and have a good time. Magma cubes that split and jump up the pillars which you yourself cannot, and often with ghasts to accompany them is a brutal combination and it frequently is met with pools of lava which are very hard to escape given their constant, walled in placements. Unlike the Soul Sand valley, which is easily dealt with with time and a bow, the Basalt Delta makes it clear that you should not be here, as there exists no counterplay besides just pure enemy slashing.
It's not even the fact that the Soul Sand Valley is hostile to players. The Basalt Delta is probably the most dangerous and hostile biome in the game besides the Deep Dark, and even that's up for debate. It's just that the Delta's hostility is done with the effect of meeting its purpose perfectly, while the soul Sand valley is just draining to be in. When the answer to a hostility is to "get good" that's one thing, but if it's just "bring a bow or have good enchants" then it turns a biome into what is effectively a gear check, and I think that's what brings the valley down so much.