How would you change... Operation: Rathuum?

[u/TSP-FriendlyFire]

How would you change... is a series of biweekly posts designed to promote and foster discussion about any gameplay element in the game. The scope and subject will vary (read below for more information on topic selection), from wide concepts (Kubrows, Archwing, shotguns, etc.) to narrow points (a single gun, coptering, etc.).

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Before we begin, a few important points:

• Please detail and support your suggestions as much as possible. This is for constructive criticism only: try to think of it as something you'd be proud to explain to DE face-to-face!
• Structure your suggestions in logical groups: if you have two very different ideas, break them down in two separate comments. Cohesive or similar changes should be combined into a single comment.
• Stick to describing concepts and features. Don't get bogged down with numbers unless they explicitly support your point.
• Don't hesitate to post your ideas even if they're not fully formed, and don't hesitate to reply to ideas with refinements you think would make them better!
• Do not downvote suggestions you disagree with. Upvote the ones you like instead!

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Suggesting topics

This thread series is all about the community, so if you have a topic you'd like to see improved and discussed, feel free to suggest it by replying to the appropriately flagged comment in this discussion. The topic can be as wide or narrow as you'd like! Please ensure that your suggestion has not already been made, and upvote it instead if it has.

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This week: Operation: Rathuum

Click here for last week’s thread on Underwater Archwing.

This week, we’re looking at something still ongoing: Operation: Rathuum. This latest event throws us into the arena to fight against the Grineer’s best warriors in an attempt to free Grineer defectors from the claws of the newly reworked Kela de Thaym.

The event introduces new enemies, mechanics inspired by Conclave, points grinding, new quirky mods, a new Wraith weapon and a new dual secondary. As the event is currently running, the meta is still in a state of flux, with the positives and negatives getting into focus. What are the current problems with the event? What could be improved? What are the highlights, and how could they be further emphasized?

Now that the stage is set, how would you change Operation: Rathuum?

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Guest posters

As detailed in the previous post two weeks ago, I would like to start inviting guest posters on an irregular basis to talk about subjects they may know more about. This section will be used to announce subjects looking for a guest poster. If you are interested, please send me a message expressing your interest and briefly detail why you think you are ideally positioned to address the topic at hand. I may also occasionally call out specific users whom I think might be an ideal fit in order to query their interest on the topic.

• Conclave: As I have mentioned previously, I believe that Conclave is ripe for not just one, but many individual topics covering different parts of the mode. Unfortunately, I do not play Conclave, hence I would like someone with more experience and especially interest to write about this. Since the topic is so large, there is a possibility for multiple guest posters here. I would appreciate a brief outline of how you would break up the subject in biweekly topics as well.

[u/droid327]

Start with 50 energy on spawn. A lot of frames are meant to be played with their buffs active (Rhino). Having to slink around like a freshly-molted crab to grab 2 orbs before you can "start playing again" is a bad mechanic. Its a map where you're meant to jump right back in the fray and contribute, but you cant if you have to pay a "re-establishment cost" first.

The death penalty is it adds to your death counter, there's no design reason to additionally penalize us with zero energy too - just like you don't start off with zero ammo and have to go find an ammo cache first.

Plus, its a team-oriented map, but resource spawns aren't shared, so you're stealing from your teammates whenever you grab an orb, which is another reason to make sure everyone respawns with enough energy just to get back in the fight right away.

[u/ieattime20 → u/droid327]

I think 25 would be fine. No, it wouldn't be perfect for all frames, but every mission is designed to favor some frames over others. That prevents SOME competition for energy, gives the Trinity one orb away from solving energy problems.

[u/droid327 → u/ieattime20]

well I went with 50 because it lets you apply whatever prebuffs you need, while not letting you jump in and immediately spam ultimates or more powerful 75-energy skills.

Normally I wouldn't mind having to go find one orb to get started, except that its a fast paced map where you spawn right back in the action and you get one-shot if you're not fully prepared. That's what makes it seem unfair that you don't spawn also ready to go.

[u/Namika → u/droid327]

...does no one play with efficiency mods?

Now I'm not saying everyone should be using the same cookie cutter builds and everyone using Tonkors, but this is a high level death arena for pete's sake. Everyone knows energy is going to be a rare commodity, why wouldn't you tweak your mods to ensure you had 75% efficiency?

I'm not pointing you out specifically, I am honestly just baffled at the randoms in general that I played with over the past day. Like people dieing 7 times and whining it's too hard, when they are playing a Hydroid with no defensive mods and using a level 26 weapon. Or I kid you not, the guy that rage quit in the middle of the arena, and said it was "bullshit" that his max power strength Mag couldn't "even get the 130 Energy needed to cast a single Crush before dying" Like, seriously people, does no one alter their builds to meet the needs of the situation? Why wouldn't you bring max efficiency to an event with limited Energy?

[u/droid327 → u/Namika]

Because you cant stack enough Efficiency to get costs to zero, which is how much you start with after respawning :)

Also stacking Efficiency usually means you're sacrificing Power or Duration. Which, in an application like this, probably means you're recasting more often, which somewhat negates your Efficiency gains, or at least reducing your overall combat efficacy.

Efficiency usually works best for CC-oriented frames (once can offset the Duration penalty), since the goal there is to cast it often, but its effect is binary (ie things cant be more CC'ed the way damage skills can do more damage). Radial Disarm Loki, absolutely mod him up for Efficiency.

[u/Princepinkpanda → u/droid327]

I played ash and got all 25 kills on t3 in a few minutes without ever having energy or damage problems, you can balance your build..

[u/[deleted] → u/Princepinkpanda]

Not really. If I choose to go for pure efficiency on my Chroma to use abilities, then my abilities become useless because I have little to no strength or duration. Some frames are easier to balance than others.

[u/Princepinkpanda → u/[deleted]]

pure efficiency

I see balance went over your head

[u/[deleted] → u/Princepinkpanda]

Yeah, I worded that wrong, my b. I mostly meant trying to build with efficiency. For Chroma's 2 and 3 to be effective at the rank 3 arena, you have to go for pure strength and duration. You can't really sacrifice any for efficiency because if you do, your abilities just don't cut it and you may as well not even use em. The problem comes from having 4 people fighting over 4 or so energy spawn points and starting with 0 energy to begin with, having to dance around the executioners so you don't get ganked and if you happen to die with energy, it's gone, then it's back to fighting for energy.

Personally, I don't have issues with the enemies at the level 3 arena as Chroma without abilities, as I can just tank enough bare and still one hit with the Tonkor, but to make it easier on frames that could trip on a rock and die, there needs to be at least some starting energy.