Has season 8 ruined the game for you?

  • HaloGamer2005
    Master
    Insider

    So before this begins THIS IS MY PERSONAL EXPERIENCE. So while you may see it one way I'll likely see it the other.

    I feel like the Hourglass has completely ruined the game for me. And before you say just take a break or do something else I have and it's not enjoyable and I feel like I can't even do a ashen lord event fast anymore. I can't play without feeling like I'm not doing enough. And the worst part is this game is my one escape from the world and it's ruined. I can't play any other game because they all feel the same. And I can't improve when over half the time what goes wrong is out of my control. I don't have the money to get better internet or a new Xbox, I have no friends to play with and I get screamed at for not being good enough with randoms.

    So I just want to see if I'm the only person who thinks like this or is it something others think about.

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  • strangeness
    Lord
    Insider

    @halogamer2005

    Instead of saying the things you've apparently arbitrarily said we can't say, let me ask an honest cointer-question?

    Did you enjoy the game during season 7?

  • WolfManbush
    Champion

    Season 7 and season 8 changed the game dramatically in some ways

    The game in general has changed a lot in the past couple of years in specific ways but 7 and 8 had dramatic impact on quality of life for people, both positive and negative

    imo it's understandable that 7 and/or 8 would leave some people feeling off about the game.

    It really comes down to carving out a piece of happiness for yourself in this game, customizing sessions based on likes and dislikes, always adapting, and when it's over it's over, that's alright, things end, you just do the best you can with what you have until it's time to move on.

  • ZiG ZaG LTU
    Commander
    Insider

    I think it only improved mine tbh, when I log in to a fresh game I stopped changing servers, because there is a reaper. If a ship starts chasing me I just find a way to dive and start PVP on my own terms :D Idk also never felt like I am free to do so many world events since it came out. I solo ashen lords whenever I see its a good opportunity, I started doing skelly forts and probably had most exciting and fun experience to this day yet with what transpired later.

  • LordQulex
    Captain

    It has definitely changed the game for me, but I know it's only in the short term. Since November I've been grinding hourglass nonstop. The desire to get the curses has pretty much overwritten my drive to simply play the game for fun. I'm probably going to take a bit of an hourglass break to just play the game I love after I get Athena's Blessing before grinding out the Reaper's Curse, because after grinding yesterday I got to do a veil with my friends who left the game and I convinced to come back for community day bonuses. It was a blast.

    Before hourglass I'd search for a crew in the Discord without any particular activity in mind. I'm 75/75/75/75/50/27 because I just enjoy playing SoT. But man, those curses... I neeeeeeeeeed those curses, so hourglass for two months. Such a drag. Almost have one. I can't wait to get them both. I look forward to the day where I can go into the Discord, do a vault, do a veil, get some gold, and at the end suggest "hey guys, had a good time. Anyone wanna drop hourglass once or twice for the memes?" That'll be a good day...

  • Jon Sea Nah
    Master
    Insider

    An ashen lord can be solo’d in about 6 minutes, how do you feel like it’s gotten harder? Also I’ve found they better I get at pvp the easier all world event become. Stop putting so much pressure on yourself.

  • ZiG ZaG LTU
    Commander
    Insider

    @jj-h816 How many disney sticks does it take? Or do you use kegs too? I always feel like I never bring enough sticks.

  • Foambreaker
    Sailor

    @halogamer2005 Actually I like season 8, all the toxic sweats are busying grinding a "look" that everyone will have, meanwhile the open sea on Xbox has become quite enjoyable, people interact, have fun. Deciding not to waste time grinding HG was one of the best game decisions I have made recently :)

  • PersonalC0ffee
    Captain
    Insider
    Boatswain

    S8 has definitely changed the game's feel.

  • WolfManbush
    Champion

    @foambreaker said in Has season 8 ruined the game for you?:

    @halogamer2005 Actually I like season 8, all the toxic sweats are busying grinding a "look" that everyone will have, meanwhile the open sea on Xbox has become quite enjoyable, people interact, have fun. Deciding not to waste time grinding HG was one of the best game decisions I have made recently :)

    Outside of obvious cheating and cheating accusations I don't think it has been shown that there is much toxicity in HG.

    It's more often than not been gg based content imo, outside of anchor clutter that for whatever reason can bring out negative stuff in people.

    If hg didn't have so many issues that dragged on I think it would have been even more positive pvp

    I think consent based combat helps a lot as well as the border and bringing down lopsided risk.

    The skill it brought in seem to be mostly chill to me, some chill skilled personalities I've seen around specifically because of season 8. Many weren't part of sot cliques when they showed up so interactions were a breath of fresh air imo.

  • PithyRumble
    Rogue
    Insider

    It nerfed firebomb drops and I'm kinda mad about that still.

    I haven't seen much of a difference aside from an annoying hourglass that wrecks my voyage table's esthetic.

    Otherwise, same game I been playing...

  • PersonalC0ffee
    Captain
    Insider
    Boatswain

    @pithyrumble said in Has season 8 ruined the game for you?:

    It nerfed firebomb drops and I'm kinda mad about that still.

    I haven't seen much of a difference aside from an annoying hourglass that wrecks my voyage table's esthetic.

    Otherwise, same game I been playing...

    I know right, how am I to do Order of Souls without precious Firebombs? Am I supposed to bob and weave between skeletons like the days of peasant old?

  • knurd9369
    Commander
    Insider
    Founder

    Still having a blast doing HG matches. I do missing sailing around in regular adventure mode, which I've only done a couple of times since S8 launched, but I'm sure I'll get back to that in time.

    (With regards to hourglass, I'm not grinding out the curses, just fighting for the joy of fighting)

  • Jon Sea Nah
    Master
    Insider

    @zig-zag-ltu 6 and don’t use tier 3 bubble

  • ZiG ZaG LTU
    Commander
    Insider

    @jj-h816 Do you use tier 2 instead?

  • LordQulex
    Captain

    @jj-h816

    [frantically scribbling notes] Don't use tier 3? 6 minutes you say?

  • GrumpyW01f
    Legend
    Insider

    @lordqulex
    Yeah it's faster with tier 1 for all PvE bosses. What I'll do for an Ashen Lord is go all tier 1, then use a tier 3 when skeletons spawn for AoE.
    The reason that tier 1's are the best: against a player, each tier is 30 damage (30,60,90). It appears that the trident damage is multiplied x3 or x4 on PvE. Since each tier doesn't get exponentially better, you'll get the same damage from 3 tier 1's as 1 tier 3 (not counting AoE damage). Also, each trident has 30 magic points. Each tier takes 1 MP (1,2,3). So you can shoot 3x as many Tier 1's as Tier 3's, which is perfect since they each do 1/3 of the damage of a Tier 3.

    TL:DR Using all tier 1's does the same single-target damage as using Tier 3's, but you can shoot them a lot faster.

  • Red0Demon0
    Commander
    Insider

    I can see what you mean, this mode increases my stress and pressure. After finishing my gameplays I don't feel good at all. I mean, sure it's probably becvause I quit playing after a sink, so I'd probably be pretty irate. But, I also feel it's due to the redundancy of the mode, as well as other issues that end up tipping me over. For example, any time I find myself in a battle with a player that takes advantage of the gun switching glitch I just dread the entire battle. It doesn't even matter if I win, the gameplay experience against these types of opponents just sours it all for me. I've also had moments where I am trying to lower hourglass and a larger ship spawns next to me.

    I love the battles themselves, but they are so out of place from the rest of the game, so separated and repetitive that the grind feels more like work than actual fun. I love myself some pvp battles but not like this in which you face off 1 other ship over and over again. The method is always the same, and against runners or sweaty players it just becomes a chore. Honestly just wished it was either tied to the actual pve, so that rep gain would be more inclusive or the hourglass had more modes like alliance battles: with on demand alliance formations for those battles only or more game modes with treasure hunting or island battles. Idk, just something, anything to spice it up you know? Like introduce new combat weapons or tools while their at it.

    Today I had the horrible luck where I was caught in a rough spot, with my ship crashed to an island and the game literally spawned me back in the same spot on my ship about roughly 4- 6 times. My opponent literally spawn killed me for each time I spawned in that area. I was able to finally wipe him out, and my ship just decided to de-spawn with no water in the hull. I was putting out the fires and the ship just went p-o-o-f. Alongside it, I also lost all my resources and even the rep gain from losing wasn't given to me. My ship just spawned on a random island who knows where in that same server but without ties to emissaries nor faction.

    I'm just so worn out by it all, I don't know how I'm going to be able to do this all over again for the opposing faction

  • Jon Sea Nah
    Master
    Insider

    @zig-zag-ltu yup tier 2 bubbles and about 6 tridents will knock it out in about 6 minutes

  • Jon Sea Nah
    Master
    Insider

    @zig-zag-ltu yup tier 2 bubbles and about 6 tridents will knock it out in about 6 minutes

  • WolfManbush
    Champion

    Season 7 was to me what 8 seems to be for some now.

    The game has really changed in a way that directly affected how I played, what kept me motivated, I wasn't feelin' it anymore.

    In order to get to where I needed to be I had to change things around. I largely stopped selling treasure, which is a very significant change from how I always played this game. I cut out goals that I felt were just not compatible with the environment anymore. I had to figure out ways to adapt to milestones, and figure out how to approach sessions in a season 7 world.

    First thing I do when going through a process like that is I put it into perspective, it ain't a thang, out of all the challenges and battles and loss in life, this one ain't a thang

    That appreciation and understanding makes what needs to be done easier

    I set my new goals, I accept that this process is necessary, I start over. Breaking the old habits and patterns and replacing them is a temporary frustration, in a few weeks it gets easier, just get through that first day and then every day after is consistency. After a few weeks I check in with myself and determine if it's working or not and then if it is I keep going.

    Are y'all burnt for good? is it temporary? I dunno, but I think that if you still have some healthy passion left for the game it's worth a shot. You might not play how you once played, things might significantly change, but you might find a new way that doesn't take away from how it once was, maybe it will just add more to the story, your pirate life.

  • abjectarity
    Lord
    Insider

    6 tridents?! It only takes me 4! Tier 3 directly onto him to kill all the skeletons he just spawned, sword when he is down, sniper from cover during big attack. Super fast. I was testing how fast I can do it with just sword and blunder last night, definitely a lot longer than my usual method.

    Season 7 is what killed it for me. Being 99% done with the game and then being told I have to regrind everything and nothing I had done before counter towards the trinkets. Definitely put a bad taste in my mouth. 8 didn’t bring me back and I don’t think 9 is going to either. Been playing other games instead.

  • Jon Sea Nah
    Master
    Insider

    @abjectarity I just use the tridents and takes about 6. Regardless it’s much faster than most people think

  • Dragotech123
    Commander
    Insider
    Founder

    Tridents are amazing for PvE. Any kind of PvE, unless it requires parkour because tou can't sprint with them.

    To be honest, Season 8 made me burnt out because of the ammount of time it takes to level up unless you are good at PvP. I am going to continue the grind some weeks later, perhaps a month. For now I need a long break, so I may play other games in the mean time.

    Also, my family said that I spent too much time playing videogames and I should stop. So, it would be better to just let it rest a while and then come back with renewed vigor. Hopefully the rest of the hourglass player base will remain the same. I hope not many players leave.

  • Nex Stargaze
    Commander
    Insider

    That's mostly my position by now. Even with other, outside means to keep my mood in a better state, Season 8 has brought out some of the worst of me. Made me feel even more separated by the game's community, and lacking the want to sail outside of time limited situations. I don't want to hourglass because I don't like to fail, I don't want to do the voyages I still have to do because they bore/frustrate me and I still have the chance to fail. I can't keep a crew all day like I used to because I no longer share the same goals as others, and HG PvP being as demanding as it is for skill and not meeting up to those standards have completely made the want to sail diminish greatly.

    I always feared I would reach this point in my pirate's career, but I wasn't expecting it to feel this brutal as well.

  • PersonalC0ffee
    Captain
    Insider
    Boatswain

    @nex-stargaze said in Has season 8 ruined the game for you?:

    That's mostly my position by now. Even with other, outside means to keep my mood in a better state, Season 8 has brought out some of the worst of me. Made me feel even more separated by the game's community, and lacking the want to sail outside of time limited situations. I don't want to hourglass because I don't like to fail, I don't want to do the voyages I still have to do because they bore/frustrate me and I still have the chance to fail. I can't keep a crew all day like I used to because I no longer share the same goals as others, and HG PvP being as demanding as it is for skill and not meeting up to those standards have completely made the want to sail diminish greatly.

    I always feared I would reach this point in my pirate's career, but I wasn't expecting it to feel this brutal as well.

    You sound burnt out. You just have to let yourself have time away. I would honestly only come back when you feel you can.

  • a10dr4651
    Commander
    Insider

    For me Season 8 has been one of the best seasons for SoT, it's improved my PvP skills massively and brought me back to solo slooping regularly. Now I've had my critism's on parts of the season but what the season has done is highlight some of the major flaws present in the game and as seen in the podcast, Rare are now wanting to look into alot of these problems and devote some time to it. That's a win in my eyes.

    I've been mostly doing hourglass content when I've played so I've not dipped too much into organic adventure but the bit's I have, the sea's felt calmer overall. Most hoppers are diving for PvP so if you're completing low risk voyages, you're pretty much left alone. I quite like also if you're guardians, ranking to grade 5 athena, dropping the hourglass and finishing off with an emissary quest.

    I'm quite looking forward to finishing the curse grind and then using the hourglass alongside organic adventure when the server is quiet and fancy some consented PvP.

  • WolfManbush
    Champion

    @nex-stargaze said in Has season 8 ruined the game for you?:

    That's mostly my position by now. Even with other, outside means to keep my mood in a better state, Season 8 has brought out some of the worst of me. Made me feel even more separated by the game's community, and lacking the want to sail outside of time limited situations. I don't want to hourglass because I don't like to fail, I don't want to do the voyages I still have to do because they bore/frustrate me and I still have the chance to fail. I can't keep a crew all day like I used to because I no longer share the same goals as others, and HG PvP being as demanding as it is for skill and not meeting up to those standards have completely made the want to sail diminish greatly.

    I always feared I would reach this point in my pirate's career, but I wasn't expecting it to feel this brutal as well.

    Why do you fail separated from the community?

    Even if you take a break from the game or just start sailing super casually for a while you can participate on the forums and the twitch chats that you prefer and any discord servers you might be a part of.

    Lots of people take breaks from the game and still contribute and stick around the community.

    You're a part of the community without in-game obligation

  • Nex Stargaze
    Commander
    Insider

    @wolfmanbush Admittedly, the perspective of constantly arguing with PvE/casual-centric players here on these forums, while watching content creators that have very specific opinions and attitudes on PvP isn't exactly the proudest contribution to the community I can offer, since neither are necessarily "positive" in relation to this game.

  • WolfManbush
    Champion

    @nex-stargaze said in Has season 8 ruined the game for you?:

    @wolfmanbush Admittedly, the perspective of constantly arguing with PvE/casual-centric players here on these forums, while watching content creators that have very specific opinions and attitudes on PvP isn't exactly the proudest contribution to the community I can offer, since neither are necessarily "positive" in relation to this game.

    Never a shortage of people that could use a kind word, encouragement, friendly support, an offer of an optimistic view

    Often times service helps someone find purpose within a community and connection to it.

    I've seen you say you don't want to fail, that you don't feel you have the talent for this or that, a focus on what you feel you aren't. Perhaps you just need a change in direction with your approach and where you invest your energy. Maybe you'll find where you feel you fit in by looking for people to be there for, in that you may make more friends and fulfilling connections.

  • HiradC
    Lord
    Insider

    @halogamer2005 how has hourglass affected your ability to do ashen lord? To answer your question no I'm loving what season 8 added. If it's the fact that a reward has been added that you feel you'll never get then I guess I see the gold curses that way but doesn't bother me too much.
    Presumably if you have bad connection and black screens then pvp has never been a massive part of your playstyle so I don't get why you're concerned about that now?

  • Capt Pilotes
    Vanguard
    Insider
    Founder

    I think that the main proble with the HG is the hard grind it takes to get just ONE curse....

    I reached lvl 100 on Servants last week with 180 ships sunk, which in my opinion is way too much. I have sunk also multiple times which means 200+ fights to get ONE single curse.

    I think they should rework a little bit the gamemode because it is too much time consuming and moves your gameplay away from the adventure mode unless you are playing passive, which is not usual at all.

    Maybe making the climb to lvl 100 easier is not the solution but at least they could add some daily/weekly quests so players can earn a little allegiance boost and have a more rewarding climb to lvl 100.

  • Ghutar
    Legend
    Insider
    Founder

    I must say that after they fix stuff that push me to post angry feedback topics (being sailed out of bonds without xp and barrels of plenty spawning allways with keg in near vicinity of both ships) both season 7 and 8 are one of best overall expirence in Sea of Thives.

    Grinding to Ghost Course mostly on Solo Sloop made wonders for my overall sailing, fighting skills and repaired my budget nicely now I often join my community for galeon or brig HG couse im confident about my skill.

    Adventure, vail or fishing done in meantime feeled more intresting and rewarding as they were something more peacefull and chill expirence.

  • SudsierBoar5526
    Ship Mate
    Insider

    @wolfmanbush

    I haven't been here or in game in a while but I'm still a pirate! ☠️

  • ScurvyWoof
    Captain

    Season 8 has seen me take one of my longer breaks. That said, the hourglass drastically improved the amount of fun I had during a game and allowed me to get what I wanted quicker, rather than having to sacrifice hours to find one person who runs with no loot xD

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