Feedback Request: Tempest League

Are the Tempests impactful?

- Not really.

Are they scary?

- Not really.

Do the ones that affect items feel rewarding?

- Never had one.

Are they better at higher or lower levels?

- No problems at any level.

Do people share information about what Tempests are running right now?

- Not that i've seen.

Did you play Tempest because you thought it was more interesting than Warbands?

- No, I always play Hardcore leagues.

Did you play Warbands when you normally would have played Tempest?

- No.

It feels boring tbh.

I kept checking every zone in merciless every hour hoping to see a zone with extra IIR or extra ghosts/exiles but they never show couple that with rarity on them on maps makes for a pretty boring league.

also please add the tempest mods to the map mods so we can see whats on the map when we enter it.

Buff leech ples

Are the Tempests impactful?

No.

Are they scary?

The freeze one is.

Do the ones that affect items feel rewarding?

No. I've not seen anything rewarding. I also hate the one where my minions kill mobs and they drop scroll frags.

Are they better at higher or lower levels?

Can't answer.

Do people share information about what Tempests are running right now?

Maybe? I don't care for it because their rewards are negligible.

Did you play Tempest because you thought it was more interesting than Warbands?

I played because it's HC. I like Warbands more in every way.

Did you play Warbands when you normally would have played Tempest?

I am considering playing Warbands because Act 4 wasn't friendly (until recent patch) for most builds in Tempest, and Tempest seems like a negligible feature.

played till lvl 76 in tempest untill i ripped, i never saw any beneficial tempests... I heard there are iiq and iir ones and some other nice ones but NEVER seen one.

The ones that give you a damage boost or something arent even worth noting, you need to stop farming and go stand still in a tempest for 4 seconds and then you get a 5 second buff... imo tempest is lacking alot.

My suggestions: Make fun and good tempests more common, i really havent seen even one till now.
Also make buff durations 20 seconds, that would fix so many things for me.

And for scariness? Nope, none of them really did anything to me, my clear speed was so fast that mobs never stayed alive anyway.

I already posted my opinion in more detail over here on reddit but my main issue is that I believe you are asking the wrong questions.

Currently there are two kinds of Tempests:

* Those that feel rewarding for doing nothing
* Those that are scary with no reward

I think they should be both and they should be balanced between those two aspects. Right now doing e.g. Merciless Weaver with extra damage is just plain stupid unless I care about progressing a bit faster or my own personal sense of achievement. Instead I might as well farm a different zone for a bit. On the other hand getting "rewarded" by Tempests is about checking for good ones every hour and then getting rewarded for... having looked at all the waypoints.

What I would like to see is that the Tempests that make a Zone the hardest should give me the most rewards. I should see the extra damage Tempest for Merci Weaver for example and think to myself "Shit, this might kill me. But if I do it the loot is going to be insane..."

What should kill me in the end should be my own greed and nothing else. We had these kind of mechanics in "Challenge" Leagues since years (e.g. "Keepers of the Trove" in Nemesis vs most other mods) where you are faced with either rewarding OR rippy OR annoying mods and imho they are horrible ways of going about designing new content. On the other hand things like Rogue Exiles, Strongboxes or the way we have to roll maps are awesome ways of giving us a rope and telling us: "Well, you pretty much hung yourself there."

More of that please. <3

"

Chris wrote:

I worked closely on the Tempest League (with our designer Dan) and have been looking for feedback!

Are the Tempests impactful?
They are pretty good. I'm glad you recently removed the +50% dmg on the elemental Tempests. That was way too OP, having a late-game map on on random maps. Sometimes it was difficult to progress. Same goes for the Poison on Hit mod.

Are they scary?
They are very scary, especially since just entering maps. Stinging (Always Crit) was wild. I was in a Dungeon with Haste map mod, and Stinging of CATACLYSM!. I attempted Brutus, and that shit had my heart racing, because I knew if one of those quick-casting Stinging Tempests hit Brutus, and Brutus hit me...I was hitting the damn floor. I got him low but ultimately stopped, after my 3rd time esc + exiting when in a tough scenario. I'm glad I couldn't do him. Considering the mods and the boss, it should have been difficult.

Do the ones that affect items feel rewarding?
Not really. Transmogrify, I thought would be cool. Turns out, if you get the Tempest and kill a rare/champs/unique boss, (cool!), but really all you do is waste time picking up frags. I ran a test on this when I was lvl ~60, in normal Tidal Island. I would essential sprint to the boss, grab a Tempest, and Flame Totem the boss and everything around her. I ran this for 30 minutes. The results were lack-luster. I had a few wisdoms, and alts. This mod would be good if it enhanced the drop quantity. Maybe 1.2, 1.5 or even 2.0 times thee drops (e.g. Items you find drop as two times their sell price).

I believe Refining Tempests (drops have Quality) has a LOT of potential. Great way to collect flasks for Baubs etc. I would just like to see this one a little more frequently. I have searched for this one on-the-hour, likely 20 times so far, and have seen it once.

Are they better at higher or lower levels?
The concept is exciting at lower, but fairly insignificant, which it probably should be. Since entering maps, some of the combinations have been thrilling.

Do people share information about what Tempests are running right now?
No people do not. I'm likely in the best place for that information as well, the global #820, where people share masters etc. The reason for this, Chris, is that the non-map Tempests (even the rare ones, should they appear) are not attractive enough. No one is going to go to a zone that yields low-or-no experience, just to pick up transmogrified fragments and shards. On the contrast, some of the really exciting Tempest mods that I've read about (not seen users post or talk about... again this is a problem -- I read about them on the Taiwan Database), I can't wait to find them. I'm assuming they're only in maps. And I would assume most of them only appear in the mid-to-high tier map range, which is too bad. The reason this is a problem, is because players won't be able to share their knowledge with any benefit: "Guys! It's 8:23AM...I just ran Courtyard, and it has Shining Tempest (120/30 IIR/IIQ)!!" Who in the community has the mid and especially high tier maps? Not many people, and even if they do, for them to have duplicate maps laying around, waiting for an announcement of a good tempest...it's rare...

Did you play Tempest because you thought it was more interesting than Warbands?
I play Tempest because it's hardcore and I'll never not play hardcore (unless challenges etc.)

Did you play Warbands when you normally would have played Tempest?
No


Misc suggestions:
I really think it's important to have the Tempest information on the map mods information when in a map. The map mods will tell you if it's "Chilled Ground" (of Winter) for example. Although you won't know which Tempest is in the map, unless you enter the Tempest. EVEN THEN, if there isn't an existing Tempest Suffix (e.g. of Winter), in that particular map, it may be unclear if there is a Tempest-affecting Suffix, such as of Precision, or of Cataclysm (affecting the frequency/duration of Tempest effects).

Are the Tempests impactful?
Can be. Too small AoE imo, definitely not active long enough.

Are they scary?
That Vaal Ice Nova non-sense was terrifying!

Do the ones that affect items feel rewarding?
The Transmogrify is an annoying gimmick. Why would I want to stand there and pick up 29 alt shards to receive less than 1.5 alt total? I do it anyways... But I don't enjoy it.

Are they better at higher or lower levels?
Cannot say yet.

Do people share information about what Tempests are running right now?
They are beginning to this.

Did you play Tempest because you thought it was more interesting than Warbands?
HC for life!

Did you play Warbands when you normally would have played Tempest?
I only played the SC league where the MTX's were given away. I doubt you guys get me into them any other way.

Thanks for 2.0!

btw, I have a question of my own...

Why do bats sound like horses?

Are the Tempests impactful?
- Nope

Are they scary?
- No, some of them are annoying but no.

Do the ones that affect items feel rewarding?
- Hmmm, i can't answer yet.

Are they better at higher or lower levels?
- On low levels they are little boring.

Do people share information about what Tempests are running right now?
- I don't know.

Did you play Tempest because you thought it was more interesting than Warbands?
No.

Did you play Warbands when you normally would have played Tempest?
No.

More challenging tempests should be too more rewarding.

Tempests aren't really impactful. In normal they are just there, they do nothing, take too long to "take" and have short effect that isn't worth your time. It's quite dull. In Cruel, they are more impactful but not in a good way - they are just annoying and have the same problems like taking too long, last very little to make a real difference. Too many of them are with effects that harm you so you have to stay away instead of trying to claim them, which makes it boring.
There's no reward tied with them at all so far.
Played Tempest because it is the HC league and my guild plays almost exclusively in HC, otherwise I would have gone with Warbands because it sounded more interesting, impactful and exciting. If I rip I don't think I'm going to reroll in HC with the current state of things.

Granted, they could be a lot better in merciless but I may never know that. I don't think that the most rewarding/fun/interesting tempests should be reserved for Merciless alone. And even then - their spawn rates should be higher (keeper of the trove for instance was way too rare to be worth it) It's a new league - things should feel fresh and exciting from the start and Tempest fails to do that. It wouldn't surprise me if new people trying Tempest (or the game in general) don't stick around much because of this.

The patch, with increasing drop rates, is a good step forward but I am not sure if it will be enough. For whatever reason, HC especially, has never met the additional challenge put before the players with a reward. Staying alive is what you're supposed to do, overcoming those challenges are a testament for the player's skill, that in itself should not be the "reward". Especially down the road when people quit - loot is scarce, not enough trading, etc.