Author Topic: Favorite and least favorite acts  (Read 10073 times)

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Offline Firebrand

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Favorite and least favorite acts
« on: 19 January 2018, 18:40:46 »
So now that's Ragnarök is out, there are five acts to choose from! Do you have favorites? Are there ones you just don't like? Go ahead and share!

To lead by example, I'll do. I'm in a bit of trouble with favorite, though. Whenever I leave Egypt with a character on legendary (it hasn't happened very often, mind you, but I've had a few characters there), I always feel a bit disappointed that I'm not going back there (at least with that character) again. I really like the atmosphere that was built up for Act II, and the fact that it's most likely the shortest of the five by a long shot doesn't really help, either. On the other hand, Act V is hard to contest with. Celtic and Nordic themes are both great, and the deep forests and snowy wastelands are both very evocative. The soundtrack is superb, and there's some unique feel to the Dvergr ruins, too.

My least favorite is much less of a question, I think it's always been Act IV. Don't get me wrong, the atmosphere is pretty greatly done, usually (I particularly like the eerie Tower of Judgement), but something about the whole act just makes me want to get out of there as quickly as it's possible. I could never really explain why that is, but somehow the whole act has a rather oppressive feel, I think.

On that note, I'm not a huge fan of the start of Act III, either, but by the end it really grows on me. I'm not fond of the random prehistoric monsters, either; I guess I think that with its rich mythology and history, China really would've deserved an act on its own, and before that Babylon, Persia and the Silk Road could've been rolled into another. Thinking about it, I'd really have liked to see how that'd have turned out!

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Offline Typhon

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Re: Favorite and least favorite acts
« Reply #1 on: 19 January 2018, 18:51:44 »
Act 4 is my favourite, I like the darkness of Hades and Elysium as a whole and many of the monsters designs. With Act 1 being a close second because I like Greek Mythology more than most others presented in this game.
Act 2 is my least favourite because of it's massive bland levels of dirt and sand and I found most enemies to be boring.
I haven't reached Act 5 so I don't know how well I'm going to enjoy it.
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Offline Medea Fleecestealer

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Re: Favorite and least favorite acts
« Reply #2 on: 19 January 2018, 21:04:25 »
Can't say I have a particular favourite or disliked act in the game, but what I don't enjoy every much in the battle area before you reach Hades' Palace.  It's just too noisy for me - I usually mute the sound when I play through there.  If I don't do that it's always a blessed relief when I enter the Palace and there's SILENCE.  :)  Orient not that great because of so many trees, it's difficult to see foes sometimes, especially since I've have to put with nightimes too.  Can't wait for Soulseekkor to get the freeze time of day mod back in the Defiler.

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Offline Pazuzu

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Re: Favorite and least favorite acts
« Reply #3 on: 19 January 2018, 23:49:49 »
Act 3 is my favorite. The monsters and the terrain are simply awesome. I cant say i really like babylon, but its a really short run and once you get in to the cave it gets awesome. The snowy areas are amazing and they look nice graphically. The mountains and the forests are nice too, and the mobs are much stronger than act 1 and 2 and its a challenge most of the time in normal, especially in xmax or massbosses. We have tigermen, ratmen, demons, dragonians, what's not to like? By the way, when you enter the cave that leads you to Typhon, you get a whole new level of challenge, its nothing like you've previously encountered, because everything in there is freakin strong. And if we count Olympus as a part of act 3, then add that to the challenge.

My least favorite act is definitely is act 2, i get tired of seeing the same yellow terrain for hours,  the areas need a lot of exploration because although its the shortest act, the areas are not connected to each other and if you don't know the game well, you will get lost and ask your self what's next. When you reach thebes you can take 2 different routs in order to go to giza and unlock the main quest, same goes for fayum desert, you will have to find the scorpos king and then go the other way around for the main quest. The telkine quest doesn't help either, if by chance you discover the telkine tomb first, it might let you wonder what's the use of the other caves in the area (there's no use, you can either farm them or let them be). The mobs in act 2 are also boring, the fire bugs are annoying, the spectrals too. And the undead are basically the same ones from act 1, not to mention that as an act its probably the easiest. When you first get to rhakotis you would expect a higher level of difficulty, but that's not the case, and as you gradually proceed with the main quest, you realize that it actually gets easier, because most mobs in act 2 are weak, except for the reptilians generally, and the spectrals in legendary only (high damage, pierce if im not mistaken). I cant take the yellow terrain, its not for me.

Act IV is not that great imo, the dark theme is nice, but it changes themes sometimes, like the one in the water area, its kinda lame. But i think its pretty playable considering that its much harder than the previous acts and you need to keep an eye out for machaes and other new enemies out there. But still, act IV would be a contender for least favorite act if it wasnt for the secret passage and the fact that in act 4 you can generally find good items. Also im not really a huge fan of chaos, act 4 is pretty chaotic, especially towards the end.

Act 1 is pretty good for me. It has an initial challenge, it has a lot of caves and tombs and its a pretty long act, or at least it feels that way because you are usually undergeared and in normal you run really slowly.

Haven't played act 5 yet.
« Last Edit: 19 January 2018, 23:56:44 by Pazuzu »
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Offline sauruz

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Re: Favorite and least favorite acts
« Reply #4 on: 19 January 2018, 23:58:31 »
I still didnt try act5.

Its hard to say whats a favourite and least acts.

I love every bit of details in places, i dont like acts i do like the zones, wusao cave, sonoris, monsters war camp in greece, the seven tombs in egpyt... i could go all night .
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Offline Hector

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Re: Favorite and least favorite acts
« Reply #5 on: 20 January 2018, 04:51:24 »
I can and will never understand the general dislike towards Act II. Be it the oriental musics, the atmosphere or the general solidity feel it gives which is something very similar to Diablo II's desert act...anything/everything about that act is so influential to me that it's like watching a movie actually. How can anyone not like the part which comes after you defeat the Telkine and Imhotep encourages you to make haste to Babylon. Kicking of that badass music while you're on your way to the temple of Sandwraith Lord...

I mean no offense to anyone who likes act III but I've always found it the most boring experience I've ever had in any arpg game. Reasons are again somehow connected to the case of Diablo II because I used to hate its act III with a passion as well. Boring, too big and non ending forests.. times required to look at the main map because the forests are simply nightmarish mazes for any completioners..and so on...

The only thing I agree is the progression of story near the end of it. That main quest giver lady Friya, if I recall her name correctly, is the one who saves it for me. Once you get to Chang'an and she starts to believe in you and give her full support for you to catch the final Telkine before its too late, the game starts to pick up the pace again.     
« Last Edit: 20 January 2018, 04:56:56 by Hector »

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Offline Typhon

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Re: Favorite and least favorite acts
« Reply #6 on: 20 January 2018, 04:54:45 »
Okay, I have to admit. The part where Imhotep is dumbfounded when the pyramid just fails has always been entertaining to me.
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Offline Hector

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Re: Favorite and least favorite acts
« Reply #7 on: 20 January 2018, 05:02:20 »
Oh, that scene is a perfect time for some int item shopping. I give the quest pieces to him and immediately leave for shopping while he is showing is dumbness to everyone  ;D ;D

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Offline Typhon

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Re: Favorite and least favorite acts
« Reply #8 on: 20 January 2018, 05:09:49 »
Oh, haha.
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Offline Hal900x

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Re: Favorite and least favorite acts
« Reply #9 on: 23 January 2018, 04:28:43 »
My fave is Act I. I like the mob designs such as Satrys, and the fact that you get swarmed alot by large packs of melee fighters, which leads to fun slaughterfests. Least favorite is Act V: big empty "wasteland" areas sparsely populated with nothing but large, tanky monsters either solitary or in pairs (the opposite of what I like about Act I), mobs that dodge all over the place with invulnerability states you have to wait through (unless you have an AOE), and awful fog effects that just make it hard to see. That said it's all relative, 5 might be my least favorite but it's still TQ and I'm glad for more content. I too am confused by the Act II hate, I think it has great atmosphere and the large desert areas that folks don't like are full of interesting structures such as the Sphinx, pyramids, tombs etc.

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Offline Pazuzu

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Re: Favorite and least favorite acts
« Reply #10 on: 23 January 2018, 13:32:16 »
I dont think people hate act 2, i just think they prefer it less than the other acts. ACT 2 might be my least favorite but it  doesnt mean that i dont enjoy playing TQ even in act 2.
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Offline legowarrior

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Re: Favorite and least favorite acts
« Reply #11 on: 23 January 2018, 15:05:17 »
My favorite is the last part of 3rd act.  After you get out of the mountains, everything gets a little more interesting and closer.  It would be better if there were more towns in the 3rd act.  The 2nd is okay when I'm not in the desert.

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Offline Hector

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Re: Favorite and least favorite acts
« Reply #12 on: 23 January 2018, 18:33:55 »
Definitely agree with areas of Act V being inferior to old ones.. I see some people on other sites continuously show their love for the foggy and snowy atmosphere of Act V.. Didn't Act III already accomplished that and did it in a much better way? Didn't they play the game before? Are they blind or something?

Also agree on annoying mechanics of water spirits..

Most of the enemies also look lame and are like contents from a poorly made mod rather than an expansion.. And don't even get me started with the looks of Northern items.. Could they have looked worse/amateurish than this? I wonder...

When I first arrived at Corinth, I didn't realize that I was still in Greece.. Then I saw the Spartan Commander and I was like yay!! Never have wanted to leave for North anyway..
Going through those fields connected with Act I map was really nice and somehow nostalgic.. The beautiful old music was still there instead of some new low quality theme so this was a plus as well.. But once I left Greece, everything fell apart for me (especially the new tasteless, 3rd grade quality war movie musics & "wasteland" maps which Hal900x referred to).   

Sometimes I really miss Soulvizier due to those things..
« Last Edit: 24 January 2018, 01:17:51 by Hector »

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Offline Firebrand

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Re: Favorite and least favorite acts
« Reply #13 on: 23 January 2018, 19:24:05 »
Not to start an argument there, but I find a few things I read here weird.

I'm a bit confused by the unpopularity of Act II. Lots of yellow, lots of sand, yes. But it has prettier parts, too, like the flood plains, the buildings, the tombs, all of which emanate incredible atmosphere like few things in the game do. It really feels like exploring Egypt to me, which is special in a way. Even from the perspective of a game taking place in antiquity, Egypt is literally ancient - even back then, treading the sands of Egypt is walking upon thousands of years of history. I think that the game manages to capture the feel of that, and as a result Act II is easily one of my favorites.

By the way, has someone looked up the Temple of Hatshepsut, for example?



Act V certainly has its flaws, but I think the judgement here is a bit too harsh. I especially don't understand the complaints about the foggy areas. It's something I meant to bring up for a while. There are annoying foggy areas in Act I, mainly the swamps, where it's difficult to see anything. In Act IV, Paseron is nearly unbearable for me, at least on the computer I play. The fog is so thick that I practically don't see the Keres, don't see where I'm supposed to go, barely anything. It's incredibly frustrating. I had no such issues with Act V. Visibility was always good, and personally I really liked the dense forests and the snow.

Act III does something similar, but it's different. I think it's also about atmospheres, and that of their respective mythologies. Norse mythology is a lot bleaker than Greek, Egyptian or Chinese - it makes sense to me that the areas themselves would reflect on this a little. That said, in case it's not been clear, I'm a huge fan of both Celtic and Norse mythologies, so consider me biased if you will. I like the snowy areas of Act III all the same, but I wouldn't call them superior; they're different. And that's okay. In my book, at least; I understand that not the same things work for everyone, and that's okay, too. In fact, it's better that way.

I honestly don't see the issue with the Northern items. I've seen quite a few of them, and call me blind, but I didn't notice inferiority. In fact, I welcomed them in a way, as personally I was never fond of Act IV's items which often felt like they had exaggerated proportions (warning, I'm not saying all of them are bad, or that a majority of them, there are really good-looking ones, but I wasn't fond of their look in general), especially when considering the more realistic, down-to-earth design of items in Acts I-III; I thought that Act V items were a step back towards those, which I personally liked.

That said, I wholeheartedly agree on water spirits. They're not particularly difficult, but they sure are annoying. Along with a few other kinds of enemies in Act V, and a few other things. But as a whole, I enjoyed the setting.

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Offline Medea Fleecestealer

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Re: Favorite and least favorite acts
« Reply #14 on: 23 January 2018, 20:01:54 »
Certainly agree with you about the foggy areas in Act 1 Firebrand.  I've stopped doing the whole of the Athenian Swamp because of it and yes Paseron drives me crazy.  There's absolutely no need for it to be so thick you can't see a thing.  For the swamp I just run along the northern edge of it to reach the quest speaker and then run back again.  Haven't played long enough to try Hydra on Legendary, but can't say I'm looking forward to it.  Something else I might do once or twice and then not bother with since it's not a quest requirement.  I can avoid it by taking the northern route to complete the quest.  Just wish there was some way to do the same in Paseron.  >:(  I don't even remember any particular foggy bits in Act 5, but if they're there they're not as thick as the Act 1 bits.

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