Redesigned Bosses Plan

In this blog, we would like to share our thoughts on one of the most important aspects of the game - Bossing. This blog acts as a preparation for a finalized “Redesigned Bosses” feature card that will be unlocked on our site later on. Additionally, we would like to share some news regarding the development of Selene with you. # What is this feature about? In the classic pre-bb server experience, one would expect more or less the same when it comes to bosses. There is a clear understanding of which bosses are better, and which are not worth putting time into (looking at you, Pianus). Additionally, there are problems associated with bossing that prevent them from being as good as it could be. We believe with some changes, the bossing experience can be made more engaging and fun for everyone. # Problem 1: Some bosses are not very accessible Some bosses are not accessible due to limited spawn, which results from hardcore players who camp those bosses, sometimes even keeping track of the kill time, knowing exactly when the boss is going to be respawned and thus having a monopoly over them. The best example of this includes Bigfoot and Female Boss (Anego). We have taken a different approach to area bosses such as Bigfoot, Headless Horseman, and Black Crow. ## Phantom Forest (Headless Horseman & Bigfoot) We did not want to remove area bosses as a whole, to keep the “hunting” playstyle an option for those who may prefer it. However, the Phantom Forest has been made different from what players are familiar with. There have been plenty of ideas on how to tackle the implementation of the phantom forest and make it more interesting, and since the internal vote was close, we have decided to take this one to the community and see what you have to say about it. There have been 3 main suggestions, but feel free to share your ideas and thoughts with us if you think it should be considered as well. * **Suggestion 1: Phantom Forest is turned into a maze where each portal can take you to several different maps at random. Bigfoot and Headless Horseman respawns every hour in one of the maps randomly (per channel).** With this solution, there is no reliable way to track down the bosses, turning it into a real hunt. Therefore, we can have both Bigfoot and Headless Horseman hold significant rewards (EXP/Mesos/Drops?) as it would be harder to track and locate them regularly. Finding the boss becomes more of an achievement, with the hunting playstyle serving as a high-risk, high reward alternative to grinding/expeditions. For those of you worried about the implications of this change, specifically regarding getting to Crimsonwood Keep, we can introduce an alternative “fast-travel” option (locked behind a quest), so you do not have to deal with the maze each time. * **Suggestion 2: Phantom Forest layout stays as is. Bigfoot and Headless Horseman respawn every hour in one of the maps randomly (per channel).** With this solution, the bosses are still somewhat accessible, or at least players have a defined routine for finding them by following the original map layout and checking all the maps on each channel. As such, Both Bigfoot and Headless Horseman would need to be adjusted not to be much better than the other options available for these levels (keeping it moderate risk, moderate reward). * **Suggestion 3: Phantom Forest layout stays as is, Bigfoot and Headless Horseman respawn every few hours in one of the maps randomly (per channel).** The difference between the second option and this one is that the bosses spawns less often, so there are not as many as before, and it becomes harder to find one depending on the community's size. In this case, we can keep the rewards close to what they are in vanilla, being very rewarding in EXP. If necessary, The spawn rate of options 2 and 3 can be determined by the online players count to make sure it stays balanced at all times. Do vote for your preferred choice at our [Open Discord](https://discord.playselene.com), under the #community-polls channel. You may vote more than one option if you desire. Feel free to share your suggestion over at the #open-chat if you have one that you believe would work better than the aforementioned ones. ## Encounter with the Buddha (Black Crow) The issue with Black Crow is different than that of Headless Horseman and Bigfoot. Instead of being frequently camped at, it has never been significant enough for most players to hunt. However, Black Crow spawns in a popular training map we intend to keep. As it currently stands, it is almost impossible for a player training at Himes to deal with the boss without getting killed in one hit at their level range. This forces them to seek help from a higher level player to resume training at Himes. We did not want to remove the element of danger and excitement Black Crow brings to the map, so we have taken the following measures in efforts to make it more fun and interesting. * Lower the boss level to an appropriate level range for people who typically train in the area. Therefore, instead of seeking help from a higher level player, people who train at the map can now gather others of the same level to hunt the boss for themselves. Do note Black Crow will still be dangerous for most classes, and it is recommended to bring a tank class with you. * Increase the rewards Black Crow provides, making it worth hunting. # Problem 2: Certain bosses not being as exciting of a challenge A handful of ideas were brought up on how expeditions, in general, can be made more interesting than they originally were, as well as specific changes made to individual expeditions to make them more exciting and challenging. **Pairing Cancel Weapon/Magic Attack with Spawning of Mobs** As it stands, every expedition boss that utilizes Cancel Weapon or Magic Attack alternate between them. This typically involves squads waiting out weapon cancels, often feeling annoyed by them as they are forced to wait while doing nothing. Meanwhile, mobs spawned by bosses are often ignored rather than focused on to be cleared - except in instances where weapon cancels are active perhaps. Even so, squads do not typically go out of their way to clear every mob spawned as they don’t impact the boss run. We intend to change this by merging Cancel Weapon Attack and Cancel Magic Attack into one, as well as having mobs spawned by the respective bosses at the same time. The boss will remain locked until the squad successfully clears all the mobs spawned. We will reduce the frequency in which bosses spawn mobs. However, the mobs spawned would be buffed versions of their regular forms - more specifically, having much higher HP, so they do not get cleared in a few seconds as they typically do. Some bosses might even heal if the mobs are not dealt with after some time. **Challenging Timers to Discourage Muling** All expeditions will have their timers adjusted to not only add a form of challenge in clearing them within the stipulated time but also avoid instances where players attempt to solo or duo them by bringing in mules to stand in for buffs instead. For instance, the traditional 12 hours timer for Horntail will be adjusted to an appropriate duration to make the expedition more challenging. Similar changes will be made to various expeditions based on their level and intended difficulty. General changes to expeditions aside, we intend to change up specific expeditions in efforts to make the bossing experience more enjoyable. This includes Scarlion, Targa, Pianus, Krexel, and a new expedition concept we intend to introduce; Continuous Expedition. **Scarlion & Targa** The pre-quest for Scarlion and Targa will remain the same, with the exception of being rewarded the Spirit of Fantasy Theme Park at the end. Players no longer have to summon Scarlion and Targa via the Spirit as both bosses shall spawn simultaneously after the expedition has entered the boss map, making classes with the ability to hit both of them at the same time be more central in that specific expedition. Scarlion and Targa will also have its level lowered to be more relevant for players prior to 4th job. More information on changes to level will be discussed later in the dev blog. **Pianus** Pianus has now been turned into an expedition to make the boss more accessible rather than being a rare spawn. The Dangerous Cave (map before Pianus) will serve as the squad registration area. Fly Eyes will be removed to not be disruptive for players who want to set their potions or remove auto-loot prior to entering the boss map. Additionally, Pianus will now spawn on both the left and right sides simultaneously moments after the expedition has entered The Cave of Pianus. Pianus will also have an additional mechanic that enables it to momentarily retreat back into the cave before returning (similar to how Papulatus tends to retreat into its clock every now and then). Both the left and right Pianus would retreat at their own individual times. This may mean moving back and forth fighting both Pianus as the other has retreated, or be faced with both at the same time. There will also be a short pre-quest involving killing monsters within the area in order to gain access to The Dangerous Cave. **Krexel** Krexel will now begin with both its eyes being active instead of the typical one-eye-at-a-time battle. We intend to add new mechanics to make the bossing experience more interesting instead of it feeling like a stale boss fight simply having a lot of HP to take down. ## Continuous Expeditions This is a new concept we intend to introduce to give some variation to Expedition-styles. There will be two such expeditions in Selene: * Zipangu’s Ninja Castle Expedition * Showa’s Nightmarish Expedition. Both expeditions involve a series of bosses in various stages of difficulty. Players may choose between entering the next stage each time or leave due to a lack of strength or level to challenge the next boss effectively. **Zipangu’s Ninja Castle Expedition** This expedition consists of two stages that will be available for players that are Level 110 and above. The first stage will involve Kacchuu Musha. Once defeated, players will have the option of advancing to the next stage, involving Castellan. Access to Neo Tokyo will still be gated behind the completion of Castellan. **Showa’s Nightmarish Expedition** This expedition consists of four stages that will be available for players that are Level 100 and above. The entirety of the expedition takes place within the maps of Showa’s Hideout. Showa Hideout (map) will serve as the main entrance of the Nightmarish Expedition, where a squad is formed for players to sign into. Upon entry, players would first have to clear all mobs present in the Parking Lot (map) before facing the first boss in the following map. In the next map (Finance of Flaming Raccoon), players would take on the Male Boss (Level 100). Male Boss has been buffed to become a boss worth fighting, equivalent to approximately half of Female Boss (Anego) in terms of HP and EXP. Once defeated, players who decide to progress towards the next stage will find themselves taking on the Female Boss (Level 120) in the following map (Parlor). After the Female Boss is defeated, players who decide to move on to the next stage will find themselves challenged with Bodyguards A & B (Level 150) that will spawn simultaneously on either side of the following map (Armory) next to each portal. Successfully taking down both Bodyguards would enable players to progress into the final map (The Nightmarish Last Days) to take on The Boss (Level 170). **Notes:** * All of the maps within Showa’s Hideout will no longer have regular access as they will be used exclusively for the Nightmarish Expedition. * Mobs that originally spawn in the maps will continue to do so within the expedition as an added challenge to taking on the bosses of the respective maps. * Male Boss, Female Boss, Bodyguards, and The Boss will spawn after the initial spawn regular mobs are cleared off. * Bodyguards A and B will have their HP reduced by a certain amount, which would be added onto The Boss’s HP instead. # Problem 3: Low entry-level to expeditions promote muling and/or leeching A low-level entry to expeditions such as Zakum (Level 50) and Horntail (Level 90), indirectly encourages buff-mules to be brought in, such as priests with maxed Holy Symbol, archers with maxed Sharp Eyes, and in the case of Horntail, seduce mules. ## Our Solution: Increase the level requirement to register for expeditions to be within the level range of the boss itself. While this would not put an end to players bringing in more than one character, it would significantly reduce the occurrence. The full list of expeditions and their respective level requirement to register can be found in a table overview below. Note: Both Zakum Helmet and Horntail Pendant’s level requirement to equip will be increased. More information will be shared in our Revised Gear Progression feature card. # Problem 4: The level range of bosses as a whole being too small As it stands, bossing in maple only becomes effective much later into the game after one attains their 4th job advancement. This means there are no bosses available for lower levels, even when it feels like there should be more options to grinding. ## Our Solution: Bring bosses forward One of the earliest changes you will notice with our new plan is how bosses now span over more levels. This means plenty of bosses are now aimed toward lower levels. While we wanted to bring some bosses forward, we have not changed the main three expeditions of late-game in pre-bb Maple: Zakum (Level 140), Horntail (Level 160), and Pink Bean (Level 180). Bosses that have been brought forward have their stats changed to fit with their level as well. # Overview of Redesigned Bosses <table class="big-table"> <thead> <tr> <th>Boss</th> <th>Boss Level</th> <th>Level Requirement to Register</th> </tr> </thead> <tbody> <tr> <td colspan="3" style="text-align: center; vertical-align: middle;"><b>Area Boss</b></td> </tr> <tr> <td>Headless Horseman</td> <td>80</td> <td>-</td> </tr> <tr> <td>Bigfoot</td> <td>85</td> <td>-</td> </tr> <tr> <td>Black Crow</td> <td>100</td> <td>-</td> </tr> <tr> <td colspan="3" style="text-align: center; vertical-align: middle;"><b>Expedition</b></td> </tr> <tr> <td>Captain Latanica</td> <td>70</td> <td>58</td> </tr> <tr> <td>Scarlion &amp; Targa</td> <td>90</td> <td>90</td> </tr> <tr> <td>Papulatus</td> <td>100</td> <td>95</td> </tr> <tr> <td>Pianus</td> <td>110</td> <td>105</td> </tr> <tr> <td>Krexel</td> <td>120</td> <td>115</td> </tr> <tr> <td>Zakum</td> <td>140</td> <td>120</td> </tr> <tr> <td>Neo Tokyo Bosses</td> <td>142 - 150</td> <td>140</td> </tr> <tr> <td>Horntail</td> <td>160</td> <td>150</td> </tr> <tr> <td>Von Leon</td> <td>170</td> <td>160</td> </tr> <tr> <td>Pink Bean</td> <td>180</td> <td>170</td> </tr> <tr> <td>Empress Cygnus</td> <td>200</td> <td>190</td> </tr> <tr> <td colspan="3" style="text-align: center; vertical-align: middle;"><b>Zipangu: Ninja Castle Expedition</b></td> </tr> <tr> <td>Stage 1: Kacchuu Musha</td> <td>115</td> <td>110</td> </tr> <tr> <td>Stage 2: Castellan / Emperor Toad</td> <td>140</td> <td>-</td> </tr> <tr> <td colspan="3" style="text-align: center; vertical-align: middle;"><b>Showa: Nightmarish Expedition</b></td> </tr> <tr> <td>Stage 1: Male Boss</td> <td>100</td> <td>100</td> </tr> <tr> <td>Stage 2: Female Boss</td> <td>120</td> <td>-</td> </tr> <tr> <td>Stage 3: Bodyguards A &amp; B</td> <td>150</td> <td>-</td> </tr> <tr> <td>Stage 4: The Boss</td> <td>170</td> <td>-</td> </tr> </tbody> </table> # The State of Selene In the last technical dev blog, we shared some information about recent internal client work, and how we are not far from moving on to implementing more gameplay features. However, during the past month, since that blog was posted, things have shifted in a way that is better for the long run. Sequoia, our custom server source, has gone through significant internal changes that will increase its stability and performance, allowing us to test it even further prior to the release of Selene. This will help our alpha/beta phases go a lot more smoothly when the time comes. It will also allow us to focus primarily on bug fixes and further optimizations at that point rather than significant internal changes. Trust us - even if the development of the client has stalled for the near future, it is definitely going to be worth it in the long term, as it will help us ensure that Sequoia is ready to host a large number of players and that we can have a successful launch. # Conclusion None of the details here are final, the idea is to share this with you, the community, to see how it is received, and if there are any other suggestions that could work better. As always, if you have any questions, suggestions, thoughts, or anything else, make sure to join [Selene's Discord](https://discord.playselene.com) and share those with us.