Redesigned Bosses

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 possible. We believe with some changes the bossing experience can be made more engaging and fun for everyone. <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> * Von Leon, Pink Bean and Empress Cygnus are planned for future updates and will likely not be available on release. Now that we have gone through the list of bosses available in Selene, let’s dive into more details about some of the changes we introduced to bossing. If you wish to read more about this topic and our thought process when making the decisions, make sure to check out the [dev blog](https://playselene.com/blog/post/12/). # Continuous Expeditions This is a new concept added to give some variation to Expedition-styles. Continuous 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 lack of strength or level to challenge the next boss effectively. As an example, let’s look at one of the continuous expeditions in Selene: Showa’s Nightmarish Expedition. This expedition consists of five stages that will be available for players that are Level 100 and above, taking place within the maps of Showa's hideout. - The entrance of Expedition - Showa's Hideout - Stage 1 - Parking Lot (Buffed monsters to clear to enter the next map) - Stage 2 - Finance of Flaming Raccoon (Male Boss - buffed to be equivalent to half of Female Boss) - Stage 3 - Parlor (Female Boss) - Stage 4 - Armory (Bodyguards A & B - spawned simultaneously on both sides of the map, next to each portal) - Stage 5 - Nightmarish Last Days (The Boss) # Expedition Challenges To make expeditions more exciting and challenging, we’ve added a couple of concepts that apply to many bosses. **Pairing cancel weapon/magic attack with spawning of mobs** We intend to merge Cancel Weapon Attack and Cancel Magic Attack into one and have mobs spawned by the respective bosses at the same time. The boss will remain locked until the squad successfully clears all the mobs spawned. 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 add a form of challenge in clearing them within the stipulated time and avoid instances where players attempt to solo or duo them by bringing in mules to stand in for buffs instead. # Adjusting entry-levels 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. Additionally, 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 grinding options. 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. # Area bosses We have taken a different approach to area bosses such as Bigfoot, Headless Horseman, and Black Crow. **Phantom Forest** This area 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). There is no reliable way to track down the bosses with this solution, turning it into a real hunt. **Encounter with the Buddha** We’ve decided to 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. Additionally, we’ve increased the rewards it provides, making it worth hunting. **Pianus** Pianus has now been turned into an expedition to make the boss more accessible rather than a rare spawn. Additionally, Pianus will now spawn on both the left and right sides simultaneously moments after the expedition has entered The Cave of Pianus. # Other changes **Scarlion & Targa** 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. **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 feeling like a stale boss fight merely having a lot of HP to take down.