What do you dislike about AO, and how would you change it?
Feel free to openly dig into the game and really rip what you dislike apart. Anything from minor quality-of-life issues, bugs, to regular gameplay elements, and if possible, explain what you would do to fix the issues you have with AO.
I want to clarify that I enjoy AO, but I acknowledge that no game is perfect. I hope this discussion can shed light on the areas of AO that people dislike, as well as their ideas for improvement. Remember to respect each otherās opinions and be chill. Iām sure some issues you have with the game absolutely boils your blood, but keep in mind this is still a public discussion.
I dont dislike that much features in AO, cause i know they area subject to change and all, but with recent Renown changes i started hating Deckhand system even more.
They give your ship direct advantage and locked behind pvp, while game describes itself as exporation-based game. Situation will get even worse when Dark Sea will come out, as those who have Deckhands will have better ships than those of same top tier-ships but without Deckhands
Archipelago is right, the PVP tilt of the brewing update was especially frustrating for us pve players. A lot of people seem to voice their opinions that PVP is The goal for the endgame, itās what everyone wants to do, but thatās simply not true.
Iāve found a great amount of enjoyment in making up potion combos and farming for jewels, but with the PVP updates I always have to look over my shoulder. If my clan claims an island, before if someone stole it I could just let it slide, now its a serious kick in the balls to my clan if an island is stolen. I HAVE to defend it, and as such, I donāt even bother claiming anymore.
But if there was ONE system I had to hate on in particular, it is the Deckhand upgrade system. Most deckhands are far cheaper to recruit (which is free at the renown level) then they are to upgrade. I have master deckhands. If I farm to legendary I just have to find a legendary deckhand and recruit them, but if I want to upgrade MINE to legendary, its 18,000 galleons across the board. Thatās stupid for what is essentially 2 extra speed and 150 extra health on the ship.
I understand your perspective. Personally, I also find farming fame or bounties in AO to be a less enjoyable aspect of the game. The highest amount of fame Iāve managed to accumulate is only around 30,000, which can be frustrating. Itās particularly disheartening because having more deckhands would significantly improve my shipās stats, but acquiring fame without relying on PvP or investing an excessive amount of time seems challenging. While it hasnāt ruined the game for me, it does put me at a disadvantage, especially considering the potential advantages of deckhands in the dark sea.
In my opinion, introducing more ways to gain fame that donāt heavily focus on PvP could greatly enhance the overall gameplay experience. For instance, incorporating mechanics where capturing islands or selling sealed chests could also reward players with fame might be a welcome change. This would offer alternative avenues for players who prefer PvE or exploration-oriented gameplay to progress and improve their characters.
Unfortunately, I have not experienced the pain of the deckhand system as I havenāt acquired one other than quest-related ones such as Enizor and Kenton. That does sound like a pain and reminds me of another nitpick I have with the game which is the reliance on rng for basic things such as dye merchants and deckhands. Dye merchants especially because I spent over an hour server hoping to look for one, just for it to despawn or not have enough galleons. Merchant boats arenāt even color-coated depending on what merchant they have on board.
The bosses, theyāre good but they donāt keep you on the edge, they just feel really underwhelming or straight up unfair. I think Iāve had more NPC be putting me on the edge than actual bosses which is concerning.
Im of the stance that potions should stick to being utility or mildy useful offensive tools.
Healing, shark repelling, or revealing effects are fine but im not a fan of an effect like slowness which can be a huge fight changer
Yeah, Iām hoping that the auction house, when released, will greatly cut back on the over-reliance on rng for things. For example, arcspheres. Some people I know who have like 60 hours in the game still donāt have one.
Iām also lucky to have gotten basically all the clothes I want super easily. Yet, I can feel your pain on dye merchants (on top of how expensive they are).
Thinking on it, thatās another thing that bugs me. Ship merchants are dang near worthless. They donāt have to sell 100 fair power amulets but they donāt usually sell anything of worth, at least not by the time you can afford them.
My clan isnāt focused on PVP or clout chasing and thatās just how I like it. Itās closer to a friend group or a place to find people help you do things like capture silverhold.
Thatās actually funny because I find fighting some ship captains actually challenging. It might be because when you fight on a boat there isnāt much area to stand on, so you have to really watch out and make sure you donāt fall in the water and loose the high ground.
I hard for me to think of a way boss difficulty could be improved, but to be fair, with most game bosses you either fight them once or you end up fighting them so many times you can just skill-check them. Maybe in the dark sea, we will get special mirages for bosses weāve fought before, but their moves are mixed up, changed, or buffed and this changes with every encounter keeping it somewhat fresh.
Fr, rn trading for cosmetics is the best solution, but ofc, some people can be unreasonable which is always gonna be something to factor in when trying to trade.
If anyone trades money for cosmetics I always accept lol. Iām 99% of the time not going to use them or give them to a friend.
Also on the topic of Boss fighting, it comes down to ādesignā. The bosses are all designed with attacks and patterns to be fair. Its a different kind of fight to npcs, who just spam their attacks.
Personally, I really enjoyed Argos and Carina. The mino was def a highlight during WoM, but I can imagine if he was in AO, with the way player combat is now, we could easily skill-check him.
Itās still in the lore I believe, just that it takes place a looooong time after AA and AO. So most of the lore that was planned for WoM is irrelevant in AO. I could be wrong though.
Calvus is actually my favorite boss. Itās an unpopular opinion but he honestly feels the most fair and rewarding to fight once you learn how to combat him. It isnāt like Elius, where he is basically a stat check for low level players, Calvus takes some decent understanding to get past.
Also Mino > Exiled. Exiled was very annoying to fight with projectiles that spammed through walls and a constant 50% damage reduction for whatever reason (why not just GIVE him double the health?)
