The new "quest" mobs are rather interesting. Blizzard seems to have added a level in-between normal mobs and elite mobs. The new mobs are named, are the target of certain quests, and have a little exclamation mark beside their portrait.
So far, I've found that these mobs are reasonably challenging (at least for someone in quest greens, no heirlooms, and of roughly equal level). They aren't as hard as elites would be. The quest mobs generally have about twice as much health and one or two special moves. I don't think they do much more damage than a regular mob, the main difference I've noticed is that they last longer, which does make the fight more dangerous.
(Although my lowbie night elf mage got rocked hard by Ruuzel. Death grip + knockdowns on a short timer is harsh against a caster. I'll have to give it another try tonight.)
These quest mobs are clearly pitched as a small challenge for a solo player. A solo mini-boss, if you will, as opposed to elites which are aimed at groups. I think the new mob type is a good addition to the game.
I noticed this as well and was pleasantly surprised. Even at lower levels from 5 - 15 I found a couple that were a decent challenge in quest greens. It doesn't seem to extend further, however, because now I'm decked out in quest and dungeon blues and even the named monsters go down like wet paper bags.
ReplyDeleteStill, when an experienced player at level 10 can barely eke out a kill on some named monsters (without heirlooms) I think it's a nice change of pace.
I noticed a couple of these mobs in Dun Morogh and at least one in Silverpine, (there's a couple in the Goblin zones too, I noticed in beta, no idea about Worgen since I avoided those to be spoiler-free), they're definitely a challenge for a solo quester, without being *too* difficult.
ReplyDeleteI think they've always had similar mobs though, they just upped the scale of them a tiny bit more and actually added a portrait marker.
I also like that rarespawns give like triple XP and have a shorter spawn timer. I've come across a bunch of them leveling and it feels like a lucky find every time.
ReplyDeleteCan't quite call that part of the "on-rails" experience, now can you?
ReplyDeleteSounds equivalent to 'Signature' mobs in LOTRO. Good idea.
ReplyDeleteBest thing about those mobs is they also still count towards quest completion even if you don't tap them as long as you help to bring them down. That'll be most welcome when there's hundreds of people levelling through the new 81-85 zones in a few days.
ReplyDeleteI agree 100%, I also felt let down when supposed generals, fearsome warriors and legendary fighters didn't went down before I even had a chance to use a cooldown. The High-HP-but-still-hits-around-the-same bosses are a fantastic addition.
ReplyDeletePS: Peregrine is back and blogging at www.paladin-storm.blogspot.com and I'd really appreciate some comments or followera! :)
The quest marker has kept me from dropping a few interesting mobs while looking around on my max level toon. I figured since they were quest mobs, they wouldn't drop anything and some lower level player might need to them soon.
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