Kings Fall Hard Mode Predictions *SP* (Destiny)

by Harmanimus , Monday, October 12, 2015, 18:12 (3596 days ago) @ dogcow

Opening the Portal
1- Shortened relic timeout.
2- Shortened statue timeout (such that the new relics must be acquired immediately after the old ones are slammed home).

Given that the relic/statue tolerance is already reasonably tight, I don't expect that to change much, though the idea that you have to pick up the relics quickly after placing them I like. I just don't imagine the relic timeout will be shortened. Likely a rise in enemy levels, though.

I expect something to delay a straight run to the portal, though. Possibly having to kill 1-3 wizards before you can actually enter it, or possibly a need to each pick up a tomb husk from a statue to actually get through.

Tombship Jumping Puzzle
1- More tombships.
2- More wrong ships to take.
3- Different route.
4- Snipers, maybe.

I see 1-3, but I see no benefit other than annoyance to having snipers. I have the same expectation for the pendulum, plungers, and vertical jumping puzzle. Would be neat if the vertical puzzle was also a taller spire, or at least a changed jump pattern. Sorry to all of my Warlock and Hunter friends.

Opening the Door / Powering the Glyphs
1- You won't be able to pickup the same brand twice in a row, but will have to weave between left & right sides.
2- Snipers will join the Boomer Knights up in the balcony.

Both of these I can get behind. It's the sort of encounter that seems like it is suited to just having more bodies thrown at you. But the change of the cycling mechanic would be neat.

Warpriest
1- More hit points.

While I expect it'll take more punishment to bring the Warpriest down, I expect that the aura will require a faster add-kill to keep the refresh going. Also spawning in knights of some variety to harass the group makes sense, and I'd imagine they're associated with either active or destroyed pillars if that's the case.

Golgoroth's Cellar
1- Thrall?

I'd actually prefer seeing a changed layout with different pits and all that, but no enemies. I think one thing that CE lacked was the defined mechanic-only encounters and relied too heavily on the combat-only (Abyss and Deathsinger) and combo (The Bridge and Crota) encounters. The Gorgon's Labyrinth and the Vault Approach were nice changes of pace, as was the entrance to the Templar's Well. Also, 6 buttons for the chest, with more hidden buttons.

Golgoroth
1- Taking his gaze more than once will light up a glyph on the relic. (Basically a mechanic to make you rotate gaze takers).
2- Shortened enrage timer.

I think that if they do anything with the Tablet it'll be fewer deaths for it to fill. To rotate gaze takers, I would expect a debuff, like with Skolas. I would also expect more need to keep the gaze going. But most of the fight is pretty much solid. Maybe the bubbles don't respawn until all are dropped, so you are forced into every position, and make the Axion Darts a constant stream instead of bursts of 3, so that the Gazer has to really be on their toes.

Transept Jumping Puzzle
1- Pistons will be less predictable. Possibly proximity based.

I like the idea of less predictability, just for excitement. While it makes you more cautious it doesn't make it more difficult due to random deaths, as you can still wait for the plunger to retract.

Things I expect to change: Locations of all invisible platforms. The paths between the target platforms will be longer, and require passing by plungers. The chest room will have a different route, that will require all 3 target platforms to be resolved first.

Daughters of Oryx
1- Must acquire 2 relics (relic is split in 1/2 like when opening the portal)
2- Perhaps snipers constantly spawning.

I like the two relics. Perhaps after you get the one that is high, one spawns on the ground between the platforms. It requires you to take a little more time on grabbing the aura. You don't even need to adjust the health there. And I'd make snipers spawn more, but not indefinite. Perhaps on randomized platforms, too.

Oryx
1- Snipers (constantly spawning?) in addition to the Ogres.
2- A random person is torn between dimensions instead of the first person on the platform (the one who picks up the spark).
3- Maybe 2 relics again?

Make the snipers spawn in after the Ogres, once you stagger Oryx. So that there are snipers you have to engage on your way to detonate. And keep the halved relics, but also make it be a random person Torn and a random order you have to activate the platforms. Indicated by glowing orbs, of course. And Ogres spawn in the order the platforms are activated.

My group normally has 3 platform folks and two dedicated roamers. Which means if you make all 4 platforms require activation it can be a little more difficult due to complexity, but not be too complex that it ruins the encounter flow.

Also, during the bomb run, 2x bombs spawn behind you, and during the shade, the 4 columns from the Regicide mission are populated as well, giving the shade a chance to take cover from your fire and making it more difficult to skirt the edge. With that, the shade has the ranged attack (if it doesn't have that already, I usually am one of the last people teleported in) to make that fight a little more aggressive.