Unsettling Encounter in DnD: Suspected Foul Play and a Frustrated Player’s Perspective

In the enigmatic realms of Dark and Darker, an unsettling incident has left a seasoned player questioning the integrity of their recent encounter. The narrative unfolds with a fully stacked gold team in the ruins, relentlessly pursuing the player and their team. The pursuers, confident in the player’s descent into the crypts, prompt a cautious awareness as the player spawns in the top right corner of the map, armed with the unique capabilities of a cleric.

The player strategically positions themselves in the two-square rooms adorned with zombies and a static portal, accompanied by a hallway housing lions’ heads, traps, and dragonflies. Armed with the assurance of a static portal and an array of campfires, the player anticipates a waiting game to outlast the storm and static zone. As they diligently clear the module, the game’s starting point, the player prepares to hunker down and weather the impending challenges.

Approximately two minutes into their strategic reprieve, an unexpected twist unfolds. The player hears the opposing team clearing a module in close proximity, catching them off guard. The opposing team’s movements are notable; they navigate north through a mini-boss room, heading toward the corner of the map that lies deep within the swarm. Sensing potential danger, the player swiftly relocates to their original spawn location, concealing themselves around a corner and patiently waiting for the blue zone to open.

To the player’s bewilderment, the opposing team confidently marches through the swarm, leading them directly into the room and corner where the player strategically positioned themselves. The assailants, displaying an unusual level of assurance, proceed to shout insults through voice communication before eliminating the player, all while maintaining health levels around half or less after braving the zone to reach them.

This sequence of events leaves the player grappling with a perplexing dilemma. While acknowledging the possibility that the opposing team had deduced their presence in the swarm, the level of confidence displayed, combined with the team’s full gear and the absence of any interest in looting the player’s body, raises suspicions of foul play. This encounter marks one of the few instances where the player, who has been part of the Dark and Darker community since pt3, feels genuinely cheated.

Driven by a commitment to fair play, the player promptly reports the incident, although the lack of recorded evidence adds a layer of frustration to the situation. Despite the absence of tangible proof, the player, who typically maintains a positive outlook even in defeat, expresses a rare sentiment of feeling cheated in a game they hold dear.

A final touch to the narrative is added as the opposing team reaches out to the player, adamantly denying any form of cheating. The player, inclined to believe in fairness, finds themselves torn between skepticism and a desire to trust the integrity of their fellow gamers. Regardless of the outcome, the incident leaves a lingering taste of saltiness, with the hope that justice will be served in the form of appropriate consequences for those involved.

In sharing this rant, the player aims not only to vent their frustrations but also to shed light on an experience that resonates with others who may have faced similar challenges. The resounding message remains clear – the pursuit of fair and enjoyable gameplay should always triumph over unsportsmanlike conduct, and a community built on respect and integrity is paramount. For the sake of a harmonious gaming environment, official efforts have been made in the game mechanics and Dark and Darker Gold market, and we hope there will be more progress.

The riposte should indeed be a calculated risk

The recent change to minimize the damage gap between weapon rarities is undeniably the most fantastic update they’ve introduced yet! Huge thanks to IronMace for implementing this change. I’ve been advocating for such a shift for quite some time, and I believe this adjustment should receive much more attention. It feels like this change may have gone somewhat unnoticed, possibly due to the focus on duo queue, but it’s a game-changer, particularly because we all recognized how lackluster starter weapons were when compared to greens and blues!

However, it appears that the longsword may have drawn the short end of the stick in this patch. It seems that vendor-grade longswords still boast similar damage values as before, hovering around 34. I can’t confirm whether epics or legendaries have been adjusted downward, as I haven’t come across any of those variants yet.

Conversely, other significant two-handed weapons have received damage buffs in this update, but the longsword, which already barely outperformed some one-handed weapons in terms of damage, appears to have been left out. While it’s true that the riposte is a potent ability, it carries a certain risk factor, as missing leaves you exposed to free damage, and ripostes aren’t guaranteed to land either. With the base damage of the longsword being significantly lower than that of other two-handed weapons, it necessitates hitting the parry/riposte just to match the damage output of a standard halberd strike. In my opinion, it could benefit from a modest 5-10% increase in damage, maybe you can improve damage through a lot of Dark and Darker Gold.

It’s worth noting that it was at 33 damage before the patch, so it did receive a slight bump with a +1 increase. However, considering its relatively sluggish handling, I had hoped for a bit more improvement.

The riposte should indeed be a calculated risk you take to amplify your damage output, but currently, it feels like it’s the only viable strategy for the longsword. Essentially, if your opponents aren’t easily parry-able, you find yourself dealing less damage than you could with other weapons. Being ignored by enemies during a skirmish becomes a drawback, and attempting to parry carries substantial risk even when facing opponents.

Additionally, it’s worth mentioning that riposte damage remains unaltered from the previous playtest, so when it eventually receives tuning adjustments, the longsword may struggle to compete. The longsword’s damage lags behind other weapons, its range is lackluster, its swing speed and subsequent slowdowns are detrimental, and there are few perks specifically tailored for it, apart from defensive options that could be just as effective with a falchion and heater shield.

To address these concerns and bring the longsword more in line with the halberd, falchion, and spear, I propose increasing the primary combo damage of the longsword (or its base weapon damage). Simultaneously, adjust the riposte to be a calculated risk that can pay off through skill expression, rather than the only viable approach. Additionally, consider reducing the mobility constraints imposed by the longsword’s swings; perhaps introducing a mobility perk specific to longswords or swords in general to enhance build diversity. Addressing these issues would make the longsword a more competitive choice alongside other weapons.

It’s disheartening to witness the other weapons receive enhancements while the longsword remains neglected once again.

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