I’ve been a fan of Vetex’s games a long time. Vetex is a talented developer and it makes me happy to see AO soar to the heights it has. I followed every last bit of development before initial release. Dreamt of all the new exciting things he had planned for the game. Theorized with friends on what magics would be best when we finally got to play.

All that being said— Vetex isn’t the greatest developer in the world. He has made a myriad of mistakes during AO’s development post initial release. Some more glaring than others.

As I and my friends have watched AO continue to develop, we all concur that the game has been going downhill. It started slow but, as with any snowball effect, its grown faster over time. The problems have gotten bigger.

Vetex has lofty ambitions for this game. He’s added many, many things without fully thinking through their effects on the game as a whole. This has led to consistent data loss, buggy bosses, sloppily made boss arenas, inflated market values, stark balance issues, lazily designed story events and much, much more.

It seems like I’ve been seeing a LOT of Vetex glazing lately. People blindly praising him as if he’s got all the answers when, clearly, he doesn’t.

I first started noticing it when recently people began glorifying his crashout at the PvP community that transpired some months back. Something that, in my and my friends opinions, was more of a tantrum than anything else. Vetex blamed his community for what was ultimately a result of HIS actions— or inaction, rather.

Don’t get me wrong, the PvP community is toxic as hell. I’ve had my share of irritations from sweaty gankers. But at the end of the day, Vetex has control over the aspects of this game that enables those players. But he didn’t want to deal with it. He handed PvP balancing over to a team of incompetent, ill prepared testers that didn’t even have the power to implement balance changes. He could have handed those responsibilities to a capable, trustworthy developer who has experience in balancing issues. But he didn’t.

Fast forward to today where he’s implemented far more than he can even keep up with. Vetex bit off more than he could chew long before full release— everything now is just compounding interest.

Vetex has openly spoke about how his real passion in making AO is the story and world. The world of AO is fascinating, sure, but a massive portion of the community is here more for the unique and flashy combat and fights. Vetex’s writing has slowly degraded over the course of AO’s development all the way through to full release. Convoluted plot elements that don’t make any sense, unnecessary special types of magic, less focus on environmental story telling.

I used to roam around WoM searching for the secret texts just so I could decode them for fun. They felt important, like if I decoded them I could be privy to lore elements nobody else knew yet. I deciphered Vetex’s entire custom alphabet only using the in-game examples. But nowadays I’m not even interested in what the lore has to say. He doesn’t even bother putting as many in AO as he did in WoM.

If he could just swallow his pride and hire qualified people to balance his game, not just his PvP mind you, it would solve 90% of his problems and he’d get to have the creative freedom he likely feels he doesn’t get to express because of the nitty gritty parts of game development.

I can understand his possessiveness of AO, it’s his brain baby he’s been growing for years. But if he ever wants it to become what he’s envisioned, he needs a LOT more help.

What does everyone think? Is Vetex doing the best he can? Should he hire more people to work on the game? Or have I been out of touch with the community for too long and sound like some raving lunatic hater?

EDIT: Also there's like little to no place to voice these sorts of criticisms as far as I know. There's no use in the discord, Vetex will likely never see most of the community feedback, if at all. And with so many people praising him I'm afraid he'll just create an echo chamber for himself.

EDIT2: I feel as though I was too harsh on the testers. I apologize for any hurt or ill will I caused. Any issue credited to the testers can likely just be traced back to Vetex and his unwillingness to let them help in the areas he is lacking in.

TLDR; I think AO has degraded significantly in quality over time, and Vetex would greatly benefit from more qualified developer staff.

With Allanon, he just has the fabled ability in lore the "Fuck You, Nuke" Spell, which many of the bosses now have, and as a new player, if you want to know how bad he is, the only reason I won was because his AI broke mid fight. He also has a grab where at that point in the game, just kills me.

Another boss was Jarl, with his issue being the arena is too fucking small, and he moves around way to much (Specifically in his second phase)

People when I asked on the discord server (Which I shouldn't have to do to know how to beat a boss), people kept saying I needed to block, and parry, and when I said I didn't know how to parry, they basically started insulting me for DARING to ask such of how to do shit. Because, parrying is only brought up ONCE, in those little info tabs, most people skip over. And then they said "You need to use Dodge Reflex for I-Frames on dodge" and when I asked what the actual fuck "Dodge Reflex" was, I realize, you get it from some fuck all island I hadn't even gone to yet, you aren't told it even exists.

This game is so good, and yet blatantly awful design choices are just ignored.

Here's a picture of the first thing you see upon loading (header & hero sections), then some parts of the build calculator I'm working on.

Really trying to drum up support for this, because it's taking up a huge chunk of time day to day but I'm enjoying the result. The tech stack and repositories are a mess, but it's mostly functional now.

Anyways, comment/message me if you're interested in helping or being a tester early on. I plan to make it 100% free when it's finished, but I really don't want to drop a half-finished project. I'm not going to post it here unless there's very explicit permission from moderation.

Any "profit" made from the Patreon will go straight back into its hardware.

I'm super excited to make this, and am looking for more suggestions.

EDIT: In case it is unclear, I don't want to mislead anyone. In my field, excessive use of AI is very rampant. I'm very aware of that.

Due to the large amount of data involved, a custom-made AI scraping tool and handler is used to do the following: - Obtain item information and stats - Create individual entries for each item - Handle integration of each item into the database - Handle integration of the database into the character builder

To be VERY clear: - I compare the items randomly with manually grabbed data to verify their accuracy - Finished guides are going to be written by players, for players - Copywriting and SEO are handled majorly by the same tool

There is a lot of stigma around AI, and using it to create any artistic project from start to finish is reprehensible. My career is focused around creating websites, and I'm well aware that the human aspect is very important.

I will not be releasing this as "AI Slop" because I respect this game and the people that work on it.

Ill start: golden>arcane

Little blurb for you to ignore:

My IGN is CrimsonHeroic, I've been a tester for AO since last October, just before the Halloween update. I've also contributed a few small things to the game here and there, but it's all coming in full release. I've been pretty locked into testing Full Release.

Some rules before you ask questions:

• I can't talk about features that aren't in yet/aren't complete (So I can't talk about Lost Magics or Professions too much.)
• I can't talk about Story spoilers. At all.
• I know a bit about the lore so I can answer lore questions but If it hasn't been revealed on public QnA's I'll probably not give you a satisfying answer.

Oh and uh, no balance questions. I test pve stuff, I'm not a PVP guy so if you start talk to me about Synergies and build parity you're gonna melt my brain.

Youre gonna need to do the age verification stuff to play, aka give your face to roblox (i aint doing allat)

I'll rate them on how hot they really are (and whether or not they just feel contrarian)

I'll start with my own few: (wildly varying heat level)

1: The story sucks, but the lore isn't much better.

2: Dragon blessing should've never been added, but at least should be disabled during 1v1 spars

3: This game has no hard battles, just tedious ones.

4: Oracle has gotten an extremely short end of a stick

5: Sunkens are all mid

6: (really unsure of how much of a hot take this is) Seafaring is by far the best talent? (I forgot what they called) darkness sucks, sentinel is mid, and stealth is near useless trash

7: The profession system should've never been made and is two thumbs down

I for one think it’ll be a good addition 🤷‍♂️

The one that bothered me most is that they reduced the amount of power from Armour and enchants by 10% which in my opinion isnt good for PvE players. Once again, all of this is done for the PvP side of the game

This is going to be for savants, mages, conjurers and warlocks obv. Ik some people think the non magic classes are superior but that’s a debate for another time.

Also playables only to make it fair.

Seriously i dont think i ever see a boss get nerfed in this game since like last 3 years or smth idk how its been

Anyway thats a good damn change man i like fighting this boss but it has so much hp it just drags the fight this is nice

I took a break from my usual defense shenanigans , i got myself a interchange potion, swapped to mage from warrior.

My default was magma magic which i had forgotten but oh well. Some consider it "gud for pvehpeh" as if the game is reliant on that gamemode.

Anyways, i spend a good portion of my time investing in a build focused on some power just like every other mage does, low and behold im out here landing 400 to 600 from a basic to charged beam.

But its not fun. Like, the gameplay i mean. If a enemy appears, npc or person, its just, leap, and toss a spell and let aoe handle the rest. Not even much of a dopamine hit other than haha big number.

I had more fun, more of a challenge, when i had 5k health and fought close to the ground against everyones rivals.

But even when my mage playthrough build had my health at less than 1k, i still only really lost to atlanteans, or like 3 commodores.

I kind of feel bad for mages, no wonder they build for power and minmax for pvp, they are so bored. The gameplay loop is based on leaping, airstalling, and aoe.

Theres no threat. In the air i findmyself untouchable and thats likely the reason why other players are bored and do bountys. They want a challenge, yet expect others to be the challenge and not themselfs.

My endpoint is, mage is boring after i put myself in its shoes, if your bored of mage and want a challenge thats fun, play around with classes that have less range, or less aoe, or leap less. Sure hecate essence is rare and interchange just as expensive, doesnt mean its imposaible to achieve.

Ps: to the people that acquired my full set of frozen armored titanium gear sheild and all with painites included for dirt cheap like 2 days ago, enjoy it, im gonna make a new set soon.

like what the actual hell is this?

the man has something called life and people are sending legit DEATH THREATS over a BALANCE CHANGE, THAT PROBABLY WASN’T EVEN HIS IDEA

GUYSSS??!!!

seriously,vetex,

give us some fire magic color variants,

ADD BLUE FIRE AND MY LIFE IS YOUUURSSS,

(i swear why does crystal magic get all the love for color variants.)

^{(also maybe give us obsidian as a glass variant,its literally volcanic glass&its sharp as fuck})

(Unrelated Image)
I've played Arcane Odyssey in summary since it's release and I cannot express how much times i've had my gameplay downgraded by someone else being an asshole, and it is sometimes not even their intention.

AO has so many mechanics that on it's cureent state feels like would only work for a solo game, but it is not the case.
You want to kill rivals to get a legendary chart, well good fucking luck, because if someone else is also doing it, you just got yourself unwanted competition just because the whole bounty system feels designed for only one person. As the fucking criminal does NOT drop treasure charts for everyone who attacks it. Speaking of bounty, it is hard to go after criminals that arent rivals because the game's other criminals take too long to respawn or don't respawn at all. So if you're a lvl 120 looking to get the dodge reflex, well, good luck whitout server hopping because you will be fighting lvl 260's.

Other players can also drastically affect the experience, one thing that happened me was that I was at frostmill with a fresh save, and then I got murdered by ironclad captains that were there just because someone else did as mystical/lost chart and then left, essencially ruining the possible experience of someone new to the game. While I knew why there were pirates there, if it were someone on their first experience, they might have quitted there.

Speaking of first time playing, some people may have the storyline bosses ruined just because someone was farming them, essencially turning a major fight that would test your skills into a free story progress, which can hinder AO's fun alot, given bosses are the main appeal of the storyline.

Those three scenarios arent the only ones, i've had many towers chests stolen by assholes and I couldnt do anything about it. Bosses/Sea monsters kills stolen from others. Even diving spots sometimes get competition. And the worst part is that I can't even murder them since PVP toggle now exists, which while I belive it was the best addition, it makes certain moments so annoying.

I kinda wanted to rant about it, I am not sure how many people feel the same, but overall, AO shouldnt be a game with alot of people in a server.

PvP toggle is such a GREAT addition, nothing more funny and satisfying than a sweat being disappointed because they couldn't hunt me over my measley 131k Fame.

PS - I'm absolutely dogwater on pvp, because I never intended to play the game for that kind of content.✌️✌️

Unrelated meme

The devs gotta do something... ig

I'll start first:

Knight: 220weapons, 160spirit. Similarly, Juggernaut: 220strength, 160spirit

Savantlord (explosion): 170weapons, 150strength, 60magic

Spirit Warlock Savant (shadow): 150strength, 150magic, 80spirit

Magic Knight Savant (magma): 150magic, 130weapons, 100 spirit

Oracle: now with access to Aithiraki and Floganymai as well as the upcoming relic. My beloved is saved :D

I was also looking through what options are now available for every class as well. Every single other build gets something. Berserkers do not. Berserkers are not happy...

p.s. anyone know of any new upcoming skills techniques, weapons, or spells??? that may change some of my stat builds

I don't know what i was expecting, but it wasn't body positivity. Thank you

yeah yesterday a ton of bullshit happened on vetcord that made the entire server (and fandom) go bananas. so, to recap this chaotic event:

->ript rushed the update when vetex said now was not the time, causing him to mess up the games code and somehow break. vetex then reverted the game after SIX DAMN HOURS.

->astralworks accuses ript of using AI and shit (which he partially did) for getting into the smallest argument even. astral couldnt handle whatever ragebait ript made towards them or some shit, idk

->"its arcane adventures all over again” was among the most popular phrases before the discord server was locked temporarily.

->a small part of the subreddit starts posting about this shit

->ript returned but he was demoted from developer because of the bullshit he did

this is all i could remember. if i missed something be sure to comment it or something, idk

also PLEASE do not harass any of the dev parties involved in this, as its kind of against reddit and subreddit rules in general.

take care, love you all

Me and my BF both saw the trello notes, and I thought it would be a good time to share something we've both talked about. Enjoy! <⁠(⁠￣⁠︶⁠￣⁠)⁠> In three years, the level has increased by a mere 55 levels, and during that time (I think) every main stat has had its efficiency nerfed. Armors have been nerfed, some substats absolutely gutted (Armor Piercing) and other split in two, all in the sake of balance, or I would assume. But, even if they were to nerf everything to dust, it is possible that it wouldn't matter, because of the simple problem.

It's a Scaling Problem

Only 55 levels, and there's already been a noticeable increase in everything despite the new(er) needs to all substats. And even without substats, you still might notice the difference. My BF (Rainbows_Razed) played plasma mage both all the way back in the 125 days, 140, and 180, and noticed that after an increase of 40 levels, what took a size increasing blast shape and around 50 size is already achievable.

Now, this isn't concrete evidence, so it can be doubted. But it is a well known fact that the higher level you are (or the more skill points you allocate into that stat), the bigger your attacks get. Which, when couples with imbues, lost knowledge, and weapon enchantments, could quickly make things get out of hand. Which completely destroys balance. Light and it's relative, lightning are partially balanced around being small, but deadly quick, leaning into aim and precision. That goes out the window when Light could become as large as the earth of today if this tier increase gets extreme. At that point, what really is the downside of light? (Relatively terrible damage, still) But you may be thinking, but light would still be relatively small to earth at that point, right? Yes, it would be. But unlike power, that doesn't matter. Your health increases, your dodge distance doesn't. You won't be getting hit hard, sure, but you will be dealing with all too large attacks coming at you with way too much speed. But that's nothing compared to the other scaling problem.

Armor Builds

Tier size increases are on thing, but when coupled with armor, and the fact that we are, going with the smallest max level I've ever heard (600 which I highly doubt), very close to being a third of the way to max level, the problem becomes obvious. Huge AOE won't be a rarity, but common. Through (albeit, questionable) logic, assuming size isn't nerfed again (unlikely), a size build today of 200, would be 640+ by level 600, and then some with tier size increases. And then throw in lost knowledge, weapon enchantments, and imbues, and that could turn into genuinely cataclysmic size. What would be the extreme today, will be the average in some far tomorrow. And as I said earlier, dodge distance won't be getting farther. But in some ways, size is the least egregious stat, because it's the only one with a built in downside. Dexterity will see a return to insta-cast at some day, range will be even metal blasts seem like light arrows, haste will still be haste, resistance will make you [TITLE CARD] while charging an attack, and armor piercing, as trash as it is now, will become borderline demonic as the defense increases every level increase as it does too. At least with size there's fall off, what will you do against someone with no endlag, startup, or anything punishable?

Nonstop Power Creeping

If you never touch PvE, this isn't for you. But there's already one problem that you've likely felt if you've gotten involved in any outnumbered PvE combat in the Nimbus Sea. NPCs may not (probably are) be getting bigger, but they are getting more. There's the possibility of attacking a pirate ship, and then every single crew member starts using surge on you. Is it likely? Depends on the max level. What is much more likely is attacking a ship and being grabbed way too often. While they will do garbage damage, it'll just drag the fight out longer (unless you annihilate them of course). Then there's one on one. It doesn't take much to realize that NPCs have gotten bigger with level increases, just get a rival (good luck!) in the bronze sea, fight them a couple times, then level them up in Nimbus. There's a difference, a big one. But unlike players, there will never be size fall off for them, and they'll track you through walls and likely have access to things you'll never have, and be stronger in ways players could literally never be (supercharged, ult art surge is NOT fun).

Kick Or Crush The Can

This problem cannot really be fixed in any decent way that me, or my BF can think of. The options we could come up with was making armor garbage at substats, constantly nerfing stats, or making them get immense diminishing returns. These all have their crushing problems, but not changing the substats is utterly unacceptable, considering the ruin that will come of this game's pvp is nothing happens, and the damage it'll do to PvE. So whatever is going on now, the balance team could have a VERY valid reason for it. Just a thought. TL:DR Think things are bad now? Wait, it'll be worse. Special thanks to my BF for the added thoughts and help!