Feedback on the Terror Zones has been pretty consistent that they need more “Terror” as in higher monster density or difficulty, or something to make them different. Here are seven recommendations in order of priority:
1: Add Terror Boss Monsters for each Terror Zone. These don’t need to be new monsters or new models. Just use the Super Unique Monsters already in existence in the game. Give these “Terror” versions +1 bonus attribute and +2 Minions (if they have minions). Current non-Terror versions can have up to 3 special fixed attributes, and +0 bonus attributes in Normal, +1 in Nightmare, and +2 in Hell, this means the maximum special attributes for a Terror Super Unique in Hell difficulty will be 6 special attributes.
List of Terror Zones with corresponding Super Unique Monsters
Blood Moor and Den of Evil = Terror Corpsefire
Cold Plains and The Cave = Terror Bishibosh and Terror Coldcrow
Burial Grounds, The Crypt, and the Mausoleum = Terror Blood Raven and Terror Bonebreak
Stony Field = Terror Rakanishu
Dark Wood = Terror Treehead Woodfist
The Forgotten Tower = Terror Countess
Jail = Terror Pitspawn Fouldog
Cathedral and Catacombs = Terror Bone Ash
The Pit = Expand Terror Zone to include Tamoe Highlands, and move Flamespike the Crawler to the Highlands from the Inner Cloister.
Tristram = Terror Griswald
Moo Moo Farm = Terror Cow King
Sewers = Terror Radiment
Rocky Waste and Stony Tomb = Terror Creeping Feature
Dry Hills and Halls of the Dead = Terror Bloodwitch the Wild
Far Oasis = Terror Beetleburst
Lost City, Valley of Snakes, and Claw Viper Temple = Terror Dark Elder
Harem and Palace Cellar = Terror Fire Eye Consider adding this Terror Zone back, it was a lot of fun.
Arcane Sanctuary = Terror Summoner
Tal Rasha’s Tombs = Terror Ancient Kaa the Soulless
Spider Forest and Spider Cavern = Terror Sszark the Burning
Flayer Jungle and Flayer Dungeon = Terror Witch Doctor Endugu
Lower Kurast = Terror Stormtree
Kurast Bazaar, Ruined Temple, and Disused Fane = Terror Battlemaid Sarina
Kurast Sewers = Terror Icehawk Riftwing
Travincal = Terror Ismail Vilehand, Terror Geleb Flamefinger, and Terror Torric Icefist
Durance of Hate = Terror Wyand Voidbringer, Terror Maffer Dragonhand, and Terror Bremm Sparkfist
Outer Steppes and Plains of Despair = Terror Izual
River of Flame and City of the Damned = Terror Hephasto
Chaos Sanctuary = Terror Lord De Seis, Terror Infector of Souls, and Terror Grand Vizier
Bloody Foothills = Terror Dac Ferren
Frigid Highlands = Terror Sharptooth Slayer and Terror Eyeback the Unleashed
Glacial Trail = Terror Bonesaw Breaker
Crystalline Passage and Frozen River = Terror Frozenstein
Arreat Plateau = Terror Thresh Socket
Nihlathak’s Temple, Halls of Anguish, Halls of Pain, and Halls of Vaught = Terror Nihlathak
Ancient’s Way and Icy Cellar = Terror Snapchip Shatter
Worldstone Keep, Throne of Destruction, and Worldstone Chamber = Terror Lister
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2: Add ways to increase Chance to Hit. This is one of the major problems holding back combat builds, particularly melee and physical damage types. It’s not Physical Immunes, it’s the ability to hit things so you can kill them faster. Terror Zones have accentuated this issue for combat builds and should be addressed before increasing monster density in Terror Zones. Ignore Target Defense is not enough since it does not effect Super Uniques.
- 2a: Add Chance to Hit to base weapons. The simplest way to do this is to increase the additional attack rating on Superior weapons, make it +100 to +300 instead of the current +1 to +3. Additional ideas at the link.
- 2b: Add a Defense Sunder charm. If you are going to have Sunder charms helping out the Elemental builds, then add one to help us overcome defense. -50% Monster Defense would be my suggestion.
3: Increase Monster Density / Add Guest Monsters in Terror Zones. I’ve put these suggestions together because adding Guest Monster packs in addition to the current monster packs would increase the monster density and might be the best way to go about it since you could decide how many additional guest monster packs per a Terror Zone. For example, Tristam probably only needs +1 or +2 Guest Monster packs. While a larger Terror Zone like Tal Rasha’s Tombs or the Moo Moo farm could handle +4 or even +6 Guest monster packs. Having a pack of monsters that you don’t usually face in that area would add to the feel of the Terror Zone. Maybe use some of the monsters in the Unused Bestiary? It would even allow adding Lower Kurast back to the Terror Zone list, just with a significant number of guest monster packs.
4: Add Magic Immune monsters and add Magic to the Lower Resistance curse. One of the main feedbacks was that Terror Zones were “too easy” for Hammerdins. Adding a few Magic Immune monsters to the Terror Zones would be a way to help with this, but Bone Necromancers would suffer. Adding Magic back to the resistances lowered by Lower Resist would give Necros a native way to deal with Magic Immune monsters. (Note this is not a new thing, Magic resistance used to be lowered by Lower Resist). Of course adding Magic Immune monsters everywhere would be a problem, so I’d suggest using the Guest Monsters for the Terror Zones. Make the Guest Monsters in Act 1 Magic Immune, the Guest Monsters in Act 2 Poison Immune, the Guest Monsters in Act 3 Lightning Immune, the Guest Monsters in Act 4 Fire Immune, and the Guest Monsters in Act 5 Cold Immune. With the addition of Sunder charms and Magic added back to Lower Resist this should be pretty easy for players to deal with but will finally give the Hammerdin some worthy challenges in Act 1 Terror Zones.
5: Make Terror Zones more flexible for different player types. This is a big one and might need to wait until patch 2.7, but currently Terror Zones are targeted at only one type of player: A Min/Max player looking for higher experience and higher level item drops. While a large number of players fit this player type, there are also others that ought to be considered. The Completionist who likes to “do everything” and “collect everything” and the Theorycrafter who likes to build off meta characters and complete challenges with them.
How to make Terror Zones more flexible for different player types
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When you create a new game, the Terror Zone on creation is the one that is on the server for that hour. The Terror Zone in this game does not change with the hour change.
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You finish “clearing” the Terror Zone, and then a new random Terror Zone in that game becomes active. At this point you have two options. You can leave the game and create a new game, that has the current server Terror Zone for that hour, or you can go clear the new Terror Zone.
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After clearing the new Terror Zone, another new random Terror Zone triggers in that game (limited to a list of Terror Zones that have not yet triggered in that game). Basically, the Terror Zone in that game becomes disconnected from whatever the server is doing, so the Terror Zone only changes when the old Terror Zone is cleared.
This allows the Terror Zone feature to be used the way different players want to. The Min Max farmers and grinders who want to just play the same Terror Zone over and over will leave and create new games.
The Theorycrafter who likes to play an off meta build and thus takes longer to clear a Terror Zone doesn’t have to worry. If it takes him 80 minutes to clear a specific zone, that’s fine. The Terror Zone in his game is unaffected by what time it is on the server.
The Team Player who likes the story/roleplay aspect and likes to play with a party gets to play end game acting like a rapid reaction force to wherever the hordes of Hell are invading this time. And sometimes the Terror Zone is one his character shines in, and other times the new Terror Zone is something a different character in the party can shine in.
The Completionist gets a new goal to strive for: Clear all the Terror Zones in a single game.
Of course, the question becomes how to measure “clearing” the Terror zone. It could be kill every monster inside, but I think it should be killing every Super Unique monster in that zone.
If you buff the Super Unique in that area to “Terror” version of their basic self that would also give the Terror Zones a bit more challenge, and a bit more of the fantasy feel that Blizzard likes to have. And then it would make sense that when you kill the “boss” of the Terror Zone the terror zone moves somewhere else.
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6: A reward for clearing all Terror Zones in all Difficulties. Rewards motivate people, but an item that helps you kill more quickly is I think the wrong kind of reward. Instead, I suggest the character that has cleared every Terror Zones in all difficulty levels (Normal, Nightmare, and Hell) be granted a 2nd Personal Stash page. This reward will motivate the completionist and the min/max grinder and give them a reward that doesn’t grant their character any extra power but does allow the storage of more items It’s particularly rewarding for a Completionist that wants to get every set or something, and for the Theorycrafter who wants to save unique items that are quirky and might be useful for a theorycraft someday. It’s a challenging thing to do that is available for every character you make.
7: Add a Terror Zone effect (generated on game creation) that effects the entire zone. Things like Darkness, Chilled, Plagued Land, etc.
List of Terror Zone effects:
Darkness: While a player is inside the Terror Zone the Tainted Sune effect is applied.
Horde: When a pack of monsters inside the Terror Zone spawn, double the number of monsters.
Vampiric: All monsters in the Terror Zone have Life Steal. 20% in Normal Terror Zones, 50% in Nightmare Terror Zones, and 100% in Hell Terror Zones.
Aggressive: Monsters packs are generated and motivated to attack players at greater range. (IE instead of waiting for you to come to them, the monsters start coming after you when you are in the Terror Zone).
Mana Dampening: Mana Cost of Abilities doubled inside the Terror Zone
Spell Suppression: Damage of Spells reduced by 50% inside the Terror Zone (effects Monsters too)
Potion Dampening: All Potions are halved in effectiveness while in a Terror Zone.
Regeneration Suppression: Regeneration time for Health and Mana is doubled. (IE Instead of +10 health over 1 second, it becomes 10 health over 2 seconds, thus doubling the length of time it takes potions/Warmth/Life Regen/Mana Regen etcetera to heal you).
Tempest: Players are struck by random lightning attacks (like in Worldstone Keep, but more common). Higher damage in higher level difficutlies.
Chilled: Anytime a player enters this Terror Zone they receive the Chilled effect, and the Chilled effect is reapplied periodically (so In Hell difficulty Half Freeze duration will allow you to spend half your time in the zone unchilled).
Plagued Land: Anytime a player is in the Terror Zone they are poisoned. 1 damage a second in Normal Terror Zones, 4 damage a second in Nightmare Terror Zones, and 12 damage a second in Hell Terror Zones?
Burning Blood: All monsters in this Terror Zone have the Blaze effect. Level 5 Blaze for Normal Terror Zones, Level 10 Blaze for Nightmare Terror Zones, and Level 20 Blaze for Hell Terror Zones.
