Just recalled a fond memory from when I first started playing and figured I’d share and see if anyone has similar experiences.
This was way back in, if I’m remembering correctly, the single digit updates… I think six but I’m not sure. At least for me and a few friends at the time Ancient Infested were scary, actually required specific focusing down and a little cheesing of the not-so-great AI they had back then. A lot of bosses were like the Sargent, just bigger/tougher versions of normal enemies. Death came frequently enough that teamwork was important and builds like an ultra-slow but functionally indestructible Rhino were assets to the team rather than an unwanted holdup.
But back then even the most indestructible of builds with the best of weapons were out matched by one adversary: The Stalker. He didn’t have his now iconic weapons back then, no he used a Braton and Cernos but he used them well and had some protection against powers being used against him. I recall him causing mission failure on so many missions… then just about when I was going to conclude he’s unkillable he spawns in while I’m solo trudging in my maximum tank Rhino build. He’s killed it before but it was my main and I was never really one to just give up. He’s running circles around me as he was able to to… at least in part 'cause my run speed was slower than Excalibur’s walk. But I manage to get out from whatever power-suppression he had back then I go for a Charge… and miss but it got me enough distance to have just a sliver of breathing space and with that I try again, probably last time before my powers are gone again. Hit. Not just a hit but he disappears…
I didn’t think he was beaten but it wasn’t like The Stalker to let up on the attack… I trudge on continuing the mission. I complete the objective… no second round, no ambush. I’m getting a little anxious as I keep on trudging toward the exit. I reach it… and the normal mission complete plays and I’m bounced back to mission select. I won. I could hardly believe it but I won. Unfortunately I didn’t get anything special though as this was before you were guaranteed the sigil for the first kill.
This post brings back memories! Back when Ancients used to be just an Infested Runner scaled up in size, they had a whole community poll in Design Council to vote on it’s new sounds and looks! Drops from bosses were orbs that could fall out of maps if the ragdoll was unkind and deprive you of your loot. Back then stunlocking bosses with Nyx’s Mind Control or ragdolling them with Kestrel was a core strategy for me and my friend in order to defeat them. That was at least until we discovered Serrated Blade and Toxic damage type weapons and how they ignored armor, that made things much easier.
It’s nice to hear that the single really BAD glaive, the Kestrel, once had its glory days.
I really hope it gets an incarnon treatment, because it is the most fun glaive too. It just can’t kill anything. Even with 4 forma and a riven.
That thing was nasty back in the days, when a heavy unit meant actual trouble (at least to my newbie undergeared self). Sure, it did no damage, just like nowadays, but both the throw and the slam attacks had forced ragdoll procs that worked on pretty much anything. And with energy being an incredibly precious resource, having a free reliable source of CC was pretty awesome!
It still ragdolls any “normal” unit, far as I know. Level 195 steel path corrupted heavy gunners go right on their ass.
I remember when my friends as I got to the Raptor for the first time and it kicked our rears consistently until I panic-fired Loki’s Switch Teleport and got it stuck in a hallway. We then spent… had to be five whole minutes pounding on it before it un-wedged itself and I had to re-trap it. It was hilarious how it went from unkillable monster to trapped with it’s guns facing the wrong way.