Time to get rid of stat clamping

The clamp has been in the game since 2021. It's been 4 years of events and time capsules, and 8 DLCs. What you did or didn't do before the clamp has no relevancy to the point you're trying to make. Things are breaking now, and we'll only get stronger with each new thing that drop, and the max sp increases with each new DLC. Plus, the game wasn't made to be played like that.

1- I rather solo OW bosses if I can, I really don't care how many ppl are fighting them with me. Usually, I start them and people come along.
2- I random q elite, and have never felt the need to run E+, mostly because they don't bring anything new to the runs.

My problem is never when things take long. My problem is when people don't listen. I LOVE problem solving, even if it takes longer - I was playing a escape room game, and when I realized that I had to translate it to a quadratic equation to solve an enigma, that was the funniest part for me. I also like to help people when they're new.

I'll always prefer slower and harder over quicker and easier. That is my nature.

Ok, I ran a dreaded Omni Solo, Temple of Source Power from Wonderverse (which is the pinnacle of all DLC in my opinion), and I have no objections to it. Perhaps the NEW Dev Team has made appropriate adjustments to the clamp unlike their predecessors. It has been a very long time since I played anything Omni, maybe since 2023? I didn’t see anything about “Casual” or “Normal” or “Elite”, the only option was to choose the Temple of Source Power, ready up, and play.

It still kills me to see my stats stripped away and that CR373 glaring at me.

Solos are very well balanced with stats. Raids, Alerts are not. The elites too.

There is a chance they have been tweaking with stuff behind the scenes and not telling anyone. I don't see why it wouldn't go in the patch notes if so, but stranger things have happened...

And as far as casual mode, it's in a weird spot. You go in to custom queue as normal, but the casual mode is above tier 1 content. It should be on top of the list. So, if you're going all the way down to where the Wonderverse content is in order, you've already passed it.

Someone might be able to post a picture, but I can't.

It’s nothing new about hidden fixes or tweaks. I love transparency about game tweakage but I guess that info doesn’t always get passed along.

What people fail to realize is that the Omnibus is meant to provide the same challenges as we were at the level that is meant for the episode/chapter. These challenges also were extended to open world content as well because some of the same mechanics found with the bosses and certain ads also exist in instances. The fact that they introduced casual mode to instances was to provide a casual experience leaving current stats in place. The results of casual mode is that one could easily solo those instances (with a few exceptions) by practically one shooting enemies in the encounter.

This is all that was needed to provide evidence of why the stat clamps in lower tiered content was necessary to provide not only the experience of what it was like to run that content at that level for the newer players, but to also ensure certain feats could still be obtained by allowing the mechanics to trigger properly for feats, which is often negated or causing issues of mechanic phases to overlap from over burning, therefore, making the feat that much more difficult to obtain.

Am I saying the stat clamp is perfect?...No, but what I am saying is that to call for the absolute removal of clamping is a slippery slope that would cause more issues..especially for feats as well as removing experience from newer players who would be sure to face the same type of mechanics in current end game content. If it wasn't so easy for newer players to reach end game levels skipping 100s of episodes in the process, I doubt the clamp would be that big of a deal, or even necessary.

Or.. OR… and hear me out…. Or…. The clamp is working as intended and after not going back for a while you’ve gained more SP/stats which made it easier due to the piercing? You know, like it’s been stated it works for years?

Can you articulate what it is about this that winds you up so much? What is it, specifically, that makes you feel bad?

I would be inclined to believe that, if only there wasn't that other thread that was showing stat regression in clamped content, based solely on CR alone... every time something was moved to EEG/new gear was released. It was tested and proven, not someone's feelings.

I'm not going to pretend to know whatever formula is behind the clamp, but it seems to heavily counter any kind of improvement we make, to a point where it almost dials us back too much.

I have multiple toons, at various stages of progression, and most of them felt fairly similar in EEG. Was it overly difficult on any of them for me? No. But, I could see it being problematic for some depending on gear/skill level/specific content/other group members.

Personally, I'm content with casual mode. But, I'll support anyone who wants options and wants/needs to play the game differently than I do. Especially if one of those options is exactly like what we had available prior to the implementation. I don't care how other people play, I just want them to enjoy playing the game, especially if it isn't going to affect me in the slightest.

I don't think I've ever advocated for the explicit removal of the clamp. I've always maintained that optional would be the route to go.

Oh stats scaling. One of the easiest things to test yet you guys can’t seem to get that right. Or maybe it’s that you guys just don’t want to since it proves piercing works. Funny that someone actually came in here a few pages ago and showed how having higher SP made a noticeable difference. Tiff didn’t even understand what they said and quickly used that as a “see there isn’t a difference between a geared toon and a none geared toon” even though it was clearly stated there was a noticeable difference.

Now tiff goes in and does an EEG instance, someone who is completely against the clamp and said it was easier. And your guys assumption is that they MUST have made adjustments to the clamp because there couldn’t possibly be any other explanation lol. No explanation at all, like the fact that the devs stated multiple times piercing was a thing lol

Man you anti clamps sure are funny

I don't recall that. I said the clamp wouldn't have been needed if there was AQS in the first place. Undoing something dumb is harder than never adding the same dumb thing....but they are making headway at least.

It wasn't even "one of us" who performed the test... They tested max level to max level, kept a control, and have been testing each content as it progresses into EEG from EG.

Yes, there is a difference when you're advancing in whatever means of progression you have available when you aren't already at max. I've never disputed that. My guess was nothing changed for Tiffany (due to recent inactivity) and content became easier, that led to my assumption. It could have been instance specific, it could have been an increase in Skill Points/augments/artifacts/whatever, but we don't know.

What is also happening, though, is when you hit the maximum threshold, you have effectively hit a hard ceiling. It's not getting any better with the new gear or skill points that are released, so much so that you are occasionally losing stats at this point (not a large margin, but you aren't gaining stats). Some of it is only related to CR, as in nothing else changes except your CR. It goes up, and your stats go down, tested within the same content level - (Wonderverse to Wonderverse, for example).

At some point, you have to let your bias go... and check out that thread if you can. Hopefully, they'll keep it up to date and refresh it shortly after the next chapter.

Oh, I'm not saying it's not bad game design, hell, the game is FULL of bad design decisions like exponentially increasing stats every episode. Why do that? Well, to make new gear and better equipment feel like your effort is paying off. The unfortunate side effect is that yeah...at some point, you become 'too' powerful and the game gets easier(or let's call it 'too easy'). But let's face it. Even clamped, with a halfway decent group. Can you say you are actually feeling some 'challenge' now? Except in maybe the most difficult of instances or going for a particularly tricky feat?

And I've always said it was about the time...which yes, is tied to feats in a lot of cases. Lay that 'feeling powerful' junk at someone else's feet...you haven't uncovered any kind of mystery. Many if not the majority of feats in the game were designed to give us something to do while grinding out a DLC over 3-4 months. To have a goal other than just replaying the same runs over and over for few marks at the cost of hours, days or weeks of work. Same reason that the older Raids were designed to take a lot longer (beat FOS2 in an hour...AN HOUR!?)... we needed things to do to keep busy. Well, now we've got busy work aplenty, and it's been that way since well before the clamp went in.

I can't believe someone started up this discussion again. Just fire the old thread back up and let's re-hash it all over.

Well since it keeps getting mentioned that the reason we NEEDED the clamp in 2021 was because of all the glitches, yeah....it would matter what the situation was before. And as I recall, you were the one leaning so heavily on Bruno Manhiem glitching out in the temple of crime...a single instance that would act wonky when the top CR was still probably 50. Very compelling argument indeed.

1 - Good on you for the bosses, but you are the exception, not the rule.
2 - I've random queued Elite plenty. You must spend a LOT of time in queue. Prolly while you are soloing that boss I guess.

I like solving a puzzle too. The first time it's presented. Do you run meta clinic and 'figure out' how the 3 color puzzle works? Do you hit yourself in the head with a board to forget, or do you have some magic memory pill that erases your memory of how it's done? I don't go back and re-do the same crossword puzzle and pretend I don't know the answers, or watch old episodes of Jeopardy I've already seen to get some feeling of my smartitude.

When you go to your escape room, do you escape it after an hour (or whatever the time limit is) then go right back in and escape it again with the same people? If so, you are easily entertained.

Using my solo instance in Temple of Source Power as my example: My CR 473 that I have worked years to get to, as I have been playing since 2014, gets wiped away, poof! Gone! And I am returned to CR373 in Temple of Source Power. I lost an entire 100 CR. Gone. If they are going to clamp me, at least let me get to keep my CR473 ranking that I earned instead of demoting me to CR373. It kills me to see that lesser number. At least let me keep my dignity if you are going to clamp my stats. There is zero reason to change my CR display from the true 473 to the incorrect 373. It is infuriating to look at and immediately sours any enjoyment I might otherwise have had.

It’s like insulting. Not only are we clamping you in this instance but we’re going also take away your prestigious displayed ranking. I am proud to have CR473 by my name. I have a sense of accomplishment when I see it. But not in Stat Clamped content. Tiffany, you are DEMOTED girl!

I hate it.

I can't believe anyone is pro clamp in 2025. It was installed at the request of the players that care about maintaining a superiority over the rest of the playerbase and has chased away a good number of players that want to run old content and attempt feats without spending hours and hours in game.

Now we need all the players we can get, and the devs want players online for longer. The clamp has to go.

Did that loss of a CR number remove your ability to complete the instance?

Content became easier because that’s how piercing works. Get more stats, level arts/allies more or get better ones, etc. These lead to EEG getting easier over time. Something tiff just proved. Piercing is something that has been a part of the clamp for a long time now. Even though this has been stated, the first assumption is that the devs have sneaked in some clamp adjustments? Not “maybe the stats piercing is actually working”?

As for hitting hard ceiling. That’s literally the opposite of piercing. Get more SP means you go past the soft cap. That’s the whole point of the piercing. It’s true that gear likely has a hard cap. That’s because the gear itself is getting clamped to the ceiling of what it permitted. However there are the other factors that are attributing to the piercing. This is primarily the SP.

After you are geared up. That will get clamped.
One your arts get maxed, they can’t go higher.
I believe augments may also be clamped to a ceiling. But I can’t test this as easily since I always max out my augs day one as part of my new dlc processes.
SP however doesn’t get hard capped. This continues to increase over and over. Every new dlc the SP cap is increased. Meaning every dlc EEG gets easier.

The other areas that have a cap are more meta shifts. Getting better arts and allies makes you better. When it comes to gear you also have OP gear. Instead of deleting them when you get to the dlc you can keep the highest OP item from each type. All for these things further makes EEG easier.

What you all asked for was for portals to enter those instances. That was explained why that cannot be. You believe it’s weird? We had the clamp for a very very long time and it wasn’t until a new team that this happened. What does FTTF mean?

No I completed it without issue.

Still infuriated me seeing that low CR number. I still don’t understand why they have to add insult to injury. Clamp me in EEG, fine, do it, But let me keep my true CR displayed at least.