There are plenty of monsters to slay in Dauntless, but variety is the spice of life, especially for veteran players that have learned every critter fight in the game inside and out. Enter the Primal Behemoth and Elder Behemoth variants, which were the subject of a state of the game post from the devs at Phoenix Labs.
In the case of both Elder and Primal Behemoths, these encounters were intended to challenge older players and disrupt tried-and-true tactics like stun locking. Primal Behemoths in particular were designed to curtail the tactic, but their public nature meant that less experienced players were often making these fights frustrating. As for Elder Behemoths, the devs wanted to make fights where precision strikes mattered, leading to the introduction of their shifting shields. Overall, they believe these encounters feel good but also would have liked to make more adaptive shields to adjust for each monster’s unique body type.
“The design intent behind these encounters is still something we want to explore in the future, but the lessons here will impact what we deliver next,” closes the post. “Bottom line, we still want to shake up combat encounters by offering variety while disrupting tried and true strategies like stun locking. We want to challenge our players who’ve seen it all.”
