[quote name='Ink.So.Well.']Fair enough. Compared to Horizon though I felt the "trap" battle was far more reasonable in terms of actual havoc and enemies numbers. Players were better prepared from the start and introduced to a (IMHO) tactically superior field in which further advantage was allotted. The platforms gave players a few precious seconds of breathing room between readily identifiable enemy spawns. You always knew what, when, where and how many of them were coming as you maneuvered and could maintain your focus straight ahead apologetically. Cover was rock solid and once you dug your feet in you had the luxury of prioritizing threats on your own terms. If your squad was positioned close enough to you they seemed likelier to fall in line rather than develop minds of their own so you didn't have babysit half as much. With most of the usual distractions laid to rest with you could afford to focus on killing efficiently rather than "duck, dash or die" survival.
All I had to do was position myself and my squad farthest away from enemy fire then switch sides according to the next reported spawn on my first run. I just let them charge in blind like it was any other mission focusing mainly on Scions in between what Collectors were closing in then switching according to Harbinger spawns. The entire ordeal felt relatively civilized, controlled, normal because I had enough time to think. I wasn't constantly chased or harassed, underpowered, overwhelmed and irritated. IMO, a level playing field.
Horizon on the other hand (boss fight) was a complete f*cking mess. Pure pandemonium. Shitty overly exposed cover as far as the eye could see. Mostly scattered but laughably centered around the target site on a large open map often providing additional obstacles you'd have to wade through pissed off. What little reliable cover made available to you usually sat near or directly on top of an enemy spawn point which made things worse. Not that you could afford to take full advantage of it or expect your squadmates and their ridiculously random reaction times to aid in their survival when anywhere between 10 - 20 Armored Husks clogged up the environment. Well... that's assuming they are shooting anything to begin with and not standing around idle like mine were after 5 seconds. Stand still for more than a few seconds and you'll probably die because they just keep. on. coming. from every possible direction. Bring a Praetorian into the mix and you should have reached the point of punching children.
Camping?
...Are you kidding?
Time to think?
...When? Where? How?
The entire fight was hell on Earth for low level profiles. The map was a tactical nightmare and every second spent trying to get your bearings straight, formulate a plan of attack, clear a path or keep your squad in check were usually abolished effortlessly. Too many enemies, too many obstacles, too many variables, too much f*cking shit happening at once per spawn to counter act (let alone think) in an efficient manner without losing someone or dying in the process. The learning curve for that battle was unnecessarily brutal if your party members were anywhere near as stupid as mine were when I played it.
I honestly have a lot of respect for those who kicked ass on it no questions asked because clearly I couldn't get the job done.
Very interested in testing what you've said about the Shockwave, X. The only way I haven't been hit in past play-throughs is if I'm out of their range or moved clear out of the way. I honestly wouldn't mind the luxury of remaining stationary through out the entire fight. And yes, the radius is huge but manageable IMHO on those platforms. It only became an issue for me if I allowed them close in on the center of their platforms and beyond and couldn't afford to move. Because of the horrors I've seen on Horizon though I focus on keeping them busy enough not to spam it unless a Harbinger is on my ass.[/QUOTE]Normally, I'd be in shock and awe over the fact that I breezed right through Horizon and hit a road block on the Collector Ship while it seems you had the complete opposite experience. After playing through all the classes, though, it makes sense to me. Since I was using the Soldier on that Insanity run, the layout of the final Horizon fight suited me much more than the likes of the Collector Ship platforms. Not only does the Soldier's basic Storm Speed (sprint) get a major increase, the fact that it gets Adrenaline Rush really saves the day in terms of evading Husks and Shockwave blasts. I was easily able to pull off the run-and-gun tactic for that level simply because of the massive amount of power I could dish out (lvl 30 Soldier w/ Tungsten Ammo on the Revenant Assault Rifle) while using the Soldier's abilities to evade any/all danger. Same goes with the Praetorian...run and gun saved the day.
When it came to the Collector Ship, though, there was nowhere to run. Although bunkering down seems to be a strongpoint of the Soldier class, having no Biotic or Tech powers of my own really put me at a loss on that part. Regardless of what anyone says, I think it is absolutely necessary to have those powers (Warp, Reave, Incinerate, etc.) for yourself and not have to rely on your squadmates who may/may not be alive. It's do-able, but it's not pretty.
I find it funny now that I've been using the Engineer on Hardcore/Insanity, and breezing through both parts on my first try. On Horizon, I never really even moved out of the raised left cover where some Husks usually spawn until the Praetorian fight. Drone spam all day. It's crazy how much difference a simple class difference can make on these harder difficulties.
To further expand upon what I was saying about the Scions during the Collector Ship mission, check out this video (Scion discussion starting at 5:00 and again at 7:50):
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uP4Bw_MjAZI
man, Miranda is hot in real life and ingame... I'm now watching chuck...
