Ocean rework

[Filipe Pfluck]

I think that the ocean content needs urgently a rework. Most of the content is either uninteresting or useless, or both. In this topic I'll list a few points that bother me on this respect, and try to suggest some possible ways to fix this issue. 

The lunar island I think it's fine so far. But the ocean itself is kinda empty and uninteresting. It majorly consists of an empty stretch of water with a few rocks. And the few contents that are in the ocean are useless or frustrating, or not worth my time so I don't even bother going after them. Not to mention is kinda frustrating to explore the ocean with the DST ship. 

[Salt formations] 
Salt crystals are pretty much only useful for creating ice boxes, and that's something I'll do like once per map. I don't think Warly spice is worth the trouble of going to the ocean, dealing with cookie cutters just to get a bonus health on the food, considering that it's extremely easy to heal nowadays and there are much better methods. Maybe there should be new crafts that use salt, perhaps salt statues? Or new ocean structures that could be used as decoration? 

The cookie cutters themselves are also not only annoying, but useless. They are needed for Pearls quest, which is just a requirement to get to the Celestial Champion. And the cookie cutter cap is pretty bad IMO. It is objectivelly worse then the football helmet, and it is harder to craft, given that pig skin is easy to farm. In my opinion, the cookie cutter cap should be buffed: 80% of resistance (same as football helmet) + damage reflaction (it makes sense, given that the helmet has spikes). This would give a reason to craft this item. 

[The malbatross]
The malbatross is one of the worse boss fight in the game IMO. Not only it's hard to find it in the first place, the fight itself is pretty boring. And the loot is pretty useless too: It drops the feathers, which can be used to make a sail. And it's beak which can be used to row the boat. But why would I go out of my way, just to find this boss, to get a loot that lets me move faster, if I don't even explore the ocean to begin with? To solve this, either make the ocean more interesting so the players actually go there, or give more uses for the malbatross feathers. 

[Gnarwhail and Rockjow]
I apreciate their existance so the ocean doesn't feel so "empty" and lacking life. But I feel just those two is not enough. Their appearence is pretty rare, and they're not even that memorable anyway. The rockjaw could perhaps drop ingredients for a weapon or armor. And the gnarwhail horn could have another crafts besides the strident trident, which is kinda useless too. Perhaps the strident trident could be more useful if there was an actual incentive to go to the ocean to begin with. 
Anyway, I still think the ocean lacks life. In comparison to DS shipwrecked, the ocean there feels much more alive, because there are plenty of fish, jellyfish, swordfish, sharks, whales, dolphins... Some of those could be bring to DST, or atleast new mobs with similar functionality. I think the dolphins would be particularly a great adition to the game, we could use the dolphins pallaces and use them as companionships against ocean bosses. 

[Squittersquid]
I was forgetting to include this one because of how forgettable it is. I rarely see them, and when I do, they just come to land, spin a bit and go away. There's absolutelly no reason to interect with those creatures.

[Crab king]
Ah, the crabking... This is considered by most the worst boss in the game, and by far. I like the idea of placing the gems to give different attributes to the boss, but this is so poorly implemented. The fight is tedious, you pretty much have to use purple gems because the other ones make the boss too broken. It can perma freeze you with blue gems... And the loot is terrible, this boss only serves as a step to reach the Celestial champion. This bossfight is IMO the one that most needs a rework. It needs to be more fun and more rewarding. 
Suggestion: Make the crabking drop a recipe for a "Crab king crown". It is a helmet that gives 80% protection and has a slot for one gem. Deppending on the gem you socket in, you get a different bonus (red gives regeneration, yellow could give light...)

[Sea weeds]
They are pretty annoying, and again... They are not useful at all. Sure, you can harvest them for barnacles. But it's not like starvation is still an issue in DST. There are so many dishes that you can 100% ignore barnacles. Again: there's no reason for me to get out of my way to get barnacles. Sure, you can replant them, but you have to do so on a sea stack. You can't plant multiple of them near your base.  

[The waterlogged biome]
The biome is pretty beautifull, sure. The grass gator is cool, sure. But it's not like there aren't other methods to farm twigs. And the figs are not really useful, as again, I ain't going to the ocean just to make some fancy food. In the end of the day, the only use for this biome is just getting seeds of those giants trees, which are really only used in mega bases. I doubt the avarege player even comes to this biome. 

[The moon quay island]
the new biome is beautifull, sure. We got a new tree, a new turf, banana saplings and monkeytails. Awesome. But the monkeys are EXTREMELLY ANNOYING. This island is only I ever go once, stockpile a ton of monkeytails and banana saplings AND NEVER EVER COME BACK. Like seriouslly, the monkey can drop your items and steal them. And not satisfied on doing this on their island, they even raid the ocean, which is yet ANOTHER REASON for me to stay on land. As if the ocean was not boring enough already. 

[Summary]
Basically almost every ocean content is uninteresting, annoying and useless. There's no need to go to the ocean except to complete the requirements to kill the celestial champion. 

[Ulisesvolador]

I think this post should be called "Why ocean needs a rework".

[Jakepeng99]

On 8/23/2023 at 5:26 PM, Filipe Pfluck said:

[Summary]
Basically almost every ocean content is uninteresting, annoying and useless. There's no need to go to the ocean except to complete the requirements to kill the celestial champion. 

The only mob in the ocean that is not rare, or locked to a rare biome is the puffin. The ocean is all puffins

On 8/23/2023 at 5:26 PM, Filipe Pfluck said:

Suggestion: Make the crabking drop a recipe for a "Crab king crown". It is a helmet that gives 80% protection and has a slot for one gem. Deppending on the gem you socket in, you get a different bonus (red gives regeneration, yellow could give light...)

This is an amazing idea with some balancing to the gems. I imagine red would increase health and the protection to 85%, yellow increases speed and sainity regen, green would increase crafting and working speed, i am not sure for the rest.