Dr. Vahzilok, I presume

I said in a previous post that there wasn't much in the way of story arcs in Issue 0 - at least not early on - and I do stand by that.

It was interesting to do Bonefire since it lays out the gang heirarchy of Paragon City, something I'd read about in the past but never actually seen in game, but mostly the missions are unremarkable, and notable mainly for some odd locations – I do wonder about the daily commute of the people who work in that office building in Perez Park – and huge interior maps, including a five storey office layout I've never seen anywhere else.

The Vahzilok Plague is the exception to all of this. It's a famous early arc that I'd never done before, and it's a good one.

It's quite tough – especially in the mission where you are afflicted by the Vahzilok Wasting Disease. I was level 17, and being hit with a mission long debuff to recharge and recovery at this level - when I'm already finding endurance management a challenge - is downright nasty.  I can only imagine how difficult this was before the Fitness Power Pool became an inherent, and before the cooldown on Rest was reduced.

The Vahzilok themselves are also one of the most dangerous enemy groups in the 1-20 level range, thanks to their stacking slows and a lot of toxic damage, which is a rare, and rarely resisted, damage type. They're not as mez-happy as the Circle of Thorns, thankfully, and the extremely low aggro range of the Abominations makes them a bit more manageable if you're careful.

The wasting disease does add some focus and pace to the story – something that's otherwise frequently lacking in Issue 0 – and it all culminates in a showdown with Dr. Vahzilok himself. He's not as tough as some other early elite bosses, like Frostfire or the Sea Witch, but the encounter does make for a satisfying finale.

 

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