Time for a 'Cavern of Transcendence Trial' Update

I spent some time this weekend helping out a friend or two and some new/returning players in acheiving some unique if not outdated arcs and activities in various zones. One of these, unfortunately, was the near-forgotten 'Cavern of Transcendence Trial'.

I won't get into the painful details of what ensued during the Cavern's Trial, suffice to say it got me thinking of why it hasn't been updated, especially for such a unique and zone-befitting trial that it is.

As such here are a few issues that I believe need to be resolved/changed by the devs/powers-that-be to get this low-level trial more available and desirous to the lower level and newer population (of course, YMMV).

Issue #1: The trial is normally unlocked via a NPC and story arc. This prevents fast leveling characters in the lower levels who routinely out-level the contact or arc or prevent those from not even getting to the end of the contact's arc to be able to unlock this Trial. I know the arc is available via Flashback, but to be honest, it's still a highly hidden and severely sequestered commodity that (I'd imagine) most people mentally file away as 'yea, the trial's available there but it's too much work to get one going with eight people', which leads me to the next issue...

Issue #2: Eight players mandatory to unlock eight obelisks simultaneously, period. The level of flexibility is nil. It's tough enough on some servers to get a team of 4-6, now demand an eight-person team and hope they come back if they happen to disconnect or bail on you.

I've done this trial a total of five times but only completed two of these due to someone bailing and not coming back (usually it's the same person(s) that got stealth TP'd to an obelisk and they couldn't stand still long enough and instead decides to agro nearby mobs, for which said teamate repeatedly dies, and has to be repeatedly stealth/rezzed, much to the chagrin of the rest of the impatient yet forwarned trial team).

The trial should be for teams of 4 or more, with the number of obelisks equating to how many in the trial team came into the lava room/map vice the mandatory eight, or maybe a new game mechanic to replace this.

If this went to an LFG type trial, the option of 'joining a trial already in session' might help in refilling any lost teamates for the Cavern Trial team...that is, IF it were part of LFG...

Issue #3: Stealth/Teleport work arounds are the 'norm'. Anyone not familiar with this trial (i.e., new 'Free'dom players) that are not adept at Paragonwikiing or having tribal knoweldge of this trial are in for a difficult slog to clear paths to the obelisks. Vet and experienced players learn of the stealth/teleport strategy to TP teamates to the obelisks, but here's the deal: you need a player with stealth/invisibility and recall friend teleport powers to do this strategy, severely limiting you to either this strategy or the slog. No middle ground.

This current feature DOES provide a challenge, but it should be changed from being a 'power'-related challenge, to a 'skill' or 'open strategy'-related challenge, thereby opening up all ATs, regardless of power pool choices, to enjoy the trial.

Issue #4: "I gotta go through that stupid maze that is the "Tunnel of the Trolls" map first? Why is this trial not available on LFG? With the new 'Death From Below" Sewer Trial on LFG, why can't this trial be 'updated' to be more accomodating, or placed in LFG with an auto team transport to just inside the mish door. My recommendations would be:

1) Do away with the useless and repetitive mob-smashing maze-like 'Tunnel of the Trolls' underground map completely (only folks I know that use it are those RPers looking for a RP storyline to run in there).

2) Incorporate the Tunnel of the Trolls (preferably a mapped segment thereof) with the 'take down 100 Trolls' or 'Disarm 10/15/20 (mob guarded) Explosives' as a "Part I" to the LFG Trial that has to be done prior to entering the "Part II" actual lava-map 8-obelisk section.

Issue #5: More challenging badges and better rewards. A single "Transcendent" Badge for trial completion and MAYBE "Volcanic" badge offered up in defeating 100 Magmite Lords. Try as I might, I have yet to get the "Volcanic" badge on any but ONE of hundreds of my characters, and that's not through a lack of trying in and around the Hollows. It's far easier to get all Praetorian defeat badges in 1-20 during regular Praetorian mission arc play than try to get the "Volcanic" one. Since Stealth/TP is the norm, it makes it more time consuming for badgers to get the Volcanic badge unless the badges/teamates go into the trial with the presumption of defeating lots of Igneous/Magmite Lords in-trial.

I know there are those that say "but it's a trial, what do you expect? Everything else is now easier in the game, why change this too?". My retort: since all the other lower level 'big' stuff have received updates (i.e., Positron TF I & II, sewers, easy access to Icons, etc), this seems to be a no-brainer to get this rarely used trial some long awaited attention and maybe get some folks talking about The Hollows again.

So, tl;dr for this is: IF you get the long-to-achieve Hollows NPC/arc completed to unlock the trial, and IF you can get a team of eight patient low-level teamates to stick together through this trial, and IF you have a Stealth/Recall Friend Teleportation-powered teamate to do the trial fast to prevent other teamates from slogging through an inordinant amount of tough mobs during a countdown of a timed trial, and IF you enjoy all this for a badge and 8 merits...you might enjoy this trial. Otherwise, I'm afraid most other (newer) folks will instead continue the new trend of farming the new Atlas/Mercy Sewer Trial for the Hydra Chemical Enhancers with less wasted play time, more badges/XP rather than even notice this hidden trial's existence.

Personally, I think it's time to update the Cavern of Transcendence Trial, devs (not discounting a few other TFs, SFs, zones, bases and PvP that also need some love and attention).

What do you, the forumites, think?

Is the trial ok as is and instead want to thow pumice-looking rocks at OP and tell him to suck it up?

or...do you agree with the some/all of the OP?

Agreed, needs an update. Should scale for the size of the group.

If we no longer have to unlock the tedious Pirate badge to receive Veluta Lunata's arc, why shouldn't the devs consider turning Cavern of Transcendence into an LFG trial instead of gating it behind Talshak the Mystic's arc?