In context of when they were released with roster limitations of the time: Collector In context of original designs (pre nerf): The Champion Currently: Grandmaster
Note that I haven't really bothered with story after hitting Cav so I haven't actually touched 6.2 Champion or any bosses beyond that yet, but from what I've seen, Collector is really the only boss who required item usage, and at least when Uncollected was the new biggest thing, skill was much less a factor in beating him than simply throwing items at him and brute forcing it.
I feel as though every boss in the story either has a counter or can be beaten with skill. The collector is just straight up bs lol, there is no shot you can take that fight in one take with an pre-uncollected roster. I watched my brother the other night try it with a R4 5* warlock and he was struggling.
I may get lot of disagree but many downplaying this old timer. Many said that except champion every boss can be powered through which is incorrect In terms of GM. He punishes more than Champion and need more precision and timing to play against. IMO he is still hardest boss in story ( collector in beginning was night mare but game meta has changed but GM still a road block for many. On my main account; I defeated pre nerf champion so I know what i am saying).
It will be long and costly but you can unitman thru GM. It will be easier with a ramp up Aegon. With the 6.2.6 champion, if unitman don't learn to dex the specials 5 times (pre nerf) or now 3 times in the last 10%, you're not advancing to 6.3.
I may get lot of disagree but many downplaying this old timer. Many said that except champion every boss can be powered through which is incorrect In terms of GM. He punishes more than Champion and need more precision and timing to play against. IMO he is still hardest boss in story ( collector in beginning was night mare but game meta has changed but GM still a road block for many. On my main account; I defeated pre nerf champion so I know what i am saying).
It will be long and costly but you can unitman thru GM. It will be easier with a ramp up Aegon. With the 6.2.6 champion, if unitman don't learn to dex the specials 5 times (pre nerf) or now 3 times in the last 10%, you're not advancing to 6.3.
Same goes for The Champion. Chip him down slowly and get to last phase and that's the best skill part of the game. Meanwhile GM will make you feel every phase like it. You can't power control him not can avoid death from sp3 which is not case in THE champion fight. Champion 3(used to be 5) dex are pain for many. So imagine dexing more than 5 of sp1 from GM. Even one mistake means death. One can afford a single mistake while completing mission but can't afford sp 1 fail(I don't think many will love to push him to sp2). The champion fight was hard due to the no retreat node imo.
Ooooooooh. Good one. The original Ice Phoenix was insane. First ever Uncollected monthly EQ Boss if memory serves. Only one counter (Iceman) and at most, all we had was rank 4 5*s too.
Iceman didn't counter her sig ability coldsnap still don't. She was so beefed up she was almost killing r4 5* with the coldsnap at the start and they weren't r5 yet only the top had r4s at the time. They tuned her down and compensated people who finished with the beefed up version. I don't think they were any contours at the time for coldsnap oh and she had heal block to boot.
Gwenmaster missing. 2nd hardest after the Grandmaster for me at the actual state of the game. The pre nerf Champion with 5* R4 or the Collector with 4* at this time were even harder.
Grandmaster was ridiculous for me, I'm working on 100% act 7 right now and I still think back to how insane that fight was when I first ran through it and went to 100% it.
I think that 5.2.6 collector was a real watershed moment for me. By the time I reached 6.2.6/6.4.6 I was far better at the game and I had a roster that was light years ahead
Comments
In context of original designs (pre nerf): The Champion
Currently: Grandmaster
Meanwhile GM will make you feel every phase like it. You can't power control him not can avoid death from sp3 which is not case in THE champion fight.
Champion 3(used to be 5) dex are pain for many. So imagine dexing more than 5 of sp1 from GM. Even one mistake means death. One can afford a single mistake while completing mission but can't afford sp 1 fail(I don't think many will love to push him to sp2).
The champion fight was hard due to the no retreat node imo.
If you dont understand the fight mechanism you stuck.
The pre nerf Champion with 5* R4 or the Collector with 4* at this time were even harder.