One of the things that made me stop playing this game was the fact that my character was way weaker than combat thralls, so the PvE progression was basically watching my thrall doing battle from affar.
Is this still a thing? Was that changed after Siptah or will it change with the Enhanced version?
it’s probably been a long time since you played. thralls were nerfed in legacy version a while ago.
Whether you play with or without thralls (slaves) is entirely up to you. The game hasn’t changed that much over the years (thrall wise).
You can play the game without thralls. Thralls just make it that little bit easier. It’s your choice.
You can do everything in the game without Thralls, i will say tho Arena Champion is ruthless without, but we are playing entirely without combat thralls, with no real problems.
Rockslide is the WORST. I loathe this boss with a fury reserved solely for him. I’m sure, I’m sure, git gud and all, but newbie me who died and lost my favorite pet (before DBNO was a thing) will forever hold a grudge.
Yeah rockslide is nuts, but there is also nothing really to gain from killing him 
never lost a thrall to arena champ! but we also tested it on solo before we did it, wine cellar have one skeleton boss, that hits incredible hard yes, but with kiting a little its not bad at all, so no i agree with you, but to answer ops question, it is completely viable to run without thralls.
The Arena champion is one SOB. don’t use thralls.
There are many opinions but for me Legendary Daggers. Hit fast and backroll out. She doesn’t have a high health but her attacks are lethal. Avoid one on one. Daggers and arrows for her.
Yeah it is a bit of a gamble it seems, but 2x Dalinsia’s (well rolled with vit) with worldbreaker gave the best results for us, we do run agility so maybe i will do some testing with what you suggested! really to me anything that avoids having combat thralls for me is a win, i dislike their AI and the slightest lag and they get like stuck and unresponsive.
High Agility perks is the secret. Hit and run. As I said no thralls, they will get in your way. Use the thralls to get to her, then tell them to stop following. They will return to their base (last stay point).
The main character has never been weaker than thralls lmfao, what are you talking about?
Yes, a looong time. Siptah was not even announced. When I played, some bosses where impossible to beat solo without a thrall. The Arena one is one that I remember.
Thralls had much higher armor and HP. But as I said, I played when Siptah was not announced yet, a long time ago.
My main point is that as bosses seemed balanced with combat thralls in mind, things were pretty deadly for solo players.
I know this was a heated debate (play with or without thralls) and I am not trying to ressurect that. I am just a very long time player asking if playing solo is better now.
Ironically, the Arena Champion is often easier to fight without thralls. She tends to be pretty good at killing thralls, but also their involvement in the fight makes it harder to predict how she will move, which can make it more dangerous for the player as well. With a bit of care (as well as remembering that she uses a mace and therefore doesn’t get staggered while she is attacking) she can be fought one on one. (Or, for the easier option, she can be cheesed by shooting her in the legs with poison arrows - legs to keep her moving slowly, poison to kil her. An old Firespark trick.)
They certainly still can be, but (from memory) bosses have also had their HP toned down a fair bit as well since the time you are remembering. Many of them can still wreck a solo player if you’re not careful, but they are all generally doable.
Yeah, the croc boss is a weird one. I used to find them the easiest of all (just because I’d done it so much), but then they made some changes at some stage and, like you say, it does seem to change direction in mid-air, and the hit cone around its head is really big. I remember daggers (especially poisoned) being the best way against that one, but it’s been a while since I last fought it and I’m definitely combat rusty right now, so when I start boss fighting again I’m expecting the croc to give me problems. A thrall to split the aggro can help, so I’ll probably take a bearer with me so they can tank it while I stack the dot effects.
Yeah, the croc boss has felt broken for at least a couple large updates to me. It randomly changes direction, even when mid-air. Also does weird stuttery spins when it can’t decide which direction to go and then will lunge a different way than he was pointed. When they work the way they should, they’re fine. When they don’t though, they’re a huge annoyance.
I like to thank everyone that devoted time to write on this topic. I don’t feel like selecting only one post as a solution because I value a lot of answers here, not only one.
You helped me and my friends decide about coming back and having another try at the game.