Just got through the Spider Matriarch fight, and I must say the fight was SO much easier. It was not nigh impossible like it used to be. First time I tried it, she downed my Gith Ranger. However, Lae'zel used Thunderwave and threw her off the web and into the main pit in the middle. She still had over half health left at the time.
I reloaded and fought her again. This time, fought her without throwing her into a pit. I still defeated her pretty well, at level 3 both times, but the height advantage is what made it so much easier. They've got to get rid of that now. Seriously. It either makes a battle too easy or too hard. If the enemies have height, you get your butt handed to you. If you do, you hand the enemy's butt to them. I would just shoot her webs out from under her and throw her to the ground. Then I'd hit easily enough and kill her. I also snuck up on the 2 Phase Spiders with her and killed them first, making the fight even easier, and most of the baby spiders were easily killed with a Cleave attack.
So, my final judgment on this fight? They went from making it too hard to too easy now. If I attack the Phase Spiders guarding her, she should join the fight with them, or something. I had the idea of giving her magic spells too. Since she was a mage prior to becoming a spider, what if she was able to cast a few spells? I don't know. Either way, the fight was a bit too weak.
But it's not like I want them to give her more HP. I'd like them to maybe get rid of height advantage and her falling from the webs and taking like 40 damage each time. That plus the height advantage is just ruining it. I do think the fight would have been a bit harder if I'd faced her with her two Phase Spider cronies too, so I think that if Larian were to implement these things the fight would have been much more challenging.
I'm not sure of the solution, really, but there has to be something in between.
And I still think Ethereal Jaunt shouldn't allow the Phase Spiders to teleport across the board to kill enemies. That right there is not Phase Spider type activities. They should use Ethereal Jaunt and disappear as a Bonus Action. Then reappear a round or two later on top of PCs, attacking them. Then on the next round, attacking and disappearing again. They are hit and fade enemies, not teleport across the board and spit poison from 100 feet away enemies. That right there might also help the fight. Ethereal Jaunt when right on top of PCs, hit them, and then they are visible for a round. On their next turn, they attack and then use Ethereal Jaunt to vanish. They are not able to be hit until on their next turn they use Ethereal Jaunt to reappear and attack again.
But anyway... that's my two cents on this fight.
