Having tried to fight both these instances ( solo & duo ) I must say that they need a nerf. I don't usually ask for one, but there are reasons why it ought to be considered.
First, these bosses are way over our pirate's XP level. Come on, would you ask a level 55 to fight Kane? They do true "OP" damage and their health is such that our pirates can barely scratch them ( then they heal ).
Just by reducing their level will give average max levels a chance to win this battle.
Black Annie and Blightbeard should have their levels reduced to 78 & their minion's levels to 76, also reduce the number of minions by two ( for solo ) then add extra for teams. And allow those joining a fight to have a full crew.
These reduced levels, with their corresponding reduction of damage and health would still give a challenging battle, yet make it achievable for most players.
If KI is serious about boosting the number of players to this game, then this will help.
If KI wants players to unlock and spend their money on these companions, then a nerf will help players achieve that.

There was a remark from Ratbeard on the central forums a few days ago. He said that these fights were not designed for single players (I've seen a musket solo of Annie with ow5, and I assume the same idea works for Blightbeard, but that's neither here nor there). Full groups of pirates are supposed to take these bosses on together to make them "fair."

Secondly, about the enemy level, I don't think that's a problem either. For instance, the Smuggler's arena, also a side zone, has enemies up to level 80. The arena is clearly beatable, so I don't think this argument is necessarily correct. Furthermore, we have one very important thing that enemies don't have en masse: stacking buffs. We can easily inflate our stats to increase our damage output. Yes, the enemies will still have higher weapon power, this has always been the case. Enemies having higher base stats than players is a method of compensating for the enemies' lack of intelligence.

Finally, this is side content. This is not akin to asking a level 55 or 60 player to fight Kane. Kane is a storyline boss. Yes, storyline enemies like Kane should be much closer to player level to keep the game accessible. Having a hard, OPTIONAL, fight with overleveled foes is great for retaining players by creating challenging content.

And before I forget, Ratbeard, I absolutely agree that things like flames and scratch buffs have made content way too simple. I love how the Bonnie fight has begun to force players to step out of their comfort zone and traditional strategies.

masterryan1969 on Oct 8, 2019 wrote:

For the pro's that have been grinding this 10-14 hours a day since release let me share a couple things with you.

The loot table is broken lets talk about that? 350+ runs here man only 2 new weapon drops. I no longer farm this its a waste of time since the loot table broken.

As for difficulty both fights are a joke there not hard. Yes both have been soloed because they are not hard if you use all the little tricks and are a musk or someone who can use multiple hides.

Here is the biggest tips to help you.

Magic and range against melee

Melee and range against magic

If your team is not all using scratch using magic and will and or range Strat your doing it wrong. Blood flames does help reduce a round on the fight but the range hits like lighting surge, the big guns are the real deal in here.

Honestly I would like to see drop rates really tuned so that good loot is more common however each boss sitting at 45,000 health and the peon rats at 25,000 each then these famed solo attempts will be gone.

Thanks for the "tips", I'm an experienced player with farmed gear. I mostly solo dungeons and my suggestions were to benefit the solo player. I have extensive experience with the negative aspects of team-up.
Yet none, so far, has addressed my true arguments: how is a dungeon that is so hard that only a team of the best fighters have a hope of completing it help numbers for P101? And to add to that, how does it help crowns purchases if only a handful of players will ever get the chance to buy them?
We need something to draw in numbers and money. This, as is, isn't it.

anecorbie on Oct 8, 2019 wrote:

Thanks for the "tips", I'm an experienced player with farmed gear. I mostly solo dungeons and my suggestions were to benefit the solo player. I have extensive experience with the negative aspects of team-up.
Yet none, so far, has addressed my true arguments: how is a dungeon that is so hard that only a team of the best fighters have a hope of completing it help numbers for P101? And to add to that, how does it help crowns purchases if only a handful of players will ever get the chance to buy them?
We need something to draw in numbers and money. This, as is, isn't it.

There were other parts of this update that were catered to the new player, namely, the FTUD and Nautical changes. A difficult dungeon does keep the attention of experienced players. Yes, this isn't an experience for a newer player, but both demographics must be catered to. Furthermore, I disagree entirely with your belief that these fights are inaccessible to the average max level player. Yes, a well-oiled and efficient team will have more success with this fight than a group of 4 random max levels. However, this doesn't preclude them from beating the boss. They will struggle, probably die and have to port back a couple of times, but they aren't destined to failure once they realize a couple of very basic strategic motifs (that should take 1 run, tops, to figure out). This encounter may, in fact, inspire them to invest time (and therefore money) into improving their gear and strategy in order to fight the boss more efficiently.

I absolutely agree that the drops are lackluster right now and that there should be some truly exclusive drops to complement the bought companions.

anecorbie on Oct 10, 2019 wrote:

Maybe all of you are inspiring me to try again...maybe.

Maybe?... Have fun fighting them! I might even do it with you (and not know it)... maybe.

anecorbie on Oct 10, 2019 wrote:

Maybe all of you are inspiring me to try again...maybe.

I have been silent until now on here but I would like to give my opinion. I think Black Annie Rackham definitely needs to be nerfed but I think Blightbeard can stay how he is. The reason I say that is I have not seen 4 pirates be able to defeat Black Annie without significant companion losses. I understand 1 pirate being unable to defeat a boss, but 4 pirates together shouldn't have any problems, and with Black Annie they do.

Ratbeard on Oct 11, 2019 wrote:

I should mention that these fights are absolutely NOT designed for new players.

As I mentioned in another thread, there were parts of the update designed for new players, and parts that were designed for endgame players. Not all content is designed to hit both ends of the spectrum simultaneously-- though, obviously, updates that can improve the play for everyone are ideal.

Addressing your concerns, obviously I would be worried if the content is not engaging even for the endgame players. So far that does not seem to be the case. I don't think they're overly "cheaty," but I'm watching the feedback.

I do hope you give them another go.

Actually, I have. Last night with a pick-up team of four. 2 swashies ( me as one ) a privateer & a buck. I had equipped my Staff of Power with Vengeance Shroud, but that power never showed! Still Assassin's Shroud was ok and we won.
Second attempt was a bust - we lost the extra swash, and Blightbeard healed too much. Why give him that power? Buccaneers shouldn't have it. Is that considered a cheat?
Maybe you're winning me over, I have yet to reface Annie.