Have you considered perhaps that it isn't the difficulty of the stratums but the fact you need to improve? Ultimate Wildwoods if fine, even without piercing/shadow/poison resist I got through with it with sub 5 deaths while bombing with negative poison resist, I'm quite certain many of the players whom are both better than I and likely better equipped could do it even easier. It's challenging no doubt, but that's the entire point of the ultimate stratums, they're for people whom have mastered and are bored with the current tier 3 content; if you're finding them too difficult you probably aren't ready for them.

That being said I will agree that the room in UFSC with the outer spike ring, a totem and a Slag Guard is just poorly designed, especially given the guard can simply pin you against the spikes and there isn't a way to prevent if you've got any degree of lag. UFSC as a whole isn't that great in design, some parts are too easy and the odd spikes in difficultly are mostly due to cheap hazards, it essentially exemplifies all the problems the existing fsc has.

Tested Ultimate FSC solo. From level 3 on I expierenced lag-spikes that got worse with the time. That is really not good.

Now we have more traps or rooms that will slow your advance or constrain your movement space. The curse zombies are a nice addition. Dropping ceiling for clearing some monster waves in a way too, but respawning Howlitzers and the Slag Guards (espeacially if they charge from the bottom out of your field of vision) instead of Trojans can be difficult in some situations. Almost all rooms/challenges have been modified and some of the Divine-Avenger-Charge-abuse is not possible anymore. Shooting through the mist wall is now more difficult, too.

Overcome everything without getting (much) hurt will be more difficult, but with lag-spikes definitly impossible. Just saying. The now curse-inflicting monsters might be a hassle for Knights without additional weaponslots, when they get cursed.

Also this at Vanaduke:

http://imageshack.us/photo/my-images/695/vanak.jpg/

Is this thing in the middle that looks like a graphic-glitch supposed to be there or will it look better in the final relaease? The black blocks appeared and disappeared all over that thing. OK, you get auto-stuned in there and the monster in there get their defense buffed. The massive lag-spikes I expierenced weren't helpful at all. You really do know how to make the knights working for their (doubled) Almirian Seals. Oh, and the Slag Guards sure like to getting stucked behind the water fountains.

Got about 9600 Crowns and some few high level materials. Not really rewarding in contrast to the normal FSC. It is however now more of a death-trap (or CE-trap) and challenge. I lost count on how many times I died. I will acknowledge that I am not skilled enough at all for this challenge and will leave to Haven early, after a couple of times dieing, when it is implented and I try that again. Maybe after some training this could be doable with less deaths.

You will most like get overwhelmed at first, but I am sure players will adjust to this. I like the new challenge even if it is too much for me. If we can get rid of the lag-spikes in there, it would be great.