Elite Maps - Suggestions

[Gavry]

After the first Elite Map pack being released, and some less than impressed feedback so far on it, I though it may be useful to list your suggestions to make elite dungeons more 'elite'. I for one am not terribly impressed with the first one out there. I understand its a work in progress and as such here are my ideas.

1. Make it that you have to play the map-set sequentially each and every time, more raid style, rather than quick hack and slash. If people want to play a quick map they can play any of the other maps out there.

2. Making enemies with heaps of HPs and extra high armour and dodge does not make a map elite. What we need is smart enemies. I want groups of 5 to 10 mobs, of the three main classes, that work together. Mages that buff and heal the tanks and archers. Tanks that use skills like the ones we have etc. What we need is fights that require though and teamwork to complete, not just hack and slash as it is now.

3. I like the no potion implementation. That works well.

4. Boss mobs that work in groups. Like normal fights, as listed in 2, but more hard-core. No one spell/hit kills though. That's just annoying and cheating.

5. Better equipment drops the further you go in, if suggestion one is implemented.

6. Helper mobs. Get to a bit in a map set where there are enemy and friend mobs fighting. Help the friends to defeat the enemies. Undead raiding a farm and you need to help fight them off. Helper mobs could buff players for instance.

7. Limit the non-stop wave after wave of exactly the same mobs. Mix it up with different parties of enemies. First have 5 tanks and 2 archers, next 3 tanks, 3 mages and 4 archers, etc. Space them enough that you fight small party combats rather than it all just blending into a long drawn-out slug-fest that gets boring ultra fast.


What do you all think. What else could the devs do to make elite dungeons more 'elite' and a whole lot more interesting to play?

[Snakespeare]

I think when you calculate balance it has something to do with how much damage does the party do per second and what sort of critter stats are necessary to keep the critters a threat long enough to make the players worry. When you have that just right, it only takes a small tweak to make it elite.

Disallowing potions, for instance, if the balance is already there, should be the only change necessary.

When you increase the armor and dodge, it raises the level of the dungeon. A party of five level 30s can do X amount of average damage. A party of level 35s can do X+Y. When you increase the amount of damage required to move past an area, by Y, you're making it for characters who are the next notch up.

What I mean is, if it isn't possible to do by the characters who are the level of the item drops or at the upper end of the range of levels for which the campaign is designed, then you are making it for the characters who are higher level.

And therefore, the rewards should be in accord with the target characters. What is their motivation? Are they hunting pinks for selling? Are they getting twink items for their PvP characters. Are they doing it just to say that they did, because it was there? Then these are the rewards they should get: ultra rare sellable pinks, usable pinks for twinks, and a place somewhere that shows that the player has completed elite maps X number of times. The pigeon taps the button because he gets a morsel. No morsel, end of button tapping. So what are the morsels these pigeons want?

I liked playing it with my level 45 but even with a level 40 tank I could not get damage through. I got my reward by bragging about it. But now I have done that, what will draw me back to do it again? I can tell you about me. If there were new level29 items for twinks, I would be in there a LOT!

[KodaYoda]

There are new pinks to be found in the elite maps. I found a pink level 30 staff on my first run. Brain-Freeze Ice Blast Staff. The maps are worth running IMO and I really like your ideas. I hope the devs consider them.

[Snakespeare]

Someone in our party got an Iceberg Fine Ancient Sword, which was level 30.

[Gavry]

Nice suggestion one is in. Keep it going devs.