Suggestions for Improving Future Raid Zones

Proposal idea(s) for improving future raid zones (or maps in general).


As of today, in AL. Most of the raid zones consist of 2 things that can get quite repetitive which is why players don't enjoy these to the fullest.
#1: Your standard, "run in and kill everything. Died? then run back." meta.
#2: Always the, (#1) method followed by, the "race to remap" meta.


I believe as a player, if these two objectives are set in stone for each and every map. Then there should be puzzles, traps, quests, and much more versatile creativity to maps and their constructions.


Here's a list with a few examples I've been pondering lately in regards to map construction.


Número Uno: Side Ho-I mean Quests & Traps.
Those gates in the planar arena located in Kraag could be a great use as a trap or zone "lock" in raids to prevent players from leaving specific areas or perhaps even entering, at least until objectives have been completed or requirements have been met.
Great risks comes with great rewards. If you get locked in the zone and complete the objective you have a chance at getting amazing rewards.
If you die... just respawn as usual lol ----- Oh, but you will be unable to re-enter the zone which means you will miss out on those rewards.


How these traps will be triggered? Interactive props on the the map (I explain these more in depth in Number 3) that are easily distinguishable by the players or NPC's in the area who could give you an objective then "run away or disappear" from the map.
Like Deep Marsh bosses, these traps could/should be optional for the players to decide on whether they'd want to trigger them or not. Traps should be more like side quests in the raid zone while working your way to the main boss.


As for the kind of objectives these traps would consist of. Just like Planar arena, trap the players in the zone and spawn a few waves of enemies followed by a mini-boss or even just a mini-boss. After surviving this, the zone opens up and the players can continue progressing through the map as usual.


Number Two: Less dead-ends. More connections.
Refer to my "mausoleum expansion support" comment here: (Click Me!) for mapping styles that relate to this suggestion.


Numba Tree: Beautiful map, lemme touch it.
STS developers team puts a lot of efforts in making maps look as spectacular as they are in today's AL. So much that I wish I could interact with items on the map to gain access to hidden agenda's. As the theory goes, a change to one thing affects another. Perhaps we can turn on lanterns---but this time not just for quest completion, but instead to see hidden paths or summon special enemies.

Numero ng apat: Miniature men matter.
The one thing we all love and hate simultaneously. RNG Loot tables.
A vast majority of the minions or normal enemies within maps tend to literally only drop amazing gears that provide the lovely benefit of -#stats bonus on equip. Yet there's so many items limited to seasonal locked crates, which also (believe it or not) drop such wonderful gear as well but what makes these x100 better is, ya gotta pay for it.

A handful of players brought up very interesting arguments revolving around items like balanced bars, vials, and much more in-game resources that are seemingly mandatory for crafting very important items or progressing in and completing quests. These resources are so scarce among the community due to the fact that nobody's wanting to go out of their way to farm specific items that are only available in their dedicated locations with slim-to-none drop chances, luck or not.

Long story short, If a skeleton in shyual is the only enemy capable of dropping (example item) but it has a low chance, then all skeletons on any map should be granted the same chances. This way we can play the game as we usually do while farming for questing/crafting items. Of course these items could vary per enemy difficulty and so on.

Other hard to find but very useful items that could be eligible as a drop from common enemies are things such as certain recipes, other crafting resources, and perhaps even giving health/mana potions a chance to drop more frequently.