Grind
First off, there is no problem with ANet placing long term goals in the game. In fact, I wish there were more far away goals than just the legendary weapons, dungeon and karma skins.
However, the way to get some of these are not so great. To get karma and gold, you feel inclined to do high level events, since low level events reward high level characters with so little gold and karma that the time spent doesn’t feel worth it.
Tokens are another story, but I think ANet sees the issue and they’re working towards a solution.
I also think the game would benefit from more items that require assembly in the way legendary weapons work. This brings me to my other point, long and short term goals. Something I enjoy immensely are the daily and monthly achievements. It feels like you’re working towards something, but the rewards for these just feels a bit small. Makes me wonder why there aren’t weekly achievements as well.
Perhaps the game would benefit from more like-minded tasks, more tasks can be fulfilled. If you have goals, like do ten events and get an amount of karma or a karma boost, then at least it might feel that you’re working towards something.
Let me give another example, let’s say you have a tasks menu. In it a few random tasks are chosen, like say, killing a certain amount of enemies, and selling a certain amount of goods, or even accumulating a certain amount of karma. You know, varied goals, and then completing these goals will grant rewards, like say karma, coin, and random items according to your level. Then the goals will reset, and randomize new goals. A bunch of these can perhaps even funnel into a larger achievement, which can then reward you with collectors items. Or perhaps even items that are used to assemble specific gear, like legendary weapon components.
Orr
This place leaves an odd taste in my mouth. I just think Orr can do with a bit of variety and scope. It just doesn’t feel all that epic.
Perhaps, rather than having large clumps of enemies to create an illusion of a threat, the zones needs actual large scale threats, on top of the temple conquering. For instance, why not add some sort of corruption mechanic to the zone. Let’s say, there’s an area where blue corruption takes hold of a small part of the map, say a quarter of Malchor’s Leap, which then cause mage Orrians to appear and funnel corruptive energy into large orbs. This causes undead constructs to rise and wreak havoc. To end the threat players need to deal with the constructs, kill the mages, and destroy the orbs. There can be varied corruptions to keep the zone changing and interesting, like if red corruption spreads in an area, the enemies will go into frenzy, start mutating, and attack settlements.
Perhaps the zone can do with some large scale battles, like artillery plowing through hordes, and major clashes where NPCs and undead fight in great number, while players get to arm battlements to quell the horde, or go into the fray to take on the hordes personally.
My favorite battle in the game has to be the Claw of Jormag. Blasting away at him, fighting his minion hordes, watching cannons blow him from the sky, sending him crashing into the landscape, then taking him down while chaos erupts all around. It felt epic. When I came to Orr and saw dragons in the sky, taking on airships, I thought “wow, this is going to mind-blowing”.
But it wasn’t really. There were a lot of undead dotting the landscape, a skirmish here and there, and now and again small battles outside the temples. After a while in Orr I returned to Forstgorge, just because the zone feels better. The scenery was more varied and exciting.
Orr just needs more variety. Three zones that all feel the same, while Frostgorge has those sanctuaries, Yak’s bend, the dredge mines, all within one zone. Orr gets monotonous, fast, and I blame the scenery and the enemies just standing around. It needs something to throw you off the pattern that seems same old.
Maybe it would benefit from more large scale things happening. Battles and enemies, threats that feel worthy. So far the small skirmishes here and there and tripping over foes that pack you feels more like a chore than a threat, while large clashes would do the zone so much good. What if you encounter large, awe-inspiring foes. And I don’t mean the few giants wandering around. No, I mean having a bigger threat now and again, maybe not a dragon (we already have three) but perhaps a massive, multi-limbed undead creation that pops up, and chucks projectiles from afar, then players come in, and kill it piece by piece.