Guild Wars 2

Hi everyone,

It seems to me that whenever I travel to cities other than Lions Arch, I rarely see anyone! The only people I see are presumably just working their way through the main storyline. It seems to me as if these cities are not getting paid any attention, because EVERYTHING happens in Lions Arch, from Fractals, to the Mystic Forge.

When Christmas rolled around, Tixx added a reason for people to travel to cities other than Lions Arch and it gave people a reason to travel to those cities, rather than stay cooped up in Lions Arch.

Anyways, my main point is, I feel like maybe there should be some additions to cities other than Lions Arch that really grab people’s attention and make them want to travel to those cities. There should be ways you would attract higher-level people to cities. There were some ideas that popped into my head:
1. Add some type of dungeon to the cities
2. Add city-specific reward-based stuff like games/merchants where you can get special items specifically from certain cities.
3. If you had different types of “mystic forges” in each city where they would each have different “stats” so to speak. The RNG equation could be different for each forge, resulting in different outcomes from the forge from each city.
4. (This one is a little bit of a stretch so bear with me.) Have a city-based economy. In each city, they each have their own type of economics. For example, Hoelbrak is surrounded by snow and ice, so that city would have a greater supply of I dunno, materials and food items that are from that region only. So in Hoelbrak, stuff like that would be cheaper than say, in Rata Sum, where they are nowhere near that area. Another example, Lions Arch is right near the sea, so they would have tons of fish- and sea-based products. So it would be cheaper to buy those products there than in other cities, like the Black Citadel. This makes sense in my head but if you have any questions just ask haha.

Granted I am not an expert, so these are only the ideas I just thought of. Will they attract people to each city? I have no clue. But I was just trying to somehow think of some way people would want to travel to cities other than Lions Arch. Any thoughts or ideas?

The other cities do seem less important compared to LA. You right though, they need to implement something to make us go there more often.

WoW had the same problem initially when the Auction House was in the Dwarf city, and you never saw anyone in any of the other main cities. When they added Auction Houses to the rest of the capital cities, they started getting busier, and lag in the one city got a lot better.

Yeah! Cause the lag in Lions Arch is really bad.. I think LA will still be a central city in the game but additions to the others will strengthen their usage in the game too.

I like the ideas, as the Black citadel is always so empty- the only reason to visit atm is for the cultural stuff.
I’m not a fan of dungeons, but maybe some events like escort a supply caravan into the city, then it might offer some decent rewards for a time limit, and have it kicking off at certain times. I like the specific merchant idea.
Maybe a different bonus for each city depending on the craft. Eg in the Black Citadel armoursmith gets +5% experience.

I especially like your city based economy idea Ryan.
Perhaps something I’d like to see too are things happening all around town like
mad meatgrinder vs hot tavernkeeper Joe causing great commotion in whole town when they want to prove who has the most successful business..It turns into a city event where all players in town can choose who they’d love to see succeed,aid them to achieve it in all kind of ways,
and the rewards are different on each side for this event and you see the effects of who has won for a longer time (few days,week perhaps)
which then again unlocks different things to do in town during that time(where you can work on your title as tavernking or waiter if hot tavernkeeper Joe wins and you helped him)

I’d like kinda mini games in each of the cities polymock in rata sum,brass knuckle fighting in holbrack,the arena in black citidal,stuff like that.

Some ideas for other cities

*free waypoint travel to the home cities of player.
*Add JP’s in the other cities.
*Finnish mini games.
*Small events in cities
*Add PvP NPC’s in home cities.
*Achievements for spending time in other cities.
*cash-in Laurels in other cities and not LA
*cash trophies for items in home cities.
*Add more lore to each city.
*Crafting buff in home city.

• Unique karma items for each city.

Onshidesigns.1069:

Some ideas for other cities

*free waypoint travel to the home cities of player.

Nope, gold sink

*Add JP’s in the other cities.

People would just do those and leave

*Finnish mini games.

Who even has time to play mini games when we’re all busy doing wvw, dungeons, or collecting mats

*Small events in cities

Depends on the event

*Add PvP NPC’s in home cities.

Would make more sense to move the dungeon vendors to the closest cities

*Achievements for spending time in other cities.

This is just silly. The incentive should not be the same as the desired effect

*cash-in Laurels in other cities and not LA

*cash trophies for items in home cities.

*Add more lore to each city.

*Crafting buff in home city.

• Unique karma items for each city.

At this point, you’re just grasping at thin air – And technically, we have unique gear for each city. Racial gear is very real, and expensive…

^ Responses in bold.

One major thing they should do is remove the dang Lion’s Arch gates in WvW/sPvP.

The gate should return players back to where they were before they entered WvW. Currently, the only way to do so is by re-logging, which isn’t very intuitive.
It would also eliminate the nagging incentive to always go into WvW/sPvP just to skip one waypoint fee.

Lion’s Arch will forever remain the main player hub because of all the gates linking it to other cities.

There needs to be alternative incentives to hang around other cities.
Like a personal bank vault that’s only in that city or something, instead of one that’s accessible in any crafting area. Inconvenient, but those are the types of things that get people returning to places.

Without any inconveniences, we’re always moving on a whim, and LA’s the only place where players’ paths overlap.

(DreamOfACure.4382)
free waypoint travel to the home cities of player. (Nope, gold sink)
“There is already no gold sink for this. If you go to The Mists-LA-City Asura Gates.”

Add JP’s in the other cities. (People would do those and leave*)
“After they go to the Bank, Guild Bank, TP. "

Finnish mini games. (Who even has time to play mini games)
“Lots of people”

Add PvP NPC’s in home cities.(Would make more sense to move the dungeon vendors to the closest cities*)
“Why not both?”

Thanks for tolling me

Part of the issue is that they designed Lions Arch to be central and didn’t really keep that in mind for the other cities.

In L.A you have the bank, TP and crafting in very close proximity.
Some of the other cities aren’t quite as well laid out.

That being said I do quite often go to the Grove instead. It’s prettier, it lags less and the layout is really good around the crafting area

The main problem is the Asura gates. In LA theres one for each city, sPvP and each borderland. But in each city aside from DR theres only a portal to LA. Not to mention that when in sPvP or WvW theres only a portal to LA not any of the home cities. LA is to convenient and accessible Also as someone else pointed out the bank, tp and crafting station r all really close.

TAKBonez.4953:

The main problem is the Asura gates. In LA theres one for each city, sPvP and each borderland. But in each city aside from DR theres only a portal to LA. Not to mention that when in sPvP or WvW theres only a portal to LA not any of the home cities. LA is to convenient and accessible Also as someone else pointed out the bank, tp and crafting station r all really close.

Your right about this, LA is just to convenient. I have tried to keep my alts in other Home cities, but inevitably 1 by 1 they end up in LA.

On a slightly different note the issues raised about about other cities has become my issue with PvE in general. That is you just don’t really see other people anymore, except at specific ‘hubs’.

In any event I’m sure it’s something that ArenaNet is aware of, but its good to make these types of threads.

The crafting, TP and bank are very close in DR. You just have to use the waypoints. They are so close together thats there no load times.

With Asura portals in the other cities. There can put a menu to select the city you want to travel to. The portal in the mist can do the same.

How about houses for sale and maybe jobs, such as helping the local weapons makers all for small bits of karma (houses cost more)

wrathorkhan.6574:

How about houses for sale and maybe jobs, such as helping the local weapons makers all for small bits of karma (houses cost more)

I really like this idea. Possibly invoke some real estate business into the game, have people buy and sell houses in different cities. Also the job thing too. Somehow tie in quests in different cities to sell supplies to shops, and craft different items for shops. This will also help people level up their crafting disciplines at the same time.

Fatfox you’re definitely right, having some type of buff will definitely attract people to different cities. And it seems reasonable too, to have stuff like that.

And Tipsy, the city-based economy can reach even further with selling materials and items that we’ve picked up from around the area. Maybe listing an item on the TP for certain items be cheaper or more expensive depending on what it is. Have it fluctuate to a certain degree.

But all the while, SoPP you’re definitely right, they probably are aware of all of this. Throwing around ideas like this, though, is also helpful to them (if they look at this).