Guild Wars 2

I’ve seen elsewhere that there are plans to make invasion events like the Scarlet invasions to be a more regular thing. What I’m suggesting here is how, in my opinion, ArenaNet can make the most effectiveness out of the invasion event concept. Basically it delves down to having four kinds of “invasions” occurring.

1. The first kind which we have already – Living Story invasions. These would be themed to the current “living” story plot, like the Scarlet invasions, and limited to areas affected by such (e.g., if these existed during Flame and Frost, they’d have been MA invasions across Dredge and Flame Legion-issued maps).
2. The second kind I’m dubbing “Zone Themed Invasions.”
3. The third would be “Regional Invasions.”
4. The final point would be “Progressional Invasions” – or cross-zone (sometimes cross-region) invasions.

Zone-Themed Invasions
These are unique unto a specific zone (e.g., Queensdale, Blazeridge Steppes) and, if possible, no two zones would have the same enemies for the invasions (exception being Orr). These would also be scaled in difficulty (how many players are expected to be needed to complete; how many events, how difficult the hardest mobs are, etc.). And they would all have a single wave to complete (the rate of progress on that bar being dependent on the zones’ levels). There would be no exempted zones unlike the Scarlet invasions.

A suggested list of these:

• Metrica Province = “Chaotic Invasion” (basically anything and everything, an explosive expansion of Thaumanova’s effects)
• Caledon Forest = Nightmare Court
• Queensdale = “Nightmares” (Aatxes, Shades, etc.)
• Wayfarer Foothills = Jotun
• Plains of Ashford = Ascalonian Ghosts
• Brisban Wildslands = Inquest
• Kessex Hills = Bandits
• Snowden Drifts = Sons of Svanir
• Diessa Plateau = Separatists
• Gendaran Fields = (Not sure for this one)
• Lornar’s Pass = Steam creatures
• Fields of Ruin = Ogres
• Harathi Hinterlands = Centaurs
• Dredgehaunt Cliffs = Dredge
• Blazeridge Steppes = Renegades
• Bloodtide Coast = Covington Pirates
• Timberline Falls = Krait
• Sparkfly Fen = Risen (accompanied by constant Tequatl fly-overs)
• Iron Marches = Branded (accompanied by constant Shatterer fly-overs)
• Mount Maelstrom = Destroyers
• Fireheart Rise = Flame Legion
• Frostgorge Sound = Icebrood
• Southsun Cove = Karka

In some cases these “invasions” would be more of a “enemy forces are bolstered and need ‘pruning’” rather than invading.

I exempted Orr zones from the list, since the only enemy there that’d make sense to me is more risen…

Regional Invasions
These are like the zone themed ones, except themed to a specific zone. They would consist of two waves and would be more difficult overall than zone themed invasions (thus more rewarding too). For extra cookies, they could interact with the zone themed invasions to create either an unexpected temporary alliance (both invading forces allied, making it harder for players) or being a case of “the enemy of my enemy is also my enemy.”

A suggested list of these:

• Maguuma Jugle: Destroyers (a zone split in two, with 2 of 5 having destroyers? Yeah, easy)
• Kryta: Bandits (exempted: Southsun, Bloodtide)
• Shiverpeak Mountains: Sons of Svanir/Icebrood combo
• Ascalon: Branded (bring back “Repel the invading dragon forces:”http://wiki.guildwars2.com/wiki/Repel_the_invading_dragon_forcesfor this! Just remove the “death=becoming Branded” thing)

I exempted Orr from the list, since the only enemy there that’d make sense to me is more risen…

Progressional Invasions
These would begin in one zone, and if failed would trigger an invasion in another zone – they could use the mechanics we see with the Orr temples, to create an army’s progressional invasion throughout the land (to a certain point, of course). This invasion type would be themed based on that starting zone, sometimes possibly sharing with that zone’s themed invasion (or with the regional invasion’s themed enemies). Along with triggering an invasion in the next zone, the invasion forces would remain, respawning until the current invasion event is beaten – where then the previous zone’s invasion would “retrigger” but as a “push out” event instead (only a cosmetic different really), and this would continue until the first zone’s invasion is pushed out.

A suggested list of these:

• Centaur Invasion. Pathing: Harathi Hinterlands ->Gendarran Fields -> Kessex Hills -> Queensdale
• Thaumanova Chaos. Pathing 1: Metrica Province -> Brisban Wildslands -> Caledon Forest; Pathing 2: Metrica Province -> Iron Marches (due to jp lore) -> Diessa Plateau -> Plains of Ashford
• Tequatl’s Forces (features Tequatl fly overs and occasional landings Scarlet style). Pathing: Straits of Devastation -> Mount Maelstrom -> Timberline Falls -> Bloodtide Coast (avoids Sparkfly to avoid lore clash with Tequatl’s meta)
• Branded Invasion (features Shatterer fly overs and occasional landings). Pathing: Iron Marches -> Blazeridge Steppes -> Fields of Ruin
• Icebrood Invasion (features Claw of Jormag fly overs and occasional landings; mixture of Icebrood and Sons of Svanir forces): Frostgorge Sound -> Snowden Drifts -> Wayfarer Foothills -> Dredgehaunt Cliffs
• Destroyer Invasion (features Destroyer of Worlds popping in and out of the ground – would give a Destroyer Dragon a good reason to be made though). Pathing: Random :o