Guild Wars 2

I really like the dodge mechanic as part of the game, because it allows players to be more aggressive than in other MMOs. Things like full glass cannon builds in PvE become possible, and I think aggressive play like that (at least in PvE) is the most fun and rewarding. If you’ve ever played the game Bayonetta (you should), the game promotes masterful timing by rewarding you if you dodge an attack perfectly. All enemies enter slow mo, so you’re free to wail on them to pimp your combo multiplier. I think something in that vein (not as drastic as slow mo) would make GW2 combat more rewarding, as there would be more incentive to time and make the most of your dodges. Currently, the dodging functions on a negative punishment system – if you dodge you’re fine, but if you don’t you’re punished. Positive reinforcement in the form of some kind of buff would be cool, like your avatar entering a “battle rush” from dodging the attack and gaining more damage or something. Perhaps in a future boss fight, players could only damage the boss if they dodge one of its attacks with the right timing. Of course, if it’s too easy, the system would no longer be rewarding, so the dodging difficulty might need tweaking. Ideally it would only function on dodging with endurance, so D/D elementalists can’t just zoom around for buffs.

TL;DR

- Reward players with a buff for dodging to make the game faster and more aggressive,
- In response make said dodges a little bit harder
- Maybe make a boss that can only be damaged after a well timed dodge

I like that, a little buff for a well timed dodge would make things more fun. However making dodges even harder won’t make people happy as they already have a hard time dodging.