Guild Wars 2

Since GW2 is not instanced like GW was, I can see why implementing an open-world version of Hard Mode would be difficult. However, as I was thinking about it, I realized that it might be simpler than it seems.

Would it work to add a toggle that allows the player to opt into a more restrictive down-leveling system?

So, basically, if an area normally down-levels to level 12, and the player opted into Hard Mode, they might be down-leveled to level 10 instead (obviously it would vary by area). This would imitate having an actual HM, and it wouldn’t require changing the open-world events, mobs, etc., and it shouldn’t affect other players.

Having the toggle turned on could also affect drop rates similarly to the way GW’s Hard Mode improved drops from what Normal Mode offered.

Lockpicks and treasure hunting would be a fun addition in HM as well.

I like this idea. It uses a system already built into the game which is nice.

Would take a lot of work tho. Depending on your build, 2 levels is not going to make much of a difference. Bringing it down to about 50% or 75% lower than recommended sounds about right.

Then what do you do about event scaling? Say you are in “Hard Mode” and someone else isn’t. How is the event scaled in this case?