http://dragonseason.com/Front/tabid/124/EntryId/212/Lunch-with-Colin-Johanson-Part-III.aspx
Precursors. A little while ago there was mention that there were going to be other ways to get hold of precursors, like through the scavenger hunt.
Colin: Someday yes.
Someday. So no plans for the immediate future?
Colin: We’ve thrown in a few more RNG ways to get them, like random chances for places they could go in the game recently, but that’s not the real solution. That’s just a “hey lets just increase the number of places people can earn them at this point”. The fixes for qualifying for loot that will go in the February release will also increase the chances you can get precursors ‘cause it means you have a higher chance of rolling for loot in every creature that you kill. Which means you have a higher chance of getting a precursor. So that will help as well. But long term we’d like to do something that’s a little bit more epic where there’s a clear path of “here’s everything you need to do and when you complete it you automatically get a precursor.” We’re not working on that right now, we’re really trying to design what that would be, but yeah certainly at some point we will create a system that allows you to do that.
I highlighted the part in Colin’s answer that “inspired” the following.
How about we give our input on how we could imagine such a design without trying to present solutions and focusing on why this or that wouldn’t work. That is something “they” do anyways and they know way better what they can do or want to do. A little brainstorming if you so will.
When I think about this I ask myself, what else stands out for me (my characters) along the road. That would be the personal story, slightly personalized it gives me a tour through Tyria, providing a backdrop, a few extra pieces to the puzzle.
Then, what sort of doesn’t matter any more, which choices I made had a very small impact in the long run – character choices like the personality question (Charm, Dignity, Ferocity) or the race questions (for humans where you were raised, your regret and who you received your blessing from).
Ideally I would love to see a “precursor” story, which takes me again through Tyria, slightly different depending on the choices above and the order I’m with (another part that I feel is underused), uncover old relics with the priory, study texts in the archives for the next clue – hide in the closet as a whisperer to eavesdrop on a pirate blacksmith – conquer svanir fortifications with the vigil. Go a step further, let that story teach me on what ingredients might have to be used to forge a legendary weapon later on – this could even mean to obtain a “quest” version of a charged core (or why not the real thing? Or one of each?) and make it into a lodestone.
Crafting – new items, either to perhaps trade with NPC’s for secrets or to “fix” a broken part of the “precursor” we are about to obtain. Could be tradable (on the TP) and should be in line with the craft needed anyways. Sprinkled maybe with a few sacrifices necessary to ensure Zommoros goodwill.
Well, I’m sure you guys can come up with some better ideas, maybe even more detailed. I tried to keep this rather rough because I just wanted to put a few ideas out there and not present a “solution”.
Crafting – make it a “Mini Legendary” in the sense that you would need “mini Gifts” to create it. All of which would be 100% farmable and not rely on RNG.
NO MORE GIFTS! Farmable or not – keep it simple and just go with the single item. bad enough you have to build gifts to go into other gifts to make the final gift. i am sure there’s a yo dawg joke in there, somewhere.
i like the idea of a hunt – it sounds definite, a linear path that guarantees an expected result at the end, and has no RNG road bumps in the way. obtaining scavenger items should be as plain as the collection events, or gaining XP from kills.
I want it to be a challenge, something like Fractals, but not gated by gear.
(Not gated as in, Agony Resistance would be useless here)
Instead, have bosses that deal Agony in more difficult to avoid methods and players are expected to simply avoid the bosses attacks to survive. The longer they can survive, the more they can progress, and the better their rewards.
(All the agony attacks would be skill-shot or melee based, and bosses would steadily gain new ways to disable the player or close the distance to try to deal agony)
Example:
With each level, the bosses gain new methods to deal agony easier
Level1: PBAoE with a delay
Level2: Faster movement speed
Level3: Melee attacks
Level4: Pull ability with short delay
Level5: There’s two of them.
Level6: Now, there’s three of them…
Level7: Back to one boss. Larger model size + Gain ranged small-circle AOE projectiles
Level16: Rapid fires the small AoE projectiles without interrupting its own movement (Can continue to run at you while firing aoe)
Level19: Can fire mid-sized AoE circle projectiles that do nothing (fake-out!)
Level21: Can fire real mid-sized AoE circles projectiles
Level27: There’s three of them…
Level33: Back to one boss. Can summon an destructible tower that have laser-sighting and fires agony-lasers when it finds a player (on a delay). Turret limit: 1
Level36: There’s two again… Turret limit raised from 1 to 2.
Level40: There’s three bosses. Turret limit raised from 2 to 3.
Level50: Agony Turrets. Agony Turrets everywhere!
—
Back on topic:
(edited by DreamOfACure.4382)
Need something like Fractals, but not gated by gear.
Instead, have bosses that deal Agony in more difficult to avoid methods and players are expected to simply avoid the bosses attacks to survive. The longer they can survive, the more they can progress, and the better their rewards.
Example:
With each level, the bosses gain new methods to deal agony easier
Level1: PBAoE with a delay
Level2: Faster movement speed
Level3: Melee attacks
Level4: Pull ability with short delay
Level5: There’s two of them.
Level6: Now, there’s three of them…
Level7: Back to one boss. Larger model size + Gain ranged small-circle AOE projectiles
Level16: Rapid fires the small AoE projectiles without interrupting its own movement (Can continue to run at you while firing aoe)
Level19: Can fire mid-sized AoE circle projectiles that do nothing (fake-out!)
Level21: Can fire real mid-sized AoE circles projectiles
Level27: There’s two of them.
Level33: Back to one boss. Can summon an destructible tower that fires agony lasers on a delay.
Level50: Agony Turrets. Agony Turrets everywhere!
No, legendaries should not require agony resistance, they were here before it and should not require ascended gear in any form. They SHOULD however require that we go do rarely visited events in maps people hardly go back to, in order to collect specific items that will only drop when we have a ring or accesory equiped that the guy that starts the scavenger hunt gives to us.
No, legendaries should not require agony resistance
You did not even read my post.
“not gated by gear”
In this version of the dungeon, agony resistance would be ineffective.
You can only rely on your kiting / dodging.
(Editing my first post to make this more clear)
Then why have it be agony at all? Have it be random attack that is any damage that simply deals 100k guarenteed. Why have it be agony specifically? Get the point?
Also, dodging? Really? Nah, how about we make it totally undodgable and you have to time blocks/parry’s instead?
The point is that it should not be any specific style. Dodging favors thieves (simply perma stealth and the mob will never hit you, especially now that stealthing doesn’t reset mobs/bosses now) and block/parry favors warrior and guardian tank builds.
Have them force us to wear white items and go do large events across the map (including the 80 areas). Precursor hunt only available after map completion.
This way you are wearing full sets of no stat gear doing events all over, having to dodge/block/parry while still killing things. Earn the legendary through fights where you are underpowered.
I like the idea of a second storyline to get a legendary precursor.
I would like to suggest “unlocking” the legendary story. For example, you must first complete the main story arc. Then you must complete a certain number of the following as well (like the dailies or monthlies):
1. Complete all paths of all dungeons
2. Reach a certain (very high) rank in PvP
3. have a massive WvW kill count
4. Unlock a certain number of high end mystic forge skins
5. have a very high title/point thingy for your account (what’s it called? I’m at around 3,000 now.)
6. reach a certain level in fractals
7. spend X,000,000 karma
8. have a certain number of titles
9. you get the idea
Once you finish a certain number of these requirements, then you start on your “legendary” story.
I think this would allow for people with different playstyles, whether it be PvE, PvP, WvW, or whatever, to work towards a precursor. It would still be a massive undertaking.
Having a legendary story would be so much cooler than a plain old scavenger hunt.
Heck, you could even tie in the legendary story to a “living world” update where a major plotline is developed, perhaps a new zone in the Shiverpeaks where we discover a godly weaponsmith whose forge has been overrun.
(edited by Kaiwen.1520)
i really don’t like the idea of dodging or block an impossible boss for ever to get a precursor. i would rather have it by rng than this.
also the scavenger hunt is a nice idea, but it should be so random that we should not be able to visit some website with a perfect tutorial to guide us through it (still i would prefer the rng that a clueless scavenger hunt).
as much as i want my precursor, the thing i see from a scavenger hunt is: there will be a time where every single character in the game have a dark sword, a raibow footstep or a rainbow projectile.
or a gated content for people who cannot fight a super uber boss alone, i already hate the fact i have to collect 500 arah token, that i heavily depend on others in order to achieve.
knowledge of the game and time in the game should be awarded, not only the perfect dodge or the perfect fight
They’re not hard to get as it is. People had their legendary made in a few weeks of release. It doesn’t need to be any easier.
They’re not hard to get as it is. People had their legendary made in a few weeks of release. It doesn’t need to be any easier.
I agree that mapping, 500 badges of honor, etc., are not out of the reach of most people. They take effort, sure, but like you said, a few weeks of solid gaming and you can get it.
The only part of the process that can be frustrating, no matter how much you play, is nabbing that precursor. The RNG can mean a lot of wasted time and gold with no guarantee of reward.
I don’t think the scavenger hunt, alone, is a good idea. Too easy, or in other words, not legendary. Like I said above, more should be involved.
Considering that the precursor is one of the few steps you can purchase with a credit card…
A whole better system, from the ground up, would likely be a much better way to go about it. It was very depressing when I had both my legendaries and everything done by October.
I like the idea of tying it into the “living story”. First thought when I hear “unlocking” for me would be on the go – within the story – not one massive grind up front. Then tie it into your “character background” again. Vigil ask you to WvW, Priory to acquire ancient relics that appear at the end of a dungeon (so don’t forget to grab it) etc.
To have it so random that no one can look the solution up is a different angle – not sure how that would look like though. Interesting.
Nels – a whole better system – I guess it’s always a problem to change something radical – but if you would try to work within the parameters given – what would this “scavenger story hunt” look like to you?
People had their legendary made in a few weeks of release. It doesn’t need to be any easier.
/facedesk
You realize they only did that because Precursors were like 10g or something like that at launch?
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