Guild Wars 2

: Basic dungeons, focused on story-telling. Current Story Mode merged with the most important story-wise Explorable paths. Each Dungeon would have >2 bonus paths (like explorable now). Current paths which lack too much story should be given more of it.

: Accessible for everyone, in any group composition, pure fun. All Story Dungeons would be rescaled to match more variety of levels. Currently, there are no dungeons untill level 30 and in my opinion, it’s a mistake. Make basic Utilities all unlock (without elite, reserved for lvl 30) up to level 15 (5,10,15).
Rescale the dungeons so you can access first ones at level 15 (AC story probably). New “Bonus Paths” (Explorable previously) would unlock after completing the main story one after every couple of levels (Let’s take AC again. You complete the story at lvl 15, then the first path unlocks at 17, second at 20 and third on 23. Then on lvl 25 CM story unlocks etc. etc.).
That should give the better feeling of the “Living” world. You end the story and then you don’t abadon and forget about the dungeon, instead you frequently return there to complete various new tasks you’re called for.

: Rather easy, suited for newcomers, but providing some fun challange. Story dungeons should be designed to not only interest the player in the story, but also introduce them to PvE mechanics and dungeoning, provide some help. Players are accompanied by NPCs who frequently make suggestions, give advices and somehow explain the mechanics :

-NPC: “This ground looks very unsteady. We should better make sure we don’t fall” -> Tooltip pops out, informing the group that getting some stability or stunbreakers would be a good idea.
-NPC:“This guy seems big. He should be slow, we’re quicker, let’s strike him from behind!” -> Tooltip pops out, suggesting avoiding big telegraphed hits and striking on mob’s back, maybe equipping some swiftness for better mobility.
-NPC:“Hmm… See this aura around him? I bet it’s nasty, I wouldn’t risk touching it” ->Tooltip pops out, informing about possible projectile reflection/risky melee.

Players should be also taught about basic tactics of bosses, telegraphed attacks, usefulness of various utilities, movement or such. These things would help them greatly in future dungeoning.

~ 30 minutes up to 1 hour for newcomers.

- Good equipment box for current level, materials for crafting, special recipes, trophy/recognition in Home Instance. Major extra rewards for completing the Dungeon/Path on Hero’s Call

Most important among all dungeoning options, main focus

: This is a new form of the Dungeon. It’s exactly what you expect – the exploration. Remaining, less story related and important explorable paths are included in here. The whole area of the entire dungeon is open for all of you, no scripts. There are various Dynamic Events going on in the area (mentioned E.Paths are DEs activated by speaking with NPCs), lots of mobs, NPCs, Bosses. There are also Explorator’s Chests – chests that randomly spawn all over the dungeon. Some of them are guarded by mobs, some are in strange places, some need keys acquired by doing DEs, slaying specific mobs or such.

Tasks, outside of old explorables, mobs, bosses and chests are higly randomized in all explorable dungeons. Spawn locations, NPCs and even mob types differ on every enter

There’s also the counter, similar to one from Escape from Lion’s Arch Rescue counter.
Every mob slain, every chest found, every Boss slaughtered and every DE done give you certain amount of points. It’s something like a Vanquish from GW1

- Scaled for level 80. Accessible for a party with at least one member (“The Opener”), who has finished all Story in the dungeon (Bonus paths included).

- Explorable Mode is a 80-only which means that AI you spot in here will use anything avalible, cooperate and fight dynamically with movement, focus – everything to kill your party. Tasks and mobs in the explorable area would differ when it comes to tactics, difficulty. The further from the entrace you venture, the harder it gets.

- It’s up to you and your group. You can go there just for 20 minutes, do something, get out and get your rewards or you can stay there, complete every task, find every chest and kill every mob and spend half a day ^^ Type of hardcore farm zone you can venture to any time you want.

- Area is not small, as are rewards. Since you’re grouped in 5 and mobs are not easy, loot tables are improved compared to Open World areas. There are specific “Zone drops” from bosses and chests/mobs, unique stuff that is mostly tradeable.
But the main reward comes from mentioned counter of your total points acquired during the dungeon. Your total amount of points have influence on amount and quality of rewards you get. That reward is acquired upon leaving the dungeon and it nicely prevents you from getting nothing if you DC or such.
Ending rewards include unique items, exotics, high-end materials, lootbags, tokens, trophies you can achieve for your Home Instance, gold.

Least important and visible in here of all dungeoning options. You could find it via exploring like maybe some side NPCs, memorial items or such.

Don’t look at it as on raids. It’s not this type of content.
These are 5-man instances where your main goal is the boss in the centre room.
There’re no side-mobs, just maybe a pack before the boss room to warm-up. The dungeon finishes after you slay the boss and counts towards daily/monthly achievements.
Thw whole idea was inspired by one of GW1:Nightfall missions: http://guildwars.wikia.com/wiki/Rilohn_Refuge_%28mission%29
and the part about the pumps + great opportunity for skilled groups.

So we have that boss, standing in non-exploitable room (very important!), preferably oval. What’s the deal?
Boss itself has plethora of various abilities, buffs, debuffs and specifics, effects in it’s disposal. AI is programmed to dynamically change attacks, behaviours and randomize them during the fight, while most important are very telegraphed to prevent players from using one tactic and “learning” the fight, more likely encouraging them to stay focused on the boss.

But Boss itself, once you enter the dungeon has various, hardcore, overpowered (you call it) advantages. It may be tons of adds, permanent debuffs in the area, health regeneration, fast hard-hitting attacks, immunities or other very nasty things.
It’s still perfectly doable, though, but only for experts, best PvE players who are not only prepared in terms of gear, coordinated utilities and play, but also self and team skill, situational awarness, mechanics understanding and those who have mastered their professions
For more less extreme players, however, there are options to disable each of these specific “overpowered” advantages. From the corridor before Boss’ location, there are couple paths leading to various, rather quick tasks. Completing each of these disable particular said “advantages” of the boss.
Your group doesn’t have to disable them all. These “advantages” vary, so you can turn off only most problematic mechanics for your party, but you can disable them all.
Examples of “advantages” and their side quests:
a)Boss converts every boon into condition in the room every 3 seconds.
-Side-quest: Free some guy who can “purify” the room from the effect.

b)The boss is accompanied by numerous adds.
-Side quest: Obtain canoonballs to shot from the canoon and kill the adds

Boss Instances need to be unlocked. It can be done via completing dungeons, personal story, living story, other progression like collecting keys or such.
Once unlocked, they’re always avalible with quick waypoints nearby.
Boss Instances are only avalible for players above level 70 (access to GM traits level)

As stated in “General” – Boss under all effects is very difficult, even for skilled groups. It recudes when you disable them, but he’s not trivial after that, he stays at the difficulty level of Lupicus, with various behaviours, attacks and active AI.

This is the main point of this dungeon type. It’s purely Time/Effort design. It can either take ~7-10 minutes if you are able to kill the boss with all it’s “advantages” or more if you decide to complete side quests. Each side quest shouldn’t take more than 5-7 minutes.

As said above, the design is Time/Effort. Your reward is a measure of group skill, it’s always the same (not inlcuding loot from mobs in side-quests though) loot at the end of the dungeon. The rewards may include various unique (both account-bound and tradeable) skins, materials or such, like Boss minipets. Potential for various Achievements in here.

Preferably plot “finishers” in here. Bigger versions of it could be the answer to main story fights like future Dragons or such. Not much of stand-alone story

This is the „high end” 10-man content, only for the best prepared groups.

Players start every mission as two separated 5-man groups and have to complete first objectives in certain time frame. Then they’re grouped up into 10-man and progres in the instance.

Level 80 only. Accessible similar to other dungeons, without pre-events.

It’s meant to be elite content. All group-shared boons apply in 2000 range and affect up to 10 players, but their duration is 50% shorter. Doesn’t apply to boons applied by yourself to your character.

What can I say. These dungeons could be called „elite only”. Cooperative AI, most mechanically advanced. Think of mix of Domain of Anguish pre-nerf with hardcore raiding, add dynamic combat and multiply it by 2. Needles to mention, hardest possible PvE content in-game.

~Greatly varies. I’d say about 1,5h for best groups. Saveable progres.

Gems, gold, ascended equipment, Chance for precursors, unique account bound skins, unique achievements, titles and specific dungeon armor/weapons acquired by tokens at the end of the dungeon (!). If done with at least 50% of the group being represented guild members, boosting influence and providing extras, like free banners, upgrades, bank money.

Multiple trophies/upgrades for home instance and future guild halls.

Story of these dungeons would be important. Elite Missions themselves wouldn’t be a part of main plot, but branches of that, side-stories with most dangerous enemies of Tyria.

Sometimes knowledge of lore could be required to complete Missions.

It’s a mini, hand-wiki for the player. I feel that it’s very needed, especially for new players and returning ones. Not only it summarizes the basic game aspects and definitions, but is also a:

-Lorebook

-Bestiary

-Calendar/Organizer

-Personal Story summary with possible access to at least most important content/cutscenes with a click

-Living Story summary with possible access to at least most important content/cutscenes with a click

It’s your personal journal. Only Personal Story is character-bound, everything else is account-wide. It evloves with your gameplay.

You’ve finished some dungeon? Cool, you get short summary of it with a graphic and some text.

You’ve encountered new monster? You get short, new descreption about new mob

You’ve explored new zone? Something about it goes to your Journal

It’s everything you need for the game and to pic kup the game again and not get lost. If you have missed some parts of the Living World and want to get some knowledge, visit Bards, Storytellers in inns around.

It also includes Calendar, allowing you to set reminders of bosses coming up, what you want to do in the game and just generaly serves as a organizer

It should be easily accessible from UI.

Now that’s a thing. If you have ever played the new „Thief” game you will quickly catch my point.

Once you enter one of the following:

-Boss Instance

-Exploration Mode

-Elite Missions

You’ll spot a NPC who offers you to challange yourself and your group.

These are dungeon „modifiers” – let’s say you’ve already „mastered” the content or you feel like you can handle way more. Or you’re just greedy for good rewards.

You can choose between many options which will influence your experience in dungeon greatly and let you suit the difficulty to you.

Challanges may very from dungeon to dungeon, but there are some basic ones:

1. „One Way Ticket” – Once defeated, members of your party cannot be resurrected again.

2. „Quick Demise” – Once downed, members of your party are instantly defeated

3. „Mirrored Assault” – Every X seconds, your party are attacked by mirrored Doppelgangers of your party.

4. „Tough Trinity” – Complete Dungeon in no more than 3 players.

5. „Insatiable Hatred” –Every NPC (aside from story-required) is hostile.

6. “Slow Suffering”- Your party is permanently Crippled and gain one stack of Torment for every 3 seconds of constant movement.

7. “Last Man Standing” –Complete X as a single player in the dungeon.

Keep in mind that these are basic and there’s a huge potential.

Challenges may greatly increase you rewards. Every Challenge picked increases your drop chances for every type of items, including rare, unique drops and dungeon specific, gold and gems.

Every Challenge gives you certain amount of Glory points, along with points acquired from finishing dungeon itself.

You and your party will be classified on Glory Leaderboards for each dungeon and total Glory Leaderboards.

Not to mention, you’ll also get specific Achievements, titles and trophies for your home instance/guild halls.

Opportunities are the opposite of Challanges.
These are little advantages your party can choose in the Dungeon to not make it trivial or such, but get some help or buff for an adequate cost in rewards and glory.

Examples can be:

1. “You are never alone!” – Strong NPC accompany your group, providing support and damage.
2. “Morale Boost” – All your party statistics are 110% of normal value when under this Opportunity.
3. “One for All, All for One” – Your party ressurections are 20% quicker.
4. “Pain Absorbtion” – Every time one of the party members drops below 50% of health, all the incoming damage is spreaded among whole party. 60 sec ICD.