Guild Wars 2

For some time now it has seemed, to me at least, that Anet stays away from talking about underwater content like its the plague.

I would like to have a discussion with the devs and the community about the current state and future of underwater content.

If Anet responds to this thread then that will be wonderful. If not, then we can at least discuss and possible create an outline of what we, as a community, would like to see come from underwater.

The discussion is now open.

Part 1

These are my thoughts on the subject. (copypasta’d from an earlier post of mine)

If you take all the underwater areas in the game it at the very least makes up around 4 entire zones, or roughly 1/8 of the current playable map. So why is 1/8 of the world in such terrible shape as far as combat and content goes, and why has there never been a serious discussion or anything addressing underwater development from Anet (as far as I have searched)?

So to start I will list some of the current problems with underwater content that drives many players from it entirely.

1. Current trait builds have little to no added benefits for underwater combat.
2. There are no joined underwater/on land traits, so pretty much everyone suffers underwater.
3. Breathers cannot be crafted, the highest quality of breather is “rare”, and they only are obtainable as a rare drop Tequatl or on the TP for an exorbitant price.
4. Breathers only have 3 available skins (white, grey, and red)
5. There are no World Bosses for underwater content.
6. Dungeons with underwater parts are avoided or disliked due to the disadvantage of
   playing in them.
7. There are no Major Dynamic events that take place underwater, and those dynamic events that do are often flooded by mobs and undoable by single people (talking about the inquest event in bloodtide near Sorrowful Waypoint.
8. Ground targeted utilities have no use underwater as you can only target surfaces.
9. Thief, Necro, Guardian, and Elementalist have only 1 elite that works underwater.
   Warrior has 2, however one is a banner (see above for ground targeted skill problems)
10. No races have any underwater Elites.
11. Most Area of Effect skill ranges are impossible to determine while underwater, unless against/near a surface.
12. There is a lack of diversity with underwater enemies. (dragon corrupted -primodus, sharks, 1 whale, inquest, pirates, krait, hylek, baracudas, skelk, wurms, jellyfish, maybe 3 largos, and drakes)

Part 2

Now proposed Ideas on how to fix/help with these issues.

1. No need for a separate trait build like that in pvp, simple additions/ alterations to current traits will do fine. Traits that benefit land only abilities/ weapons have added traits that will benefit aquatic only abilities and weapons. I.E. (10% of toughness is converted to power = no changes. Greatsword skills recharge 20% faster = GS and spear abilities recharge 20% faster.)
2. Craftable breathers of all qualities, including ascended. Breathers now drop from underwater mobs only, helmet drops removed from underwater mobs (or keep them in, doesn’t matter to much on that detail)
3. Additional Skins for breathers. I was super disappointed that “gas mask” skin was not for underwater. Ideas for additional skins: full helmet, gas mask like helmet (can see your face), breather/goggles combo, breathers like those from SW: Episode 1, old timey dive helmet, or anything you guys can think up.
4. Add an underwater world boss. Since underwater fights include the Z axis the mechanics will need to change from normal world bosses. Possible mechanics: multi level shockwaves that run in the X and Z axis (alternating for increased difficulty), all encompassing aura of damage while in close proximity (like Claw of Jormag’s Ice field), “Water tension”: boss sends mobs to wipe out those trying to escape to the surface, whirlpools: drag you to the bottom or throw you in a random direction… most ideal location for this would be Aquabase Terror Seven: Inquest, while researching “insert plot device” Unleash/ Attract from neighboring waters a (Water Elemental, Crazed experiment, Giant something, etc.) Terror base seven has a large enough area with sparse naturally occurring mobs. and it has 3 waypoints somewhat close by so people can get there accordingly ( block off the closest during the boss fight of course)
5. One of my favorite parts of this game is the underwater mini dungeon in Diessa Plateau, it has puzzle mechanics, a difficult boss, and a good dynamic event leading up to it. Hell it is the best underwater dungeon in the game. HotW has underwater parts, but the boss fights seem crowded and have terrible camera angles/obstructions.. Add additional underwater paths to dungeons, or an entire new dungeon that is mostly underwater. Large underwater areas (openish world, or a large sea cavern. Final boss fight in a not super clustered room, add smaller hallways for the inbetweens (ex: Underwater fractal) or even darkness like in the aforementioned fractal. New dungeon armor that is underwater themed.
6. Adjust the scaling for underwater events so that it correctly scales to the players in the vicinity, add dynamic event chains that are more than an escort quest (Orr).
7. Remove the ground targeting aspect of those utilities while underwater and have them just drop wherever the player is. Banners can turn into bouys or bobbers, aoe rez skills just rez in the immediate area.
8. Add at least one additional underwater elite for each class or alter the current ones so they can be used underwater. (reskin the lich form to something underwatery, call in the thieves guild while underwater, new underwater only tome (mix of offense and defense) “waterlogged Tome”, not sure what to alter for elementalist, so maybe just an new elite.
9. Add one underwater elite for each race. Charr: depth charge (sends out depth charges all around the charr, enemies explode on impact. Human: Servants of Lyssa (dolphins come to your aid and attack your foes). Norn: Become the Polar Bear (same as become the bear). Asura: Summon Dive suit (you summon a dive suit golem to attack foes, looks more aquatic than the normal suit). Sylvari: Algae ( send out and aura of algae, blinding/crippling foes and healing allies
10. AoE skills that normally are only shown via circles on the ground should be aesthetically altered to be thin bubbles surrounding the area they are effecting, it could be anything from a color change to particle effects surrounding/filling that area. kind of like the guardian bubble or elementalist boil/ electric field.
11. More/diverse whales, combatable dolphins/turtles, eels, squid/octopi, water elementals, alligators/crocodiles (if they exist in this world), giant versions of sea creatures, pirana, deep sea fish, karka (while underwater)

Finally what would really float my boat is a mostly underwater area, with only a few areas of actual land (small islands, a conglomeration of sea vessels, floating town/city)
The rest of the map ranging in coral life, caves, deep waters, shallows, and tide pools.

Any and all thoughts, criticisms, contrasts, previews, or really any information at all would be greatly appreciated on any of these topics.

This would be a great topic for a CDI. I personally love underwater; but other than an occasional Daily and a couple of Champion kills in Frostgorge Sound I don’t have much reason to have my toons be there. So much potential being wasted!

I really did enjoy swimming around the ruins of the old Lion’s Arch when I first started playing the game.

I’d like to see Anet utilize underwater areas more. It’s like a big vast desert. I would love to have more reasons to spend time underwater.

I would love as explorer-in-grass, water world would be great if it were exploited!

In addition, may be more about Quaggan we learn, and largos. And I’m sure the devs would decorder us dream!

I’d like to see Aquabreathers of better rarity than Rare. They introduced Ascended Armor but did not introduced Ascended Aquabreather…

If an armor piece replaces your headgear while underwater with stats and rune too, you should at least be able to acquire an Exotic/Ascended version of it.

If they do not plan to introduce Ascended Aquabreathers, then change headgear to use your land helmet’s stats while underwater and make the Aquabreather appear like a skin only.

Also, the ability to “not show” Aquabreathers while underwater should be possible. Before anyone says it breaks immersion, the immersion is already broken with the fact that you can simply not wear an aquabreather while underwater already and stay alive, as well as a broken(damaged) aquabreather does not show while underwater.

They probably don’t want to talk about it, because one of the expansions or living story arcs will take place entirely underwater (“bubbles”).

DarcShriek.5829:

I’d like to see Anet utilize underwater areas more. It’s like a big vast desert. I would love to have more reasons to spend time underwater.

Yeah, maybe a very large underwater castle to explore with quaggan npc’s and merchants and stuff like that. It’d be really cool, and I’d spend a lot of time down there.

Right on OP.

I’ve never understood why Anet limited underwater content so much. Too many locked skills and no reasonable Aquabreathers annoy me the most. But I guess that at least saves me from buying another rune. And Anet tends to just lock things or take things out of game if the effort to adjust things is too high (which is understandable I guess … ABC-list etc.)

I’d enjoy underwater WvW occasionally, too. (Various maps that change once a week randomly and one of them could be unterwater.)

underwater combat is a flop, but here is how to fix it:
-remove underwater weapons
-give every (weapon and utility and elite) skill in game a underwater variety, that acts the same as the regular skill but maybe in 3d, or slightly altered so its usefull underwater
-aquabreathers craftable by the various armor crafts, and give them the same stats as helms (or get rid of the aqua breathers stats all together and make it a skin slot)

if the above terms are met i believe underwater combat will be like all other combat in this game, unlike right now, cause now its a chore :P

also if these terms are met id love to see a complete underwater spvp map with a quagan theme and with capture bubbles in stead of circles! maybe even make a wvw underwater week and make the keeps look like those quagan houses you see in pve, and every entrance has a gate in it :P

Great ideas, Gralo. Couldn’t agree more with all of them. Hard to even add to it. A new all underwater zone would be great if they implemented some of your suggestions. I would add another underwater breather skin though – a fishbowl like on Spongebob

Cyto.9401:

underwater combat is a flop, but here is how to fix it:
-remove underwater weapons
-give every (weapon and utility and elite) skill in game a underwater variety, that acts the same as the regular skill but maybe in 3d, or slightly altered so its usefull underwater
-aquabreathers craftable by the various armor crafts, and give them the same stats as helms (or get rid of the aqua breathers stats all together and make it a skin slot)

if the above terms are met i believe underwater combat will be like all other combat in this game, unlike right now, cause now its a chore :P

also if these terms are met id love to see a complete underwater spvp map with a quagan theme and with capture bubbles in stead of circles! maybe even make a wvw underwater week and make the keeps look like those quagan houses you see in pve, and every entrance has a gate in it :P

There is no way certain weapons that work on land would work in water. Consider the hammer. It would be horrible under water. Underwater weapons exist for a reason.

Underwater combat/exploration is a very interesting area. But sadly it is neglected and not expanded enough that its pretty much abhorred by a lot of people.

Combat does need to be looked at as far as underwater goes. And Aquabreathers have been oddly neglected since launch (other then the Tequatl patch for a chance at a rare one…which pales in comparison when you have full Ascended armor and Ascended underwater weapons, etc).

But I imagine a lot of the current issues people have could be picked up on in an expansion or patch. Its definitely something I’d love to see discussed or touched upon in the future.