What combat mechanic does ArenaNet do best?
One thing I like is when bosses have a distinctive tell prior to an attack that’s difficult to dodge. While the red ring mechanic is interesting, I like being able to dodge something just by reading the movement of the enemy. This is a lot harder on smaller enemies with a lot of spell effects flying around though.
I also think the dragon events are pretty interesting and very close to being a lot better. Right now they’re completely pre-scripted. I would love to see the dragons react to what’s happening. For example, in the shatterer battle, the entire zerg runs up right next to the boss and attacks him from the side. In spite of this, he still continues attacking in front of him as if there are players there. This fight would be much more engaging if he reacted to the players like a monster would and turns to face them or directs his attacks towards the players instead of in the same spot every time.