With the month being given a “Competitive Feature Pack”, I was saddened to see that Stronghold was not going to be given any love. Almost two years since the mode has been added and the most they’ve given is 1 more mist champion and a couple extra skins? I though by now Anet would realize that it’s time for the mode to have a major overhaul to make a more prominent component of the PvP scene.
I was wondering if the following suggestions would make any other fellow PvP casuals more interested.
First and foremost the mode is supposed to be casual, correct? It was removed from Ranked queue for that very reason. It’s a bridge mode between PvE/WvW and Conquest.
I think the biggest aspect to make the mode a more casual play would be to increase the team cap. 8v8 at minimum, 12v12 at the most (reminiscent of old Alliance Battles). The rest suggestions and numbers operate on the notion that the mode could be 10v10 which I feel would be the optimal amount, capable of being two full parties or any number of iterations with soloers, 2/3/4 man teams.
The biggest barrier for me is the reliance on NPCs to make progress in the mode. Remove that need and make all the actions focused around the players.
*Supply no longer creates doorbreakers or archers but creates bombs as items that players use to breakdown the gates
Bombs have an effect similar to the orb in spirit watch, removing access to skills, specific dodges (i.e. Daredevil dodges) but unlike the orb you allowed to be buffed (both with boons and others like stealth/superspeed). The effect also makes it so that getting hit by an enemy guard or siege causes you to drop the bomb (it also explodes)
Bombs have four skills
- – Throw bomb (Range 900) deal damage to target area and inflicts 5% of the gates health if it hits.
- – Plant bomb (240 radius, 1 second cast time) deal damage, knockback and inflict 10% of the gates health
- – Bomber’s sprint – Leap? 3s Superspeed? 5s swiftness? (something like that) 10-15s cd?
- – Bomb (smash?) (3/4s cast) Stun an enemy for 1s – 10s CD
Capturing Mist essence no longer summons an Mist Hero but causes the player who captured it to transform into the Mist Hero they have selected
o The transformation is standard across all professions (i.e. your stats/traits do not matter)
o The stats/abilities of your hero and dependent on which one you have selected
o When transformed you can be buffed but your icon appears permanently on the mini map
o You are given a breakbar
o An F1 charge ability that does massive damage to NPCs (i.e. the Lord) like the current NPCs have
In the scenario where more maps could be added, create certain themes for supply and additional capture points to use.
o For example make the current map siege focused. Add 4 additional ballista points (2 in the neutral area, one additional point in each base) that require two supply to build for team control
o Add an additional capture point that spawns reinforcement guards to bolster defense
o Additional map themes could be traps (supply allows for teams to build on certain trap points or return to their base and create less effective placeable traps), or points that spawn weapons, npcs with specific functions (get a tag that summons assassins, summon a raging beast to disrupt a limited area ), create minor transformations, etc. The possibilities are probably greater than WvW gimmicks.
Another important feature would be to add a quick-add feature for those in a queue (though if this isn’t supported by either players or devs I’d request at least the same kind of feature within a two minute grace period so that even if a player leaves early on, their spot can be filled rather quickly)
What do you all think? What else could they do to buff Stronghold? I think a higher player cap mode in sPvP could go a long ways for casual play. Alongside that even the new 2v2 with additional maps could go a long ways in a queue (though so sad to hear they confirmed it would just be with custom games). Other modes like 3 team King of the hill (5v5v5) could be done on maps that already exist (take out certain portions of the city maps for example)
There’s just so much potential for chaotic and casual modes in unranked queue, it’d be great to see or even at least hear about some progress to the PvP scene that doesn’t revolve around the ranked/competitive scene (which generally gets shot down anyway by complaints about matchmaking, balance, toxicity, leavers, etc.)