Guild Wars 2

I cannot help but notice the now redundant altars whenever a keep is taken in WvW. I had somewhat of an idea that would be both a help, and incentive to defend these keeps and putting altars back to use.

Introduction:

My idea was sort of inspired by the altars in Aion. In Aion there were multiple altars surrounding forts which could aid in both an offensive and defensive way. A guild needed to clear and claim these altars, then needed a specific item which they could craft or buy to activate it. However, only the guild could activate said altar. The altar then would place a debuff or a buff on the area surrounding the fort for a limited amount of time.

Now you’re probably thinking, how would this work in GW2?

Altar Alternative:

Ever since Orbs were removed from WvW, altars have lost their purpose in WvW, and overall incentive to defend a keep with no orb is low.

Breakdown:

[*] First a guild must have claim to a keep in WvW.

[*] That guild must have Art of War ranked to 5.

[*] With a certain amount of influence, that guild can then purchase 6 “Orbs.”

[*] These Orbs can then be used to activate the altar for a certain effect for a limited amount of time.

[*] The effected area spans the same amount of distance that fort buffs would. So any enemy or ally within that radius will be affected.

[*] Once an altar has been activated it is placed on a cooldown. This prevents people from spamming orbs.

ORBS:

- Orb of Kormir- Blinds all enemies within target keep radius for [X] seconds. This effect cannot be removed unless the altar is damaged.

- Orb of Grenth- Chills all enemies within target keep radius for [X] seconds. This effect cannot be removed unless the altar is damaged.

- Orb of Melandru- Poisons all enemies within target keep radius for [X] seconds. This effect cannot be removed unless the altar is damaged.

- Orb of Lyssa- Confuses all enemies within target keep radius for [X] seconds. This effect cannot be removed unless the altar is damaged.

-Orb of Balthazar. Burns all enemies within target keep radius for [X] seconds. This effect cannot be removed unless the altar is damaged.

-Orb of Dwayna- Heals all allies within target keep radius for [X] seconds. This effect cannot be removed unless the altar is damaged.

Scenario:

Say you’re inside of your garrison. It is the last keep you have on your map and everyone in that borderland is there trying to defend it. The enemy has heavy momentum and is ripping through the gates or walls.

The guild who claimed the garrison goes into their guild tab, art of war, and then purchases one of the orbs with influence. Then they move to the altar inside of the garrison, place whichever orb they chose on the altar and activate it.

The enemies are pouring through the gates now, making their way into the lords room, where you and your server wait to make your final defense. All of a sudden, the enemies are blind, poisoned, chilled, burned, confused, or you’re gaining a bit of health back every couple of seconds. You use the limited amount of time you have while the debuff or buff is active to try to hold your keep.

Conclusion:

While some may complain that this suggestion may be giving an unfair advantage, I believe not. Just like some can purchase buffs they can place on a fort when they claim it, purchase siege with influence, this is a minor help in comparison to orbs.

There’s no risk of an orb being hack or exploited, as the debuff or buff cause by the orb will only last for less than a minute or until the altar has been damaged. There will be a cooldown on the altar, so orbs cannot be spammed.

Neat idea to make altars relevant again. Of course the actual buffs could be changed if they are too good but the system could work.

good idea

If not, turn them into mascot statues where we can vote for our mascot weekly in LA. I want the overgrown grub as my mascot.

I like how you envision the orbs; however, I don’t see the incentive side of it. In other words, WHY do I want to hold the keep? I’m glad that you brought up Aion because I think we can expand upon your idea using that game as an example.

In Aion, there were two main benefits to holding a “fort.” One, whenever the fort was taken over by a faction, there was a claiming Guild that would receive currency during the time it was owned. That currency in turn could be used to buy gear and other consumables useful in pvp. The second fort benefit was that it unlocked a dungeon that could be accessed by anyone on the winning faction (Aion was a two faction game BTW). The second reason in particular encouraged more PVE player participation during fort seiges (fyi…forts were only vulnerable to attack during set times and dates).

I’m not saying this exact model would work in GW2. Plopping a dungeon in the middle of a controlled fort/keep might not be the best idea. But, you certainly COULD grant access to buy cool looking and unique gear for using some sort of currency. Depending on the keep, ownership would grant varying levels of currency, with the more prestigious keeps (like Garrison) giving out higher amounts over time. For those that are familiar with Aion, Stonemist could be the equivalent of owning Divine Fortress. Just a thought…..

I like the idea of having a dungeon in WvW, something similar to Tol Barad in WoW or Beshmundir Temple in Aion.

It would also give incentive to those players who prefer PvE to get out there.

i think this is a great idea

we need something more

I’d rather the orbs boost magic find. 10-15% in BL only to draw people into WvW. The previous mechanics were fine. I loved how people chased after the orbs – felt like a football game played across the countryside.

ryan.3915:

I’d rather the orbs boost magic find. 10-15% in BL only to draw people into WvW. The previous mechanics were fine. I loved how people chased after the orbs – felt like a football game played across the countryside.

Because magic find’s really going to help you when your keep is going down. Maybe you can stay alive long enough to get something good enough to pay your repair bill? Lol..

Mara,

I really like the idea. What I would love to see would be an orb that would pulse a radar in the keep for 20 seconds that would show the location of enemies in the keep so we would not have to mesmer sweep This would be glorious. We definitely need something to replace the loss of the orbs.