I would like dungeons to be soloable so that I can take my time and explore them. I don’t play as much as some folks so I usually feel a bit lost in the dungeons. The rest of the group wants to barrel through and sometimes we get separated. This often happens after a wipe. I can’t always find my way back to the group quickly and as a result the rest of the group is waiting on me or proceeding without me. I find this to be frustrating. If I could explore on my own a few times before I grouped I would be better prepared and able to support the team. The rewards should be similar to what is found fighting similar content in open world to discourage gold/item farming.
I would vote against henchmen, I never liked that aspect of GW1 as I never felt like the main character of the story. I wouldn’t mind having a single persistent sidekick for dungeons only that I could level up and provide gear for similar to LOTRO’s encounters.