Wilderness area improvements

[SirValentine]

Introduction:

I like Wilderness Adventure Zones. I've run them a lot, and enjoy them. I make a point of getting all explorers, every life. Any life I'm not quickly TRing right after hitting 20, I also make a point of trying to get all rare encounters. I'd like to offer some observations and suggestions I've come up with.

(I haven't yet written up comments for ALL the wilderness areas, but I thought I'd post what I have so far to get the discussion started.)

The High Road
A nice change from the MotU stuff, as there's no Drow around! The area is attractive, though relatively small. There's a good variety of rare encounters, not all just straight combat.
The most noticable thing about the rare encounters here was their very high appearance rate. Too high, in my opionion. Getting all of them should not be a life-sucking drag, but it shouldn't be completely trivial either, and it currently is.
SUGGESTION: Lower rare encounter appearance rate.

The Demonweb
This is a visually unique area, and the random paths and random teleportation-upon-falling add a nice twist to trying to get anywhere specific. Overall a solid area.

Ssrssissschindlyrnnynsn
Hard to spell. Interesting thematically. No particular good or bad points for me. Solid area.

The Underdark
This place is huge! The multiple vertical levels are a nice twist, making navigation more challenging.
For someone like me who is obsessive about exploring every cranny of every wilderness, all of it is appreciated. However, I feel that most of this wilderness will be neglected by most players. May other wilderness areas have multiple quest entrances spread across them. Or have special loot in distant corners. Not here. Players will discover the Riz Malag portal once. They'll run from Riz Malag to In the Belly of the Beast if they want to run that quest, and that's it.
SUGGESTION: Provide more incentive for more players to see more of the Underdark.

The King's Forest
Another huge, sprawling area, and beautifully drawn. There's a good variety of different landforms, from mountains, to villages, to marshy areas to forest, plus a blighted area (ruined by the drow?). There are MANY (40!) rare encounters, and most of the rare encounters are not tied to a specific location, so which you might run into is a suprise every time.
However, the rare encounter appearance rate is painfully low. Out of 40 possible, across a huge map, many runs I saw only 1 or 2 appear. Though I have not been trying to rack up slayers count, I've managed to accumulate over 5000 anyway, while only getting 31 of the 40 rares.
Also, quite a few the rares are buggy. Some appear, but are unresponsive. Some seem to bug out part way through and become uncompletable. And since I've seen some many times, and others never, I can't even be too sure that all 40 can actually occur.
At least one of the rares only triggers at night, but the day/night cycle is painfully slow.
Scaling is crazy in here. Solo, I encounter groups of 2 drow. With 2-3 people in party, I encounter groups of 3 drow. With 5-6 people in party, I encounter groups of 8 drow. You might assume this is nice for the solo person. Well, certainly easier to survive, but MUCH harder to actually accumulate slayers. A full group of 6 players, who can split up to cover the map faster, will rack up kills at rates of 20+ times faster than a solo player, not the 6 times faster that would be fair. I haven't verified, but I'm assuming that the usual HP/damage scaling ALSO applies. Note to Turbine: DOUBLE-SCALING IS BAD. Scale mob numbers or mob difficulty, but not both, please!
SUGGESTION: Increase the rare encounter appearance rate.
SUGGESTION: Fix the buggy rare encounters. Make sure all the rare encounters can actually spawn.
SUGGESTION: Speed up the day/night cycle.
SUGGESTION: Reduce or elimiate the massive scaling in number of mobs appearing.

Artificer Workshops
This area is a raid area, and does not scale down for smaller groups, making it one of the more challenging wilderness areas in the game.
A fairly small area, thematically linked to the Manufactory, and containing the raid, The Master Artificer. It's very linear. To get to the raid, you pretty much have to clear the whole area. It is entered from the Manufactory, without the benefit of a quest entry dialog, which means you can't use a Reset button to reset the instance.
The fight against, not one, but TWO Titans is memorable, and quite tough solo or very short-manned. And a force field locks you in, and locks help out. Note that if someone ran ahead, triggered this fight, and died, everyone else would be unable to progress the instance.
The rare encounter rate is absurdly low. In about 40 runs, I saw 3 of the 4 rares once each, and 1 of them twice.
The rare encounters give loot, but only typical junk. By contrast, the rares in the easier Manufactory drop named loot items.
SUGGESTION: Signifigantly increase the rare encounter appearance rate.
SUGGESTION: In no player is left alive inside with the Titans, have the force barrier drop.
SUGGESTION: Include the usual quest entrance dialog, to allow use of the Reset button.
SUGGESTION: Have the rare encounters have some sort of better loot. This would be a good spot to introduce new loot (perhaps another Orb, or a Docent, or a named pet module/collar), or just the same named items as in the Manufactory, or small quantities of Khyber Binding fragments.

Research Facility
Another area very similar to the Artificer Workshops. Again, a raid area, and so, quite challenging.
Also, again a fairly small area, linked to the Manufactory, and very linear. It contains the raid The Lord of Blades, and to get to the raid, you pretty much have to clear the whole area. And again it is entered from the Manufactory, without the benefit of a quest entry dialog, which means you can't use a Reset button to reset the instance.
The rare encounter rate seems a bit low here, too, but not nearly as bad as in the Workshops. Again, the rares lack any meaningful loot.
SUGGESTION: Somewhat increase the rare encounter appearance rate.
SUGGESTION: Include the usual quest entrance dialog, to allow use of the Reset button.
SUGGESTION: Have the rare encounters have some sort of better loot. This would be a good spot to introduce new loot (perhaps a lower level Orb, or more Docents, or a named pet module/collar), or just the same named items as in the Manufactory, or small quantities of Khyber Binding fragments.

Cannith Manufactory
Our first indoor "wilderness" since The Waterworks, this is a nice change of pace. This is currently the only wilderness area that scales all the way from a solo player to a full raid party. However, despite directly linking to 2 areas with a maximum level of 25, this area is only maximum level 24.
It was also the first to use "journals" rather than simply walking across a particular location, which I like, as it's more interactive, and trickier to locate the journals. However, the implementation is less than perfect, as you nearly need to be standing right on top of a journal to select and use it. It's annoying to be able to see the journal right in front of you, and be unable to select it.
SUGGESTION: Make the maximum level for full XP be 25 rather than 24.
SUGGESTION: Allow journals to be selected ("Q") from much further away, and used ("E") from slightly further away. (This suggestion applies to all the wilderness areas that use the journal mechanic.)

Devil Battlefield (Shavarath)
Another solid area, the variety of foes and blasted landscape do justice to the idea of an eternal battleground between opposing armies.
The entrance to The Tower of Despair, which contains the raid of the same name, is located in this area. However, raid parties cannot enter this area.
SUGGESTION: Allow normal or raid parties to enter, similar to the Manufactory.

Subterrane, Central

Subterrane, East
This is where Xoriat has clearly taken over beneath Stormreach. There are some fun encounters that most players never see, because they only know the shortest direct path to the raid, The Hound of Xoriat. Unlike Central, there isn't really a capstone rare encounter that's always there, nor is there any loot worth mentioning.
SUGGESTION: Have the red-named beholder always appear with The Beholder Council, and give him some named items. A beholder would be the ideal mob to have an Orb, or even just some of the same named items as Garamol has.

Vale of Twilight
Reaver's Refuge
Orchard of the Macabre
Gianthold
Demon Sands

Restless Isles
Some people don't like this area, and I understand why: trying to navigate it is severely hampered by the lack of a map. (Well, there's sort of a map, but it's not helpful.) Other than the map, I rather like this area. It does a good mix of outdoor and underground. Interesting little things are tucked away off the beaten path.
Certain areas of the wilderness cannot even be accessed without special items from the quests located here. Social skills can be attempted, but always fail.
This wilderness also contains the The Mouth of the Volcano, where the raid The Twilight Forge is located. However, raid parties cannot enter this wilderness area.
SUGGESTION: FIX THE MAP!
SUGGESTION: Allow normal or raid parties to enter, similar to the Manufactory.
SUGGESTION: Allow high enough succesful social-skill use to convince the NPCs to help you (travel to quest-givers, open secret passages, etc.).

Ataraxia
Sorrowdusk Isle
Searing Heights

Three Barrel Cove (Thanks to FranOhmsford for reminding me I'd missed this one.)
The first really large wilderness area, this one is a lot of fun, containing various bands of pirates, wildlife, natives monstrous humanoids, and extraplanar creatures. The recent additions of some decent low-level named loot items was very welcome. Some of the quests in here are up to level 7.
SUGGESTION: Increase the maximum level for the wilderness to 9, to match the Bravery level of the highest-level quests here.

Tangleroot Gorge
The landforms here give some interest to this area over the more generic outdoors areas. A single quest entrance is located here, containing a chain of quests up to level 7.
SUGGESTION: Increase the maximum level for the wilderness to 9, to match the Bravery level of the highest-level quests here.

The Waterworks
The first indoor "wilderness", and the only wilderness without any explorer points. It is fairly linear (well, bi-linear), so traditional explorer points might not be appropriate. The rare encounters are interestingly difficult to locate and reach for newer players.
SUGGESTION: Implement some "journals", similar to the Manufactory, as an explorer option in The Waterworks.

Cerulean Hills
A fairly generic outdoor area, with a couple of level 3 quests in it. Note that level 5 characters may well want to run those quests, on Elite, for Bravery, but the current maximum level is only 4 for the wilderness.
SUGGESTION: Increase maximum level for this area from 4 to 5. (Thanks to FranOhmsford for this suggestion.)

Korthos Island

[Coyopa]

I'd like to request a reset button for the Eerie Forest in Reaver's Refuge. Thanks!

[maovin]

Could we drop some coin for a map from some slim shady in the back alley. so we could have a look see at some quest doors and such cause that's alot of area to cover in blackness.

[Kaytis]

The High Road is great. One of my favorites after Devil Battlefield. The occurrence of rare encounters is pretty variable I found. I went through last night and found none. I have also found 10 or more on the same map. The reason it seems easy is that the area is smallish, it is very easy to spot a rare without going right up to it (I love the orange dots), and of course the new reset mechanic makes it easy to jump out and straight back in for a fresh start.

[GoldyGopher]

Introduction:

I like Wilderness Adventure Zones. I've run them a lot, and enjoy them. I make a point of getting all explorers, every life. Any life I'm not quickly TRing right after hitting 20, I also make a point of trying to get all rare encounters. I'd like to offer some observations and suggestions I've come up with.

Excellent Post +1.

When I have more of a chance I will add my thoughts.

[aristarchus1000]

Nice topic OP.

I like the High Road a lot, and I think it is a big improvement over previous explorers. I don't know if the rare spawn rate is too high, but it may have to do with the smallish area combined with the fact that you are notified of a rare from quite a distance away on the map. I like that a lot, it is one of the most appealing features of GW2 in my opinion. This wilderness area was one I didn't mind exploring at all, and I admittedly usually do explorers only once ever.

I agree that King's Forest spawn rates are too low for a soloer. I feel like I'm just running through an empty zone most of the time. I think rare spawns should be frequent enough that there is almost always something available in the area (another GW2 feature) thus making you "explore" by just heading to the next activity. That way, a player can easily be occupied for a long time.

GW2 had it's drawbacks, but I really liked the serendipity of wandering around a zone and having "events" pop up, and I think the King's Forest is perfect for that.

[voodoogroves]

Love the intent Bud; really enjoy wilderness zones for guilt-free, quest-free whole-sale slaughter.

I'd personally like to ensure the rewards were upped (XP and / or loot). I like your adjustments to rare spawns, etc.

I'll go one step further for the Sub-T rares ... lets have them have a shot at dropping *new* named loot, not just the Garamol loot. On the one hand, it's kinda fun that it's a nifty place to look for low-level classic D&D named items. How about instead the devs translate in a few higher-level named classic D&D items? Rings of Elemental Command, Cloak of Displacement, Maul of the Titans, Orb of Storms, Sword of the Planes, etc.

[nibel]

SUGGESTION: Allow journals to be selected ("Q") from much further away, and used ("E") from slightly further away. (This suggestion applies to all the wilderness areas that use the journal mechanic.)

It used to be selectable from very far away at U11 launch. Since the manufactury is a narrow explorer area, everyone was just walking and hitting Q all the time, until a journal popped up on the focus orb. That totally killed the "hidden" aspect of some journals, and was changed.

The main problems is that while I understand the reason behind this on a narrow area like the Manufactury, this justificative to not follow for large areas, like King's Forest, High Road and Demonweb. Those areas need to allow us to Q around to find the journals.

So, yeah. Half /signed.

[Alrik_Fassbauer]

Could we drop some coin for a map from some slim shady in the back alley. so we could have a look see at some quest doors and such cause that's alot of area to cover in blackness.

Great idea ! This would AT LAST involve at least he tiniest bit of "social role playing" !!!

[HAL]

I like these ideas.

/signed

[Vellrad]

High road:
Lack of standard explorer quest, and having two different rare encounter quests clusters is wrong. (I refuse to call journals explorer, because they are not always here).

Solution: move journal 7 somewhere accesible without rare encounter.

[Bonulino]

Menechtarun: I would like to see the drop rate for named items in the Rares' chests raised.

Searing Heights: I would like to see a second quest in that area. Maybe f2P, since the wilderness area itself is f2p.

[Ague]

Ssrssissschindlyrnnynsn
Hard to spell.<snip>

+1 for the detailed post... But I decided to give you rep before even reading the whole post because of what I quoted above... I just refer to it as the "S place"

EDIT: I would add for the Vale, to allow raid groups into the wilderness. It would alleviate the need for teleports and "can I get an invite to a ship with a navigator".

[Double_O]

+1... Good post... I have no opinion... but a well done post...

[FranOhmsford]

You've neglected to even mention the best Explorer Zone in the game: 3 Barrel Cove!

SubT needs to be upped to Max Level 22 In my opinion now we have Epic Levels.

Chances are you just got lucky with The High Road rares - I've seen all 6 rares in WW in one run {Once} after all.

I'm far more inclined to believe what you say about The King's Forest as 5000 slayer is really way too high to have not got all rares without incredible bad luck {and to still be missing 1/4 of them is insane at that point.


@Bonulino - /Signed to a f2p quest being added to Searing Heights - a small pack of 3 or 4 f2p quests would be nice {Lvl 10 is short on quests currently}.
/Double, Triple, Quadruple Signed to Upping the Drop Rate of RoSS/Bloodstone/Firestorm Greaves etc.

@Coyopa - /Signed

[FranOhmsford]

Cerulean Hills - 400 Slayer way too low - 750 would work fine here.

Also please make this Max Lvl 5 rather than 4 so that Bravery Groups can farm the slayer while running between quests.

Korthos Island - This on the other hand could do with being dropped from 750 - 400 Max Kills.

Red Fens - 7,500 Slayer at 150 a Time!?! Really!?!
Perfect candidate for another Epic Slayer Zone - Max out Heroic Slayer at 3000 and create a 5000 kill Epic Slayer.

[Coyopa]

Cerulean Hills - 400 Slayer way too low - 750 would work fine here.

Also please make this Max Lvl 5 rather than 4 so that Bravery Groups can farm the slayer while running between quests.

Korthos Island - This on the other hand could do with being dropped from 750 - 400 Max Kills.

Red Fens - 7,500 Slayer at 150 a Time!?! Really!?!
Perfect candidate for another Epic Slayer Zone - Max out Heroic Slayer at 3000 and create a 5000 kill Epic Slayer.

I agree that Korthos could probably be reduced to 400. I actually got 750 kills on my cleric's second life just a few days ago. I will say that it's nice getting ~2500 xp from 750 kills. I think the most I've ever gotten otherwise was 200 or just over, but most of the time I end up in the low 100's.

Cerulean Hills should definitely be changed to level 5. On first life characters, I only have time to make one pass through CH and get the explorers and then I'm forced to take level 5 (yes, I bank levels that early!).

I don't know about Red Fens. I think 7500 is too much (I remember the grind getting 10k on my ranger in the Vale), but I don't know if it should also have an epic version wilderness. I suppose that would be kind of nice for getting from 20 to 25, though.

[Memnir]

Some excellent and well thought-out ideas here.
+Rep

[MrkGrismer]

I wish subterrain wasn't a raid area and allowed hirelings, or was made like the manufacturary to be a raid area that allowed hirelings.

[Handpicked]

A multi-part NPC Rival Group Rare encounter.

Upon encountering every rare and explorer in a wilderness area, the next time you encounter where a rare would be there is now a chance that a member or members of this group (a fighter, wiz, cleric, bard, ranger, rogue) are standing in its spot at an open chest and you can fight them instead. Defeating each one drops a piece of a treasure map. Collect the 6 pieces and it adds an additional marked chest on your map for the next wilderness area... so, the map you get in Korthos marks the treasure for Cerulean Hills, the one in Cerulean Hills marks Waterworks, and WW marks Tangleroot (etc) because thats where the rival group is headed next.

Every lets say 4th wilderness area you instead encounter one of the adventurers bodies dead at an explorer area, starting with the fighter and upon encountering the rival group after all explorer and rares you see he is replaced by a barbarian now. 4 wildernesses later the ranger is dead, replaced by a druid. Then the rogue, by a arti... the wiz by a sorc, cleric by a favored soul, until the last original member the bard dies and is replaced by a monk and the group no longer feels the need to fight you so maybe you get to an epic elite wilderness area type quest with the rival group accompanying you as npc help to find the last chest on the final treasure map they hold.

Thus, it would be like a completionist pre-raid unlockable wilderness area.