Interfectum said:
I would LOVE to see 5-mans have more variety / gameplay elements. Imagine a DotA style dungeon where you had minions and had to press back against others (this could be a battleground too), or some kinda of tower defense 5-man where you have to battle trash for money and build towers. Now those might be lame examples but you get the point. Something besides walk through dungeon fight trash, fight boss, walk more, fight trash, fight boss, etc.
Right, they don't even really need to be dungeons I guess, they could just be big massive events where you do stuff. I'm shocked that we haven't seen MMOs embrace more than just loot runs.
Aion apparently has PVP Dungeons, I think (haven't played it past level 20). Imagine a dungeon where the two factions queue up like a BG, and are competing along separate paths to reach the end first. Maybe there's a side path with an optional boss that, if you have the time, can delay the other group somehow (seals passage and they have to go around, for example). The rewards would all be PVP-oriented, but the experience would be more than just farming honor or arena points.
And I'll mention it again: PSO's Challenge mode was the best grouping experience I've ever had and it's well over a decade old. For those who aren't familiar with it, Challenge mode temporarily resets everyone to level 1, strips all of their gear and stat bonuses, and gives them a limited number of self-rez items (called Scape Dolls). If one player dies without a scape doll, EVERYONE fails.
The dungeons are built for 4 players (and ONLY 4 players), and have a lot of puzzles that require people to split up, work together, etc. The enemies are ramped up in levels and they put especially obnoxious enemies together in ways they never appear in the regular game. Some rooms are pitch black, some have traps (A lot, actually).
The best part, though, is the loot; it's jaw-dropping. Stat boosting materials, weapon boosters, rare items, armor slot items... but because none of it gets carried out, people actually divide it rather than just grabbing everything for profit. Awesome sword drops? Give it to the Melee guy, he needs it. Cool gun? Give it to the Ranger, we need him to stand back and stun enemies so Melee doesn't get surrounded. People actually share loot because working together (and improving your teammates) means you're more likely to win.
The reward for beating Challenge mode is awesome gear you can use in the real game, stuff that's really worth the struggle and really stands out (You even get to name the items... or it names it after you, I can't remember which).
I've been saying that WoW needs to adapt this idea for "Heirloom Dungeons" that award really decent scaling gear. So you can run it for a new alt, have something fun to do to help new friends other than loot runs (which are boring), or to get cosmetic crap.
I dunno. I play PSO and I wish WoW had something similar. I could just play PSO, but the classes aren't as interesting and it's harder to find people, so... yeah.