[Ideas] Revamping Underwater content + Bubbles expansion

I would really love Anet to take a second pass at underwater content. Revamp it, rebalance it, add some new features, maybe new weapons and underwater mount? Ideally this would come with a largely underwater expansion starring Bubbles, set far far below in the unending ocean.

So few games have underwater content that it’s a shame Anet has more or less ignored it since release. It’s a very unique mode of gameplay and could be improved on! I really love exploring underwater environments and I think there’s a lot of design potential there.

Revamping underwater play/Bubbles expansion ideas:

• Rebalancing of underwater skills and weapons
• Add new weapons/skills for underwater play
• Create trait lines/specializations for underwater combat
• Create elite specs that excel underwater (Siren spec for Mesmers anyone?)
• Add underwater mount for quick travel in large underwater environments (giant eel, shark, dolphin, TURTLE, OCTOPUS?!?!)
• Mastery track for underwater (faster movement, controlling currents, etc)
• Creepy Cthulhu inspired minions for Bubbles. Make Bubbles a mysterious Lovecraftian entity we only see as an ominous glowing-eyed silhouette in the deepest depths of the ocean.
• Ripping off Zelda: metal boots that allow us to explore certain areas of underwater maps on foot
• Develop Largos culture and their struggle against Bubbles. Include “lesser” aquatic races tied to Bubbles that were pushed from the deep ocean long ago (Quaggan, Krait, etc)

Add your ideas to the thread!

So few games have underwater content that it’s a shame Anet has more or less ignored it since release

That's not true.

Anet simply realized that it was a mistake, and Step by Step removed it from spvp, wvw and open world pve.

Oh I'd love a lot of these things. Especially turtles and octopi. And the metal boots idea. And of course more largos.

A lot of the underwater stuff is really beautiful. The biggest problem for me isn't even the combat but having to adjust to movement with that extra axis.

@Mustbeghosts.7043 said:The biggest problem for me isn't even the combat but having to adjust to movement with that extra axis.

That’s fair! I think that’s the most common complaint. Not sure there’s much that can be done in that vein, but I’m not a programmer...

It pretty much makes me want to stick to the ranged underwater weapons for that reason. Perhaps they can add a lot of “pull” skills to make melee easier, or add some kind of mastery that lets you suck enemies toward you using water currents.

New idea!

Sylvari that formed from ocean plants! Aquatic sylvari made of sea weed, kelp, and other oceanic plant life. They’d be so beautiful and would be a great introduction for an underwater campaign. Think plant mermaids. ;)

Could also have dangly lights on them like some deep ocean fish. They wouldn’t be playable option probably BUT it’d be cool to just have them added to the world/lore.

(Also salt spray dragon mount anyone?)

To add to a completely seperate set of UW traits and skills, the Rev deserves a legend based on a gw1 Naga or a Largos.Besides that, an UW mount would also be great.

awe yeah dolphin mount!

with all the issues that underwater combat suffers i doubt they'll rebalance the current system. probably make a new system that's standardized for all classes

@Ayakaru.6583 said:To add to a completely seperate set of UW traits and skills, the Rev deserves a legend based on a gw1 Naga or a Largos.Besides that, an UW mount would also be great.

Quaggan legend confirmed for Rev!

(A largos would be cool though for sure. Totally fits the theme, plus it’d make sense if their race features heavily in this hypothetical campaign)

@derd.6413 said:with all the issues that underwater combat suffers i doubt they'll rebalance the current system. probably make a new system that's standardized for all classes

I’ve really never heard many specific issues with uw gameplay besides the z axis and bad melee. What other issues have you heard of?

@"Svennis.3852" said:

@derd.6413 said:with all the issues that underwater combat suffers i doubt they'll rebalance the current system. probably make a new system that's standardized for all classes

so many skills and traits don't work underwater and as a result entire builds don't work.

i'll use rev as an example. shiro and malyx are the only legends that work underwater (not even the elite legends work). so if you're playing healing rev your build just ceases to exist if you go underwater.

this isn't the only issue but it's definitly one of the bigger ones

Putting aside the issue with the z-axis, there are two ways Anet can fix the underwater combat; they can eithet make underwater versions of utility/elite skills, or make all of the current ones work underwater

@derd.6413 said:so many skills and traits don't work underwater and as a result entire builds don't work.

i'll use rev as an example. shiro and malyx are the only legends that work underwater (not even the elite legends work). so if you're playing healing rev your build just ceases to exist if you go underwater.

this isn't the only issue but it's definitly one of the bigger ones

Oh, that is a pretty big issue. I’ve never got into rev myself, but it always sounds like it was a cool idea with half baked execution.

Ideally this “rebalancing” would change that but it being hypothetical means nothing. XD

@"Svennis.3852" said:

@derd.6413 said:so many skills and traits don't work underwater and as a result entire builds don't work.

i'll use rev as an example. shiro and malyx are the only legends that work underwater (not even the elite legends work). so if you're playing healing rev your build just ceases to exist if you go underwater.

this isn't the only issue but it's definitly one of the bigger ones

this is an issue with all classes rev is just the most egregious one because they pretty much gave up in HoT. at this point they would have to rebuild the system from the ground up. if they're gonna rework uw combat they'll probably make it standardized across classes in a way that doesn't interact with traits or gear to prevent having to work on uw content for every elite spec.

Necro-ing this thread due to relevance. UW skill balance is coming!

First step toward an Underwater LWS4 map of future expansion? S4 map would be a good way to ideas for an Underwater expan.

Actually, my thought process led to think that they decided to improve the Underwater Fractal next. It is the most logical progression outside of any future content considerations. Given that we are still bound to Nightfall territory, I would highly doubt any underwater focus any time soon. Making the fractal more challenging would warrant a skill balance for underwater combat though.