I hope Anet brings EOTM back to life

I remember when EOTM came out, it was packed for months, being a part of a low population server was fine because their were fights in EOTM. For servers who had high population but had queues on their borderlands, it was a way to get some fights while waiting for the queue, instead of waiting in Lion's Arch and be unproductive. Their were also times where every borderland is a dead zone, nothing going on, and EOTM was a gateway for that. Sometimes it was a karma train, or a leveling up alt''s train, but atleast it was more fun that roaming by yourself in the borderlands.

I know EOTM was dying when Anet reduced XP gained from the map. But the nail in the coffin was definitely the addition of pips in WvW. Well it has been a year since that happened, we still have no word if their are any plans on reviving EOTM. Maybe with the alliance mechanic coming in WvW sometime in the future, we could get a EOTM revamp, because it was fun, it did not compete with WvW because it was different, and it always saddens me when Anet guts their own content, and kills a game mode.

Edit: EVERYTIME I GO TO CHECK ON EOTM FOR EVERY FEW WEEKS THIS WHOLE YEAR, ITS DEAD, NO TAGS, maybe 1 or 2 roamers the whole map on all 3 sides. What are you gonna do, can't solo towers and keeps alone, nothing to do without atleast 1 full party with you, except cap generators and sentries, which is boring af.

@LucyFurr.6589 said:I remember when EOTM came out, it was packed for months, being a part of a low population server was fine because their were fights in EOTM. For servers who had high population but had queues on their borderlands, it was a way to get some fights while waiting for the queue, instead of waiting in Lion's Arch and be unproductive. Their were also times where every borderland is a dead zone, nothing going on, and EOTM was a gateway for that. Sometimes it was a karma train, or a leveling up alt''s train, but atleast it was more fun that roaming by yourself in the borderlands.

I know EOTM was dying when Anet reduced XP gained from the map. But the nail in the coffin was definitely the addition of pips in WvW. Well it has been a year since that happened, we still have no word if their are any plans on reviving EOTM. Maybe with the alliance mechanic coming in WvW sometime in the future, we could get a EOTM revamp, because it was fun, it did not compete with WvW because it was different, and it always saddens me when Anet guts their own content, and kills a game mode.

I guess what I would ask is what content was gutted?

Reward was changed. The map is still there, all of the achievements are still there. The content is still there to play.

The difference is, it stopped getting WvW rewards as it wasn't WvW. Increase the rewards, sure, just not WvW specific ones ie Pips.

WvW was played for 2 years costing more to play it then you got for rewards. It was successful despite not getting rewards.

EOTM was only successful because of the rewards. That is evident today. Which is why it's dead.

An solution might be creating Etom specific rewards, like Etom Pips, Etom legendaries, etc.

There were fears that Etom was taking players away from WvW and money from server transfers.

Maybe the player bases are different and Etom actually brings more players to WvW.

I think a better solution may be to make EotM an introductory tutorial for WvW. Make it so that you have to attain a certain level in EotM before you go into actual WvW. This way you have some experience and ranks under your belt with some abilities for WvW already invested so you aren't completely worthless going in from scratch. I was trying to introduce GW2 to some friends of mine with the hopes of getting them to go into WvW with me and wanted to start them off in EotM before throwing them to the wolves and it was too dead to really teach them much of anything. That's my 2 copper.

How to revive EotM in 3 easy steps without taking away from actual WvW -

1) Allow Guild upgrades to work there. Claims in specific. I would not bother adding tactivators. Gives smaller guilds uses for their guild auras until they are at a point where they are not hurting main WvW claims.

2) In addition to the supply drop in home spawn, let victory grant a small buff as well (like a +15 stat boost only instead of 30 for that 3 hours, but stacks with regular bloodlust).

3) Let the participation you build up there carry over to WvW proper. That way, if you get to T3 or 4 there while waiting for your queue to pop for EBG, you get the benefit of not starting at zero for the wait and actually doing something (yes, you could start in the borderlands, but sometimes those are also queued, in particular on Friday nights or if you're T1 in general).

We discussed this at the beginning of the year, right before the announcement of migrating from Servers to Aliances.

https://en-forum.guildwars2.com/discussion/26412/one-way-to-revive-etom

Wvw is a game mode with both pvp and pve elements, that much is clear. It is a love-or-hate thing, really. You're either into the mode, or youre not. Eotm had both pve and WVW rewards, with mobs/captures awarding both regular experience, wvw experience, and karma.

It is also no secret that eotm was heavily favored by everyone for its pve component, which was karma-and experience (both wvw and pve) trains. Zergs avoided each other, only rarely engaging in fights (thus avoiding the wvw component altogether) , did endless cycles of capping and recapping, thus reaping every reward, maximum efficiency, no skill or gear requirement. People in their pve zerk gear could jump in eotm and mindlessly farm. This was so easy, it is easily understandable why people avoided actual WvW. Because actual WvW required different builds, strategies, commitment (much like any other mode). Wvw lost people (and due to lot of other reasons, too. When Anet removed the pve component, ie regular experience aquisition, people left the eotm maps. Did wvw get a huge influx of eotm players? No. Hence, it is safe to assume that eotm was the preferred choice by players for its ease and its big (for the time) rewards. OP, you mention that in your server, borderlands are dead. Making eotm have all rewards isnt going to revive the borderlands, that much i can guarantee. Quite the opposite, from what i wrote above.

Wvw - actual WvW, namely borderlands and EB, got a rewards update: pips! Unique skins! I remember the endless queues in the first few days. 100+ queues on every map, but... Did the queues persist? No. After the initial hype, newcomers left as fast as they came. Too many hours were required for the new rewards, pve gear just wasnt enough (too many people dying before first push) big commitment to the mode, soooo... They left. A small number remained, that is true. But the majority left.

Tl;dr eotm is fine as it is now. If anything, you can still go there and have fun if you really like the map. The last thing wvw - a neglected mode - needs is another pve map to drain it even more. We only see queues on reset night, or on prime time on one map because of a favoeote commander.

Mainline the map.

Never got around to doing Eotm during it's heyday. Now there isn't any point (don't care about the achievements). Would like to have a reason to go there but the current system of pips, etc excludes the map.

Maybe they could do an event week that included Eotm in the rotation somehow.

@Grim West.3194 said:

Maybe they could do an event week that included Eotm in the rotation somehow.

Idea sounds good but we would likely hear complaints about two things:

It's not a 'home borderland' map. It is set up more like an EBG style map.

So.. if replaces a home BL map, that server will cry unfair.

If it replaces EBG? Hoooo Boy...... Armageddon.

@Strider Pj.2193 said:

@Grim West.3194 said:

Maybe they could do an event week that included Eotm in the rotation somehow.

Yeah, the complaints would be epic. I'd even join in if they screwed it up too badly. Armageddon can be fun though.

@Grim West.3194 said:

@Strider Pj.2193 said:

@Grim West.3194 said:

Maybe they could do an event week that included Eotm in the rotation somehow.

@Strider Pj.2193 said:

@Grim West.3194 said:

Maybe they could do an event week that included Eotm in the rotation somehow.

To keep people from crying foul, if they kept EBG as is, and replaced all three home BLs with it, and made each home server start in the same starting spot (green is north I think on the current map) but changes the colors, it could work as a one week event.

Should make it a WvW PvE Raid type map. Mounts and Gliders enabled.

The 3 enemy factions fight their way to the middle of the map taking control of the objectives from PvE Faction and defending them from enemy faction attacks. The central area (rebuilt as an SMC type objective) is the final capture goal on the map and seizing it (PvE type Raid Boss/ Capture Ring) completes the map. New EotM specific rewards. Map is que based for first 30 players 10v10v10 and becomes random hotjoin thereafter; premade teams of upto 10 can que, premade teams of upto 5 can hotjoin. Volunteer to switch faction based on outnumbered.

Faction Reward Bonuses,Raid Boss Kill (faction that did most damage)Ring CaptureMost Objectives controlled at finishMost Players killed*Most Healing

Idk just an idea.

Should just retire it imo.

I remember when EoTM was "supposed" to be where new content for WvW was tested. Never happened.I remember when the guild [EOTM] used to run trains, where the three commanders were in contact with each other and would follow the same path (retake your area and then take the enemy area to the right, port back and repeat, repeat, repeat, repeat, repeat, repeat........)I remember when I would take my fearmancer and play PvZ in EoTM, fearing entire zergs off bridges.

EoTM is best ignored, unless Anet somehow makes the center of it the new entrance to all Holiday Events.

I remember when I would damage the ice bridges to a sliver and wait for a zerg to cross over them before destroying it. A perfectly timed and placed fear wall was also amazing at trolling zergs.

Oh EOTM is their, but its dead. No one tags up, no one even goes there and stays to get objectives, can't solo towers and keeps, so yeah, tell me how you gonna enjoy it.

EotM's stated purpose was to serve as a waiting room for WvW players as they sat in queues for the real WvW maps. Queues do not really exist outside of a few hours in primetime any more. Therefore since EotM's stated purpose is no longer needed, EotM should be shut down. However it would be a waste to get rid of the map. Take a balance pass over it, tweak a bunch of the mechanics and change the geography so that it can serve as a home borderland map.

I do not understand this "close EotM" mentality. Its easier to do nothing to it than it is to close it.

Edge of the mist was mainly a way for low -levels to level up and a fast way to earn WXP to rank up. This map was never really allive. Just a boring karma train after another for the main part, where people play for rewards rather than fun.

@Timelord.8190 said:Edge of the mist was mainly a way for low -levels to level up and a fast way to earn WXP to rank up. This map was never really allive. Just a boring karma train after another for the main part, where people play for rewards rather than fun.

How do you know it wasn't fun for them?

@oOStaticOo.9467 said:

@Timelord.8190 said:Edge of the mist was mainly a way for low -levels to level up and a fast way to earn WXP to rank up. This map was never really allive. Just a boring karma train after another for the main part, where people play for rewards rather than fun.

He likely doesn't.

That being said, if it was for the fun, why aren't they still playing?

@Strider Pj.2193 said:

@oOStaticOo.9467 said:

@Timelord.8190 said:Edge of the mist was mainly a way for low -levels to level up and a fast way to earn WXP to rank up. This map was never really allive. Just a boring karma train after another for the main part, where people play for rewards rather than fun.

My guess would be because there aren't enough people in there at the times they want to play to make it fun anymore. It's not much fun if you are by yourself running around capturing things without anybody able to reclaim them. Once you have everything, nothing to do.

@oOStaticOo.9467 said:

@Strider Pj.2193 said:

@oOStaticOo.9467 said:

@Timelord.8190 said:Edge of the mist was mainly a way for low -levels to level up and a fast way to earn WXP to rank up. This map was never really allive. Just a boring karma train after another for the main part, where people play for rewards rather than fun.

You can always ask for EoTM help in Lion's Arch like we used to do for WvW in the good old days.

@oOStaticOo.9467 said:

@Strider Pj.2193 said:

@oOStaticOo.9467 said:

@Timelord.8190 said:Edge of the mist was mainly a way for low -levels to level up and a fast way to earn WXP to rank up. This map was never really allive. Just a boring karma train after another for the main part, where people play for rewards rather than fun.

Very true.

I think his point is the reason the majority left, was because they were there for the rewards. Some definately like the map.