Guild Wars 2: Oracle of the Mists - Canthan sequel mini-expansion idea

[Lonami.2987]

With early leaks and a tentative fourth expansion announcement soon, figured out it would be a good time to spice things up a bit :D.

This mini-expansion idea continues the Canthan storyline, months/years after the events of End of Dragons.

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MAP IMAGE AND REDDIT THREAD

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INTRODUCTION

A new crisis ravages Cantha!

Jade tech across the empire runs wild, haunted with the crimson glow of unbound specters. The empress is absent, traveling abroad. The Imperial Court promotes acting Minister Cho Min as the new head of the Ministry of Security, effect immediate, granting her emergency powers. A mysterious benefactor offers great rewards to those willing to defy the ministry and uncover the truth, rallying multiple groups to their cause. Trouble is brewing, and the boiling point might be right around the corner.

Sounds like the perfect case for the newly founded Brim & Scarab Detective Agency!

As mortals scramble around the streets, the monks of the Sai Ling Order, caretakers of Tahnnakai Temple and the spirits imprisoned there, bear witness to the birth of a new constellation. Familiar, yet foreign, does it signal the coming of a Great Celestial, and if so, whom? Marks of feline claws litter the dead bodies of the monks, their lips now sealed, in life, and in death.

Only a faint whisper remains, one who craves for vengeance against four others, one long cast away who now vows to return. One who looks for what was once known as the Oracle of the Mists, an ancient artifact stolen by the tengu who fled Emperor Usoku's wrath. One who will unleash the armies of the dead and claim his throne over the skies once again.

Wander the spirit world, face the immortal Seven Canthan Spears in combat, and learn the truth behind the Fifth Great Celestial and the Ministry of Purity.

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EXPANDED CORE PROFESSIONS

This expansion will provide no new elite specializations, focusing on expanding core professions instead, starting with three new weapon types:

* Spear: Main-hand only, melee or thrown, based on the GW1 spear.
* Knuckles: Main-hand and off-hand, melee or spellcasting, recycling the various martial arts movements in toys and bundles across the game.
* Polearm: Two-handed, covering greataxes and scythes as well, based on the GW1 scythe and the scrapped GW2 polearm, recycling revenant and daredevil staff animations.

Each core profession will then gain access to one of the new weapon types, as well as three new slot skills, five for revenant:

* Elementalist: Knuckles + healing conjure + elite arcane + elite signet.
* Mesmer: Knuckles + healing glamour + elite illusion + elite mantra.
* Necromancer: Polearm + healing spectral + elite signet + elite well.
* Engineer: Knuckles + 2nd healing kit + elite gadget + 2nd elite kit.
* Ranger: Spear + healing signet + elite signet + elite trap.
* Thief: Spear + healing preparation + elite preparation + elite signet.
* Guardian: Spear + healing spirit weapon + elite consecration + elite spirit weapon.
* Revenant: Polearm + new legendary stance.
* Warrior: Polearm + healing banner + elite shout, elite stance.

Everyone would get to unlock the new slot skills, but only expansion owners would get to enjoy the new weapons.

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NEW MASTERIES

The central feature of the expansion is a new mechanic known as the Spirit World. You can enter and exit this otherworldly dimension using various portals across the open world, gaining a new perspective over the already familiar physical world. The Spirit World is a grim reminder of a world that was, before war and progress ravaged it. Towns razed in ancient times still brim with life, their long-dead inhabitants oblivious to their own demise. Industrial facilities vanish to reveal virgin forests, haunted by primeval beasts.

It is here, in the Spirit World, where the spectral armies bid their time, preparing to invade the world of the living. Enter this world of the unknown and take the fight to them and their master before it's too late.

* Spirit Walking: The soldiers of the spectral army use an otherworldy dimension known as the Spirit World to hide their movements from mortal eyes. Learn how to traverse this mysterious realm safely, finding alternatives to gliders and mounts, exclusive to the physical world. The higher your mastery the longer you'll be able to maintain your spirit form.
* Tahnnakai Temple Caretaker: During the reign of Emperor Usoku, the once noble temple was used to commemorate and honor high-ranking members of the Ministry of Purity. After the ministry was disbanded, monks took their temple back, sealing all the evil spirits away. After the spectral army assaulted the temple, many of the spirits broke free. Help the surviving monks hunt down and imprison those spirits once again, and unlock the ability to duel them in 1v1 combat (similar to Queen's Gauntlet). The Tahnnakai Temple will change and grow depending on your mastery level and your story progress.
* Amber Bots: Engineer Zhou Yao has developed an alternative to corruptible jade-powered tech, using petrified resin as the replacement. Expand the abilities and capabilities of your Auxiliary Bots, including new module slots and an option to deploy a personal Auxiliary Bot Terminal. Become a Grandmaster Jeweler (level 500) and gain access to new ascended and legendary upgrades.
* Spectral Steed Mount: The mount of choice of the spectral army, these four-legged otherworldly creatures don't seem to be too happy to serve their new masters. Their unique ability allows them to travel both worlds, physical and spectral, escaping danger easily. Once trained to their full potential, spectral steeds allow their rider to enter and exit the Spirit World at any point.

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MINI-EXPANSION CYCLE

This isn't just an expansion idea, but a business model idea as well.

I think one of the major problems with GW2 over the years is ArenaNet's fixation with delivering a complete experience with every expansion, which often led to rushed third acts due to deadlines. Living World seasons don't have this problem, since each episode can be properly fleshed out, but then again, they lack the strong beginning of an expansion as well as expansion-level features.

This mini-expansion approach combines the best of both worlds, spreading expansions over a cycle of 18-24 months, each release following a 3-4 month cadence:

* Current expansion cycle begins
* Expansion release: Hub, Zone 1, Zone 2, Dungeon 1.
* Patch 1/4: Zone 3, Raid 1.
* Patch 1/4: Zone 4.
* Patch 1/4: Zone 5, Dungeon 2.
* Patch 1/4: Zone 6, Raid 2.
* Empty release slot: Can be used for bonus standalone content.
* Next expansion cycle begins

Dungeons and Raids (or rather, 5-man and 10-man content) would be ingrained in the story as single player experiences, then recycled and repurposed for a complete cooperative experience. The idea of story instances whose unique locations are never used anywhere else has always been detrimental to the game, and should be completely avoided in the future.

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MISCELLANEOUS

Minor notes undeserving of above mention:

* The villain of the expansion is a Great Nian based on the White Tiger of the West, acting as the patron celestial of the Ministry of Purity in juxtaposition to the other four celestials and their corresponding ministries.
* There could be a fifth mastery track, available post-release, giving the Warclaw mount a significant role in PvE, independent from its WvW role. Additionally, WvW roles for both Spectral Steed and Siege Turtle mounts could be interesting to explore, the first allowing players to organize their own supply caravans, the second as mobile siege artillery fueled by player supply.
* The new Spirit World mechanic could be expanded to the rest of the game over time, letting players rediscover familiar locations from the previous expansions. Were this the case, Tahnnakai Temple spirit hunting could be expanded to include spirits from all over the world, much like Fishing wasn't restricted to the expansion it was released with.
* The game could really use some sort of screenshot mode, including filters and other options. Jade Bots are the perfect system for this, you could even build a new ingame economy around it, maybe even add minigames based on taking photos of locations and NPCs all over the world.
* New Kaineng City has a lot of potential, but it likely wasn't properly fleshed out on time. This is a great opportunity to correct course and expand the zone, adding more physical space and more events to it. Access to the zone would then be free for owners of both End of Dragons and Oracle of the Mists.
* Additional Aurene legendary weapons for both the three new weapon types (spear, knuckles, polearm) and the three underwater weapon types (harpoon, speargun, trident) would be desirable. Addition of a new final Dragonvoid variant would be great as well.

Sources for images used:

* Historical Guide to Cantha: https://www.thatshaman.com/tools/guide/cantha/ by /u/that_shaman.
* Guild Wars 2: End of Dragons wallpaper #08: https://www.guildwars2.com/en/end-of-dragons/

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That's it, thanks for reading! 😄

Edited June 24, 2023 by Lonami.2987