[Expansion #3 and beyond] What's the next expansion seller for you?

[Za Shaloc.3908]

I want nothing more than for them to work on the core game: balancing and polishing what they have already, as well as filling in missing gaps such as missing heal/elite skills. While I love the flavor and new playstyles elite specs added on, look at the balance disaster that happened from PoF. This game has the most amazing combat system I have experienced in an MMO, and I am spoiled from it, but it is bittersweet when, for example, the PvP meta exists in its current state.

[SoulWarden.8197]

Man having mini content like dungeon runs(aka Diablo) in ruins or expanding on their contracts system to encompass the entirety of Tyria to promote player population would be great.

I also strongly agree that adding skills like fishing, bartending, or music playing(rhythm game?) would add a lot to the game and once again....could promote player populations to move, explore, and interact more. I personally think it'd be great if we could use our already established crafting to play specific mini games and earn small rewards towards that skill(think like the chef MP in PoF or a weaponsmith forging weapons at a Smithy).

[SoulWarden.8197]

@"sorudo.9054" said:my dream expansion would be one that fixes many problems, things like adding dynamic quests, hair with helmets and hoods, professions balanced out so every single one of then are powerful from the core.just a small list that i really want to see:

1. New armor sets: and not exclusive with yet another annoying currency, these are armor sets you can buy like normal armors and drop as often as every other armor.it will also not just be 2 or 3 armor sets per weight, it will be about 10 sets all exclusive trough the expansion but all commonly treated.

2. Core weapon overhaul: all weapons for all professions are balanced and if needed changed, they will all be made in such a way that every single profession can compete.it does mean that some will get nerved to the ground while others get a huge boost in power but if it balances things out then so be it, i rather want everyone have a chance then just a handful.

3. No hearts, new quests: one thing that bothers me more and more is the lack of quests, hearts do a horrible job in replacing them and dynamic events are getting really boring.i think it is time for GW2 to get more then jumping hoops hearts, we need side quests and adventures that leads you to places you would otherwise ignore.quests would also enhance the lore, letting you know the story of that ruined castle or that cave that looks suspiciously like an entrance o something bigger.

4. Environmental uses: we have a small taste of how it is to use stuff laying on the ground, what if it's more then just using stuff as a weapon.what if we could hide in brushes, what if we could sit on chairs, what if we could even go to some animals and capture them to use as mount.i want to see the touchable world, a place where you can almost feel the grass and smell the bear, a place where almost everything can be interacted in some way or another.

that's the small list i got.

This is gold. I really like your last point "I want to see a touchable world" and I really feel like a "dungeon delve" in the actual map and not in Fractals could add a lot. Minigames, fishing, bartending, music performances, and crafting "jobs" would make the world more interactive.

Anywho I share your sentiment.

[MadLass.3821]

I like the idea of a new playable race the most but I agree with everything except for the return of dungeons and a new profession.

Edit: I might actually like the "Player Hall" more, I was gonna suggest it but then saw this.

[Ashamir.9574]

Easy.

I gave them money to (finally) be able to play a sword on my ele, I'll give them money if they (finally) let me play a Tengu.

EDIT: I don't care for housing. If I wanna go all "interior designer" I'll play Sims.

[Jitsuryoku.9038]

Meaningful gameplay instead of grinding they are trying to pass as content. They release amazing maps and fill them with low budget MMO content (essentially fetch-quests and grind), that is just a chore to play....

With that said, I have no idea what that content would look like, so maybe It's just me being crazy.... Maybe these endless generic maps and achievements are actually fun for others...

[Vigorous Raven.1826]

Unfortunately updated game engine wasn't an option, so I picked this instead

[Lonami.2987]

Poll numbers for the record:

• New Playable Race (Tengu, Largos, Stone Dwarf, etc) - 20% - 119 votes
• New Profession (Monk, Ritualist, Dervish, etc) - 12% - 75 votes
• New terrestrial Weapon types (Greataxe, Scythe, Crossbow, Spear, etc) - 11% - 69 votes
• Intricate Minigame (Miniature Battles, Trading Card Game, Fishing, etc) - 1% - 10 votes
• Player Housing (Like personal miniature Guild Halls) - 17% - 102 votes
• Return of Dungeons (Like Ascalonian Catacombs, Citadel of Flame, etc) - 8% - 51 votes
• Return of Hardcore World Bosses (Like Tequatl the Sunless and Triple Trouble) - 2% - 17 votes
• New Player versus Environment instanced mode (Horde, Random Boss Gauntlet, Elite Mission, etc) - 4% - 25 votes
• New Player versus Player instanced mode (Guild vs Guild, King of the Hill, Capture the Flag, Battle Royale, etc) - 3% - 18 votes
• Other (See above for ideas) - 15% - 91 votes

If we merge some of the options, new profession content would be 23%, and new PvE content 14%. Other has gotten too many votes, so I guess I'll have to remake the poll with better options next time. I'll wait for 2019, new year new poll. Here's some ideas for the next poll's options, feel free to discuss them:

• New profession content (Core professions upgrade, new professions, new weapon types, new gameplay mechanics, etc)
• New playable races
• Player housing
• New PvE game modes (New progression systems, new map meta events, classic questing, procedural dungeons, cooperative missions, hard mode in the open world, roguelike elite missions, etc)
• New PvP game modes (Battlegrounds, Heroe's Ascent, Guild vs Guild, Battle Royale, King of the Hill, Capture the Flag, etc)
• New activities (Guild updates, roleplaying tools, crafting updates, fishing, mount racing updates, miniature battles, etc)
• Aesthetic upgrades (Dye channels in weapons and back items, swimsuit underwear, wardrobe legendary and infusion effects, hats with hair, etc)
• Old content upgrades (Return of Living World Season 1, implement gliding and mounts in the old world, dungeon updates, etc)
• Technical upgrades (Engine updates, build and wardrobe templates, return of districts, friend list updates, etc)
• Guild Wars 3 announcement

@Minna.7895 said:Dye channels for weapons and backpacks and cosmetic Aura wardrobe would be awesome ( maybe the prices would even drop, so more ppl are able to get the ones they like) . Build templates would also be very important (Not just equip but graphics aswell like colouring of the mounts that go with the second and/ or third Set of armor ). For new content i'd prefer things like tequatl that are open to everyone and give top loot, because I think nothing really should be gated by instanced content (we already have enough as it is). And yes I do raid occasionally, but if it were up to me raidbosses would live in the open world like tequatl- and if some want the challenge of doing them lowman or in greens they can open a guildinstance like with tequatl inbetween the spawns. Otherwise even total noobs can zerg them... i really don't see the problem with everyone able to get the achievements and rewards easily.

A huge fashion wars overhaul could be an expansion seller on its own. Give weapons and back items dye channels, make hair adapt to hats instead of making you bald, put infusion and legendary effects in a wardrobe, implement swimsuit underwear customization... There's so much that could be done here, I'm kinda sad I didn't add that in the poll.

@Sarge shot Grif.6450 said:Some new weapons, enough for each class to get a new one. Stuff like knuckles, crossbows, land spears, two handed axe, scythe.

Don't forget to vote in the poll!

@"Cuddy.6247" said:I decided to revisit this topic - but after some careful thinking, especially over the past month as I've gone on my biannual vacation, I've decided my biggest seller at this point would actually be another race. I have 7 characters. 5 of them are dragonhunters. I also made a scourge and a firebrand because they were cool. Spellbreaker concept was cool but didn't hook me well enough to play. So unless they just knock the next elite specs out of the park, I'd really like a new race at this point. I think we've explored movement well enough and I feel like the development of a new race wouldn't be that hard to work in. Could even work a lot like WoW's DK where you need to reach a certain level to even make one (in this case, level 80 - and probably completion of personal story).

If you want to see current popularity numbers for each potential playable race, check this thread, and feel free to vote too!

@"Pterikdactyl.7630" said:I want nothing more than for them to work on the core game: balancing and polishing what they have already, as well as filling in missing gaps such as missing heal/elite skills. While I love the flavor and new playstyles elite specs added on, look at the balance disaster that happened from PoF. This game has the most amazing combat system I have experienced in an MMO, and I am spoiled from it, but it is bittersweet when, for example, the PvP meta exists in its current state.

Revamping old content could be an expansion seller on its own too. It's so sad they abandon everything once it's no longer the flavor of the day =(.

@Ardid.7203 said:I will put some some ideas here just because. This is the first.

Lore and Gameplay meaningful expansion of old mapsThanks to the magics learned in Maguuma and Elona, now Tyrians are able to access new places magically hidden high the sky and deep underground on already known zones. The boundaries between old and new areas will be linked in fist place to the use of gliding and mounts, but there should be (much harder) ways to access the new places without expansions, to atract P4F players too.

• People, for example, can access Isgarren castle in Kessex Hills, and from there, a whole net of floating structures interconnected with leylines over Kessex, inhabited by dangerous critters and the descendants of old explorers that were trapped there.
• The same net connects with Caledon Forest, where the leylines and floating branches reveal a new area which extends Morgan's Leap into Morgan's Dream, crossing into the Dream itself.
• The ground below Rata Sum reveals to be full of outdated and discarded wild experiments and hazardous secret labs, and the players can discover the reason the Asura chose that place for their city to begin with. Even below, we find the maniacal workings of the Inquest to subdue and use gigantic destroyers to take control of Rata Sum resources and people.
• The lower levels under the Crown Pavillion reveals a route into the old catacombs under Divinity's Reach, which extend further down into an abyss full of animated skelletons and monsters, and in the end into Abbadon's Realm remains.

The expansion will this way combine new and old assets to add replaying value to core maps, pushing extra lore and exploration, and giving early access to end game areas even to new characters, if they dare.

I wouldn't mind if the current story model is scrapped for the next expansion, and we move to a classic nonlinear quest system. I think events are fine, and hearts just need to have more nearby events to complete them faster. However, none of them replace the experience of classic questing. Story instances try to, but fail spectacularly, since they're just instanced missions with barely anything between them.

Story instances should be turned into cooperative missions like GW1's, and classic questing should be brought back as the core of the story experience.

@"SoulWarden.8197" said:Man having mini content like dungeon runs(aka Diablo) in ruins or expanding on their contracts system to encompass the entirety of Tyria to promote player population would be great.

I also strongly agree that adding skills like fishing, bartending, or music playing(rhythm game?) would add a lot to the game and once again....could promote player populations to move, explore, and interact more. I personally think it'd be great if we could use our already established crafting to play specific mini games and earn small rewards towards that skill(think like the chef MP in PoF or a weaponsmith forging weapons at a Smithy).

The saddest part is that both of those systems give a lot of replayability and content with the bare minimum effort, yet we keep getting "fast food" patch releases where they spend all their money on assets and vistas we look at once or twice before leaving.

If we had a semi-procedural dungeon run game mode, I'd be there all day. Side minigames help community interaction, and also give you excuses to keep playing the game when you're bored of it.

@Vigorous Raven.1826 said:Unfortunately updated game engine wasn't an option, so I picked this instead

I don't think a new engine alone would solve anything, the content and the gameplay are the same.

If we go for engine changes, I'd just start thinking on GW3, or a real open world for GW2, without zone instances.

[Goettel.4389]

HoT-quality metas would do it, but I'll gladly take a quality dungeon revamp and complete overhaul of PvP with that.

[Regh.8649]

Land Spear and Greataxes.

[Ryan.9387]

Boats. /12 chars

[hugo.4705]

Players housing have better chances to happens than new race, due to all the required programming, stories, maps, and directly money.Would like new weapons types, but same issues.

[Astyrah.4015]

for what i want in the next (and future) expansion(s), it's so hard to choose between all the poll options as i find them all appealing but i think i have to give it to player housing. i've enjoyed that part of FF14 and Wildstar and would love for it to be an upgrade to the player's home instance here in gw2 ^^

[perilisk.1874]

New races could be interesting, but considering how ArenaNet likes to do their own take on things -- what if new races were the next Mastery system?

Like, you develop some new shapeshifting ability through the story (soaking up lots of Mist energy or something) and can unlock new racial forms. You could still customize the face/hair/horns/etc. you have in that form , and would gain new racial utilities or movement abilities for PvE or something. While you wouldn't have normal armor (otherwise, it would run into the same scope problems keeping them from adding proper new races), you could possibly have various outfit unlocks for your different forms, just like mount skins (but hopefully a few would be available in-game as prestige armor of a sort).

[hugo.4705]

@perilisk.1874 said:New races could be interesting, but considering how ArenaNet likes to do their own take on things -- what if new races were the next Mastery system?

Like, you develop some new shapeshifting ability through the story (soaking up lots of Mist energy or something) and can unlock new racial forms. You could still customize the face/hair/horns/etc. you have in that form , and would gain new racial utilities or movement abilities for PvE or something. While you wouldn't have normal armor (otherwise, it would run into the same scope problems keeping them from adding proper new races), you could possibly have various outfit unlocks for your different forms, just like mount skins (but hopefully a few would be available in-game as prestige armor of a sort).

Agreed, could be cool and a nice way to introduce them! :) But they will restrain themselves to tonics and gemstore skins imho. Want to become a largos? -> largos outfit + already released largos wings bagpack, a skritt? -> endless skritt burglar tonic. Tengu? Tengu beak skin for headgear! Kodan? Same with bear head. The list can be easily built following that logic. Dunno if a mastery can be made for that. :/

[Chasind.3128]

Content that can't be completed in a day;New RacesBetter customization for charactersBetter story, something more engaging because I just skip everything due to the boredom of the storyMore challenging content that isn't all group basedHousingMarriageMore Emotes & Dances that you don't have to BUYWyvern mount??Actual Guild Wars- Like signing up to participate in GvG that is a big event and players can wear capes in support of their guilds they are rooting forNew Class that isn't OP for several months then nerfed to the groundDungeons, New engaging and rewarding Dungeons with new armor stats and good-looking skins

Improvements to WvW and PvP. Actual improvements and not just band-aids

Anet, give us Actual additions that make MMO's fun and engaging

[Eloc Freidon.5692]

I think the big features for any expansion is what goes in Mastery and the Elite Specs. I think if they want to add more Masteries that benefits the whole game, they should apply them to Core Tyria rather than be expansion specific.

[Lonami.2987]

@perilisk.1874 said:New races could be interesting, but considering how ArenaNet likes to do their own take on things -- what if new races were the next Mastery system?

Like, you develop some new shapeshifting ability through the story (soaking up lots of Mist energy or something) and can unlock new racial forms. You could still customize the face/hair/horns/etc. you have in that form , and would gain new racial utilities or movement abilities for PvE or something. While you wouldn't have normal armor (otherwise, it would run into the same scope problems keeping them from adding proper new races), you could possibly have various outfit unlocks for your different forms, just like mount skins (but hopefully a few would be available in-game as prestige armor of a sort).

If this were any other game, that would be a great idea. In fact, that's what WoW should have done this last expansion, introduce "transformations" you can turn on and off, instead of 10+ new playable races at once. It's pretty incredible they didn't go that route, specially when there's already a precedent in the worgen (you can choose to play as a human or as a werewolf). GW2 races are too unique though, and the setting isn't "high fantasy enough" to let us turn our characters into something else altogether all of a sudden, so the potential for something like that wouldn't be that high.

I don't think it's a good approach right now, but that doesn't mean it's not feasible. The transformations should wear armor (meaning we're limited to playable race skeletons) and wield weapons, and allow facial customizing to some point. Few ideas I could see working:

• Asura: Golem suits of various shapes and sizes. Your original character can be seen sitting inside it. Weapons scale with the golem size.
• Charr: Elemental Rituals, like the Flame Legion shamans. Fire, water, air, and earth/sand.
• Human: Envoy of the Six Gods, turning your flesh ghost-like and making your eyes glow. Balthazar, Dwayna, Grenth, Kormir, Lyssa, and Melandru. Abaddon and a margonite form have potential as well.
• Norn: Classic norn shapeshifting into bear, raven, snow leopard, and wolf.
• Sylvari: Avatar of the Seasons, upgrading your body features. Winter, spring, summer, and autumn.

These transformations wouldn't impact combat gameplay, but could have some open world advantages, like letting your golem become a beetle-like wheel to go faster around the map, letting envoy humans open closed gates, and stuff like that, making each race feel unique without affecting balance.

Some bonus ideas for the three most popular potential playable races:

• Tengu: Herald of the Four Winds, based on air elementals from different biomes. North, East, South, and West.
• Largos: Bounty Hunter Mutations, based on different sea monsters. Tentacle mouth, deep sea fish teeth, multiple eyes, and lamprey face.
• Stone Dwarf: Stone Forging, you upgrade your body with different materials. Metal, diamonds, mushrooms, and lava.

I think this idea could work well, but in the distant future, after we get new playable races.

@hugo.4705 said:

@perilisk.1874 said:New races could be interesting, but considering how ArenaNet likes to do their own take on things -- what if new races were the next Mastery system?

Like, you develop some new shapeshifting ability through the story (soaking up lots of Mist energy or something) and can unlock new racial forms. You could still customize the face/hair/horns/etc. you have in that form , and would gain new racial utilities or movement abilities for PvE or something. While you wouldn't have normal armor (otherwise, it would run into the same scope problems keeping them from adding proper new races), you could possibly have various outfit unlocks for your different forms, just like mount skins (but hopefully a few would be available in-game as prestige armor of a sort).

Agreed, could be cool and a nice way to introduce them! :) But they will restrain themselves to tonics and gemstore skins imho. Want to become a largos? -> largos outfit + already released largos wings bagpack, a skritt? -> endless skritt burglar tonic. Tengu? Tengu beak skin for headgear! Kodan? Same with bear head. The list can be easily built following that logic. Dunno if a mastery can be made for that. :/

I think there's a lot of potential for combat tonics, but this is definitely not the way to go. Combat tonics should be restricted to races with no customization options, members of factions we can't properly dress as, and characters with unique models. They should also include custom voice files. Imagine a Palawa Joko tonic with Joko's taunts while you run around and fight, or an icebrood norn tonic with prayers to Jormag.

[hugo.4705]

@Lonami.2987 Agreed with your long post, I think custom voices samples should have been included since the beginning of tonics, with a emote /taunt allowing you to launch one of the sentences. What I was asking for too, and which is surely better for RP is disguise. Like the svanir one at bitterfrost frontier, but use-able everywhere for any ennemies.

[Rpgtabbycat.5869]

Can I be a Tengu Ritualist in Cantha?

[Durzlla.6295]

I want a house to dump way too many resources in, however I will also accept Mini Games and more sPvP modes.

[Iozeph.5617]

Tops was new dungeons, but the runner up was for a new base profession(no new races needed when you have Asura) because I still have an instant level eighty token taking up the 'free' shared inventory slot I'd purchased as part of the last expansion. Even bought a free character slot in anticipation of such at the time. Nothing. Unable to remove it, unable to destroy it. I have one of every profession and I don't need another that isn't something brand new. And I''m not going to just waste it on something I don't need only to delete it for the sake of making room.

So come on, Anet! Something completely new instead of another run of strained elites which completely break the viability of core professions by comparison?

[Donari.5237]

I'll be buying the expansion regardless. But the most exciting feature for me would be housing. But NOT "miniature guild halls." That's not nearly customizable enough. What I want is the ESO housing and furnishing system with saner resource costs (both in game and via the store are ridiculous over there, and scribing in GW2 is not meant for individual crafting) for acquiring/crafting decor.

[Lonami.2987]

Rememeber, we have a new thread: https://en-forum.guildwars2.com/discussion/64634/next-expansion-selling-point-cast-your-votes#latest

@Rpgtabbycat.5869 said:Can I be a Tengu Ritualist in Cantha?

Well, we're getting Cantha now. One out of three, two more to go =D.

@"Donari.5237" said:I'll be buying the expansion regardless. But the most exciting feature for me would be housing. But NOT "miniature guild halls." That's not nearly customizable enough. What I want is the ESO housing and furnishing system with saner resource costs (both in game and via the store are ridiculous over there, and scribing in GW2 is not meant for individual crafting) for acquiring/crafting decor.

I agree, Guild Hall decorations are a huge disappointment, if they implement player housing it should be far better than what we have now.

[Raizel.1839]

I love Canthan landscape, so my only hope is for maps to be made great (visually speaking).