Missions with smaller groups

Currently Guild Wars is going the way of having more and more people in a mission; massive groups with 16 people in them + various NPCs.

Personally, I would like a few missions that require less people. Perhaps an advanced mission that is geared for only 2 - 4 people. I'd like a challenge, and especially one where henchmen don't have to come along. I mean, the henchmen are a pain to deal with sometimes. I really enjoyed the challenge of the Dragon Festival event where you faced hordes of graps, dream raiders, terrorwebs, and scythes of chaos, but with no more than 4 people.

Sure, we can just bring 2 or 3 people along and not fill the remaining spots, but most missions are tough enough that that either isn't feasable or require very specific builds to work.

Thoughts?

sounds cool... although pugs are no do great to do super hard missions with, but i'm all for trying challenging stuff..

i kinda disagree.

i agree with the part of small party number, but allow henchies with the reasonable level for the area, i have done with henchies missions that i had to pug several times.

if you want missions like that, then make them be like dragons throat challenge, optional, i dont want to spend 2 hours trying to get a pug for my ranger, assasin or mesmer.

/signed

The rujiyo missions were a ton of fun, and challenging too. Part of the reason the elite missions are seen as easy is that you have a massive 12 person party to work with. It's painfully difficult to wipe with 12 people, scorpion room excluded :P.

I think the OP definition of "henchmen" in here would be like Menhlo accompagning the player group in a mission (8 players + Menhlo and Togo = 10 players mission).

I totally agree with Undivine. We should have missions with partys of 3-6 players. There would still be regular henchmen if I understand what OP meant. Its just that there wouldnt be NPCs that help you in the mission, so you dont end up 8 even though your group is full (ie. 4/4, but there's togo, menhlo and 2 imperial guards with the party)

/signed

/signed

this would create more places like the missions at the dragon festival, which were fun, mostly because you had to face such hard creatures with so little party members. I would love to have permanent missions taht were similar to the dragon festival missions, as long as tehy were optional. Those missions were really fun, but almost imposible to beat. >_<

If they implement these kind of missions (which i'd really like, actually), then i want a suitable reward to go with it.

On my second run through the Rujiyo mission in Jaya Bluffs, we already managed to complete it, and were... disappointed by the reward of 50 Jade Wind Orbs. I never bothered to check any other mission out

I prefer being rewarded nicely (a new green or a couple of gold drops, i dunno, perhaps even a title for completing a number of these missions) for the effort done.

Oh, and with a smaller group, odds of getting a drop will be larger (no The Deep/Urgoz' Warren-ish situation with only a reward for 1/4th of the team, RANDOMLY distributed)

I don't really see the point.

The OP pretty much contradicts himself.

If he likes a challenge, taking fewer people in the group would work, if he likes a challenge the reward is the challenge itself not some item he gets for doing it.

I'm sorry for elitist people feeling they don't get a real challenge from the game, but putting quest in the game that only über leet players could do would be retarded.

/signed


I agree that the Rujiyo missions where a lot of fun. I would love to see more optional missions like that, but they would have to have a better reward then jade wind orbs.

Taking less people into the regular missions does add to the difficulty but it is not always a feasible option. Try going into Vizunah Square with only 4 people in your party and see how long you last. There are such huge mobs in some areas that require more party members at the very least to get in the way and take some of the hits.

/signed

well... 2 ppl? no one would take an assa in his group xD (only assa/mo maybe)

/notsigned

Nobody takes assassins in their group if it is an 8-man team.

I think it's just a temptation thing that you need to resist. Talk to your guildies and see who would be up for a challenge, and specifically take less than the maximum party size.

I have personally soloed almost every mission in Tyria with my Warrior (and most of them with my non-MM Necro), so I believe EVERY Prophecies mission can be done with 2-3 people, as long as they are very experienced (and no, a cookie-cutter build isn't necessary).

I'm actually a bit upset that I'm at a Factions mission (Vizunah Square Local Quarter) that REQUIRES the use of 8 players, or it won't let you in. Kind of a bummer to a hardcore soloer like myself.

I think some sort or quests, or mission area that does not count toward a Protector Title should be implemented that requires 1-4 characters.

Kind of like the Ascension mission - you and your Doppleganger.

Maybe some of the mission areas, like the challenge missions where a smaller number of characters is necessary.

Factions has shown how one area can be shared with a mission and explorable area. There can be some of the towns used (with the addition of some small maps) that me be a profession trial where you can prove your mettle in your profession.

They may even include a title for completion of a number of these profession quests/mission that are solo adventured. If all completed in Tyria/Cantha then get the title Grandmaster <profession> of Tyria/Cantha.

It would be one title that doesn't require a hoard of gold to acquire. And any profession could do this.

The different mission (from different towns) could challenge some aspect of your primary profession. And randomize the missions so there is no way to anticipate which town will lead to which mission.

A wider variety of party sizes would be cool. Why not a couple of 12-person missions as part of the storyline? And a mission for 2 characters would be an interesting challenge - how much healing do you bring - half a monk?

It would also be interesting to have missions where the party size changes. Maybe you start out as one big group, but half way through the group gets split, and each person must do the last part solo, and either beats the mission or fails individually. You'd have to make sure your build works both as part of a group and for soloing.

It would also be cool to have missions that required you to split the party to proceed. Maybe you start the mission as one big 8-man group, but for parts of it you have to go solo or split into pairs. Would really make you think about your build

Hm - here is an interesting idea - how about a mission that you start out solo, then if you survive the first part, you get paired up with another character who also survived the first part. Then the two of you would do the next section, where if you survived you get put together with another pair. Then the 4 of you later get matched up to make 8

I like the dynamic change idea within the number of characters in the party as it progresses!

I love the idea, have so it 1 to 4 players

That....is....awesome.

Why not just take fewer people right now and press enter mission?