Ok, I've been thinking about ways to make the PVE side of GW feel more compelling for RPG fans like me. The addition of hard mode certainly is a step in the right direction but an essential part of what makes a great RPG is still missing: Great items and Armor.
As we all know, all the weapons in the game are basically replicas of a limited number of spec patterns. This means you cannot get the super elite weapon you always dreamed about because only th skin changes.
Secondly, the players who spend countless hours acheiving a new title do not get the eliteness factor that should come with such efforts.
That said, here are a few simple ideas that could make a big difference in that regard:
1a) Elite weapons (red items)
Found as drops from remote areas like the forest in FOW or the final chamber in Sorrow's furnace for examplea and have a lesser chance of dropping. Would have unique skins and could also be given from NPCs after completing very hard and long tasks. These weapons would offer higher base damage (20-35 dmg swords for example) with possibly better inherent mods relevant to PVE. Of course these weapons would be illegal for PVP and players could not wield them in an arena.
1b) Set items
We all know what those are, find all the pieces of a set and gain more bonuses. Also illegal in PVP. Players wearing a set could not join a group in an arena and the join battle option would not work, generating a pop-up prompting the player to change his armor. Given from NPCs after long and very hard tasks.
Seeing how the devs have made some skills PVE only, i would imagine that making some more PVE only content like this should be doable from a development perspective.
2) Title related armor
Upon reaching maximum rank in a title such as sunspear or lightbringer, you would get access to an elite 15K armor set requiring an insane amount of collector drops such as margonite masks on top of materials.
Same goes for protectors and such.
The purpose of this is to let other players know just by looking at you that you acheived something special. Lightbringer armor could offer better protection against demons. Sunspear armor could grant some other type of bonus.
3) Title related animations
Drunkard could stumble from time to time.
Sweet tooths could run in a circle when idle (like 4 year olds on chocolate :P)
the title would have to be selected for this to be effective.
4) Unlock player level cap
Just the level number, not the level stats. In other words, players would progress normally until level 20, then stop gaining more health and attribute point with each new level but still see their level number increase. This obviously works for PVE AND PVP.
There, no need to make this thread any longer.
ANET, please consider.
Access to new art for acheivers
King Volcano