Open the catacombs again!

Please sign our petition and help us realising our ideas! But PLEASE don't just write /signed in this thread but sign THIS PETITION. This is really important!
Please ask your guildmembers and friends to sign the petition either! Every vote counts

Hello,

On April 2nd 2006 I suggested opening the catacombs in Ascalon after the tutorial. I posted my idea at Wartower.de and we talked about it long. Finally we decided to create a petition where everybody is able to support us and our idea.

A lot of players seem to like the catacombs and miss it. For sure, we all know ArenaNet is very busy working on Factions and part three. Because of this the catacombs are an excellent choice. They are already mapped so ArenaNet can just take the map from the tutorial and put the new enemies on the map.

I collected the most important and basic ideas of the people from Wartower.de:
• The catacombs are going to be opened after the tutorial.
• There are going to be several layers in the catacombs. At the beginning there are going to be enemies ofmedium strength but the more layers you complete the more difficult it gets. We thought of that because that would bring fun to highlevel-characters and characters below level 20. You just get as far as you are able to.
• You get to the next higher layer when you defeated all the enemies in the actual layer.
» Maybe instead of killing all monsters you have to solve a specific, difficult quest to get to the next layer.
» Most of the people want an outpost after each layer so you do not have to complete layers again you already successfully finished before.
• We also talked about a strong boss (level 30?) which extremely rarely drops a new green item. Maybe the boss should also be able to summon strong minions (level 20-25?).
» We also thought there could be a strong necro-boss (e.g. a Devourer level 30+, so to say a "Devourer-mother") which is able to summon little level 1-minions and use them in some ways like putrid explosion, death nova or similar stuff.
» We also talked about that the boss could maybe drop a powerful gold item instead of a green item.
• An addition or alternative to that boss could be a chest that is located in a different place every time you enter the area. This chest could also contain a green item. The randomization of the chest's location is supposed to work against professional farmes.
• A lot of the users also said they would love a Gwen-related quest that explains what happened to her.


This is just a short survey of all the ideas but I am not able to post it all here. It's simply to much!

You can read more about it, get to the official thread at wartower.de (unfortunatly not translated) and sign in to support our idea here: Petition

I really hope you like the idea and help us to make it real. One hint at the end: This all is just ideas. We will send it all to ArenaNet but there is no guarantee they will realize it.

Edited: Added new ideas and corrected some mistakes.

/signed

sounds fun, when do we begin?

Do you mean lvl 1 minion that run into enemies and explode?

How many layers?

/signed


I used to stand in Sardelac staring at the walls

/signed

When i first came post searing i was so dissapointed i couldn't get into the Catacombs anymore.

sounds like zelda

Details like how many layers will be there are not yet discussed. I think ArenaNet should think about these little things itself.

This should be just a motivation for ArenaNet to open the catacombs again.

And yes, we thought about lowlevel minions that explode because of death nova. The enemy who hexes death nova should have skilled the attribute very high that it gets really hard.

And now one request: If you see any mistakes in the text please let me know. There could be some because I'm german and I can't speak/write english very well.

/ signed, so long as between layers theres a rest stop thats map-toable once you have cleared that layers, and that theres is a visible map for each layer..

i hated the fact that i cant see where im going on a map in the cats....i absolutely LOVE the place, its soo cool and damp and cathedral-like and also just like a lovely cemetery in places...

i imagine you might even have the occasional henchie party at the lower and harder levels...(though if ya wanted to go against a 30th lvl boss, taking even 8 lvl20 hench would be hard going, but hopefully doable)

Mortez, you write very well and clearly, hell, you write better than me, and i am a native (but then again, i have only had one cup of coffee and my keyboard and fingers are only behaving, there not fighting today thank goodness ^^)

i realy like the idea of a multi-layered Cats....but adding a mappable tiny outpost ot rest stop would mean that if your in a group or party, and your times up, you dont feel like you got stuck just because you have to leave halfway to the bottom...
you would have to actually make it through to that area, maybe not totally clean each layer out to get to the rest stop, but at least 80-90% cleared.
once at the rest-stop, you can find the usual, a storeage lady, a merchant and the henchies (i would also sugest a seperate set of henchies...as much as Misha would Love to go drag Claude with her through the Cats, it ight make more sence to have Cats specialists...perhaps THATS where al the ascalon folks and farmers (npc farmers i mean) are at..down in the cats...)
maybe every 3-5 layers there would be a small town or settlement with a few hardened settlers from the Above..a mini-quest or two for fun..make it a whole new adventure

/signed

/signed. I also loved the catacombs and wish I could take my high level characters down there.

/signed

I miss the Catacombs. It was one of my favorite places in Pre.

/Signed

Seems interesting.

/signed

my only suggestion would be that, if there were outposts between layers, that they shouldn't be mapable, that you should have to fight there each time. It should be a challenge to get all the way down

Interesting ideas, certainly . Just so you know, your thread at Wartower has actually been noted and many of the ideas passed on to ArenaNet already. I know Martin (German coordinator) has been keeping an eye on the thread. Would be great to see people posting their own thoughts on this idea here, because that's more likely to get our attention than signatures are.

/signed as well

Honestly the Catacombs gives me a diablo 1 vibe, the layers idea that is, and I think the one thing PvE gw is missing most is a good dungeon crawl, granted not every rpg fan likes dungeon crawling, but I love it, best place for co-op play in my opinion.

/SIGNED x100

The Catacombs are like the greatest place in Pre-Searing, I spent most my time there, It would be cool if there were Multiple levels like in the Diablo games and maybe each level the monster would get harder and harder(Maybe) and when you reach the bottom there could be a Boss (Like Andarial) or something that could drop more greens. It would be cool if the monsters were the average lvls of your party( Like average lvl 13, make the monster lvls 13-28(If this makes any sense. but it'd be really awsome if they made the Catacombs accesible.

/ signed
Love this idea would be fun to be able to back to the catacombs.

oh! there should be a prize to completing each level (similar to the HoH chest, but not as high of drops). After each level a chest would appear near the "exit" or whatever it may be. As you progress down, the chest drops would get better and better.

there could also be entrances to the catacombes from various places on the map, preventing overcrowded towns

Don't forget to add secret Gwen level, mooooooooooooooo

/signed

This sounds like a very good idea. I hope a-net opens them up.

/signed

I loved the catacombs.

I know someone who has a permanent char in pre-searing because of the catacombs. ^^;;

ooh. I like. How about if it is added as part of a Factions story? While exploring Tyria some Luxons/Kurzicks/both/whatever discover the opening to it and ask you to help clear it.

High level Gargoyles and spiders and whatever other monsters are in the presear catacombs (been so long i cant remember).

Something like this, that is very...map-changing, I would like to see handled like the Luxon and Kurzick settlements were. Start with a new quest one week, maybe Warmaster Tydus needs you to clear the area of these new monsters that are popping up (monsters summoned by the boss from the catacombs), and so they can safely bring in a crew to open up the Catacombs. The second quest might be escorting the crew to the scene and protecting them from waves of enemies while they open it up. The third quest would be the final one, where you can now enter the Catacombs, but if you beat the boss and return with his head, Warmaster Tydus will give you a nice reward. Once you do the second quest though, the Catacombs will always be open and you can return anytime you want.

I would like to see something like this though. Just like the Luxon and Kurzick quests, it would add something new and exciting to the game, that everyone would want to get together to work on again.

Vilaptca

Yes! That you noticed my thread at Wartower makes me very happy. Hope you won't forget reading this thread and the one at Wartower as well.

And it would be great if you all post your thoughts and your ideas about all here.
I think no idea is totally senseless for us.

Greetings
Mortez

/signed

/signed


Nothing like revitalizing an old favorite area.

/signed

however I wouldn't mind if it was just lvl20 content like sorrows furnace.

New idea. There is an area in the catacombs that once you clear it opens a new area. The new area would have FoW monsters, like Tombs has UW monsters. Maybe that place where you find the dead Moa bird. It has all those candles and such. After clearing the normal catacombs you go in there and it takes you to this "new FoW".

We thought about the place where you find the moa bird too.
I had the idea that ArenaNet could add the black moa we know from the FPE there. Maybe to fight against it to get to a chest or something like that.
But it should be a hard fight. Not like against the normal pets on level 5

Greetings
Mortez

Suggestion

backstory
Oberan the Reviled was the necromancer that was deep in the catacombs and was slayed by the heroes (necromancer skill quest) acting on orders from Kasha Blackblood . The necromantic order disliked that Oberan was experimenting with ascalonians.

quest
The order could send in the heroes to "mop" up the place from Oberans experiments & remenants of treacherus renegades blood cult

quest
investigate the rumors of more charrs in the catacombs, aperentlty there is a path into charr controled areas, that give charrs a tactical advantage

investigate titans in the catacombs (after completing titan quests), apperently several smaller siced titans have fleed into the catacombs, they seem to be intrested in the meteorites, and replenching their numbers

Considering that the landscape has been altered and much of the catacombs have collapsed (hence the big holes here and the in the grounds), the Catacombs map will be somewhat messier than before, and much more of a maze. People familiar with the old layout will still have an edge in orientation,

exits to post Wizards folly and post Baradin estate & parts of post northlands

enemies.. some monsters are only present if suitable quests are active
spiders
skeleton warriors (some are blood cultists)
wraiths
oberan experiments
necromancer renegades?
titans (intrested in moa bird ritual site and mereorites that has crashed thorugh)
charrs
gargoyles

Boss:
Oberan has returned as an angry wraith, or been ressurected at a suitable shrine, (after all should a necro allow his death to be final, I think not.)

New game mechanic, collapsing pathways - some rooms will collapse and explored paths may become blocked. other paths may however be open. Well, it has some structural integrity problems

i dont know about FoW mobs, i mean, wouldnt that mean no one had to even get to droks to farm those type of critters? 0.o

ok, mr Weeks wants sugestions, i can do sugestions/info..*cracks knucles*

sugests theres 20 levels to begin with....each 5 levels theres a Refugee Town.
each single level there is a tiny outpost at the end where you can move down to the next level.
(basically, its a safe point that you can not only map to once you have completed that layer of the Cats, but if you want to quit for whatever reason, be it casue your needed realworld side, game topside or time to go to bed ect.....it also means that, once you have done that area if you wanted to, you could bypass it.)
each of the 5th lvl Refugee town has some small quests...collection, take this to the other town 5 lvls down, can you find my lost kiddie ect.
(gives you a reason to go to them...to meat up with your mates there rather than at the 19th lvl waystop lol....and some should be re-doable.)
also, you could include a single faction version town...so one kurzik and one luxon refugee town....AH!
*brainwave*
a seperate map that you have to talk to a person in the first refugee town to obtain....at one end, theres a Luxon refugee town, the other, the kurzic refugee town......the passageway to it (up to the last level you were at) is in the middle....
this alows all sorts of kurzic/luxon back and forth fun, with redoable quests there....(and yeah, i guess there would have to be something/someway for those that dont have Factions to redeem their faction-points in game, but that would better be just tagged as *this player does not have the xxx expantion, they may use the NoEps redeemer to get items/cash/special waveable funnyitem)

ooh, i can see folks runing back and forth between the two sides all day, agroing one side then the other ^^

at the bottom, there should be some kind of outpost that can lead to different areas....perhaps a randomly shifting portal....perhaps a set of stable portals that will allow players to try new maps....maybe even a portal that will allow you to play a map that is checked just for your party...*it reads what your characters levels, primary class is and stocks the map with monsters that will give you a run for your money, a Mage's Dungeon from the Mad Wizard, if you will ^^....
i used to love making those...you tailored the dungeon to the players you were sending in to it....so if it was all rangers, you make sometihgn that is rogues all and can avoid the traps they lay...or if it was all wizards, the critters all had high magic resistance...basicaly, make it hard to play thru unless you took a balanced party...*evil DM grin*

/signed The catacombs are underground, so they should still be there!

/signed

Dark & creepy underground lake in one level, collectors inside somewhere, people with very disturbing backrounds & looks living in underground village, music that keeps you on your toes all the time...

Well, ascalon armor isnt going to get you very far there.

Edit: And add a gwen quest!

i loved the catacombs, they were so fun to clear with my rl friend and guildie, you have my signature /signed

Deku Tree? Water Temple? Forest Temple?

/signed

Gwen must be in the Catacombs. I suspect she's in there, a prisoner of the dastardly Charr.

Death To The Charr!

/signed
Sound almost like a survival mode kind of thing, what witht he going down in levels as far as you can. This could actually be a sort of PVE tournament

definitely /signed

/signed !

I too was really disappointed to see the Catacombs were all closed off in Post. It makes logical sense with all the surface damage that the area sustained but even still.. perhaps all the chaos served, in fact, to open up the lower levels of the catacombs which were previously unknown.

Massive underground tombs and dank grottos full of shambling undead hoards and ghostly apparitions. I've always thought the aesthetics of the Catacombs were some of the best design work seen in the game.. definite sense of foreboding atmosphere throughout.

What is a dungeon hack without the dungeons?!

Very nice ideas i think. Hope ArenaNet will think like me
Gwen is a very interesting issue too. But I think ArenaNet got plans...


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Every vote counts!

Greetings and thank's
Mortez