Challenge Modes, more than just a timed run?

#1 - Sept. 10, 2012, 4:51 p.m.

I think that challenge modes are definitely a step in the right direction when it comes to making PvE more competitive, and giving non-PvP players something to do on a daily basis that doesn’t just revolve around grinding gear for the next raid.

I think timed runs are cool; they add a nice way to compete with others and brings longevity to the content, which is something it sorely needs at the moment, but I feel like there's so much more that can be done with this other than just "beat this dungeon in X amount of time".

When I think about PvE, I feel like strategy and planning is the way to overcome challenges, and while getting “rushed” a little now and then is fun; PvE to me isn’t about being quick or hurrying with chain pulls and bypassing packs.

Therefore, I would absolutely love it if there were an alternative to challenge modes, where the dungeons perhaps would be even harder, and gold, silver and bronze medals were decided by wipes or maybe even invidual deaths, where a gold medal would mean you cleared the entire dungeons without anyone dying.

With the amazing “gear normalization” this would really be interesting. You could have packs that required “perfect” crowd control to take down, and bosses that would simply one-shot you if you didn’t move out of their abilities. For me, this would truly put the “challenge” in challenge modes.

Watcher

Game Designer

#3 - Sept. 11, 2012, 5:51 p.m.

Challenge modes are more than just a timed run. On a basic level, every single creature in Challenge Mode dungeons is significantly stronger than the Heroic version (typically by a larger proportion than you see going from Normal to Heroic raiding, for what that's worth), and where appropriate, additional enemies or new mechanics are added to make sure that the threat of defeat is always present. For many players, simply successfully completing a challenge run is going to be, well, a challenge. That's why we award excellent Valor gains for doing so. Aiming for Silver, let alone Gold, will be something for experienced players to do once they've mastered the content.

Players who tested the Scarlet Halls challenge mode when that one was open, to name one example, can probably attest that the Armory section of that dungeon is every bit as brutal as anything in Heroic Shattered Halls was in Burning Crusade.