I watched some of the group content which was shown off during archetype reveals and reworks. I suspect these impressions might be extended to single player levelling experience.
TL;DR version to engage some of you:
Atm a lot of those fights feel VERY semi, with a group of players pulling one mob and beating at it until its dead. This is NOT a good template for interesting and exciting PvE gameplay. Also we have all those RPG systems to leverage and at the moment it seems only the HP bar is utilised in combat
Whilst this was not true in all footage, one thing stuck out to me. In too many instances it was a case of player group outnumbering the NPC enemies, instead of other way around. Nothing feeds that power fantasy of facing overwhelming odds like 4 (to be later 8) players beating up that...1 poor NPC /sarcasm
Could we get these ratios reversed?
Obviously HP, resistances and damage output values have to be adjusted, but that would allow players to feel that sense of that "epic" fight. facing a real threat. This would open up the combat more, as you have to pay attention / manage multiple threats, utilise more abilities from your kit, whatever you are talking AoE damage, CC, weapons with cleave attacks etc.
Mind I have no problem with some fights being multiple players vs few powerful elite NPCs, but I really would like to see far more scenarios where the player(s) faces larger groups of enemies.
I feel that especially in the group content, players should face PvE enemy groups. Those groups should probably be also comprised of different enemy types:
- tanks / bruiser / disruptor type enemies with some CC abilities,
- melee/ranged dps
- disablers (imagine enemies throwing nets at players, sleep spells, effects which could be dispelt by other players, or require getting close to a player to get them out from a net quicker than if they had to do it by themselves for example?)
- swarms of weak enemies (think some poorly equipped weak goblins, basic skeletons etc.)
- ranged enemies: archers, spear throwers, mage users with both single target and AoE abilities with opportunities for players to interrupt these skills, silence enemies, flanking for rogue characters etc)
- healers, de-buffer style enemies
This should feed into the idea of players using their whole ability kit, strategizing in larger fights which enemies they should taken down first, disable first etc.
