How open is too open?

Mico

IIn Regards to the open world maps, does anyone else feel like they are just too open? Personally it feels like its just one huge flat surface with some scenery changes and slight elevation changes.

I'd enjoy some more levels of exploration like mountain ranges that require you to go through complex tunnel systems to get to the other side. Other than just aimlessly running in a single direction for 45 minutes.

Without traditional zone changes, how can you break up the monotony of feeling like everything is essentially the same area? I'd love it if getting from one place to another required more thoughtful navigation, in order to make the trek to new locations somewhat more mentally stimulating.

Or am I alone in feeling this way?

Alzeido

I'd say you are alone in this feeling.

Riverlands are surrounded by mountains, the entire continent is surrounded by ocean, each desert ZoI is a different form of desert to the point you can recognise the nodes from a screenshot almost anywhere in the node, the anvils and the jundark are anything but easy to traverse, and thats not counting the mobs. and the tropics are just that, islands and water with various differing inclines to them.

Maybe if you only ever move around the riverlands between New Aela/Joeva/Halcyon/Winstead, then ill agree its 90% flatland, but everything east of the aelean divine gate is drastically different.

as for your idea of complex tunnels, thats the underworld that is planned, albeit the scope has gone from an underground continent spanning the whole world to certain choke points, its still the same concept (and that massive shift does make me sad too)

as for thoughtful traveling, once you've found paths then you dont need to find it anymore, if anything i'd say we would benefit from a fog of war until we explore the map in that area, let us actually explore you know?