New Battleground Idea

I came up with a new idea for a battleground last night. I think it's an awesome idea and would love to play in this BG if Blizzard ever created it. All I would ask is for support by the WoW community and a $10 check from Blizzard just so I can say I was on Blizzard payroll. Blizzard has had many cool BG concepts that didn't quite pan out the way they could have in the long run. My BG idea re-implements some of these concepts in a new form. One thing I have not mentioned is I have a degree in Video Game Art and design and... while I don't expect to be a dedicated video game artists professional (I've given that goal up for a career in web/multimedia... besides; not many video game developers in Pittsburgh) I still like to exercise my imagination.

Map: A large and intricate dungeon

Before the expansion a guild typically geared its crew out by running Upper Blackrock Spire, Scholomance, and Strathome about fifteen thousand times. These instances got boring after fifty times but, when I remove myself from the fact that I hope never to step foot in them ever again for all eternity... I realize that the maps are very cool; especially Lower Blackrock Spire and Blackrock Depths.

Imagine a battleground that takes place in a confined dungeon instead of the spacious outdoors. I like the idea of a battleground set in a dungeon with balconies, gates, bridges over pits, hiding nooks, traps, big empty rooms, and everything else a dungeon has to offer! Each map would have a starting room which was also the factions only graveyard. The start room would have several exits leading to different parts of the dungeon.

Imagine PvPing in UBRS, LBRS, or Strat devoid of mobs! I'm not suggesting using the ACTUAL existing instance; you'd have to make sure that both sides had balanced terrain... but a similar map, with BRD, Scholo, Strat, UBRS, or LBRS as the inspiration would be completely and utterly kick ass! How about an MC inspired PvP battleground? Too much fun.

The story could be simple. The Alliance and Horde are vying for control of an underground dungeon riddled with resources. One side must simply push the other faction out. The theme would be, as stated, a dungeon one... but with an undead feel... like if you took the terrain from LBRS and BRD and made it feel like you were in Scholo or Strat.

Primary Objective: Accumulate 100 kills

Simple. Your side, consisting of 20, must inflict 100 kills on the opposing team. That may seem boring but I don't think it would be. There's a mechanism in place to help ensure that people don't roll together in one big mob... or they CAN... it just puts them at a disadvantage... read on.

Secondary Objective: Acquire life essence

The dungeon would be the abandoned home of a powerful lich. The lich has tons of chests all over his dungeon with vials of "life essence" which the players must gather. The chests de-spawn after looted and do not re-spawn for a few minutes.

A player need not return to their starting area. They just have to loot the essence and it magically counts toward the total essence needed. The essence accumulated goes toward the resurrection of a "champion". If you choose to roll around as one big mob of 20 than you own every small group you see but you don't get much essence because only one person can loot a chest.

The Alliance champion could be some awesome warrior who battled the scourge but was imprisoned by this lich ages ago and now needs his life essence to return to full strength and continue the battle. The Horde champion could be some hideous abomination that the Lich had left in a completed state but hadn't infused with the essence to bring to life. (this concept is similar to the Ivus the Forest Lord/Lokholar the Ice Lord in AV obviously)

When enough essence is acquired the champion begins to move through the dungeon looking for opposing players to kill. Every kill he gets counts toward the total kills for the side. The champion can be killed... it's just not easy and UNLIKE Ivus or Lok, can not be kited to some instance boss. The champion will not go past a "half way" bottleneck in the dungeon.

Tertiary Objective: Enslave the creeps

In every part of the dungeon there will be an attached area inhabited by creeps hostile to both the alliance and horde (the bulk of the wing will be uninhabited). These bands of mobs will be small groups with an elite leader (NOT linked with his non-elite counterparts and only so tough that two people can handle him). When the elite leader is brought to 20% health he shouts something like;

"This battle will certainly be won by the Horde! Come my friends! Let us aid our new masters in their struggle!" (maybe that's a group of humans who were held captive by the lich in one wing of the dungeon that's a prison.)

Or

"The Alliance wish us to feast! Feast my brothers! Feast on the bones of the Horde!" (maybe that's a group of ghouls who inhabit a graveyard section of the dungeon)

The leader than hits full health and immediately spawns a FEW allies to stand as sentries through the wing he occupies. These allies are ANOYING to the opposite faction, they aren't heavy hitters... just enogh to tunr the tide of a 1v1 or 2v2 battle. The leader, however, is all too ready to throw off his allegiance if the other faction can "prove" they are the stronger by coming in and beating his ass.

That's my battleground idea. I hope it catches traction.

Tagged with: battleground, PvP, World of Warcraft