New Free Roam area inside the shell of the core.
Size of multiple(3-5) maps together
Clearance would only be allowed to knights that have reached the core in a particular gate, and clearance would be lost when the gate disappears
6 depths down, with a terminal on the third floor.
7th floor similar to d29 in the arcade, an entrance to the inner core with a final lock on it(will not be open) and a team of geo knights exploring the area
Instead of Basil on this depth, there will be a new NPC(possibly related to the Alpha Squad) that has the same functions as Basil and will only sell 5 Star recipes(possibly 6 if this new rank is implemented)
All Monster and Status Types in Different Areas on a Single Floor
Each area would have a specific monster and status type
Monsters cannot journey past their area, although a knight is free to come and go
In between areas would be clockwork corridors with a small number of non-status monsters, possibly the monster type of the nearest area
A mix of T3 monsters and new, more powerful monsters with brand new item drops
Although the monster and status type of each area is random, the frequency of the types can be adjusted with mineral deposits on the arcade surface, similar to previous gates
Curse status areas have a small chance of appearing on any floor but the 6th, and new monsters(in addition to dreadnoughts and curse slags) will appear in these areas exclusively
"Safe Points" with Elevators Scattered Around the Map
A Safe Point does not show up on the map until a knight is close to it, similar to elevators
Safe Points are commonly found in the corridors before and after areas
Heat is allocated when a knight reaches the Safe Point
Forge and arsenal stations can be found at these Safe Points
A knight is allowed to journey ahead without their party similar to the towns of Emberlight and Moorcraft. They can also invite the other party members to come down with them
A knight's Emergency Revive is reset when stepping into the the point(only once per point) and a knight with an ER is granted full red bar health when entering the point(if they have not reset their ER at that Safe Point yet)
Up to 12 Knights in a Party
Knights are free to come and go from parties as they please, with no affects on the health of newly spawned monsters (all monsters start with max health)
A single large area on the 6th floor with a new boss at the end, possibly Swarm themed
This boss area takes up the entire floor and will be larger than any floor before it.
There will be Safe Points to allow knights to return to the surface. Forge stations(but not arsenal stations) can be found at these points
Safe Points are always found in the same place
Knights are not allowed to join a party that is on this depth, similar to the boss floor of any other stratum, or the entirety of a Shadow Lair
Scattered throughout all previous 5 floors there will be a chance for mini bosses to spawn in the corridors, like the Tortodrone, Infected Knights(like Arkus but slightly weaker), or Royal Guards of King Tinkanzar
Missions of rank 10 and up(Vanguard) will be added with this update
Each mission will have a single floor on it with multiple areas pertaining to the mission
Knights are required to complete each area(in any order they choose) and find the Safe Point located at the back of the floor to complete the mission
At rank 12-3 the boss of the Free Roam mode will be available for a mission. It will function exactly the same as it does in the arcade. The floor after the boss will be similar to the 7th floor in the arcade, but there will also be a new artifact in the center and no geo knights in the area, being replaced by the Alpha Squad.
A new set of congratulatory missions will also be available in rank 12-4, similar to what Vanguards received after defeating Vanaduke
More In-Depth description on mission in a separate post here
New Items and 6 star Rank Gear
See mission post for details
If anyone has any suggestions or changes to this idea, please write them down here.
I'm a bit worried that the boss mission will make crown and mat farming be too easy, so please state your opinions on this
This is actually not a bad idea. The fact that you suggested it as a way to get to the Core kind of dooms it though. I'm pretty sure that Nick or someone posted that the Core will never open, because then they would sort of have to end the game with the Knights using the Core's power to get back to their home planet. I do rather like the idea of the Core being a "bonus round" to reward players for reaching Depth 29 from the Arcade, though. Another way to incorporate this without actually opening the Core would be to make the free-roam mode be the shell around the core, with things like the Jelly Green Giant, Tortodrones, and the special gremlins from Operation Crimson Hammer. Also, the maximum knights for the instance should be a multiple of 4.
If you do want to open the Core, this could be included as a special level accessible without reaching Depth 29. Let's call it an "Event Gate." This kind of gate would work as it did during the Preview Events, with each stratum requiring a certain amount of minerals to lock in. Each stratum would represent a single floor of the free-roam level. The final stratum would be a battle against the Swarm as it attempts to corrupt the Core, possibly with the Core entity and/or the Alpha Squad making an appearance. When the players win, the Swarm makes one final strike at the Core, placing it into stasis. Everything still works, it just can't be dug out and plugged into the Skylark anymore. Before the stasis takes hold, the Core entity would make some final encouraging statement about how the Core can still be freed; it'll just take more minerals. EverQuest did something similar (minus the "players win" part) with Kerathyrm the Sleeper. It would also be a good way to end the game, when things come to that. I'd also like to see that sweet "Race to the Core!" stratum thingy put to good use at some point.