Let’s hear them. Let’s also hear improvements upon them. And I’ll start...

I’ve heard whispers that things like this might have been mentioned before, but I might be the first to give it a name...

Guild Gate PvP

The idea behind Gate PvP is that, with enough resources, a Guild can construct a permanent Gate, use minerals to populate it with levels, and then have to defend it from the onslaught of other players, including rival Guilds, lest it be either stolen, or destroyed.

The Guild should be rewarded in some way for how many players are defeated by their Gate. Please note that Gates that are too easy will just get stolen or destroyed, and players won’t bother to play in a Gate that is “too hard”. So a good Guild will have to find a good compromise between these two goals, with the best rewards likely going to those insidious gates that LOOK easy, but aren’t. Too many Guild Gates will mean there is more competition for the attention of other players, and thus, less rewards. And this competition would encourage conflict between one Guild and the next.

The way in which a rival Guild might try to steal or destroy a Guild Gate is by first defeating its levels. Each level that is defeated might either be Neutralized or Destroyed. Neutralized or Destroyed Gates will be bypassed by the lifts, and players just entering the gate will move on to the next level. This also means that it may be best to lead with your newer players, to neutralize the first few easy gates, and let the more hardened veterans tackle the harder gates, and the other players. Eventually, at the beginning of Tier 2, and the beginning of Tier 3, Guild members will have a level they can teleport to to defend their gate from the opposing Guild. This would be very similar to how Castles had several different defensive layers to them... only instead of being projected in a radius around the Keep, it is projected in a column or cone towards the surface above it. Should they fail, they do have the rest of the dungeon to rely on, and perhaps even a chance to recuperate. But if a rival Guild makes it to the bottom of their dungeon, they will get to claim or destroy it. Neutralized levels may either be restored over time, or may require a reinvestment of minerals in order to restore it. Destroyed levels should be able to be built again.

If level destruction is implemented, it should be the sort of thing that is only resorted to in a war. I’m less inclined for this sort of thing to happen, for one important reason... Spiral Knights is, and should remain, a lighthearted game. I’m not sure it should be the sort of game where players dominate each other and destroy each other’s stuff. That being said, if done with the correct tone of chivalry and honor, wars might not be too terrible. Assuming we have level destruction, it should probably require some special sort of “doomsday bomb” (Perhaps a “football”, if you would?) which, when placed in a part of each level well defended by monsters, destroys that level. I figure it should take a weapon slot, thus encouraging players to spend energy in order to carry it.

So; any thoughts on this PvP concept?