After experimenting around with ideas and modes from other games, I thought a sort of survival mode for Spiral Knights would be an interesting addition. I know, there are other threads on the matter that express different ideas for a similar mode or level set, for example the zombie survival thread (http://forums.spiralknights.com/en/node/29764). While I like the basic concept, I have a different take on the matter. I do not post this as a reply because I believe it contains enough key differences to be made its own thread. That being said I like the survival idea suggested and would support his idea as well, but thought I might as well go and post my own. And looking at it after the fact, this is too massive a wall of text to be a simple comment on the matter in my opinion. Bear with me here, I broke it up as best I could to make it a better read.

A Spiral Knights survival level, if it were to be done, should have significant differences from arenas. It should be pay-to-enter, with payout being either tokens, crowns, or possibly special gifts akin to bribe rewards from King Krogmo. Once again, these are all great ideas in my opinion, I simply want to add in my two cents. Now, before this becomes a giant wall of text (maybe I'm already too late), here is my sort of rough idea. Again, this is my idea, and the main point I'm trying to make is that a survival mode for Spiral Knights would be a very neat addition.

Walking up to Boost, you notice a new item in his inventory, the Dream Key. Costing around 250 CE (just an idea), the description says it allows for one person to enter the 'Dream Gate' (Name is simply a placeholder, bear with me). Up to four people could purchase keys and dive together in this new level.

All geared up, you find three friends and head down to the T2 terminal, where a new path is opened with a single elevator at the end. Each player deposits their key into this elevator, and the group finds themselves in Depth ???: The Dream - Last Holdout (Just another rough idea) Akin to the Shadow Lairs, The Swarm is the real enemy at hand here. Players are in a spacious area (perhaps with a layout similar to Haven, but with the Sanctuary tile-set?), and begin to fight members of the Swarm.

As members of the Swarm, the individual enemies drop nothing. Instead, the level is broken up into waves of enemies, each getting progressively harder. How would they get harder, you ask? Each wave adds more members of the swarm to the fray, but also adds one more swarm seed to the map, starting from the outside of the level and slowly working their way towards the center (Stopping within reasonable distance of the center, say 6-10 squares from the center at its maximum spread)

For completing a wave, the team is awarded 30 seconds to collect themselves, plan and prepare for the next. Each wave grants players a reward, be it tokens (Dream tokens?) or crowns. On top of this, players collect a bit of 'Dream Essence' that can be spent on various things to improve the group's chance of survival. For example, this currency could be used to spawn in friendly turrets (Jelly Farm turrets that are more easily destroyed?), destroy one swarm seed, or grant the team vitapods, vials, or Mecha-Knights. Gear would be whatever the team brought in, with no changes being made besides vitapods for the entirety of the team's survival round. This 'Essence' would have to be used wisely if the team wishes to survive for a long time, as it would very gradually become a smaller bonus per round.

In order to prevent cheap tactics from netting players easy money, the team would earn all of its rewards from the exposed center area of the map and swarm turrets would occupy the edges and good 'camping spots'.

Boss waves could be added in the form of every 10th wave, including a much harder group of enemies for a greater reward at the end.

Another thing OOO looks for, energy sinks, could be easily added in without taking too much away from the survival effect. Revives would be disabled here (or made more expensive) to maintain the survival atmosphere, but other energy sinks could come in the form of little bonuses such as allowing more time between waves, getting extra 'Essence' per wave, less enemies in the next wave and so on (There needs to be an incentive on their part to implement this mode besides "It's fun")

And...basically that's it. Survive as long as you can with increased payouts and increased dangers, attempting to keep the swarm at bay for as long as possible. Take that idea and make what you will of it.

It also would not need to add too much to the game, as the tilesets, enemies, spawn patterns and the like already exist in game, and few radical additions would need to be made. It also allows for T2 and reluctant T3 players to get a taste of Shadow Lairs by exposing them to the Swarm, maybe convincing them to pursue the Swarm further in the form of Shadow Lairs.

So...make of it what you will. Suggestions? Comments? Other ideas? Go ahead. And if it's long, you didn't read it, or some other non-constructive response is manifesting in your head, please, for all of us, just keep it to yourself and move on. There are plenty of other good suggestions to support if this isn't your cup of tea. Constructive responses are more than welcome if you braved that massive wall of text above this!