Game Mechanics Additional Lootrun Challenge: Pursue

With the recent changes to defend challenges in lootrunning, they’ve become less of a waiting simulator with the occasional input/tap on a mob, to an active, defensive challenge that forces significantly more movement and positioning. It’s a fantastic change to implement, despite it being so simple.

I thought about the concept a little more, however, and realized that this concept could work in another way, with you needing to actively pursue an enemy with a bloated health pool, preferably in an area with little to no influence from enemies:

PURSUE!: A lootrun challenge that is, generally, taking place in a city/more peaceful territory, such as Rodoroc itself, the buildings throughout the Olmic City, or the entirety of Ahmsord/the fields outside of Ahmsord. (Even using the Corkus castle would work.) These challenges would have some sort of tiny critter (a wybel for sky islands, a robot for Corkus, a fleris for molten heights, etc) moving quickly through 10 set points in a city. Your objective is to deal enough damage to subdue it. They’ll behave a lot like destroy objectives, but with a time limit, which forces you to move quickly and defeat the entity before time runs out.

(The challenge would, additionally, give you a speed boost for the duration of the chase. Once the time limit runs out, or the critter is defeated, the speed boost would be revoked.)

It’s a rough idea, with plenty of more that can be added to it or reworked, but, lootruns in general could use more dynamic challenges, especially ones that can be connected to NPC’s favoring you for completing a task for them. Being given the job of an exterminator seems like a good approach to some new kind of challenges. (Adding to the exterminator idea, it’d be amazing having other NPC’s chasing the objective against you, in hopes of getting the reward instead of you.)

I love seeing any sort of interaction on this forum page, so, feel free to add on/fight against an idea like this.

 

Smart! I know nothing about lootrun balancing but this seems fun I would do the challenge

 

I was bored and thought of a few extra ideas to run along with this concept. They’re simple, and—I assume to be—a given, but, maybe it will help conjure more ideas in others.

DETAIN!: a similar idea to the Pursue challenge, they would both be a subsection of “peaceful” missions that should, generally, be activated in peaceful territories. (All but one in SE, that is.)
Detain challenges would have a 30-45 second timer, depending on the location, where your main objective is to destroy 5–or more—set objectives spread around the location of choice. Think of it like an outbreak or “infestation”. I think having a timer as a foil/hostile force is a fun concept that gives a lot of leeway for those with lower end PC’s, while still maintaining the core attributes of lootrun challenges. Not only that, but, it gives the CT an opportunity to have more “creative” objectives—idea wise—beyond just defending or slaying, despite the combat.

A funny example:
A small white circle near the front of Corkus castle. DETAIN! Appears on your screen, with the following message in the chat:

“You! Down there! There’s, like, a hundred Wynnstons wrecking the main hall! Get rid of them!”

suddenly, 5, 10, 20, however many half broken, goofy looking Wynnston needed, are spawned throughout the main hall, stairs, conference room, levels, etc, of the castle. You’ll have 30 seconds to find them all and “deactivate” them, which shouldn’t be too difficult, as they’ll be highlighted.
Once the objective is complete, you’ll be warped back to the front of the castle, where the chest will be, and an intractable NPC will be standing next to it.

“We really aught to have a lock on that old closet. So many of Cerid’s messy inventions just spill out!”

something simple, cute, charming, whatever. It’s a fun first time read, and, makes for a unique challenge.

 

I like the idea. However, it does not scale well. This sort of challenge has little connection to your stats, so either it wouldn't scale, and be basically a free challenge throughout, or it would scale, and be a free challenge early on and nigh-impossible later. Perhaps it could be limited to the first 10 or 20 challenges.

 

Balancing the mobs health seems like the general problem with a challenge like this. Though, to me, it doesn’t seem like that much of a problem, since they’re pretty much the same concept as destroy objectives. The lack of hostile mobs is definitely a hindrance to there being some sort of danger, though, I see no issue with the objective itself being able to do some kind of scripted attacks, like the geyser in Molten Height.

Beyond just that, the timer could get a small buff as the objective gets more health. Maybe, every 5-10 challenges, those objectives get a 3-5 second buff to the timer, to accommodate to the rising health. (It’s a simple bandage to the idea, so, more ideas are welcome.)