(note this idea was just made for fun, dont take it too seriously, i just like writing down ideas cuz its fun)
While i do enjoy ashen lords, i feel like they could be more. As it stands, as fun as they are, ashen lords are quick, too quick to be a world event as most players can clear it within 5 minutes of arriving, and its too little work for the amount of loot they get. so i thought why not spice it up by making them stronger and more unique?
firstly, increased health and damage.
make it obvious that its better to dodge than just take every hit and heal it away. and make them take longer to die instead of 2 minutes for the entire fight.
secondly, lord-based abilities.
having it be a different ashen lord like Warden Chi or Old Horatio shouldnt just be a change in appearance, give them unique abilities based on who they are. i'll give a short list of suggestions based on what Duke told us about them.
Warden Chi: she was a prison warden and a torturer, so give her something oppressing, like a grab attack or the ability to slow/immobalize players
Captain Grimm: he was the one that made forts, so give him something crafting related, like being able to shield himself with temporary armor
Red Ruth: she was an alchemist and weapon smith, so give her something weapon or curse related, like being able to throw potions with various curse effects, or use a big weapon
Old Horatio: he made ships and pressganged crews, so give him something commanding, like summoning stronger skeletons and captains, and being able to boost them
thirdly, make the intermission with the stun actually feel like it matters.
instead of going down, hit it like 6 times or just wait it out, stun is over and nothing happens. when the ashen lord goes down it gets shielded, bunch of skeletons get summoned, you have to kill them to end the stun, fail to do so before the boss regenerates, and for the next 30 seconds or so, the boss will look like its on fire (more than usual), and it will attack and move way faster
and last, make each phase feel unique.
make each phase have a theme instead of just "it gets 1 new ability but everything else stays the same", for example, phase 1 it would fight as the phase 2 ashen lords do now, regular move-set + slam attack. phase 2 it would go stealthy, the glow gets disabled, it uses ash clouds, teleports, and uses hit and run tactics. phase 3 it gets enraged, every attack causes fire damage, moves and attacks faster, uses its meteor shower. something along the lines of that in terms of making every phase feel like the lord is actually getting angrier and switching it up
