This got really long so:
Tl:dr. Arena needs new modes and a bunch of changes regarding combat and afk farming. Also add brig arena.
Arena is a strange melting pot right now. It is a mixture of afk farmers, glory seekers, spawn campers, runners, and the list seems endless. However, I feel that the new system is a bandaid on some bigger problems the arena has as a game mode. First, I want to state some simple suggestions about the current arena, then get on to my bigger point.
Afk framing is ridiculous and should be fixed. This could be done in a style of diminishing returns for cannons. If you repeatedly fire into a ship none stop, the amount of silver you receive diminishes down to where it’s useless. Also, incentivize bottom deck hits. A bottom deck hit should give 40 silver, a mast, wheel, or capstan hit gives 30, and a middle or to deck gives 20. This would incentivize the hardcore players to sink and move on.
Brig needs to be added to Arena. Plain and simple.
Combat is still very broken, but that’s another topic for another day.
The legendary sea dog title jumps around too much. It was at something crazy like 500, went down to 100, then shot back up to 250. Get a5 an achievable place and keep it there.
Skill based matchmaking is desperately needed. More often than not when doing duos, I get someone who barely knows how to play the game. You should get ranked with people who are your caliber with both allies and opponents. It should be based on your Sea Dog lvl, your kill ratio, and your win ratio.
Similar to the leaderboard with the emissaries, make a leaderboard based around kill and win ratios.
Ok, now let’s get to the good part. Arena needs different game modes. This would really spice up the meta. It would force you to master every part of pvp, and would bring out the true legends of the pvp community. These would play at random on each server. So, you never know what you’re gonna get.
Classic Arena would be what classic arena was. Maybe tweak a few bits but practically the same as before the new arena.
Arena Revamped would be our current system with a few basic tweaks.
Capture the Flag would be two teams fighting for each other's “flags” aka mega kegs. These could be specially designed in the vain of the sea dogs. Basically two teams of two ships would sail out and try to capture the other’s keg. Points would still be awarded and taken away as normal. However, now you can gain points with the safe return of the other team's keg, or lose them due to the detonation of your keg. The kegs could not be shot and would have to be detonated manually. Both these acts would give a distinct advantage to the team. This game mode would have a 20 min timer.
Fort Defense would be two teams battling over a fort. One team would defend the fort with the cannons and kegs on their fort. They must defend their key, which only the attackers can move, and the vault. If the attackers reach the vault and unlock it, it results in automatic victory for the attackers. However, if the attackers lose a ship, it is gone for good. That means no more respawns for that team. Points will not be rewarded normally, and victory can only be obtained through sinking the victors or capturing the vault. This would have an unlimited time limit. There would be islands flanking the fort with supply depots for the attackers.
Battle Royale would have the shroud closing fast as you have to obtain weapons and supplies from your spawn island. Then, once after a certain timer, the shroud would close in. It would force you off the island and into combat. The same resource depots in fort defense would be hidden around the islands and could instantly stock your ship. There would also be keg stashes. Then, the last ship sailing wins. You can still do damage without your boat. You can’t win, but you can take your rivals down with you. Last ship sailing wins.
Island Team DeathMatch would see you be outfitted with a certain class of weapons and be forced to work with your team to defeat the other. Once you die, you can permanently be revived, but the same risk to reviving now is still present. It will be a 3 out of 5 rounds match, with each round being 3 minutes.
Island Free For All forces you to find weapons and food and take out enemies. There are no teams, and last pirate standing wins. There would be a 10 min timer.
In my opinion, this would spice Arena up and make the pvp party we need. Even more than my suggested modes could be added, and truly test your combat skills.
