Arena: Energy Chambers

I would like to see a PvP arena that has areas sectioned off to allow for some 1v1, 2v2, and 3v3 fights. The chambers could be separated by a wall of light, which would dissipate once a team establishes control of the chamber by killing players on the other team, or by killing a drone. Additionally, the walls could be on a timer, and even move.

For inspiration as to what the arena could look like, think of the Star Wars scene where two Jedi are fighting Darth Maul, but a wall of energy locks out a Jedi.

There are a number of different setups that could happen, but below are some of my layout ideas. Note that the arena could easily be tweaked by the addition of drones doing chamber-wide damage (in chambers where the healers are), or by sequencing walls, or by various buffs that may be obtained by killing drones (I would like to see a buff that increases the damage dealt to machinery. This would be obtained in an early, smaller chamber, in order to apply extra damage to a larger, more powerful node later on. The buff could be balanced so it will not boost a LB.).

Suggested layouts for a full party (the other team would have the same layout, so if you see one tank in the diagrams below, it will be a 1v1 tank battle. 2 dps in a chamber will result in a 2v2 dps battle, and so on):

| - wall
T - tank
H - healer
D - dps
< > - machinery

Standard:
T | H, D, D | T, H, D, D
In theory, the 1v1 tank fight or the 3v3 fight would finish first, allowing access into other chambers.

Healer Endurance:
T | D | T, D <node killing buff> | H, H, D, D <large node>

DPS Adrenaline:
D, D, | <node> | H, T, D | H, T, D
Movement speed would be important for dps in the first chamber if they are going to be rushing through chambers, assisting teams on the way. This is especially true if the first chamber is made larger to accommodate ranged/caster dps (otherwise melee might be too dominant).

Tank Wars:
T, T, | H | D, D, H <drones> | <large node> | D, D <healing node>
A healing node could give hp when hit, like a reverse damage spike, or by aoe heals when you stand nearby.

Break the Stalemate:
T, H, D | D, D, | D, H, T
Only one wall will dissipate when the 2v2 dps fight is over. The dps get to choose which wall to deactivate, making them have to decide which of the two teams to assist first.

Full Control:
H | D | T | D | D | T | D | H
Dps is again in the driver seat with options to choose from--upon winning a fight, dps gets a choice to unlock a teammate of various roles....or join up with a duo that has already been unlocked! Throw some random drones or buffs into any chamber and watch the good times roll. A powerful swarm will probably develop quickly in this setup, making for fast-paced action. For extra randomness, put some rng in by putting any role into any slot--every match would be different: one match you may be a tank unlocking a healer, and the next match might have a row of four dps chambers blitzing through everything in its path once unleashed.

Notes:
If too many stalemates develop, raid-wide vulnerability debufs could begin to stack over time.

Momentum gained by wins in early chambers could be problematic if not balanced, because the first kill could setup a snowballing advantage in later chambers that could be too difficult to overcome. This is easily balanced though, through drones and walls, and also the fact that once a healer is unlocked by other teams opening a chamber, the healer may sprint back to an earlier chamber, and swift cast raise on a party member that died early. The fight is not over for players that die first!

Another possible buff to help with comeback victories, is to apply a stacking buff similar to echo every time a teammate dies. This can help a solo healer near the end of a match survive a sudden swarm long enough to LB III or cast a raise.

In order to make sure this version of PvP is popular, it is probably a good idea to allow members of different Grand Companies to be on the same team. Long queu times have been the biggest factor in reducing the popularity of PvP, and since this format relies on having a full party, short queu times will be needed. Players can individually represent their GC and earn glory for their host nation while temporarily teaming with others from a different GC :) Additionally, smaller formats could be developed for matches that are not full, such as:

T | D <drone> | H, D

Another version of the arena could be shaped like a ring or a donut, where sections of the donut are chambered-off, and walls dissipate to allow access to a large central node in the middle of the ring.

Another suggestion for ensuring that PvP remains popular, is to release PvP content in between main patches, instead of the same time that new main scenario quests, relic quests, dungeons, etc., are released.