Can we please get rid of square and circle arenas for every trials and 8 men raids?

[GrizzlyTank]

I hear the "we don't want squares and circles" claim a lot.


What do you want?

You want to kill trash in between?

You want to have to walk to where you fight?

you want whatever weirdness and lumpy wavy blobby arenas were in Coils?

All I hear is "NO SQUARES AND CIRCLES!".

Or you know... Arenas that aren't just squares and circles...

Triangles, crosses, multiple circles connected by corridors, elevated platforms!

[Sicno]

Or you know... Arenas that aren't just squares and circles...

Triangles, crosses, multiple circles connected by corridors

And how exactly would any of those shapes enhance the experience of a fight? Can you think of any existing fight that would have been better with any such arena shapes? And keep in mind that concave shapes can get in the way of using gap closers, especially if there's a death wall or you can fall off the platform. DRG jump from around the corner? Byebye. And while that could be viewed as an extra element of challenge it has the potential of making people more annoyed than engaged in the fight.

elevated platforms!

Curious, there's a fight with those in Pandaemonium, released less than a week ago. They may not be much of an elevation but it seems they're finally daring to try their hand at uneven terrain again.

[GrizzlyTank]

And how exactly would any of those shapes enhance the experience of a fight? Can you think of any existing fight that would have been better with any such arena shapes? And keep in mind that concave shapes can get in the way of using gap closers, especially if there's a death wall or you can fall off the platform. DRG jump from around the corner? Byebye. And while that could be viewed as an extra element of challenge it has the potential of making people more annoyed than engaged in the fight.

How exactly won't these shapes enhance the experience of a fight? Designing a raid fight is obviously a creative endeavour, and it is in the creators best interest to utilize as many tools at their disposal as possible which includes the environments. For exceedingly large foes a doughnut shaped arena might work where the boss is stationed in the middle and there are mechanics forcing the players to move clockwise/counterclockwise, alternatively the boss can stand on the arena and chase us along the doughnut. For triangle/cross shaped arenas each corner can be dedicated to it's own mechanic or change up the bosses behaviour when it is inside of them, or the boss teleports around where we have to traverse an obstacle course to reach it. With elevated platforms, the arena can be split into two parts where half the raid need to manage different mechanics. An arena idea could be a rotting/burning tree and as the fight goes on we have to climb it to avoid the rising rot/fire.

Of course all of these things can be done in a perfectly square or circular region such as P2 and elevation, but it should be in the developers best interest to spice things up and to be creative.

Also by now people should have learned not to use their movement abilities, gap-closers included indiscriminately because jumps aren't jumps. If there is a pool of fire and you "jump" through it you will take damage.

[Sicno]

For exceedingly large foes a doughnut shaped arena might work where the boss is stationed in the middle and there are mechanics forcing the players to move clockwise/counterclockwise, alternatively the boss can stand on the arena and chase us along the doughnut.

You mean like Suzaku, an encounter that does exist in this game?

For triangle/cross shaped arenas each corner can be dedicated to it's own mechanic or change up the bosses behaviour when it is inside of them

There ARE encounters with each corner or section of an arena dedicated to a mechanic, like the paintings in O6 or the current P4, in which the savage version will likely have a more prominent and player-involved role for each corner. Dunno how a triangle vs a square shape would make it more engaging when the point is just every corner having a different mechanic associated with it. And no, please no cross shapes nor other concave shapes. Like I mentioned earlier, they would be a nightmare with gap closers, DRG jumps, Displacement, etc.

or the boss teleports around where we have to traverse an obstacle course to reach it

In a way you can consider the intermission phases in the 4 Lords trials to be like that. See how much people like Byakko's free fall.

With elevated platforms, the arena can be split into two parts where half the raid need to manage different mechanics.

Oh thanks for reminding me we did have exactly that in E4S, just last expansion.