Add difficulty/challenge modes to dungeons

[Leigaon]

Not trying to be rude or anything, just curious is you are aware of: Minimum Item Level....

You're right though, the minimum iLV does the same thing as doing it as a "+1 Dungeon" making this an option to put on but go into roulette would be fun. I say roulette only because that's where people go. Some incentive may be increased Tomes or XP. Along with some Achievement.

Lets make dungeons which are already implemented in game challenging again by adding completly optional challenge future with adjustable difficulty levels.
Easy to implement with just simply modifiers of already included in game content.

True, the dungeons are beautiful in my eyes (yes all of them!) so the ground work is there. On top of the +1 dungeon or the minimum iLV I could see all the suggestions here to make these dungeons fun but challenging.

* The minimum iLV or the ability to increase the dungeon level would take care of the basics: Using Cooldowns to compensate for the extra damage, extra healing power or reducing damage.

* You are absolutely right in your comments on how we can skip some mechanics and ignore the fights. Even in min-iLV. I think they have to adjust these to where it won't be a wipe, but do it enough and you will. Forgiving, but not too forgiving I guess? Not in dungeons either..I think of Guildhests too.

* Adjust the AoE indicators. Stone Vigil HM was a good example of how, if done correctly, we can see the mob performing the action and can try to adjust. Or the Vault, that shows that we can do indicators other than the orange, but have to watch out. (Maybe that's a QoL on my end and not needed?)

* Tank busters - Hullbreaker Isle HM and Vigil HM stand out in my mind with the tank busters. Heighten those so we know they're dangerous. As a healer, I remember when I first saw those dragons swipe hard at my tank. My mind went back to turn 5 where you had to have Stoneskin up at the right time. Properly timed buffs is a great little mental toolkit to have for later, so teach it along the way?

* AoE and debuffing. When I think of it, I remember Pharos Sirius. The elementals that would cast banish would make me heal, I always have my targets on that little guy. So instead of an intense tank buster, make a mid-heavy AoE for the group. Mix that up with stuff like healing reduced debuff (make me use esuna more?), then I have to do more than spam my dps and toss in a cure.

* Adds could always enhance each other in another way, think of the Wanderers Palace HM. Where the mobs were by a staff that boosted them. Well, to go with what you said earlier how we can ignore things and get by, we just move them out of the circle. But what if they were tethered and as a group they enhanced each other with Dmg -%, or another that gave them shock spikes..that could be debuffed.

* Alone, those traps for the most part in PotD are a joke, though sometimes..in the right situations it can be devastating. Still the % of bad is low compared to being able to ease through it. I would think with potent / unique traps mixed with everything else it would be helpful. Alone? Not so great..combinded? Could be something.

Then again to adjust for all of this, maybe we need less trash along the way. Toss in a heavy hitter along the way for the groups of 3. I think for a while, in lower dungeons, you gather these groups of mobs and do single target damage so much you're bored. You just did your rotation so many times and only took out 3 guys..doing it 30 more times it gets repetitive. 1.0 had an AoE toggle for spells so stone would be AoE. Melee had abilities that made their weaponskills LoS andother ways to hit multiple mobs. At a cost of course, higher MP / Casting time..

If it takes too long a lot of people will not care though. I fully agree that dungeons need to be more difficult, and there needs to be a learning curve so that when you hit 50 or 60 it's not such a giant gap. Ways for players to learn rotations on their own and ask "why is it so hard to heal/tank/kill?"