Corrupt Gods [PvPvE game mode suggestion]
[Elevator Pitch]
- Random matchmaking (1v1, or if feasible 2v2, 3v3, etc.)
- Two instances with same layout, you and your opponent are placed on different instances. Tilesets are random and have a theme (undead map, frozen map, hellfire map, etc.).
- The goal is to “kill” your opponent.
- Players cannot attack each other directly, but instead send waves of creatures
, bosses 
, environmental hazards 
, etc. to the other map (tied to the tilesets). - Players start the game with a set amount of currency (
100 remnants).
[Hiring phase]
- At the start of a round, players can hire creatures (a set of 10 normal mobs cost 20 remnants, 4-5 magic mobs cost 25 remnants, 2 rares cost 40 remnants, bosses cost 150 remnants), and make pacts with the Corrupt Gods for environmental hazards
for 30 remnants. - Once both players spend their remnants, or after a certain time passes, the Hiring Phase is over.
[Fighting phase]
- The map is already filled with creatures. The additional (hired) creatures ambush the player in random intervals. Killing any creature awards the players with remnants. Hired creatures give extra.
- A round ends once both players have cleared all the ambushes. The hired creatures grow in power and pursue the players relentlessly (to prevent afk griefing).
- If both players are alive, the match goes to Hiring Phase again. Each consecutive round gets harder. Repeat until one player dies (No permadeath in hardcore). Player death ends the match.
[Reward structure]
- The amount of remnants spent & earned get converted into
ectoplasms. The winner gets bonus ecto’s. - Ecto is the currency to buy specific items, gamble, etc. (devs, go wild)
[Random tidbits]
- There can be leaderboards and different tier ranks (think bronze, gold, plat, etc.), and various cosmetic and/or unique rewards for different ranks. Leaderboard reset per cycle or once every week/month.
- Possibility to tie in with Factions. Perhaps different leaderboards (Merchant’s Guild vs. Merchant’s Guild, Circle of Fortune vs. Circle of Fortune, MG vs. CoF).
Inspiration
Growing up I absolutely loved custom maps in Warcraft 3. I was fairly bad at fighting other players in PvP and would prefer PvE. But I still wanted the competitive aspect of it. Enter, this PvPvE game mode. It was a random custom map I found and played the heck out of it. Ever since I wanted to have this in other games, and I think an ARPG could really benefit from it. Last Epoch certainly does some things other studios would not dare, and I can’t think of a better match for such game mode than this game.
Thanks for reading.