New Dolmen Activity: Siege Defense

Iccotak

NOTE: The initial post is only part one of the idea. Further posts down will expand on the mechanics of the activity.

"Dolmen Siege Defense" activity
The goal is to change things up from the Dolmen rotations & Dragon hunts we are used to.
Basically it is like defending a keep in PvP but instead as a PvE activity where players deal with very large mobs of enemy NPCs.

A Detailed Explanation
There are three keeps on the map. Both players and enemies will have access to siege weapons & materials.
Players must first capture the keep by reaching the center chamber. Players can take the keep by force or find ways to sneak in like the Grappling Bow posts at the corners of the keep (which are also useful for getting back in if they fall).
When they are successful they earn the first reward chest.
Once they have captured the Keep, they will have a limited time to repair the walls and prepare their defenses before the first wave of enemies arrives.

Players defend the keep from five waves of enemies. Players must prevent the enemies from reaching the center chamber.
Enemies will attack the wall with siege weapons and find ways to sneak in using portals.
Each round ends when the players kill a certain number of enemies. Each round will escalate till the critical point of the 5th wave.
On the 5th wave a Boss is summoned to attack the keep. Players have to kill the Boss to win the 5th round, and will earn a reward chest upon completion.

If the players can maintain their defenses on the 5th wave then they have the option to stick around for another set of 5 waves which will be harder but have greater rewards. Receiving purple gear and even motifs if they reach a high enough number of waves
There will be a total of 15-20 waves divided by sets of 5. A chest will be awarded every time players complete 5 waves.

If the enemy mob reaches the center chamber they can still be beaten back. If the Summoned boss reaches the center chamber that will result in an automatic wipe and the enemy wins. Players will have to start over from round 1.

THE DESTROYER
If players want the truly top tier rewards of the activity there is one particular challenge.
If all three keeps manage to be successfully defended at the same time till the very final wave it will tigger a "Destroyer" to spawn in the map.
The Destroyer is marked on the map - it will travel to one of the Keeps. Unlike the other bosses, a Destroyer can breach a wall with two to three direct hits.
If the players manage to beat it before it gets to the central chamber then they earn the "Slayer Chest", awarding purple gear, chance to obtain gold gear, rare crafting materials, furnishing, with the a chance to earn a pet & mount specific to the activity.
If they lose then the progress on all three keeps will be lost and players will have to start over.

If you want to trigger a Destroyer none of the teams can fail in defending each of the three keeps. They all have to Win at each set of waves.

Below I will expand on concepts for various types of Bosses & Destroyers players could expect to encounter in the activity.

Iccotak

Bosses & Destroyers UPDATED

There are various concepts of Destroyers - each presenting unique challenges for players to tackle.
If it was Daedric themed then the bosses would preferably be cycled to keep the activity interesting for the long term.
What kind of Destroyers can players expect?

1. Flight: a Large Daedric Titan or a Dragon flies to a Keep.

At the top of each keep is a unique ballista. Players will have to use the ballista at the right time to bring the Beast down to the ground in order to give a team ample opportunity to kill it.
Players can drop the Flight Boss so then it still has 1/2 to 3/4 of a distance to walk before it reaches the target. While on the ground, if the players don't have its attention, the Boss will attack the keep using long range attacks.

If players Fail to bring it down in time then the Creature will land right in front of the Keep Wall. A Wave Boss can be distracted and drawn away but a Destroyer will bring the wall down with little difficulty

2. Atronach Colossus: There are various types of Atronach Colossus; Glacial, Molten, Tempest, and Flesh. These can all fit as either a wave boss or a Destroyer.
Colossus mechanics:
- The Glacial Colossus is vulnerable to fire but it has a radius of cold that will expand if it takes more fire damage.

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- The Molten Colossus is vulnerable to cold but in response to cold damage it will spawn smaller Iron Atronachs around itself.

- The Tempest Colossus is a mix of Storm & Air atronachs. The further a player is in the Colossus radius the more likely they will get hit by lightning damage. Players have to get around the circling winds to get to the center of the storm and away from the lightning. There they can deal the most effective damage against it. Be careful to not get knocked out of the safe center.

- The Flesh Colossus will have armor on so if player can manage to break it then they can deal more damage but the Colossus will let loose bile, attracting minions that the Colossus can consume to restore health. So keep enemy NPCs away from the Colossus.

3. Elephant/Mammoth Charger A very large Mammoth creature covered in armor so if player can manage to break the shell then they can deal more damage but Enemies atop the Mammoth will throw spears & shoot arrows more often. When the Mammoths' health reaches certain points then it will charge fast for 2-3 seconds. This will close long distances between the Charger and it's goal. The faster the players can get the Charger health to zero then the faster it will waste its charges, making it less likely to reach its goal despite its speed bursts.

NEW 4. Daedroth Lord: A large Armored Daedroth if the players can manage to break it then they can deal more damage but the Daedroth will move faster and attack nearby players more frequently with claws and waves of fire. When its health reaches a low point, the Daedroth Lord will release create a radius of intense fire damage by breathing continuous stream of fire..

5. Dwarven Colossus: A construct that has specific weak points players have to hit in order to kill it.
It will build up energy and release to deal a high amount of damage to nearby players, often resulting in instant death, but if players hit the right points ( which will be highlighted in RED when the time comes ) then it will be unable to release the energy.
This will result a radius of fire damage that increases its output each time players successfully stop it from releasing energy but if they do this enough times then the Colossus will explode.
Players have to attack it in order to slow it down so then they can provide time & opportunity for the team to hit the Red Weak points, so the fire damage radius is always going to be a risk component.

Iccotak

Ballista video

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YWC0eIquJVU

ENEMY MOBS

There will be a total of 15-20 waves divided by sets of 5. A set of waves is called a Round. So there will be a total of about 3-4 rounds.
There are four sides to a Keep. So, on the first wave of every round, enemies will focus on the front wall.
Generally speaking enemies will spawn in a line formation before getting into action.

As the round progresses each wave will spawn increasingly more enemies that attack the other sides of the keep.
By the 4th wave the keep will be attacked on all sides.
On the 5th wave, when the Boss of the Round Spawns, the enemy mob numbers will be reduced. That way players can set up Siege weapons on the land at front of the keep to get in better range.

How can enemies get inside the keep?
First and foremost their goal will be to get in by force. They will use siege weapons to breakdown the walls & doors. On the 4th wave, they will use a Battering Ram to attempt to break down the door.
Players should be on the look out for portals that open in the keep, they spawn tough enemies like marauders & assassins.
When the waves get to a certain point Scamps will be launched into the Keep grounds.

Like from the old trailer

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AI4dDdw3GCo

As players complete more waves they should expect the threat to escalate with monster units such as;
Xivkyn, Daedroth, Spider Daedra, Gargoyles, Trolls, Ogres, Minotaurs, Gryphons, Mountain Bristlback Boars, Dwemer constructs, even Mammoths and Mantikoras. You name it!

It is by the final rounds that players should expect larger & tougher monster units.

Champions
Champions are powerful NPC bosses that carry a flag. They will spawn on the battlefield at the 3rd-4th wave. They will grow in number as the players complete more rounds.
Sometimes one will spawn in the keep with the marauders & assassins - so keep an eye out.

In the final 3rd or 4th round (waves 15-20) players can expect 2-3 champions spawning at any side of a Keep.

Iccotak

Thoughts & Input?

D0PAMINE

It's an interesting concept. It would certainly change up the boring old content for players that have completed thousands of dark anchors over and over.

bmnoble

Largely depends on whether or not they are able to program the PVE enemies to do all that.

If they can manage that I would not mind seeing it in game but I have my doubts.

Iccotak

Why are there only three Dolmen Keeps on the map?
To make it simple, yet hard, to trigger the "Destroyer" encounter.

What region is this activity design intended for?
A pillar of the design is that the activity can be re-used in multiple parts of the game. Hence why there are so many enemy types & bosses of various different origins.

What skill level is required to play the activity?
The Siege Defense works for both New & Veteran players. That is why players can choose to leave after completing a round (5 waves) or keep going if they want more challenge.

Why do you think ESO would benefit from this activity?
First, it would present challenging and engaging overland content for both New & Veteran players.
Second, a good reward incentive system and content more on par with Dungeon & Trial difficulty.
Third, it would provided much needed variety for Dolmen gameplay.

Why do you want this activity?
I want to play this activity because I have wanted a PvE activity where I could get large groups of players to work together to fight against an enemy army; 10 to 1.
I pitched an idea a while ago so I went back to refine the concept - and I might do so again in the future.

Iccotak

Any other Creatures, Bosses & Destroyers you'd like to add
There's so many great creatures that could be used to change up Siege experiences.
Keep in mind that some creature would be fine as just a wave boss. Destroyers are for the very large creatures of Elder Scrolls

A large armored Ogrim

A giant troll like the Troll King from the Blessed Crucible

An actual Giant would be a great Wave Boss

Better yet - imagine a large Minotaur like Limenauruus, from the Gold Coast, at the Gates front door

It would be awesome if a Hunger daedra spawned somewhere in the keep and the players have to find it.