Why dungeons are not dungeons?

Can you tell me why half of dungeons are just “parts” of a zone ? There are so few dungeons and nearly half of them are just part of a zone… I mean isnt it a cheap way how to make “dungeons” ? And if so, why there is not more of them then ?

7 Likes

I dont understand your complain. Can you explain it further?
Btw: great name for a great band.

1 Like

Well compare Scholomance with for example Halls of Atonement. Scholomance is true dungeon, it is a place which you need to enter and EXPLORE. And then there is Halls of Atonement which is basically location on the map where you can go anytime but when you enter this “dungeon” there are suddenly elite mobs. And this is my complain. I want more dungeons, more exploration.

2 Likes

So you want more tunnel crawler type dungeons than open world ones?

Why can’t there be a mixture of both?

2 Likes

I mean, from my understanding the OP request simply is to not copy paste an open world, basically already fully explorable zone into a dungeon.
That does not mean that every dungeon must be a “tunnel crawl”.

2 Likes

I am not saying that there have to be just tunnel crawler type of dungeons but if there are loot of open world ones which are arguably easier to make why there are so few dungeons in total ? But i guess it is still better than having the same BGs over a decade :D. I am not looking for some super balanced instance for try harders who see everything just as a bunch of mechanics and numbers but new places to visit, new stuff to explore.

How is Scholomance any different from Halls of Atonement in this regards? Both are locations on the map in which you enter and have elite mobs inside requiring a group of players when level-appropriate. Scholomance - the current version we have now is as linear as any other modern dungeons. This as a contrast to the pre-MoP one where there was actually a lot more exploration and rooms.

Sorry I misunderstood as I haven’t really done many dungeons in the recent expansions.

The OP’s point is that you enter idk Freehold, Atal’Dazar, Tirna and you already explored the world, you walk and visit AGAIN a place that is copy-pasted and already explorable OUTSIDE of that dungeon.
While majority of older dungeon offer a place that is only explorable and visible inside said dungeon.

While this does not attack directly the quality of the dungeon itself i do agree that when it turns into an habit it makes it a bit too cheap and lazy.

1 Like

Its rather the open world that is wrong here instead of the dungeons. In theory (until 9.1 anyway) getting into the open halls alone should have been a death sentence given what was supposed to actually run around there. Emerald Nightmare (which you can, in theory, traverse) for instance kicks you out if you entered it in the open world.

If i remember correctly you infiltrate it during the story and have to flee from there before getting slaughtered. Same applies to Atal’Dazar which you flee from after Rezan has been ressurected.

Yes both correct, but after that you are still able to fly inside the non-instanced version of it, which is a bit repetitive in my opinionì exploration wise.

I mean, some dungeons being done this way are fine, but i do agree with OP that lately they are taking this approach way too much.

Put it down as “inflicts with story because of gameplay mechanics”.

I mean what can you do. Otherwise you are locked to the “inside” of stuff as dungeons and nothing outside of it unless they remove flying as a whole and place oneshotting guards around it with true sight.

And the Open World Atal’dazar also works as a point to enter Kings Rest given Kings Rests location. Imagine having to run through the instanced Atal’dazar everytime you wanted to reach it. That just screams molten core without gate skip.

Ye unless you have a plausible way to have the open area “hidden” from the normal map.
It just idk feel rather cheap to have big part of the maps being reused this frequently for the dungeons.

I can kind of see both sides of the argument here. Reusing the area that the dungeon rests in for the dungeon itself possibly leads to a sense of immersion that some of the older dungeons lacked. Whilst at the same time feeling kind of cheap.

I am confusion. I still don’t see the issue at hand and I sadly don’t know if it’s literally cheaper. I guess it’s just their new and more modern approach? :woozy_face: It certainly feels more open world like that. It’s kind of like having or not having a loading screen entering a shop in a singleplayer RPG. No loading screen is considered superior and more immersive indeed.

Open world dungeon also has the bonus of reducing the Tardis effect of the dungeon.

The Tardis effect happens when you enter an interior in a game through a loading screen that seems bigger on the inside.

This effect is more noticeable in non-underground dungeons, like those inside a castle, a fort, sometimes even a mountain, etc. Things that you can look at outside and compare the exterior size with the interior. One that always seems bigger inside was Shadowfang Keep.

Curiously two classic dungeons that have a Tardis problem are Zul’Farrak and Zul’Gurub, two outdoor dungeons but unlike the ones mentioned by the OP the outdoor area is never used, it is only for decoration. Yet the outdoor area seems smaller that the dungeon. This problem was not noticeable before Cataclysm because before flying the outdoor areas were not accessible, so there was no way to compare it with the inside. I have seen many Tardis dungeons on videogames, but those are the only two open Tardis dungeons I can remember.

Really, those are your biggest worries atm? For real?

Why would you want more chores to do before you can get the KSM mount?

Adding Tazavesh as two dungeons already increased it from 8 to 10 and you want to increase it even higher?

Personally I think it’s cool when there’s a tie in between an open dungeon and the outside world. You could see the open world versions as a time after the dungeon bosses have been defeated (yeah mmo time progression can be weird sometimes).

I believe the open world versions of those are the same as the instanced ones, at least post cataclysm. While Zul’Farrak is just filled with wildlife you can find near the dungeon as well, Zul’Gurub IIRC is generally empty but has a phase that is used in a quest where you take control of a hatchling raptor trying to escape.

Cata even added an open world version of Zul’Aman, though it’s not normally accessible as it’s in a no fly zone.

What should he be worried about?