Dry Top needs an update of some kind

[Nidome.1365]

With the introduction of farmable quartz nodes in PoF less people are doing Dry Top events as such either another reason for going to Dry Top should be introduced or the Tier gating should be removed from events during the sandstorm.

(Quartz nodes in Dry Top can be mined once per account per day, the nodes in the Crystal Oasis map are once per character per day)

[Ayrilana.1396]

People could still be playing PoF or doing lab farm with it having nothing to do with the few extra nodes in CD. Except for the rich node, none of the others were locked behind meta progression.

 

I’d have no issues with DT ones becoming character bound if the PoF ones were in easy to reach places and relatively safe to get. All the ones I saw were not.

[Endless Soul.5178]

To be fair, the _only_ reason I've been to Dry Top at all this year, was to farm quartz nodes, and perhaps visit the garden if there's a Maguuma Wastes gathering daily. I never go there for the events. I'm sure there are many like me.

[mulzi.8273]

> @"Endless Soul.5178" said:

> To be fair, the _only_ reason I've been to Dry Top at all this year, was to farm quartz nodes, and perhaps visit the garden if there's a Maguuma Wastes gathering daily. I never go there for the events. I'm sure there are many like me.

 

same here. As soon as I found the rich quartz node in PoF, I parked a couple of alts there and stopped even looking at the GW timer website for the stupid DT meta sandstorm times hoping i'd be around, then hoping it was t4 when i got there. Now, I can get my guild's quartz supply (i despise the ley-line tools) while actually playing and having fun, rather than on schedule.

[OriOri.8724]

I can't speak for others, but I avoid DT because its not a fun map to me. I hate moving around in that map, I find it needlessly complicated to get anywhere (not in the TD way, but just you have to go out of your way to get anywhere), and I don't like the sandstorm mechanic at all. The only update to the map that would make me come back more often would be a complete rework of the map and its meta to remove the annoying sandstorm mechanic and make getting around easier, but I can't see that happening ever

[Ritualist Essence.9285]

Yeah i agree with everyone, DryTop's sandstorm mechanic is a design flaw that should be removed.

[Myralien.6754]

> @"Ritualist Essence.9285" said:

> Yeah i agree with everyone, DryTop's sandstorm mechanic is a design flaw that should be removed.

 

I live for this kinda sarcasm +1

[Malediktus.9250]

Dry Top PvP/WvW reward tracks killed the map.

A lot of reward tracks are a mistake to be honest. It usually feels much easier to get map specific stuff via reward tracks. So it disincentives me to play those map if I can get those while farming pvp wins or wvw pips.

[Jeknar.6184]

> @Malediktus.9250 said:

> Dry Top PvP/WvW reward tracks killed the map.

 

It isn't isn't even repeatable... And the Maguuma Wastes one that unlocks after doing Dry Top and Silverwastes Reward track once is pretty lackluster.

[Etterwyn.5263]

I'd go there more often if I could open chests outside of a sandstorm. Too many keys pile up in my inventory :#

[Illconceived Was Na.9781]

Geodes are still needed for certain legendaries, so I'm sure we'll still see DT farming guilds.

I've always thought DT needed an update though, independent of its popularity: you have to work diligently for 40 minutes to increase favor and then you have to farm heavily for 20 minutes to take advantage of it. There's no down time at all, as there can be even in RIBA/Silverwastes. I grew tired of it the first week it was introduced.

[Khisanth.2948]

DT just feels really grindy but it doesn't feel like you even get much out of that grind. Making it bearable involves memorizing order and spawn time of events. :/

[Makai.3429]

DT is leagues better with mounts. If you have a lot of alts, and a lazy weekend afternoon, pop in for some easy map completion.

[Cuon Alpinus.7645]

Raise the minimum geode reward on events outside of the sandstorm, for one. I shouldn't have to spend 10-15 minutes doing an event for 2-3 geodes.

[Erulogos.2591]

> @OriOri.8724 said:

> I can't speak for others, but I avoid DT because its not a fun map to me. I hate moving around in that map, I find it needlessly complicated to get anywhere (not in the TD way, but just you have to go out of your way to get anywhere), and I don't like the sandstorm mechanic at all. The only update to the map that would make me come back more often would be a complete rework of the map and its meta to remove the annoying sandstorm mechanic and make getting around easier, but I can't see that happening ever

 

I don't think this will ever happen sadly. Mounts almost helped with this, but there are invisible walls everywhere, mostly forcing you to take the same paths you would on foot. So someone actually put effort into maintaining the lack of fun on that map.

[OriOri.8724]

@"Erulogos.2591" Damn seriously? I was hoping mounts, particularly the springer, would make DT much less tedious to navigate

 

> @"Illconceived Was Na.9781" said:

> Geodes are still needed for certain legendaries, so I'm sure we'll still see DT farming guilds.

> I've always thought DT needed an update though, independent of its popularity: you have to work diligently for 40 minutes to increase favor and then you have to farm heavily for 20 minutes to take advantage of it. There's no down time at all, as there can be even in RIBA/Silverwastes. I grew tired of it the first week it was introduced.

 

This is another good point. Maybe an easy solution could be to make it easier to get to higher tiers (say reduce the requirement to tier up by 20-25% or something)? This allows you to miss some events and still get to T4/5/6, which in turn allows for some limited downtime. But its nothing more than a stopgap.

[crashburntoo.7431]

I ran 5 alts through DT a few months ago for map completion to get the geodes (crafted one of the exotics). It was a small goal, but it felt like more than enough of that map. I can't imagine running the map meta cycle for geodes regularly; you just can't get them fast enough. I think the two biggest improvements that could be easily implemented would be (1) increased geode rewards and (2) removal of the tiered gate for the vendor items and available, cycling events. It doesn't change the map itself, but it makes what is there more rewarding/available.

 

Anet could actually tie this change back to PoF... they used to be in the Crystal Oasis. Maybe we brought back some long lost mementos, so now they're more generous. :smiley:

 

Edit: Future side quest... treasure hunt in PoF, return to vendor in DT, unlocks access to all purchasable items regardless of map tier (pricing still dependent) and rewards a geode node for your home instance!

[Zefiris.8297]

I'd play DT more, but the sandstorm makes it impossible. Gives me a massive headache if I try to see it. One PoF map had something similar, but thankfully only briefly.

[Malediktus.9250]

> @Jeknar.6184 said:

> > @Malediktus.9250 said:

> > Dry Top PvP/WvW reward tracks killed the map.

>

> It isn't isn't even repeatable... And the Maguuma Wastes one that unlocks after doing Dry Top and Silverwastes Reward track once is pretty lackluster.

It is repeatable. Look at maguuma wastes reward track. Lots of geodes + one free fossil

[Celldrax.2849]

I think silverwastes needs a serious look at.

 

No one ever does the fucking meta on NA. As a newer player, it's so utterly infuriating trying to get those legendaries to appear as I'm often soloing forts.

[Drecien.4508]

DT is a barren waste land, in terms of design and replayability. I spent too much time there farming those kitten geodes for my legendaries. NO MORE. done with the Gen ones i want so i never have to step foot in there again. This is further enforced by that wonderful new rich node in the glint area. Praise Grenth!

[Cantatus.4065]

> @Celldrax.2849 said:

> I think silverwastes needs a serious look at.

>

> No one ever does the kitten meta on NA. As a newer player, it's so utterly infuriating trying to get those legendaries to appear as I'm often soloing forts.

 

Check the group finder for RIBA farms. From what I've seen, they occur regularly as they're a good source of money/crests and they always end in the meta.

[Dashiva.6149]

Wasn't a fan of the zone because navigating with zephyrite crystals, as novel as they were, is clunky and got old pretty fast. With the introduction of mounts it is much better and more fun (beware of getting stuck in invisible walls tho).