My take on some ways to improve this mode.
It definitely makes a decent first impression. It’s functionally a cross between GoW and Threes/2048 and I actually like it a lot in short bursts (like 5-10 minutes only). I usually end a play session by spending a few Treasure Maps to cool down (especially useful after an event battle / delve gone wrong).
But after crafting three Gnome-a-Paloozas for the recent Gnome Weekend (on Switch) I have somehow wound up with near 50 Treasure Maps! (Oh, and about 30 Vault Keys, but that aside…)
For me this is like a full month’s supply of Maps! I am absolutely not binging them all at once, this mode is best enjoyed in moderation (please Treasure Hunt responsibly)…
So that brings me to a few ideas to improve Treasure Hunt itself:
1 - Add a prep screen before starting a Treasure Hunt. This is literally the only mode in the game where you proceed directly from menu to gameplay in JUST ONE CLICK. If you were navigating the menu too fast and misclicked on the Treasure Hunt button, whoops, too late that Map was already consumed and no refunds so you’d better start matching!
A prep screen for Treasure Hunt should have a similar overall layout to the standard pre-battle prep screen, except featuring elements specific to the Treasure Hunt mode:
- On the left side, a brief description of the mode
- On the right side, the rewards table
- In the upper-right corner, a visible tally of your Treasure Maps
- Bottom center, a green button to confirm starting a Treasure Hunt
And a prep screen would also synergize REALLY well with…
2 - Add an ability to spend multiple Maps simultaneously for a rewards boost. (Yes, I know, this one’s definitely been suggested before.) Similar to how (most) events allow you to spend more Sigils at once for a stat multiplier, this would apply a rewards multiplier like +0.5x bonus per additional Map spent (up to a 3x multiplier at +4 extra Maps). This should apply to ALL rewards gained from each treasure tile (including any Gems and Keys, but maybe not Traitstones?) with the multiplier applied at the end of the run based on final totals collected.
As it stands now, it’s super easy to acquire Maps faster than you can possibly spend them (e.g. Tyri farming, Green Guild Tasks, Shop purchases). And like event Sigils (and Vault Keys) they have NO purpose outside of engaging the mode itself. Allowing the player to “up the ante” for increased rewards boosts the efficiency of a run per player time spent (even though it’s less efficient on a per-map analysis). Maybe the next run will be good making the extra rewards more noticeable? Or maybe the next run goes badly and the extra rewards are barely worth it – again, this is basically the same risk-vs-reward psychology already in place when spending Sigils on event battles (i.e. if I have two Sigils left, do I want to risk two normal battles against higher-level foes, or an Epic battle that I’m sure to win but won’t get a second battle at all?). Let the player be their own judge of this.
Note that when a given run ends and the player collects their rewards, if they select “Play again” the game must return to the prep screen so the player can decide how many Maps to spend on that run (again, similar to using event Sigils and Vault Keys).
3 - Alternatively, allow the player to spend more Maps to “continue” a run after exhausting all their moves. If the player chooses to “continue”, the timer is reset to its starting value (i.e. 8 moves + Guild bonus) but they resume playing on the same board (maybe with a board shuffle), making it easier to get the higher-tier rewards in exchange for using Maps less efficiently. One continue costs 2 Maps, a second continue costs 3 Maps, but the run truly ends after that (no infinite continues).
3b - For a cosmetic touch, with each Continue spent Tyri is replaced with Marid, then Marid swaps out for Li’l Johhny Bronze. (Wait, actually this could make a cool unlock bonus for completing the Kingdom Questlines in Drifting Sands and Blackhawk!)
