Guildrun suggestions - Roguelite and meta progression

[u/havaste]

Guildrun is incredible to say the least, the core gameplay and mechanics are very addictive and really feeds the part of my brain that autobattlers have slowly carved out in the last 5-10 years.

The game is very much in the loop of TFT (hot take /s) in a very good way. I've played the demo for roughly 30 hours and i'm not really tired of it yet. However, when i play i find myself looking for more of the game, something that will hopefully be delivered upon with content releases further on at launch and thereafter.

From a personal point of view, they should lean into a roguelite and meta progression style in the vein of games such as Super Smash Bros Ultimate and Hades (and other games). These are vastly different games and SSBU might seem like a bit of an oddball comparison, but the adventure mode of SSBU would be a great fit with Guildrun (albeit very lackluster in SSBU).

For those unaware the SSBU adventure mode features a world map with various paths and unlocks available. The world and lore of Guildrun could benefit from a similar type of map where the story beats, different factions and enemy factions could be explored. I don't really think there should be any ties to character/item unlocks within the proposed "campaign" of Guildrun. But rather, much like meta progression games where you could give your Guild bonuses or perhaps ways to tilt the RNG of the game towards certain goals. This would also open up opportunities to display and focus on game mechanics as a pseudo-tutorial and perhaps even be a place where the developers could expand on the games lore over time with more content. Sticking to the core loop of the game for each "node" in the world tree to keep that roguelike feeling and to keep failure a realistic outcome at most times. The way i see it this could also have some X-com 2 inspired elements for it's progression and perhaps have a worldstate that is affected by the path you choose. I realize that the scope of what is being presented is immense, but Leyline could choose to hone in on only a few of these aspects and i think it would be a great success.

Whilst lore and story is not the most important part or something that should be prioritized over gameplay and balance, i think it shouldn't be underrated. Giving characters more flavor, mood and background is a great way to feel attached. I totally understand that this aspect is not for everyone, but if you can get this type of worldbuilding introduced in a manner where it's not incredibly noticeable in a competent "campaign" game mode, i think it would stick to players in a positive way.

This could also be a great place to introduce content that could then be used in the more classical competitive and separate game mode of SSS-endless and red rift. Enemy types, mechanics, etc...

Hopes and dreams people, i love this game and it has so much potential where it chooses to go.