Ever since I started playing RoR, I've always wondered why Mythic thought linear maps would make any sense in a PvP game like Warhammer Online, especially one built around large-scale warband warfare. As a long-time player, I've felt the consequences of that poor Level Design firsthand, and the Game Design problems that come with it. I'll go deeper into that after presenting my suggestions.
(Quick disclaimer: I originally planned to do this for every map I consider problematic, and even some that aren't, but given my limited free time, I decided to just post what I have now. Who knows when I'd finish everything, and there's always the chance the Devs or even the community simply ignore it anyway, lol.)
I don't think I'm alone in this feeling. A lot of people who genuinely love RoR, especially those who've been playing for years, feel like something is missing from the game's main attraction: RvR. And I believe that "something new" doesn't require reinventing the wheel. It could simply mean fixing Mythic's original mistakes.
One of the most universally frustrating experiences is Warcamp Farming, when the numerically superior faction locks down the enemy warcamp and prevents them from ever reaching the lake. And on linear maps, this gets 100% worse, because if there's a blob blocking the only path forward, you simply cannot go around it. There's no West, there's no East, there's just a wall of enemies and nothing you can do about it.
Praag Rework
Praag is actually one of the less problematic maps in the game, it's not fully linear and does offer some fighting options. But it still suffers from warcamp farming, so here's what I'd change:
- Expanded RvR lake area for more engagement space and route variety
- 3 warcamps per faction instead of 1, making it impossible for the dominant faction to lock down all spawns simultaneously, always guaranteeing a regrouping point
- Mountains added to block direct access to keeps from the PvE side, funneling combat through intended routes
- Neutral routes equidistant from both factions' warcamps to the BOs, ensuring that who gets there first is decided by organization and skill, not spawn advantage
- Asymmetric balance
Caledor Rework
And now for what I consider the worst map (IMO), and the one that best represents everything wrong with Mythic's design philosophy for a warband game: a fully LINEAR MAP. Seriously, how did anyone look at a warband-scale PvP game and think "yes, a corridor is the right call here"? I genuinely don't understand it.
The same core fixes apply here as in Praag, multiple warcamps, expanded lake, neutral routes, adapted to Caledor's layout.
(I also had plans to rework Eataine and Reikland with the same ideas, but didn't have the time to finish those.)
Final Thought
In my opinion, every RvR map deserves a revisit. The suggestions here aren't just about adding new content, they're about fixing problems that have existed since launch and that still hurt the RvR experience today. Warcamp farming, linear chokepoints, spawn advantages, none of these are inevitable. They're design choices that can be corrected.
