Recently elite runs have been more common, but thats only because a lot of people are coming back and actually care enough to do em. But inevitably, at some point most of the playerbase is going to get to the point where they dont need to run elite zones anymore (last couple of months). This brings more purpose to elite zones in the very end game, and makes the world more dynamic.
BUT what if we actually created a challenge and an incentive for people to group up and do these things?
So what im thinking:
Every couple of hours a new elite zone is mutated. To alert everyone on the server, the portion of the map that is the elite zone glows red (or something lol). The enemies will have an aura around them that would distinguish them from regular elite mobs. These areas will have different mechanics and stronger enemies (like expedition mutators). players will have around 1-2 hours to complete the entire zone before mutation subsides. rinse and repeat.
when elite zones are mutated: named bosses have better drop rates and mutation exclusive gear. The elite chests will also do the same.
To avoid some issues,
-Mutated elite chests will have a seperate timer, thus not forcing people to purposefully not run elite zones until mutation pops up.
-When mutated, elite chests cannot be looted until respective named boss is killed (prevent people from getting free chests without earning them)
-faster respawn times, so groups dont have to wait for enemies to respawn and to make it more challenging in general