Concerns came up in the surface thread about how expensive the surface is to learn. A lot of what you need to know up there, like knowing when to fight or run, listening to tells of monsters, or dealing with hazards is not something you can realiably learn in the city. The problem is that learning by trial and error on the surface can mean serious injuries or even death. That makes it pretty costly to figure out what works and what doesn't.
So, my proposal is as follows: a proving grounds area where players can rehearse surface mechanics with no permanent consequences or rewards. Failure in this place ideally would eject you, injure you only temporarily or in a simulated manner, or otherwise cost time. I am not fixed on this being a purely training space. I'd also be open for it to offer limited rewards with the explicit constraints so it doesn't become an easy farming spot or a substitute for the surface for higher end characters. For example: no unique surface loot or higher tier materials, capped/diminishing rewards, an entry cost or cooldown, temporary injury/gear wear still possible, and rewards clearly worse per hour than the real surface or city gigs.
I don't have a specific idea for how this would work, so here are some possible manifestations for it:
- Abzu simulation.
- Proving course.
- Combat gym.
- Holographic range.
- Limited wild area.
- Abandoned city district/scrapyard/tunnels.
The idea is to let players learn, through experience, things that sparring alone can't really teach.