The title explains the just of it, we could really use some fun and carefree experiences. The main focus would be after completing ssd6 and the campaign of the zone players would be able to participate in a a other mode sized map with at least 20 other players. The biome of the map would depend on the zone(Stonewood is grassland, Plankerton is Autumn, Canny is desert, and twine is tbd). The content of the game would revolve around dropping into a hub on the map with absolutely nothing and building up in a multiplayer style. There would be various daily side quests and tasks to prepare for night when husks are more frequent, but rewards are much more bountiful.

The daytime gameplay would consist of rescuing survivors and doing some of the basic side quests that we already have, however you could also get quests or missions from Ray, Lars, or Dennis, etc. The difference that these have from fetch quests is that instead you have to gather materials for them or eliminate certain husks. They would give you bonus rewards for when you log out as well as materials or prototype guns for during your stay. Bluglo would be extremely important and have more uses than just powering an atlas. The survivors you rescue will give you the rewards you normally get as well as going back to your base. At your base survivors can be sent on expeditions for materials or you can give them bluglo in return for a perk that will be active for a certain amount of time(20 minutes maybe?). Rescued survivors can also be used as defenders for your base(limited to 3).

The nighttime gameplay would be the most dangerous aspect of the game and players would have multiple options to survive the night. Players will also have a mobile storm shield that activates in the night when fed bluglo, this would be the base of operations and where rescued survivors would go. The land around you would go from an average amount of husks to swarming with them. Going into this stormy area is rewarding as side quests would double in rewards. You would also get other options for this time of day. The new options you would get for the night are a defense feature, a mini boss hunt feature, and a survival feature. I'm going to skip defense because it is pretty self explanatory. The mini boss hunt would consist of a long journey across the map with 2 or 3 encampments along the way. The destination would be guarded by a few mist monsters and their death would reveal a mini boss with 2x the perks that they normally have, this would last the whole night and be quite rewarding. The final option is survival. The storm shield goes out and it is just you and your friends fighting for survival, endless waves would come at you until dawn. Rewards in the defense and survival modes would depend on how you survive (If there is no bluglo in the storm shield it is automatically set to survival). You do not have to choose one of the three options if you have powered your storm shield with bluglo.

Other multiplayer, quality of life, and balancing features. Other things available to make this mode balanced is that every 2 days resources would replenish and quests would refresh daily (In different places/quantities though). Multiplayer wise people could create clans/guilds that can hold up to 8 people. Guilds would share a storm shield but with a larger size to make it more comfortable. Survival and defense options at night would increase in difficulty depending on the amount of players in the shield, however other quests can only hold up to 4 players. Balancing wise hunters instinct would probably need to be nerfed since the gamemode revolves around nighttime. Farming rewards would increase by 2x just so it doesn't become a chore. Last but not least power level, gadget/tool upgrades, and material capacity would depend on the zone not the player.

Rewards would scale based on completed objectives so afks wouldn't get rewards, farming anything in the open world would not go back into your normal inventory(basically a counter to leeching). I don't have gold/perk mat/mat/ticket numbers off the top of my head, but I'm sure epic could find a nice balance.

I hope you guys liked the idea, I personally love the game but can't stand playing it right now. I feel like this could be a fun and rewarding alternative compared to our current missions.

Edit: Thanks for the silver

Edit: I've taken time to read all the comments and decided to add a bit more to this

The main additions would consist of a new gamechat as well as a Coliseum. This gamechat would be proximity based so you could communicate with people you find in the map, members in your guild would appear on the top left and can always be communicated with. The Coliseum would be in the exact center of the map and is only available in the canny and twine zones (preventing kids from just staying there and not progressing). The Coliseum would be a place where anyone can kill anything, once you are in the Coliseum you can kill players as well as the seemingly endless waves of husks. The only caveat of the Coliseum is that very few if no rewards are earned, making it good fun but not the focus of the world. (Or the Coliseum could just be improperly balanced and broken and shouldn't exist)

Edit: I don't necessarily want to do this but based on the positive feedback I think it would be a good idea. u/magyst