Scaled PVE (1-20 player dungeon)

[SeaShadow]

I think this would give you more bang for your buck in dungeon design compared to static dungeons where players must seek pve where it isn't too easy or too hard. I think it's possible to cut down player prep and travel time, and work pve cleverly into the open world sand box/pvp system using the building blocks you already have. This way you don't have to add a bunch of dungeons of different gear levels, just make a variety of interesting possibilities of what generated dungeons can contain when encountered.

A scaled dungeon being an enclosed encounter area above or below ground where the server AI can tailor the encounter (enemies + loot). So it would work for ruins, caverns, or a wilderness area. At a basic level a room that has an enclosed mini-boss fight that adjusts to who is inside when the door closes. But you can build the dungeon around linking these rooms. So if players think to take 10 people but half don't make it they can still do the dungeon. Or if you are playing Solo you can go yourself. In the Solo case you might not get a big boss but something you can fight instead, and then the loot it drops is for you.

Replayability can be further enhanced by randomization of room contents and what connecting passages are open.

Places to potentially add these dungeons:
Mountain tops or places players cant normally go
Cliff faces
Secret doors below ruins, in sewers, or below graveyards
Underwater

 

[SeaShadow]

Just to add - one problem with closed rooms in my experience is people can get trapped outside, so the closed room mechanic could go back a ways to lock off the dungeon section. This would avoid stragglers missing the fight, plus make the run-through feel less like a series of locks. Both doors opening once the section is defeated.