I've mentioned before one of Dragonflight's biggest problems is the inability of anything in the rest of the expansion to compete with the speed, efficiency, and accessibility of Mythic+ in terms of power-gaining loot. Season 1 was completely dominated by Mythic Plus to the point of making even the raid almost not worth doing entirely. We're now almost two weeks into Season 2, and while I think developer Blizzard's fundamental changes to the Upgrade System are universally positive, I'm not entirely convinced the Mythic Plus Problem has been resolved.
The Upgrade System and Mythic Plus (WoW Dragonflight)
Season 2's Upgrade System dramatically changes how gear works when it comes to improving item level. The idea is we have a new currency called Crests designed to be used during the upgrading process; depending on the level of difficulty of the content you're doing, you'll obtain better Crests for better upgrades. So far, the system has largely been a huge success, as it has completely eliminated the need for any sort of arbitrary rating, and, instead, organically pushes players to complete harder content for bigger upgrades. On top of that, the system has made almost all gear upgradable (a major pain point on Season 1's system, so that is a major win for Blizzard).
However, one major gripe I have with this free-flowing system is how it interacts with Mythic Plus as a whole. You see, Mythic Plus dungeons don't have any sort of lock-out to prevent players from running them endlessly; in all of these runs, loot can be obtained, and without the rating, there is no longer any sort of limitation. This allows Mythic Plus to once again be the ideal place to get high-item level loot. Even with the changes and additions of the new system, the fact that Raids still have week-long lock-outs makes Mythic Plus superior by most metrics. I don't necessarily see this as a problem with Mythic Plus, but more with Raid content.
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In general, you'll get far less loot from a raid — historically the hardest content in WoW — because of two major factors. First, the amount of people present in a raid affects how much loot drops from every boss, so stacking your raid with 30 people will allow for more loot. However, the increased loot does not factor in that 30 people will be rolling for it. The loot gain isn't massive — usually one or two extra pieces at best; the odds of you rolling on an item and getting it is incredibly low. Second, for the time investment and coordination required to raid, it's unreasonable to say the least that you're more likely to get loot from Raiding through the Great Vault than from the raid itself.
This leads us back to the importance of the new Upgrade System. It is true all raid gear can be upgraded, which does wonders for those only interested in raiding. The raid even drops a ton of crest fragments from every boss, making it a great place to get upgrade materials. Still, with Mythic Plus being so free to run and pretty much offering the best gear you can get in the game, one has to wonder what the real point of raiding is now in WoW's life cycle.
Raiding and Incentives (WoW Dragonflight)
Recently, Blizzard has been using specialized loot to incentivize players to participate in raid content. For example, there are specific weapons and trinkets that cannot be obtained in Mythic Plus no matter the level of the key. This is a good thing, as it counteracts the aforementioned issue concerning raiding's purpose in WoW. However, I believe there needs to be even more incentive to raid over Mythic Plus. Now that the gear upgrading disparity has been abolished, loot should be the primary driving force to run Raids over Mythic Plus, or in addition to it.
Right now, it still feels like Mythic Plus is an absolute must for competitive item-level progression. If you're just a raider, odds are you aren't getting enough gear upgrades to even remotely compete. As such, I believe loot from raids needs to be even more specialized in terms of itemization and accessibility. For example, if Blizzard only allowed players to obtain Tier Gear from Raiding and not from the Great Vault, that would be a significant step forward. Tier Gear originated in Raiding, and it should stay there.
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To add to this, I feel there needs to be more loot in raids to make them worth the time investment. Mythic Plus can endlessly be run, so it has an endless amount of gear that can drop. I'm not saying raids should necessarily be endless to run, though I am not opposed to that considering the time investment and required coordination. However, the amount of loot that drops from a boss should be comparable to breaking open a huge pinata.
Taking it further, raid loot tables should be stuffed full of items so each boss kill is rewarding to more players. Right now, killing a boss is exciting primarily due to progression and nothing more.
While I know the Mythic Plus Problem has been reduced in overall intensity (primarily thanks to the new upgrade system), I still believe it is a problem due to the Mythic Plus perk of endless loot gain. Though not as huge, there is still a disparity between Raiding and Mythic Plus, one I hope continues to shrink over time. This is not an issue that is easily solved without screwing over Mythic Plus players, but if Blizzard wants people to continue to raid, they need to do something about the loot above all else. Raid participation has been down these last few expansions, and the Mythic Plus Problem remains one of the main reasons why.
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Published: May 17, 2023 09:59 am