World of Warcraft Dragonflight has been out for quite a few months now. Having played the new expansion for the entire time, I can say that it has been a relatively positive experience. Due to the lack of Borrowed Power, a toxic concept that practically demands you play all the time or fall behind the curve, Dragonflight has been well-received by the WoW community, myself included.
My guildies and I are not on Blizzard's leash anymore, and, as a result, we've managed to clear all of the current content available. But despite the amazing amount of goodwill Dragonflight has brought with its release, it is not without its flaws. There are a number of them, truly, but in my eyes, the most damaging one of all is Mythic Plus.
Let me be extraordinarily clear on this: Mythic Plus, by itself, is not a problem. In fact, I'd say Mythic Plus is one of the best additions to WoW's endgame loop since...ever, really. The ability to run five-man dungeons to obtain raid-level loot is godsent, especially for players who don't like to raid at all. The problem with Mythic Plus lies in how it essentially affects raid progression and overall importance.
For context, current WoW Dragonflight Mythic Plus allows you to obtain gear practically on par with Mythic raiding. In a bubble, this sounds amazing. Through just running timed, five-man groups, you too can get the top-of-line gear that WoW has to offer.
However, there is a very serious issue with this. All forms of raiding require a level of coordination that is beyond anything Mythic Plus can ever offer. This is because raiding requires more people to participate. It doesn't matter if it's Normal, Heroic, or Mythic raiding because the difficulty of the content isn't exactly my point. My point—and the central problem with Mythic Plus in the current climate of WoW Dragonflight—is the unbalanced nature of gear acquisition when compared to raid-related content.
Raids are harder to put together, harder to maintain, require more time to complete, and are often harder than Mythic Plus, even at higher levels. Yet, completing a Mythic Plus +15 key requires less than 30 minutes and is significantly easier to succeed at due to the content being focused on route optimization.
Which one yields better loot in this scenario? Unless you're actively Mythic Raiding, Mythic Plus yields far superior rewards to any other content in the game, despite being easier to start and complete. Even if you are Mythic raiding, the quantity of loot is still superior through Mythic Plus.
My question is: why is this case? I am a huge fan of Mythic Plus. I have my Keystone Master achievement and still actively run them with my guild. It just doesn't make sense. Why is easier content rewarding significantly better gear than harder content? Effectively, LFR, Normal, and Heroic raiding are completely worthless in Dragonflight's current game state. Mythic Plus outperforms all three in terms of gear progression, which is WoW's core gameplay loop. Why run harder content if the easier content takes less time, is easier to do, and rewards better gear?
To further stoke the flame, Mythic Plus gear and raiding gear are considered two different types of gear when it comes to Dragonflight's upgrading system. You see, even if you are only running low-level Mythic Plus keys, all of the gear you get can be upgraded to what equates to Mythic raiding level gear. However, any gear you get from any level of raiding cannot be upgraded at all.
This issue is made even more ridiculous through the Great Vault and tier gear. Tier gear earned from Mythic Plus-related rewards can be upgraded, while tier gear earned from the raid cannot be. You can have two of the exact same tier pieces, yet have one that cannot be upgraded if it came from the actual raid, the place where tier gear naturally comes from in the first place.
These compounded problems have resulted in an atmosphere where the current raid, Vault of the Incarnates, is almost entirely not worth running unless you're consistently running it on Mythic difficulty. My guild has gotten bored with the raid. Even though we've completed it already, reclearing it every week should yield great rewards. Yet, right now, it doesn't. What's the point in continuing to run it if there's no loot to shoot for? A title? An achievement? Those don't yield any actual power gains. They don't yield any useful produce. So, as a result, we just run Mythic Plus, because that's where all the power comes from right now.
It remains to be seen what Blizzard will do about this. This problem has been vocalized by many others, so understand that this issue isn't something that's minor. A whole portion of WoW's endgame loop has been rendered almost entirely irrelevant because of Mythic Plus, despite the concept of Mythic Plus not being the actual problem here. Raids need to become more rewarding again. They need a reason to exist. I like running Mythic Plus, but I want it to be the alternative rather than the definitive way to enjoy gear progression in WoW Dragonflight.
For more guides, information, and tips on World of Warcraft Dragonflight, check out the 7 Easiest Specs to Play in WoW Dragonflight right here on Pro Game Guides.
Published: Mar 23, 2023 11:47 am