Alt Artifact power catch up mechanics need to be introduced asap

[Tharkkun]

Yep, it goes faster the more you are behind... the problem though is that it does not actually "catch up" ever, so it's not really a catch up mechanic, more a "always be a bit behind characters that played the expansion from the start"-mechanic.

Once you get to a certain point the traits on your artifact are just utility anyways until the big 10 points. Or is it 20 now? You main upgrades will continue to be the relics you place to boost the ilevel of your artifact.

[Sentynel]

That's still not good enough, that's not really good catch up mechanics, needs to be more, and by the way the crates you find that give AP? It's like 10 AP per crate, even the ones In Suramar... SURAMAR... where we get like 100+ AP per anything but the hard to get treasures give 10? That's unrewarding as hell.

What reward do you want for opening a chest? Jeez..

[chronia]

Yep, it goes faster the more you are behind... the problem though is that it does not actually "catch up" ever, so it's not really a catch up mechanic, more a "always be a bit behind characters that played the expansion from the start"-mechanic.

There is a cap on the AP you can spend in total on each artifact, so somewhere along the road you will catch up, and catching up to point where you are only max 1 AK level behind on your main will only be a couple of weeks max, i think it took like 1.5 week for my 2nd 110 to get there.

[Deleted]

It is kinda offputting knowing that even if you grind gear you Will be behind for a time due to timegates.

I dont give much for these timegates that blizzard loves.

[NightZero88]

Working as intended.

Base item = 10AP
AK5 = +200%
10+200% = 30AP

Yes but my point is that is way too low to start. Even with 300 on your first trait it'd still take 10 of these just for 1 point and it only gets worse as time goes on. I get that it needs to be low because there are tons of treasures out there but 30AP when I need 50k for a point is just annoyingly insulting.

[Deleted]

I get that it needs to be low because there are tons of treasures out there but 30AP when I need 50k for a point is just annoyingly insulting.

Which is why you do not rely on the treasures, but do all the other stuff that grants AP in bigger quantities. They're a bonus, not primary source, treat them as such. Besides, each one at max AK gives you 295 (if 10 base) and if you're one of those people that totally ignore other specs on your main for the majority of the expansion, then you can easily level that up once you do begin, just by doing a treasure hunt (which you can probably do flying by that point).

[DechCJC]

You mean artifact knowledge? You know that thing that takes less time for characters that haven't been played this expansion.

Idk, I don't think it's a 'bad' system - But don't you think it's a little weird that the 'catch-up' mechanic is to just leave your alt in its order hall for 20 or so days before you start playing it?

[Daveydave]

I don't understand the frustration. My first research already takes much less time to research than my friends did when he played the first week. Plus he's progressing three artifacts at an ok clip and levelled an alt which seems to be progressing steadily.

Artifacts are a long term goal, it seems like you want these to be completed in a week or something.

[PragmaticGamer]

It's not 3 days specifically. It's 1-5 days depending on how close you are to the max AK currently attainable.

I thought the "floor" was 3 days?

It's been 4 weeks, anyone see less than 3 days on an alt?

[VooDsXo]

Then you had already finished your class story if you unlocked it with 3 relic slots. This is not the catchup mechanic.

I mean I thought he would've physically noticed the duration of time being cut down eventually but he said also no offspec catch up etc and there definitely is as well facetious reply.

[ComputerNerd]

That's not true actually. The treasures that you get from the chests are pitiful. I'm at AK5 and I get like 30 for those idol things. It's almost as bad as those trinkets you can equip on your followers that give 15 or 25 gold for each WQ you complete if they are with you. Seriously Blizz, 15g?!

Order hall resources from the equipment would lose value in my opinion once the hall progression is complete, and you have no need to change them.
The gold would not, and that is only the low version.
I read in a previous threat that someone got equipment awarding 50g.
Arguably not a lot compared to many world quests actually awarding gold, but it adds up on those which don't.

[Otimus]

All they really need to do is let an alt start AK research immediately upon having their artifact and order hall available, and enough Order Hall resources to start, not making them wait till level 110.

As it stands, I get so apprehensive about even bothering to level my alts at all, I just give up and don't bother.

[eschatological]

Yep, it goes faster the more you are behind... the problem though is that it does not actually "catch up" ever, so it's not really a catch up mechanic, more a "always be a bit behind characters that played the expansion from the start"-mechanic.

Except that AK ends at 25 (2400% boost), and traits end at 54 traits, so there is an end to catch up to.

[darkwarrior42]

That's not true actually. The treasures that you get from the chests are pitiful. I'm at AK5 and I get like 30 for those idol things. It's almost as bad as those trinkets you can equip on your followers that give 15 or 25 gold for each WQ you complete if they are with you. Seriously Blizz, 15g?!

So... what's wrong with the champion equipment? It's free gold. I've yet to have so many missions worth doing that having a combat ally was anything but a very minor inconvenience, and even if you only have a green quality version that still 15g per world quest.

I've got a blue quality 25g one equipped on Lothraxion, and so far today I've gotten about 500g from it. For doing things I would have done anyways.

[eschatological]

I thought the "floor" was 3 days?

It's been 4 weeks, anyone see less than 3 days on an alt?

I got a paladin to 110 two days ago, the first artifact research was I think 2 1/2 days.

[melodramocracy]

I think its working exactly as intended. Give some thought on what you want to main, and proceed.

[Tharkkun]

Yes but my point is that is way too low to start. Even with 300 on your first trait it'd still take 10 of these just for 1 point and it only gets worse as time goes on. I get that it needs to be low because there are tons of treasures out there but 30AP when I need 50k for a point is just annoyingly insulting.

Which is why Blizzard and the majority of players have said to pickup treasures as you go. Saving them until you reach a high AK will provide very little to any benefit and definitely not a time savings.

Blizzard said it should take at least 3 or more months to completely level an artifact if all you do is mindlessly grind. So for the rest of us it will probably take 6+ months to max it. Once you hit that 3rd trait though the power gains are minimal.

- - - Updated - - -

This describes so much of how I feel about basically everything in the game right now. Everything feels futile, useless to do, or so far away. I felt completely behind and hopeless the very first week of the expansion.

The design concepts behind the last couple expansions have just been...I don't know the word...disheartening sometimes.

It was very overwhelming at first that's for sure because there was so much you thought you had to do. Now I just do some world quests, daily heroic and then look for my Mythic groups or raid. I was staying up to 3AM and before work grinding every single world quest in existence until I told myself it doesn't matter.

[Cheze]

I dunno how people who are actively playing the game can so thoroughly misunderstand how this stuff works; alts and other come-lately types gain AK faster than those of us who've been researching since day 2, and they'll continue to gain it faster until they're caught up to the curve. AK work order duration for my alt is already ~3 days, and I assume if you wait another month or so to start it'll be down to one day.

the cost of successive artifact traits scales up even more rapidly, which means alts will be able to catch up to perhaps 1-2 traits behind mains very quickly.

the 'catch' I suppose is that you actually have to play the alt, do dungeons/WQs/etc to get the artifact power, but 1) I'm not convinced that's actually a bad thing and 2) the longer you wait the less you'll have to do anyway

[melodramocracy]

Well, that's part of my problem I guess, I've never really "mained" something unless I had a slot in a stable raid group. I like playing multiple things. Which has never really been an issue before, but means that I might as well not even log in during Legion now. If I'm not going totally ham on one spec (not even one class, one SPEC) then I'm just going to be miles behind and useless.

I can see that, but I suppose Legion made things easy for me in a sense.... most classes just seemed terribly uninteresting to me after the last two revamps, so picking a main was simply a process of elimination. I wound up rolling shaman, and simply look at it as 3 specs that I have some interested in, whereas in the past, a class I picked up might only have 1 spec I care about (paladins are a good example here)

I've played my fair share so far, and did switch from leveling as enhancement (16 points into the artifact), and then moved to elemental (20 points in now). At ilvl 849, I'm far lower than others, but still find entertaining things to do, and receptive folks to group with if I set up my own.. so the idea of falling behind really isn't at the forefront when I play.

[Bytch]

Is there a catch up mechanic for people that havent played Legion at all yet? Just wondering