Return of "Hard Modes" in each Raid Difficulty

[MechaCThun]

With the current system of normal, heroic, and mythic raid difficulties would you all like to see the return of hard modes for boss fights?

Was doing keystone dungeons with the guild and we were joking about how certain affixes would so annoying and brutal to deal with in raid settings. We then discussed if Blizzard added a function for each boss:

- Enter raid in any difficulty setting (normal, heroic, mythic)
- Before each boss hit the "hard mode button" (or some other immersive, flavorful way of activating it)
- Successfully beating the boss in "hard mode" doesn't change the loot dropping or anything, maybe just increasing the item level of any loot you may get by like 5? If the raid tier was baseline 900 then beating boss on hard mode would automatically be 905 or something. Maybe just 3 item levels.

I personally think this would be pretty neat idea, as I would see the "hard mode" version of the fight actually change the dynamic of how you engage the boss and fight him/her during the duration of the fight.

My guild was all for just adding keystone like affixes for the hard modes. They could rotate weekly as they do with keystone dungeons. Stuff like:

- Skorpyon with Bolstering
- Botanist with Fel Orbs
- Gul'dan with Tyrannical (lol)

What would you guys think?

[Xjev]

Well it should either be that with only a normal mode, or just the modes there are today. You don't want zillion difficulty modes.

[MechaCThun]

Well it should either be that with only a normal mode, or just the modes there are today. You don't want zillion difficulty modes.

I wouldn't say it makes it an additional difficulty mode, like increase to boss damage + HP and the like. Depending on how Blizzard could go about implementing such "hard modes" can just add another mechanic or so.

For example, if the boss fight called for precise kiting and a quickened pace, the hard mode can simply add fire that spawns quickly that involves having to kite boss faster, and at odd/random directions to adjust.

The "hard mode" mechanic would stay consistent with all difficulties.

[Queen of Hamsters]

No thanks, I'll have Mythic with its tight tuning.

[Akelina]

We had one hardmode in MoP in Terrace of Endless Spring. It worked out pretty good in my opinion.
There are "hardmodes" if you want to kill a boss with achievement but you do them once on lower difficulty and thats it. The better gear reward would incentivise to kill the boss in hardmode on highest difficulty. Don't see anything wrong if we have 1 hardmode per tier.