are challenge modes a fail?

[cFortyfive]

Don't know. Wasn't really interested getting them done and don't see that changing any time soon. Was "forced" one evening to help out and got two golds and a silver and will maybe get around it some time to get the gear set but this "speed running" thing lacks any kind of allure to me. Matter of taste I suppose but I didn't see the challenge in cheesing a bit of trash.

[TobiasX]

You do something hard and you get the best looking armor in the game isnt that how it was in vanilla ? And according to ppl on these forums classic wow was the peaks of their lives , no not a fail

The difference is that, in all other content, it's the "best" gear, not the "best looking" gear. To many, including myself, that's huge. I will not hit any harder if I transmog / equip / reforge challenge mode reward gear, so I have no motivation to do challenge modes. I understand that challenge modes aren't aimed at people with my mindset, and I have no problem with that, but I think that the people with the mindset for challenge modes is a far smaller group than those with the mindset for heroic raiding or high-end PvP.

[nnelson54]

I might be more inclined to care about them if the Paladin set weren't so goddamn hideous. Why would they take a great idea - giant wings, sword emblems on the chest and belt - and cover it with giant un-Paladin-like crystals? That set looks like it should be a quest reward set from Deepholme.

[Buxton McGraff]

I don't like that your gear is downgraded, it's no fun being less powerful than usual. However I do like how difficult it is.

[ot4ku-mh]

I might be more inclined to care about them if the Paladin set weren't so goddamn hideous. Why would they take a great idea - giant wings, sword emblems on the chest and belt - and cover it with giant un-Paladin-like crystals? That set looks like it should be a quest reward set from Deepholme.

Actually the paladin set will be the only reason for me really pushing towards the gold medals.

[Keoren]

Challenge modes are a fun addition to the game even if I'm not a fan of time trials. They give us players more things to do and have even succeeded in sparking some competition between groups. I also enjoy that the instances have an increased difficulty. It makes them much more enjoyable to complete in comparison to if we had to speed run the current heroics.

Requiring specific compositions is a problem when aiming for the world first times, but it was already apparent when the concept was first revealed. Unless you're after the rankings there is also barely any reason to run them again after the gold medal. I think the concept has potential and can be developed further.

[citrique]

I think challenge modes are a bad idea in their current implementation.

Personally i'd rather something like this disable things like potions, and any "fishy" use effect items and such.

As it stands right now, to have the best time on the server, you have to buy it by purchasing blah blah blah blablablah bla blblblah ah blah

See, the word "purchasing" is the problem here. You purchase things to progress raids, professions, dungeon grinding, even pet battles at some points. All of these things cost gold.

Making gold in this game is trivial. Gold enough to do CMs can be earned just from doing dailies or selling a few stacks of ore, herbs or whatever. Players who do not use consumables when progressing in raids are at a disadvantage, and the same applies to CMs. Players who buy consumables don't have an "unfair advantage" over those who do not, seeing as every player has the same opportunity to buy or farm their own consumables to do them with. And don't cite the "invis pots are 200g each on my server" argument, the mats to make a few stacks of lesser invis pots take virtually zero time to farm with azeroth flying available. My god, you might have to ask another player to make the pots for you with your mats, you may even be forced to tip them a few gold.

If you consider spending gold to be something prohibitive to attaining high challenge mode scores, then challenge modes are not meant for you the same way heroic raids aren't.

[Kevyne-Shandris]

I don't like that your gear is downgraded, it's no fun being less powerful than usual. However I do like how difficult it is.

It's to prevent overgearing them.

Too many wait until they get the last tier gear and then blast through them, often ignoring many mechanics because the gear allows them too.

It's designed for more skill than gear.

The only real problem with challenges is finding players willing to do them. They're like Rated BGs, difficult to get together as people can't goof off in them. If they require consumables, even less will participate because of the expense (just trying to get people to even use flasks in raids is a chore unless you provide the stuff for free...this game has too many smooches).

More skill (not class stacking), some better way to organize them, and maybe a vendor for consumables they'll be pretty good for the players who want to prove their mettle.

[CobraKaiDojoGaming]

They are alot of fun personally, getting a gold medal after workin on it for a couple of hours has a near-heroic raid boss feel to it.

[Kujako]

The difference is that, in all other content, it's the "best" gear, not the "best looking" gear.

and for feral and guardian druids its "identical" gear.

[Proberly]

Just 2 questions to everyone.

1) Do you know who has the top challenge mode records on your realm?
2) Do you know what guild has the highest heroic raiding progress on your realm?

There'll be exceptions but most haven't a clue who even does challenge modes, nobody checks the leaderboard or cares in the slightest about whos topping them. The prestige isn't there.
Whereas it tends to be common knowledge who the top raiding guilds are on your realm. That lack of interest is the major problem with challenge modes. Groups might get satisfaction from clearing them and getting the highest rank but once they figure out that absolutely nobody will even notice that effort the incentive is gone.

Pretty much this. Mostly only high end raiders doing them when they find the time for it.

I want to do them aswell, but I currently prioritize other stuff.

[IIamaKing]

I'd love to attempt them. But I don't feel like spending gold over and over for that.

I'd keep trying to get gold if they did:

Add a NPC at the entrance that gives you free potions, flask, elixir and all these stuffs. So you don't feel afraid of using a potion in a wipe (to try to avoid the wipe). Make all these things (and their buffs) disappear once you zone out (so it can't be abused).

Add a npc that gives you free gear (or make your gear automatically change to it) and a reforger/gem vendor (for free) so if you are hit capped for raid bosses you won't have "extra hit".

Do it all and I'll do challange modes over and over and over.

LoL are you kidding? You must be, good joke.

[Sarella]

Challenge modes are only a fail if you believe Fishing in Kun-lai is a fail, or loremaster is a fail.

I have no idea why people who cannot do challenge modes make fun of them, they were fun to get gold on - even as a bear who doesn't get to see the armor. I got a mount and the whole guild gets access to a pet.

The only negative thing I have to say is too often blizzard lacks creativity when it comes to dealing with tanks. They put a high emphasis on stunning and that creates a bias towards those who can remove stuns. More silences and other forms of limitations should've been introduced instead of simply saying "oh, you're stunned. sorry you cant remove stuns or benefit from them like certain classes."

[ringpriest]

"Bring the player not the class" is never going to work at high-level PvE because classes have such diverse mechanics. The amount of homogenization required to actually implement "bring the player not the class" would destroy the idea of 'class'.

Blizzard is trying really hard. I'm sure they'll get there eventually

[Tegg]

Pretty much this. Mostly only high end raiders doing them when they find the time for it.

I want to do them aswell, but I currently prioritize other stuff.

I am going to start them now. Done with the dailies. Full exalted.

[Moradim]

between raiding, dailies, heroics, and so on, not much time to do them atm

also im turned off by the fact that it's more about blowing up trash than anything. or using invis pots.

id like the pally armor but...meh.

[Playintrafic]

An invisibility potion on US-Illidan costs 200g (last time I checked).

I farmed 10 stacks of invis pots for my guild in a couple hours. Great place where you can get ghost mushroom insanely quick. IIRC the other mat is fairly common sungrass.

---------- Post added 2012-11-22 at 04:47 AM ----------

I personally think "Do the same thing, but this time with a time limit!" is always a cheap way to make content artificially difficult, regardless of the game.

Can't be bothered.

Its not the same at all. Its hard.