Blizzard finally understood the value of casual players having more access to gear.

[neik]

I'd like to give credit to developers for finally getting in sync with casual player base. Couple things (among other) that stands out.

• Tier set forge
• Uncapped valor S4

These and other few good changes indicates that Blizzard finally understands that removing previously existing briers is a good thing. What can casual player do with more gear?

• Stay subscribed.
• Go do solo older content.
• Join mythic plus groups.
• Engage in activities that has power limits (brawlers guild, etc)
• Have more motivation in general to engage in current content including raiding.

And because power rocks, player can finally do whatever they want with it. It feels good to be powerful rather than memeing around like a scrub.

[Xilurm]

Surprised this isn't a WoWIsDead64 thread.

But yes, giving more players more things to do is a good thing. An MMO sandbox needs to be actually that. A theme park if you will.

[Eazy]

I agree that "casuals" should have easier access to better(not the best) gear.

That doesn't hurt anyone. As long as it is not as rng as fucking titanforging/warforging.

[KOUNTERPARTS]

Surprised this isn't a WoWIsDead64 thread.

Don't tell him. He will have 1 less complaint to spam the website with nonstop with horrible takes.

[Hellobolis]

tier set forge (and dinars) is very nice, but i haven't heard of it being in dragonflight, let alone a permanent idea going forward. (not that ive looked)
uncapped valor is just for the "end of expansion fun" period.

also keep in mind that most decisions regarding DF were probably set in stone BEFORE they made that tier set forge. so yeah i'm not really expecting blizz to have learned much of anything.

[Echo of Soul]

I'd like to give credit to developers for finally getting in sync with casual player base. Couple things (among other) that stands out.

• Tier set forge
• Uncapped valor S4

These and other few good changes indicates that Blizzard finally understands that removing previously existing briers is a good thing. What can casual player do with more gear?

• Stay subscribed.
• Go do solo older content.
• Join mythic plus groups.
• Engage in activities that has power limits (brawlers guild, etc)
• Have more motivation in general to engage in current content including raiding.

And because power rocks, player can finally do whatever they want with it. It feels good to be powerful rather than memeing around like a scrub.

M+ is not casual content. You have to take the game pretty seriously to engage in any premade group content.

Also, every end of expansion patch gives away free gear, if casual gearing is there from the start then we can talk.

[Djuntas]

Now imagine if this season also gave us something fun like corruption. I dont like mythic+ etc, but even I did freehold +15 end of BFA because it got so easy to do it with 70% crit chance or more.

[Ashana Darkmoon]

Now imagine if this season also gave us something fun like corruption. I dont like mythic+ etc, but even I did freehold +15 end of BFA because it got so easy to do it with 70% crit chance or more.

This is what the seasonal affix does, my man!

Can finish dungeons with insane secondary values

[Djuntas]

This is what the seasonal affix does, my man!

Can finish dungeons with insane secondary values

And this is how out of the loop I am. Still corruption was a lot of fun, blizzard should just take more risk, do some whacky goofy shit, but they are to corporate spreadsheet designing as we all know.

[WowIsDead64]

I'd like to give credit to developers for finally getting in sync with casual player base. Couple things (among other) that stands out.

• Tier set forge
• Uncapped valor S4

These and other few good changes indicates that Blizzard finally understands that removing previously existing briers is a good thing. What can casual player do with more gear?

• Stay subscribed.
• Go do solo older content.
• Join mythic plus groups.
• Engage in activities that has power limits (brawlers guild, etc)
• Have more motivation in general to engage in current content including raiding.

And because power rocks, player can finally do whatever they want with it. It feels good to be powerful rather than memeing around like a scrub.

I don't think, that these things alone are enough evidence, that Blizzard have finally understood value of casual players.

[Sanguinerd]

But in true Blizzard fashion it was too late and they'll probably forget all about casuals again come DF.

[kingj56]

Bring back the loot drop rates to where they were pre shadowlands. My 15 man were all casuals STRUGGLING to clear castle Nat because of lack of gear and they are all far to busy to spam M+. We have never not gotten AOTC on a tier. I had to get my AOTC with my CE friend group. If they do that so i dont have to run M+ (which i cant be bothered to do) for extra gear, ill resub and play. If there isnt an equal alternative that wont have me playing the game 8+ hours a week like pre shadowlands then im out, maybe for good.

[rhorle]

You have to take the game pretty seriously to engage in any premade group content.

No you don't. You could get M+8 gear from Zerith Mortis. The lower keys are pretty much run the dungeon as you would a heroic. The only thing you do differently is no looting. Low M+ was definitely "casual" content in Shadowlands.

[KOUNTERPARTS]

Blizzard can make all of the steps they need to make into the right directions in order to show that they have "seen the light" and try to make efforts to "right the wrongs" when it comes game design... it will not be good enough to the vocal majority.


As all of this pertains to casual players always having a problem with having to actually play the game they whine incessantly about, no steps Blizzard can take will ever be good enough for them.

[Echo of Soul]

No you don't. You could get M+8 gear from Zerith Mortis. The lower keys are pretty much run the dungeon as you would a heroic. The only thing you do differently is no looting. Low M+ was definitely "casual" content in Shadowlands.

And ZM was there in 9.0 and 9.1?

[rhorle]

And ZM was there in 9.0 and 9.1?

You still didn't need to take the game pretty seriously to engage in low keys in 9.0 and 9.1. I don't understand why people keep trying make low M+ out to be some insurmountable hurdle. If you can run a Heroic without stopping and without wiping then a low key is very doable.

[Relapses]

inb4 "that's not real casual content"

edit: too late

[KOUNTERPARTS]

inb4 "that's not real casual content"

edit: too late

Casuals will never agree with each other one what is considered "real" casual content that they would actually want to play. Then... they argue amongst themselves and accuse each other of not being a "real" casual.

[Osmeric]

inb4 "that's not real casual content"

edit: too late

I don't think he (WowIsDead64, I assume) was saying this isn't casual content.

I think he was saying this isn't evidence that Blizzard understands the value ... (etc.)

Personally, I've seen Blizzard ostensibly cater to casuals, only to walk that back. I'd need evidence that their hearts are in it. For example, they might do a soul searching retrospective full of mea culpas about how they treated the casuals, and grovel for them to come back. These changes? Wholey insufficient.

[mysticx]

Blizzard can make all of the steps they need to make into the right directions in order to show that they have "seen the light" and try to make efforts to "right the wrongs" when it comes game design... it will not be good enough to the vocal majority.


As all of this pertains to casual players always having a problem with having to actually play the game they whine incessantly about, no steps Blizzard can take will ever be good enough for them.

That's not just casuals, the whining of raiders when they consider anything outside raids "mandatory" is deafening, same with PvP-ers...

That's what makes developing and maintaining WoW such a daunting task in my view, they have three playerbases (Probably with subcategories, too), who want viable lines of progression purely from "Their" part of the game.