So right now M+ has affixes that are kind of...odd in places. For example Bursting can be a lot more punishing at lower keys, due to the speed at which mobs can be killed. However, at really high keys it poses a very low threat. Blostering seems to regarded as just annoying with little decision involved. Grievous is very reliant on healer responsibility it seems.
I believe these things can be fine tuned to get rid of these issues, but while thinking about that I thought about the negative aspects in general of the affixes that exist in M+. From my limited experience many find the affixes more annoying to deal with than actually rewarding for doing it right.
So my thoughts led me down to this; what if the dungeon was scaled more heavily number wise, but had positive affixes? Here's an example of some affixes, with an explanation of what I'm trying to accomplish with them.
1. [Opportunities] Successfully interrupting an enemy gives you a boost to your damage or healing for a short duration. Stuns/knockbacks can now spell-lock. - Purpose of this is to reward players doing the right thing, while also giving a greater effect to those who can coordinate their interrupts/CC effectively. The last bit is just to make sure that healers and/or classes with long interrupt CDs can still effectively contribute.
2. [Specialist Tools] An Si-7 agent or Forsaken scout will appear at the beginning of the dungeon. Will provide various tools to each player. - So items could be something as powerful as a battle res to classes that don't have one possibly freeing up the meta. Or could go in a different direction where it's something total unique. I.E. Gnomish Wormhole activated onto a pack of mobs transporting to them out into the ocean or just really high up in the air. Would be fun to just to seem plop on to the ground while you are killing the next pack :P Other ideas could be calling in for assistance from an NPC. It can either debuff the target, or frequently interrupt/stun them.
3. [Terror and Rage] Each pull an enemy will gain a "leader" buff. Attacking this enemy more than others will make it more lethal. Killing this enemy will instill fear into the other enemies weakening them. - Purpose of this is a choice between single target focus or AoE. The faster you kill the "leader" the more damage you can pump into the others. Ideal scenario would be to allow single target specs to be viable while also allowing groups to consider the danger the leader may impose on the tank. This is an idea that shares both a benefit and drawback obviously. So a little different than the other two.
A caveat; this is purely just for fun for me. I thought it was kind of a cool idea. I'm definitely no expert on M+ so there could be some huge drawbacks I'm missing here. Thoughts?