Everything was better in the past – that’s still the motto of many WoW players. The quests were better, the class balance was much better, and the bosses in the raids used to be really good. In reality, however, not everything was nearly as beautiful back then as it is in our memories today. The balance of the classes was rather horrible and the quests were very repetitive and had little story compared to today. The question of whether the bosses in the raids used to be more capable than they are today is also an excellent argument. After all, every entry-level boss today has more abilities than Ragnaros or Onyxia. But the fact is: Back then, the bosses didn’t fall down so quickly – and in this case we’re not only talking about the best guilds in the world,
WoW: Antorus is a new pinnacle..
or maybe more of a low point, depending on your opinion. Never before has the heroic final boss of a raid been knocked out by so many guilds in the first week. Argus was able to send almost 3,000 groups to the afterlife within the first seven days.
Even if you consider that today’s heroic mode was still the normal difficulty before Warlords of Draenor, the bosses fall over much faster today. We don’t even need to look that far into the past. Kil’jaeden, the boss in the previous raid, was only beaten by about 1,300 guilds in the first week. That’s not even half as many as Argus. And the first real final boss of a raid tier in Legion, Gul’dan, only fell victim to slightly more guilds in the first ID than Kil’jaeden. Looking back even further, the difference becomes even clearer. If we compare the final boss of Legion with the final bosses of the previous expansions, then unfortunately Argus is not much more than a trash mob. For example, Archimonde, the final boss of the previous expansion, was defeated by less than 200 guilds in heroic mode in the first ID, making it one of the toughest bosses in recent memory. After all, about 900 guilds have already managed to kill Garrosh in the first ID. The further we go back, the lower the numbers get. For example, the Lich King was only defeated by 150 groups in the first week (then still normal difficulty). And it’s actually far fewer players, since most guilds played 25s and 10s at the same time and were therefore listed twice. For example, was defeated by less than 200 guilds in heroic mode in the first ID, making it one of the toughest bosses in recent memory. After all, about 900 guilds have already managed to kill Garrosh in the first ID. The further we go back, the lower the numbers get. For example, the Lich King was only defeated by 150 groups in the first week (then still normal difficulty). And it’s actually far fewer players, since most guilds played 25s and 10s at the same time and were therefore listed twice. For example, was defeated by less than 200 guilds in heroic mode in the first ID, making it one of the toughest bosses in recent memory. After all, about 900 guilds have already managed to kill Garrosh in the first ID. The further we go back, the lower the numbers get. For example, the Lich King was only defeated by 150 groups in the first week (then still normal difficulty). And it’s actually far fewer players, since most guilds played 25s and 10s at the same time and were therefore listed twice. For example, the Lich King was only defeated by 150 groups in the first week (then still normal difficulty). And it’s actually far fewer players, since most guilds played 25s and 10s at the same time and were therefore listed twice. For example, the Lich King was only defeated by 150 groups in the first week (then still normal difficulty). And it’s actually far fewer players, since most guilds played 25s and 10s at the same time and were therefore listed twice.
WoW: Even mythical bosses fall over more often
The same phenomenon can also be observed in Mythic mode. Let’s look at the first three bosses. These are usually quite simple and cannot hold up well-rehearsed groups for long. The first three bosses in the final raid of Warlords of Draenor (Hellfire Citadel) were defeated by a total of about 170 guilds within a week. Almost 1,000 groups managed this feat in Antorus! If we go back even further, then these numbers are at least put into perspective a little. In the heroic variant of the Battle for Orgrimmar, which corresponds to today’s mythical mode, at least 500 groups were able to defeat the first three bosses within the first ID. Nonetheless, it cannot be denied
WoW: If they are too weak, you are too strong
But why is this sharp increase? Why do the bosses bite the dust faster and faster even in average guilds? In fact, there can only be three reasons for this:
Point 1: The players have gotten better
It’s a possibility that can hardly be ruled out. Over time, players gain experience and personal “efficiency” within the game naturally increases. In addition, there are hardly any new players today who would pull the playful cut down due to inexperience. So the average player today is certainly “better” than he used to be. However, it is doubtful that this learning curve has been so dramatic in recent months that suddenly twice as many guilds defeat the bosses of a raid in the first week – especially since the majority of players are already playing at a level at which they are only very comfortable improve slowly.
Point 2: There are simply more players
Even if Blizzard hasn’t published any official numbers for a long time, it is doubtful that the number of players increases so dramatically towards the end of an expansion. That would probably be expected at the start of an expansion. Theoretically, this justification cannot be ruled out, but in practice we consider it extremely unlikely. Also, that still doesn’t explain why many guilds have progressed much further after the first week in Antorus than after the first week in a previous raid.
Item 3: Bosses have become weaker
Of course, the bosses in Tomb of Sargeras are not weaker than the previous ones, quite the opposite. The bosses in Antorus are even much stronger. Anything else wouldn’t make any sense. But we have to look at the relationship between the strength of the bosses and the strength of our characters. Because our heroes are currently stronger than ever. We spent months earning equipment in the tomb and now have almost all Legendaries available. Add to that the upgrade of the relics with the Netherlight Crucible and already our heroes deliver more than twice as much DpS and healing as a few months ago. That’s exactly what the bosses have to be balanced for. And here lies the gnome buried – the bosses are too weak for our characters.
WoW: We have too much gear!
Never before have there been so many different sources of gear in WoW. And that doesn’t mean any green or blue items that exist, but with which nobody can do anything. It doesn’t matter whether it’s world quests, dungeons, raids, PvP or manufacturing jobs – there is equipment everywhere in Legion that is quite sufficient for an evening trip to the raid. Add to that the previous raids. If you used to ignore the old content when you started a new raid, it’s a little different today. Quite a few players are out and about with old sets, and for many classes a piece of jewelry from the Night Fortress and one from an old world boss is still the best combo they can get.
The magic word in this case is: titanium forged. This ability allows nearly every piece of gear in Legion to be as good as it gets anywhere else in the Mythic raid. This in turn means that the players get very good equipment extremely quickly. Faster than ever before, anyway. In addition, the items are even better than before. Because back then there was a natural limit. The best gear only existed in the raid and you could accurately rate and balance how good it should be. Theoretically, this is still possible, but it is many times more complicated. Because we now have three T-Sets, an extremely large number of pieces of jewelery and countless other equipment that can all drop at the same high item level.
WoW: Good stats? Best values!
The “titanium forged” system not only means that the item level can be extremely high, the classes can also choose their secondary values almost freely. If there is no item with the right combination of values in the raid, then Mythic Plus instances are simply run until the desired item drops. Due to the missing weekly lockout, nothing stands in the way of this. Of course, classes that have one or two stats that are particularly good will benefit enormously from this system. Apart from a few T-Sets, nobody actually has to wear items with inappropriate values anymore. This also ensures that our characters are now stronger than the item level would suggest.
WoW: Balancing? But for whom?
So, for the most part, we can agree that our heroes in Legion are just way better equipped than they used to be. But that alone would not be a problem at all. The developers at Blizzard could simply balance the bosses in such a way that they are a real challenge even for our well-equipped characters. However, this poses a not insignificant problem. Because there are not only the average player, but also those of us who play WoW very little. These usually have much weaker equipment than most of the others and would then fail mercilessly in a harder balanced raid. The gap between well and poorly equipped players has never been as extreme as it is today. Blizzard must now decide how to deal with the entire dilemma.
WoW: What Blizzard can do
Of course, you can’t please everyone – Blizzard knows that, and so do we. The current situation, where the majority of players are disappointed with the last raid of an otherwise consistently good expansion, is probably not the best way to go. We can think of a few ways Blizzard could change that in the future. However, it’s important to note that raids should be made too hard rather than too easy. After all, nerfing a boss with a hotfix is much more enjoyable for most players than having a boss suddenly become harder from one week to the next. This has a demotivating and frustrating effect on players who were previously able to defeat a boss, but now suddenly fail again.
Solution 1: Raids start out very difficult and require a lot of farming This is
basically always been like this. If you can remember Classic, you know that there were some bosses back then that were practically impossible to defeat with the equipment available at the time. Before that, the actual raid had to be farmed for a long time to get the necessary equipment. However, this also means that the item level jumps between raids have to be extremely high, which in turn makes it more difficult for twinks, beginners or few players.
Solution 2: Raids start with a bang and nerf themselves
Similar to Icecrown Citadel, it would be possible to balance the bosses fairly hard at the beginning and simply nerf them automatically as the weeks go by. This could be done either via a built-in debuff, or via additional equipment like the legendary rings that you’ve upgraded over the course of the raid. This way, everyone has enough of a challenge at the beginning and each group progresses over time.
Solution 3: Titan Forge flies out of the game completely
If there were no Titan Forged items in the game, the task of balancing them would be much easier. The developers would know ahead of time what item level players are wearing and could react accordingly. Also, the best items would once again only be available in raids. Players would no longer have so much choice that they could stock up on their favorite value from top to bottom. There would also be much less difference between different players at the start of a new raid, as the endless farming of a raid without a Titan Forge loses much of its value. However, many players like this system because they occasionally get items that are much better than expected.
WoW: What happens without Titanforged?
Without the Titanforged system, the game would become much harder again. You would know exactly what equipment is best for your character and where to get it. In turn, much of the content would quickly become irrelevant. Without the small chance to improve their character’s equipment a bit more, many players would have significantly less motivation to play repetitive content like mythic dungeons. As unpopular as the mechanic is with many due to the random factor, for the majority of players the effects are rather positive. Eliminating it completely would therefore probably not be a good idea, which is why Blizzard has made it clear several times that there will still be titanium-forged items in Battle for Azeroth. a lower limit,
WoW: Is this even a problem?
Lightweight raids are not a problem per se. But if a large portion of players have already completed the content before the next raid or expansion is here, then it becomes a problem. Because then boredom sets in quickly and players leave Azeroth. We’ve seen this in the past in Dragon’s Soul, Orgrimmar, or Hellfire Citadel. Even though Battle for Azeroth is not as long in coming this time as the expansions back then, we still have a few months to go in Antorus. But if most guilds are already through after a few weeks, that becomes a serious problem for Blizzard and us players. It may not affect some players directly – but indirectly it affects all of us. Because we love this game (or at least enjoy playing it) and less or bad-tempered players don’t exactly enhance the gaming experience. In addition, many players ensure correspondingly high sales, which in turn benefits the content.
What is WoW Classic?
World of Warcraft Classic is a true recreation of the original WoW as you know it from 2006. All parts of the game – from combat mechanics and talent trees to character models and zones – have been recreated, contributing to the authentic experience.
Getting Started
All players with an active World of Warcraft subscription or game time on their accounts have access toWoW Classic at no additional cost.
- Open the Blizzard Battle.net Desktop App and select World of Warcraft from the menu.
- Select World of Warcraft Classic from the Version menu. If you have more than one World of Warcraft account, you’ll see a second Account drop-down list. In this column, select the active account you want to play with.
- Click the Install button. The progress bar will tell you when your game is ready to play.
- Click the Play button when the installation is complete.
You will need to select the realm you want to play on from several different realm types. Make sure you choose the same realm as your friends – in World of Warcraft Classic, you can only group with characters that are on the same realm as you!
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