In World of Warcraft there is a new system for obtaining and upgrading equipment. That is pretty genius – but also damn confusing, thinks MeinMMO demon Cortyn.
In World of Warcraft, the developers are diligently implementing the wishes of the community. Particularly the Patch 10.1 Ashes of Neltharion has brought significant upheavals to the loot system. Even though the core idea is really good, there are some problems.
Honestly: The new system for upgrading items is quite good in terms of pure function. Whether it’s rewards from world quests or dungeons, almost all items can be upgraded multiple times. This means there’s more “meaningful” loot than ever before.
But with the Nether: It is so incredibly complicated that it is again a complete “overkill” of information for newcomers or returners.
The current trailer for the latest WoW patch:
Veterans and hardcore players will likely be able to grasp the system pretty quickly. But please try to explain the system briefly and concisely to someone new.
“So everywhere in the world, you now get flight stones, whether from world quests or rare mobs, dungeons or raids. You need them to upgrade equipment.”
“Okay, what can I upgrade?”
“Most items. So from world quests and dungeons or rare mobs.”
“How high can I upgrade them?”
“That really depends on where you got an item and which category it belongs to: Explorer, Adventurer, Veteran, Champion, or Hero. Depending on that, the limits are at 411, 424, 437, or 447.”
“Do I need anything else?”
“Yes, you also need Shadowflame Emblems. There are four different variants: Whelpling, Dragon, Wyrm, or Aspect. Each emblem can upgrade the last four levels of an item type and the first four levels of the next category. However, the emblems are split into fragments that you have to assemble. But the quantity of emblems and fragments you can get is limited.”
“Uh-hu.”
“But you only need to raise each equipment slot once with an emblem to a certain item level. After that, if you want to upgrade an item in the same slot, regardless of which character, it only costs flight stones and the costs are even reduced by half.”
“Where do the different emblems come from?”
“Whelpling comes from treasures and daily quests, Dragon comes from elite quests, weekly tasks, low Mythic+, and raids, Wyrm comes from the heroic raid and more challenging Mythic+, and Aspect comes from the hardest content.”
“Can I craft equipment as well?”
“Yes, but you will need an enchanter to enchant a corresponding emblem for you before you can then order the item. And you will also need Shadowflame Sparks, which are only available every two weeks.”
“I’d rather go back to doing pet battles …”
This fictional conversation could go on for quite a while and has only captured the essential details of the new equipment system so far. If you search for various “explanation videos” on YouTube about the new gearing system, most videos are between 15 and 25 minutes long. If you have to explain a “simplified, better system” for almost half an hour – is it really simplified?
Even the shortest summary in the form of a table on Reddit looks like this:
I like the Zaralek Caverns and basically, the new gearing system is really good. But I can’t imagine it leading to an “easier entry” into World of Warcraft. Because explaining all the details is extremely extensive and makes it one of the largest and – at least at first glance – most opaque systems ever.
I also understand that some will say: “Then you just have to deal with it, then it’s not so hard!” – And yes, of course, you are right. But the current plan for World of Warcraft must actually be to attract new players in order to further build on the good expansion Dragonflight. A complex system like this provides more choices in loot, but it also discourages many people who do not want to study for half an hour in the evening how item levels actually work now.
What do you think of the new loot system in Patch 10.1? Thoroughly successful? Or a bit overwhelming?
