A hotfix is causing a stir in World of Warcraft – the maximum artifact knowledge was coldly reduced.
A small hotfix for World of Warcraft is being hotly discussed since today (23.05.2017) in the official Blizzard forums and on Reddit. In addition to some minor, rather insignificant changes and bug fixes, there was also a message that is really exciting the players.
The cap of artifact knowledge has been retroactively reduced from 50 to 40!
Artifact knowledge is a multiplier that regulates how much artifact power a corresponding item grants. The higher the upgrade level of the artifact knowledge research, the more artifact power players receive for their artifact weapons.
Although no player has yet reached an artifact knowledge level of 40, most pioneers are currently at level 37. However, this means that the research will be completed in just under 2 weeks.
Cap now at artifact knowledge level 40
Blizzard also has a justification for this step: They raised the cap for artifact knowledge very late on the PTR of Patch 7.2 to 50. The developers wanted to ensure that players would quickly be within reach of the last trait of the artifact weapon “Unity of the Legion Judges”. Due to various hotfixes that have already increased the collection of artifact power in the past, players are now much further ahead than originally planned by Blizzard.
Furthermore, the prospect of being able to “research artifact knowledge for more than a month” gives many players the feeling that current content hardly brings any progress. It would only be worth it to “play properly” when artifact knowledge has reached the maximum level.
If you can’t picture artifact knowledge level 40 in numbers yet, here are a few small examples:
- Ancient Bindings of the Wardens: 14,000,350 artifact power
- “Revised” Chronicles of Argus: 24,000,060 artifact power
If it were to go up to artifact knowledge level 50, the values would look like this:
- Ancient Bindings of the Wardens: 193,200,350 artifact power
- “Revised” Chronicles of Argus: 331,200,600 artifact power
The difference is therefore quite noticeable.
What do you think of the reduction of the maximum value? A good step, because players are progressing too quickly anyway? Or “just another way to stretch content”?
