In Patch 9.2 of World of Warcraft, the Domination Shards meet an inglorious end. They hardly work anywhere anymore.
Some systems in World of Warcraft start small and grow really big. Pet Battles are one such case, which started as a small bonus and ended up as a relatively large, permanent game system. Now, the Domination Shards meet an inglorious end. They were supposed to be a great feature from Patch 9.1, but will be disabled again with Patch 9.2 Eternity’s End – the system just didn’t resonate well.
What is it about? It’s about the Domination Shards, sometimes also called “Domination Shards”. These were special sockets from Patch 9.1 that players could install in certain armor. The sockets provided not just strong bonuses like several percentage points of bonus damage but could also activate specific set bonuses that provided massive advantages in the current raid “Sanctum of Domination”.
What will change? In a forum post, Blizzard revealed that the Domination Shard system will not continue in the upcoming Patch 9.2 Eternity’s End. Furthermore, the system will be completely disabled in almost all relevant content. It is stated more specifically:
Our plan, which we are currently working on in the PTR, is to deactivate the shards in Zereth Mortis [the new area], the Mausoleum of the First [the new raid], in all PvP situations, and all dungeons, starting with the launch of the “Eternity’s End” update.
In this scenario, the Domination Shards would still be active in the old Shadowlands zones, the Maw, Sanctum of Domination, and in Torghast.
Basically, it means that in the old content from Patch 9.1, the shards will still work, but in all new and current content – like the raid, Mythic+, or PvP – neither the shards nor their set bonuses are relevant and are disabled.
Why was this so annoying? The problem with the Domination Shards was simply that they posed another barrier to truly succeed in the endgame. For many players, it was already exhausting enough to farm the shards on a single character – having to repeat this on Twinks was then a hardship.
Moreover, it wasn’t enough to just visit the raid “Sanctum of Domination” regularly. Those who really wanted to keep everything up to date had to visit Korthia regularly as well, to upgrade the shards and unlock their full potential. Another of many hurdles that players found too annoying to really arrive at the endgame.
Additionally, there was the problem that the shards could only be socketed into a few selected armors. Those who found equipment that was actually higher in item level had to grudgingly wear the inferior armor.
What do you think about the shards being deactivated? Is it a good thing that the system is completely buried? Or should the game system have been supported until the end of Shadowlands?
