OMG! It's the End of the World!!!!

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I can't watch many WoW youtube channels right now this expansion. Seems many vloggers are all click-baiting us into watching their same rehash regarding the end of WoW! I realize that I have a different perspective that these players. I only have a single toon at 120. I haven't run a normal/heroic/mythic raid (trying to get into a pug, but not completed). I come from a small guild that doesn't have enough regular players to fill a 5-man dungeon group.

Read the following in Orc voice and animate my head.
This is my reaction post, reacting to Bellular's reaction of Asmongold's reaction video where he reacts to a weeks old blue post for the PTR edition of the game.


Titanforging and warforging killed the fun! 

Your Warforging gear spinner!
I like titanforging. I am happy for my guild member when he gets a +15 titanforged item in his mythic+ loot box. It means that we'll probably be able to push those keys a 'little bit higher'! It means my alts that are sitting back in the starting area, probably won't be ilevel 265 for 'too long' and can quickly catch up (maybe even be relevant). 4 world quests all rewarding a chest piece?? Run all 4 maybe one will drop a warforged or even titanforged item. In addition, the gear-spinner isn't something specific to me or you or even that crazy 10 year old with 30 alts. We ALL have a random 1:50,000  chance to get additional levels and stats on our gear. 
The reasoning behind the system is to create an atmosphere that you could always get a new upgrade, regardless of the activity you're doing. source
I do get that there is frustration when it doesn't happen. I've been teased numerous times about items being Me-Forged. "Oh! that 355 piece isn't good enough? I see it's not Elk-Forged!" It's was tough when every item my hunter had equipped at the end of Legion was either war or titan forged.

Azerite gear is broken! 

Let's think back
  • Legion legendaries were broken - random drops that randomly dropped from ANY content (including time walking dungeons). I had an alt who ended the expac with only two legendaries and one came from the Antorus quest chain due to some really bad RNG and limited end-game play.
  • Garrisons were broken - players could farm up mats without leaving their garrison. 
  • Reputations were broken - content that was rep gated behind reps that required reps to other factions (gold lotus anyone).
  • Reforging was broken - before armor was multi-stat'd (agility, strength, intellect) you either had to have 3 armor sets (for some hybrid classes) or could reforge some stats to make it more 'acceptable' for your class. 
  • Glyphs were broken - 
  • HIT was broken - If there was one stat to rule them all, it was HIT. If you for some reason, couldn't actually hit the target you were attacking, it felt bad. So instead, you stacked every piece of hit gear you could wear. 


What's broken with AZ gear? 

  1. Trying to do too much. Our Legion artifact and legendaries gave us a TON of nifty new skills and abilities. (Oh! those fond memories of the magical hamster bubble that my paladin first picked up! She wore that necklace through most the expansion! ) Now Blizzard is trying to appease players and allow us to keep many of these traits, abilities and HPS/DPS boosts on AZ gear. In addition, when they removed tier gear, players lost those 2-piece and 4-piece set bonuses. So now raiders have nothing really shiny to raid for other than ilevel increases. AZ gear is trying to be legendary, original and everything good and sweet. 
  2. Raining AZ Gear! There are LOTS of places to get AZ gear, but depending on the source, traits are inconsistent. Dungeons (i.e. normal -> mythic+ dungeon bosses), raids, world bosses all drop specific pieces. On the other hand, emissary boxes and weekly mythic+ loot chest reward a random piece from anywhere in the game. The issue is that several of the traits on gear are not favored at all. So even if you get an upgraded ilevel piece, those traits could be underpowered (based on sims) than an older, lower ilevel piece. 
  3. MOAR GEAR! aka the hybrid (tank/healer) tax. For example, if you play a monk and want a decent mistweaver and windwalker AND brewmaster gear set in BFA, you likely need 3 full sets of armor! OH MY! This is so WRATH! The BEST trait for mistweaver is very likely NOT the same BEST trait for windwalker. reforge or replace?
  4. Expectation - This is something that took me ages to 'learn'. One cannot expect to have the same standard of living as their parents currently do now. When my wife and I first married, we started shopping for a new house. We first started looking at houses in the best part of town, of equal size and quality as our parents. After a few weeks, we started to realize that we couldn't afford, didn't have the credit rating or even really need a house the same size as them (i.e. me = no kids vs my parents = 2 late-teen boys).

    With regards to AZ gear, we get a low-level piece and can activate all 3-4 tiers of it, but a new item drops and we can only activate a portion of those traits. On the other hand, that new piece of gear has 30% better stats (strength/agility/intellect & stamina). HONESTLY, how much of a HPS/DPS difference is having that well-balanced trait vs not having it? From my sims, I am seeing more increase by upgrading to the partially activated piece. As we progress in the game (aka growing up more), we'll be able to activate more traits and grow (slightly) stronger. Then the next tier of AZ gear will come out (i.e. 8.1) and we'll be back to only 1-2 traits activated.


ideas:
  • Vendor - the AZ gear vendor is nice. Scrap all AZ item that I can't use for hopes to higher level, better stat'd items. This reminds me of the withering essence vendor during the previous expansions. It worked out nicely at end game, but seems early to get this level of freedom now. 
  • or how about a gear slot machine - turn in that lousy az gear item, plus some gold for a new item. Thinking of the vending machines in Fortnight. 10g re-roll gear (matching ilevel) but slot total RNG, 100g re-roll gear specific slot, total rng stats/traits, 1000g specific item
  • Tier gear style traits - Balance or remove most traits. Looking at Legion Tier gear, we had 4 possible traits. Hypothetically Blizzard could remove all traits until we are back to only those few. Sorry if you are one of few that likes (AAA) when everyone else likes (BBB).
  •  balance traits so choice doesn't matter - Making them all do about the same means no matter how used it will work. Then it's simply a matter of choosing one cosmetic appearance over another.. This obesity turns me into a cow for five seconds!! 
  • allow traits per spec.. Each piece of gear can be three spec. Sort of like how my hunter can play survival, marksmanship and beast master. 
  • Bring back the obliterum forge. We have a dalaran hearthstone, we can port back, burn a hydrocell and some expulsom, to get five more levels on any non - AZ gear. Players in a lot of who play a lot of end game content will be able to upgrade to max per patch eventually.. 

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