Elitist Jerks - View Single Post - Progressive Nerfs - suiting instances for competion among raiders and casual friendly

Metrosexuelf · 02/17/08, 9:32 PM

I don't think much productive will come from this thread but, honestly, I don't see that many raiders at the very top of the curve concerned about (you used top 20 or so as a cutoff for special drops/titles) casual players 'catching up.' When it is all said and done and the next expansion goes live the top raiders will still have better gear because nothing will match Sunwell loot.

As far as challenge goes, every high end raider realizes -- or shoud realize by now -- they are the true beta testers of World of Warcraft. Sure, Blizzard has a de jure QA department but from all indications they are either horrible or barely test things before spitting it out to the de facto QA department: the top raiders. That's the nature of the beast. You play at the top of the curve you shouldn't expect to face refined encounters... at least not when you insist on copying to the PTR and playing through said content.

I also think it is pretty fallacious to say raiders want 'few as possible spoilers.' Why do you think websites like MMO-Champion and WorldofRaids are so popular? People want spoilers and advance information. Certainly there are a few guilds that want to learn encounters on their own but I would be shocked if the vast majority of even the top guilds aren't watching videos and/or discussing Sunwell boss strategies on IRC or Vent.

I recognize that some people are desperate to distinguish their characters from the millions of other people that play but outside of titles and a few novelty items there aren't too many ways for Blizzard to accomplish this without making the entry into their game prohibitive to new players.

02/17/08, 9:32 PM	#51 (permalink)
Metrosexuelf Don Flamenco Metroelf Blood Elf Priest <Badge Vendor> Ysera	I don't think much productive will come from this thread but, honestly, I don't see that many raiders at the very top of the curve concerned about (you used top 20 or so as a cutoff for special drops/titles) casual players 'catching up.' When it is all said and done and the next expansion goes live the top raiders will still have better gear because nothing will match Sunwell loot. As far as challenge goes, every high end raider realizes -- or shoud realize by now -- they are the true beta testers of World of Warcraft. Sure, Blizzard has a de jure QA department but from all indications they are either horrible or barely test things before spitting it out to the de facto QA department: the top raiders. That's the nature of the beast. You play at the top of the curve you shouldn't expect to face refined encounters... at least not when you insist on copying to the PTR and playing through said content. I also think it is pretty fallacious to say raiders want 'few as possible spoilers.' Why do you think websites like MMO-Champion and WorldofRaids are so popular? People want spoilers and advance information. Certainly there are a few guilds that want to learn encounters on their own but I would be shocked if the vast majority of even the top guilds aren't watching videos and/or discussing Sunwell boss strategies on IRC or Vent. I recognize that some people are desperate to distinguish their characters from the millions of other people that play but outside of titles and a few novelty items there aren't too many ways for Blizzard to accomplish this without making the entry into their game prohibitive to new players.