I don't like Thundering because its RNG when you get it, and because the whole affix gives mobs +5% hp (people forget this), any time you are not getting it and utilizing it, you are at a massive disadvantage. Like others have said, it should encourage people to clear it fast, and it should give +haste not +damage.Also it would be great if it returned some mana to healers, like Prideful in SL Season 1. As for dungeons one can only assume it is intended for some to be easier than others. All of the DF ones are pretty tough.-The final boss in Ruby should really lose the AoE interrupt shout, healers just don't need that extra punishment on that fight.-The second boss of Ruby should have a better visual for the incoming boulder.Azure Vault - the timer feels so tight. There should be a few more minutes for sure. Plus the final boss has really frustrating mechanics. Academy - where to start. The Tree boss 2nd Germination and Uproot happening straight away must be a bug surely? The Treant cleanse is hard to stand in with all the swirls too.The Bird boss wind + swirls is just a nightmare for casters, like my Holy Priest.I don't mind the older dungeons really. Jade Temple has super dangerous trash at the end but that's fine. SBG is probably too easy by about 5 minutes.Halls of Valor and Court of Stars are fine, although I think Court of Stars would be better without the class/profession perk restrictions.
Having skipped Legion altogether, it was a learning curve for those dungeons but hasn't been too bad IMO. That said, I have to agree with others that Jade is just Horrible as an M+! It is easily my least favorite dungeon period! That said, the challenge is what sets apart the Great players from the casual ones, and while it has been difficult, it has also helped improve my overall gameplay as I get used to the rotation and talent changes for DL.Concerning the new Thundering affix, I personally like it! There is a learning curve while trying to use it effectively in higher keys, and admittedly the randomness can be annoying, if you use the Weak Aura to time everything, you can really up your DPS overall. Good tanks will adjust paths on the fly to have smaller pulls without the affix, then bigger pulls with so the extra damage and healing are there to take care of it, and that alone can be the difference between timing a higher key.The Great Vault change to have top-level gear drop from 20+...I am somewhat on the fence about this change, to be honest. Personally, I feel that the change has really good potential, but that it should have been pushed off until at least Season 2. The changes happening right away, again IMO, only helps the top-tier people who are able to sell carries. The rest of us just have to grind away until we can slowly gain the ability to run those higher dungeons regularly.
Bad dungeon balance and even worse class balance.Blizzard does know how to destroy a good expansion.The incompetence....
It isn't random I have a weak aura that tracks the timer on it and it's based on your in combat time so it starts a few
I think the dungeon difficulty is fine for organized guild groups but the number of mandatory one shot mechanics is going to make the lower end to mid tier pug culture disappear. It's whatever blizzard has all the data and they will make whatever choices they make.
Its also kinda dumb that 4 dungeons give same ilvl. The difference between a 10 and 13 with the new scaling is pretty big for the rewards givenFurther i agree with everyone that say thundering is not a fun affix at all and needs a big change.
Is Blizzard trying to make a statement in M+ against melee? Lets count off the bosses where melee have points where they just /wave at the boss while range continue to dps unhindered, the entire time. Not including all the ridiculous ground mechanics ALL players deal with but are more dangerous for melee who are trying to stay on the boss while a range simply side steps and there is no one else on them kill them in their wake. 1) Vexamus - Melee have to run out Mana Bombs.2) Kokia Blazehoof - Burnout: Boss is always in the Burnout while range casually chill outside of it.3) Azureblade - Draconic Illusion: Love how this add always spawns right before the boss does his Arcane Cleave. 4) Telash Greywing - Frost Bomb: This is bad for all but much easier for range to deal with whereas melee have to be in sync to not kill each other. 5) Umbrelskul - Detonating Crystal: Range turn and click. Melee chase down and become greatly slowed. 6) Granyth - Tectonic Stomp: Melee run out. Range zZzzz still sleeping.7) Teera and Maruuk - This entire fight is range. How ridiculous this fight is surprises me it made onto live.8) Patrol Captain Gerdo - Resonant Slash and Streetsweeper. I'm sure you could have a full team of range and both of these are always in melee.9) Advisor Melandrus - Blade Surge: Off target > On Target > Off Target > On Target. Range just clicks and tries to stay awake. 10) Hyrja - Sanctify - My tank and I have literally experienced getting hit by these while trying to side step them without getting off the boss, where the visual did not actually hit us. So for a melee who isnt a tank or rogue with long range, this is just a time you go sit in the corner and cheer for the range.11) Sadana Bloodfury - Dark Eclipse and Dark Communion. Melee off target while range comfortably sit back and try not to fall asleep.12) Bonemaw - Inhale: You're at the whim of your range if you will get to dps the boss. I've done this from a 2 all the way to a 17 and never had a run where I could stay on for each inhale. This was the first time I saw a range type, "ZzzZz" while the boss took forever to kill and he wasnt willing to stand near melee to get the necrotic pitch closer. Amazing job, Blizzard.13) Wise Mari - Corrupted Vortex: Range side steps and continues to dps. Melee has to plan to run out, dodge the corrupted geyser, drop the pool, and get back in melee, dodging the corrupted geyser again.14) Liu Flameheart - Serpent Kick/Wave and Jade Serpent Kick/Wave: So range can sit on the stairs and just AFK while getting their IRL cat to push the buttons on their keyboard while melee have to run back and forth? Makes sense. Like I said, this doesn't even cover the stuff where it goes under every players feet and the difference for range is they dont have to avoid the tanks wake, whereas melee do which means getting off the boss or planning to move in the direction the tank is which requires coordination with the tank. I've heard non stop jokes in dungeons that the Blizzard Devs who make the mechanics either don't play their own game or they literally play range specs or a tank spec. Since the tank controls where the mob is moving, it's not life or death to stay on the target. Keep it up, Blizzard. M+ is in a stronger decline than it was in Shadowlands already, and this Xpack is far more popular. And please, if you're running below M+ 15 and state it's not that punishing... yea, you're right. My IRL cat is running 10's just fine on his feral druid and it's all just a healer problem while he chooses to sit in the stuff that would kill you instead of avoiding it.
More likely people are not used to the new mechanical requirement. There are only 2 issues:1) Ruby Life Pools has some unforgiving mechanics - stop the flame dancing cast or you wipe even in medium keys or break the shield of the miniboss before the last boss or you wipe. Easy, the trash in the lower ring is easier than in the upper ring. And that includes the flame dragon pulsing AOE when he's lower than 50%. Those are really hard mechanics, but as people get used to it, it's going to be easier. But it's quite unforgiving compared to SBG or CoS (and CoS isn't particularly easy if you played legion. People loved to play it because it had cool rewards, but if someone pulled an extra group, wipe.)2) Algethar Academy. In the tree boss, the requirement is to be inside the branch tree dead green circle exactly after 3.5s it dies, requiring the group to NOT kill it if germinate is about to happen and so kicking its casts is pretty unforgiving for PUGs. This in particular needs to be patched (make it so that if you step inside the green circle, you have 3.5s to do it, you clear the DOT.
I just don't think that Dungeons should only be completable with a specific dps, healer or tank. Atleast not on lower keys like 2-20 especially when the maximum loot is only dropped at 20s now.Examples are the last boss in jade serpent on tyrannical is incredibly hard without a Warlock Dispel or Priest Mass or some healing absorb mobs or even bosses for dks. It seems like if you aren't playing warrior tank you're having a terrible time tanking some mobs.Nokhud isn't even that bad as people describe it in my opinion. The only difficulty I had while healing "simple" 15s is that some mobs just prefer to target ranged and if you're the only ranged you get gunned down in 1 second without any time to react.I remember on Shadowlands Season 4 I had a horrible time understanding the new dungeons (Karazhan the most) but now with Jade Serpent and some trashmobs in several dungeons I really miss the "easyness" of those dungeons.
The Season Affix is the worst I've ever seen! I used to think Blizzard wanted to learn, they wanted player achievements! What good is an M+ KSM if it's only made for 2% of all players! That 2% can then pay Blizzard's bills! It's partially overtuned to the point of no more! Too high difficulty is the problem other MMO's have failed with and if Blizzard continues like this they will be next!
my greatest issue is with the affix...yes, ik it would be pointless if merely grounded nearbybut there hasn't been a single proc i have moved, if the group wants to clear it fine otherwise gl healer
I don't care that much about specific dungeons balance, as all the players face the challenge equally. It's the class/spec balance that worries/frustrates me the most and it's nowhere near fair game right now. I'm reluctant to bring my devastation evoker to +16 and higher, because I just don't feel like the damage is up to the level there. Not even the hero/lust thing can make up for the raw damage lack. Unless somehow I would overgear it via heroic/mythic raids and get that OP staff from the broodkeeper - neither is an option for me, since my guild can't even kill the broodkeeper on normal yet. Not to mention you can't be expected to have a drop from a pre-final boss in raids to do m+Difficult or overtuned instances are not TOO bad an issue, since it's a fair game for everyone. Class imbalance is. Priorities, people, priorities.
Thundering is boring.I want to clear it as late as possible (barring mechanics that require you to clear it). However, other players often decide "I just want to clear it asap" and runs to you as soon as it lands. Not that I blame em. A healer might want to focus. Accidental stacks in melee (especially with the screen space-devourers that's Demon Hunters). Or just not wanting to think about it.Class balance is another thing. Mostly I want ranged to be more prevalent. I don't enjoy melee-heavy groups (I'm either tank or melee DPS and I'd like to see my character once in a while. I wanna cut off the wings and remove Momentum from DHs purely to make my screen less messy). Yet nearly all groups I enter are, at least, 3 people in melee range. Then you got DHs and WWs just melting the meters without really mastering their class and those that do are goddamned untouchable. Rogues, while powerful, are not that popular it seems. Maybe they are just hoovered up by steady groups.
One of the things I really haven't enjoyed about M+ this season is that several dungeons (RLP, AA, and NO stand out in my mind) have bosses with mechanics that are so unforgiving that it can feel like they're simply impossible without extremely specific talent builds and utility. I don't think that's a good feel, personally. Like how people say that you'll wipe on Overgrown Ancient without perfectly timed AoE stuns after burst out or how many different healers just lack the tools or throughput to deal with some of the game's bleeds, like Griveous or the splinters on Overgrown Ancients.I agree with the hosts when they say that many of the Dragonflight bosses just feel like they have one mechanic too many, or they use their mechanics in too rapid of a succession. A good example of that is, again, Overgrown Ancient, where the spawn timing of the branch and germinate is just too close; my group can never kill the branch fast enough that we get the healing ring before germinate, and if we want until after germinate then burst forth happens and the tank dies from Overgrown Ancient's physical damage debuff + leshers.I also think that the new dungeons in particular feel like they were designed without the new talent system in mind for some classes. Railing on Overgrown Ancient again, I play Fury Warrior. I would LOVE to bring Shockwave to the dungeon to help with the AoE stun. But Shockwave is a capstone talent for Warriors, and I can't pick Shockwave over Spear of Bastion. Spear is just too much of my damage, and since I can't swap talents during an M+ dungeon there isn't even an option for me to take a DPS loss on that one boss to provide the utility needed. But again, class utility and its hyperspecialized nature is an ongoing problem of encounter design versus class design in my opinion.