This is accurate. The +2 to +11 range of keys was ULTRA dead in DF S2, and basically the entire range below max Vault loot previously was similarly ultra dead.
The squish accomplished what it needed to. The problem is that the current +2 to +6 range is worthless as well thanks to Delves just being better, which just leaves us in this weird predicament where we essentially got two key squishes at once, because not only is the previously-dead +2 to +11 range gone, but now the +12 to +16 range of keys is dead too except thatâs because they basically fill the same role that the old +2 to +11 range did.
Keys basically only start at the equivalent of an old +17 now.
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It wouldnât have been so bad if they didnât time game M+ for an extra week or two while fully opening Delves. A lot of people would have still done delves for gear, but many more people would have started keys on the lower end. For S2, they need to increase the difficulty of Delves to follow their own stated philosophy of difficulty = reward. The changes to Crest acquisition is also going to have an impact on which keys are âpopularâ.
Letâs not forget everyoneâs fav, quaking during stack up mechanics. That was so dumb. lol.
I think the only time delves can be considered a challenge is if you do them completely solo. Even then, not likely a massive challenge.
Lol, yeah. Do you also remember when Bolstering used to affect bosses if you pulled a pack into the fight?
Thatâs my favorite part of quaking. Venn diagrams are works of art.
I was thinking the SMBG stack in the puddle to not get sucked in.
There are multiple puddles.
And getting sucked in does nothing.
I found delves to be easier solo then with a group, like how visions in BFA were. I got the Mad world achievement (5 mask full clear on both Org and SW visions). The thing some overlook is wen you add more people, you add more points of failure so while it can be easier with more people, unless they are brining the top skill needed they can make it so much harder.
I do remember doing the Visions solo more than a group. I donât think I ever bothered with delves after I out geared them. Youâre most likely right though.
This has been the case in this game for as long as Iâve been playing, and I started in late BC.
M+ changed endgame reward incentives far more than it changed the player base or the player baseâs expectations.
Yes, like why you think 20 levels is better than ten?
They added keys without timers like the players asked for. And removed the slogged of leveling your key up for the first ten levels.
I agreeâŚthe community already had designated keystone brackets where it was understood - âthese are for learningâ and it was a much more approachable system for pushing keys. The option to have gradual progression was there if you wanted it - and if not, you could skip keystone levels easily (which iâve done multiple times).
Thereâs more than just keystone levels in my opinion, but squishing them was not good. Community was already fleshing itself out, but the dev team under Ion is way too hands on with literally everything.
This team would try to balance Chess if they inherited it. 
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Literally just go back to Season 3 DF, problem solved.
Removal of the lower brakets was a massive mistake, and the reasoning for it made zero sense if you spent more then 10 min to logically think about it.
â1-10 has lower participationâ Well no duh, of course it did, it is meant to. Imagine you had a flight of stairs and you were told to run up that flight as fast as you can. Most people are going to move the fastest across the first few steps because they have the most energy, but then the further up the steps they got, the more tired they get. That makes sense. Thats how M+ worked. People would zip past 1-10 and start slowing down the further up the steps they went.
By knocking out the first 10 levels, it would be like taking away the first ten steps of the stairs, and then acting shocked when most people cant even start or people dont even bother because they dont wanna have to jump up ten stairs or they cant.
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Donât remind me of SL S1.
At least I got marrowfang out of a roughly 70 min run of Necrotic Wake.
When has this not been WoW?
Only difference is, I donât need a guild and fixed schedule to raid to get loot any more.
People still barely knew how to play the game in late TBC, at least the majority.
Now people have optimized all the âfunâ in the game to get to endgame as quickly as possible and then complain they have nothing to do afterwards.
When people barely knew how to play the game.
Upper Kara was hell but Lower Kara 20 on Tyranical was a special kind of hell.
Almost comparable to Seat of the Triumvate. Almost
For crest farming itâs not. If you just want the weekly vault then sure Delves is better and if u get lucky with maps significantly better.
Only almost worthless level I would agree upon is +2 keys because it gets almost instantly replaced even at the start of the season. Unless youâre super casual might as well start the grind at 3 and higher.
My main and this toon still needs them. I got pretty lazy for a few weeks.