My first impression of the ilvl squish discussion was there was a sense of wanting to do things better this time around. And while I am generally more in the NoChanges lane as a player, I can respect developers who were there the first time around having that perspective.
Without context I would probably be pretty skeptical of it. Having said that, the specific problems being solved - namely (1) toc lack of content and (2) icc power creep - are certainly real issues. And ToC content is especially a concern now that heroic and normal will share lockouts. I think an ilvl squish is a creative solution.
I see it as two problems but with three outcomes:
- People will run Ulduar more;
- ICC gear will have less power creep; and
- ICC will be harder.
I think the first is net positive - Ulduar tends to be a beloved raid. Healers will complete more Valanyrs. We will have to see if Ulduar grows stale after 8 months or so but I am already bored of ToC and it hasnt come out yet so I call this a win.
The second comes with class balance consequences. We tend to remember the negatives - i.e. warrior / paladin 2s - but when no one will reach their ilvl 277 potential, it could be disappointing for those with rose tinted memories about the end of the expansion. I call this a mixed bag and don’t love it.
The third outcome is sort of a bonus I guess. In the context of ICC with its stacking raid buff over time, I don’t know that this will be an insurmountable hurdle. It might take longer than is fun for casual guilds to get thru the content, which could be a negative. But I think giving the first week’s raiders a bit more of a challenge is fine - especially for the final tier as a last hurrah. It’s hard to know how much of an impact we are actually talking, but as a concept I like it.