Delves are amazing. I like doing them solo, testing my merit in tiers up to 11 on different characters (though at this point doing 8 of them a week for full vault can be consuming as I no longer need champion gear from them, but still would like a full vault).
However, I’m not here to talk about how much I like Delves, but why I specifically like Delves and how I see the potential good impact they are causing for the player base via my perspective and experience with this game. I started playing in BC and got all the way to Hyjal raid as a 16/17 y/o kid. In WotLK I was in a progression guild and pounded through Nax 10/25 along with Ulduar. Then real life started. I got a job, had to work a lot, met new friends. I got pulled away from WoW a lot and had to stick with PvP as what I thought was my only means of time well spent. (I didn’t have hours to spend in raid, but could find a quick partner to heal in 2s or 3s if I wanted). Fast forward to Legion and I thought “Heck yeah, I can do some PvE again that’s not super time consuming!”, but the game had evolved at that point and so had life as well and I tried to keep up progression wise and just never could do enough Mythic+s in time to remain a good candidate for the raids I was looking at. So, after realizing this, in SL, I PREPARED. I did all the M0s that first week, and was putting in so much time and I even got to raid! I killed Sire Denathrius on normal after pugging into a group one night after my guild’s raid didn’t go so hot. I felt good, but the next week another person filled my raid spot cus their ilvl was way above me (at the time a rogue), because what? I shafted myself by not doing enough M+ the week before. I left WoW again cus w/e and returned from time to time to try and collect mogs from LFR. DF went similar but I went the PvP route instead and just got bored after a few weeks running the same RBGs and waiting in queues for Solo Shuffle.
However, Delves have made TWW an amazing experience for me. I’ve not run as many M+s as I want, but the delves have allowed me to keep up with progression by being able to login do a Delve and log out during times I don’t even have 30+ min to play. No queuing for M+s for 30 min to get in the group and waste my time or get fearful I wont have time anymore and just log off. I’m in a progression guild again due to being able to maintain an ilvl/dps needed to remain current (I’m actually top 2-3 dps in each pull in my preferred class which I know is performing well right now), but it feels awesome to be able to play ALL the content I want to play again cus I can keep up during the limited time I have to play outside of pre-determined raid nights I have scheduled around.
Maybe it’s me now being in my 30s having better time management, or maybe Delves have allowed me to pop on for 30 min to get a decent piece of gear, but my experience of this x-pack has been amazing and I think it’s because of Delves allowing me this. Perhaps I’m wrong, though. The raid seems easier than what I’ve experienced in the past, but I can get into higher M+s cus my ilvl from that initial delves boost.
Sorry, I’ve written a book here (it’s part of my nature), but I wanted others’ opinions on this train of thought. I understand maybe some gear from delves is too high (t8 better than heroic raid vault is wild), but I think delves allow more people to maintain an ilvl needed for progression allowing a lot more players to participate in all of the content TWW has to provide. Thoughts? Agreements? Arguments against? Really interested in what others are thinking.
