My suspicion is that this is the case for many in the 22-2300 range, perhaps they could be better if they had more time to run keys, maybe they attained that +18 or 19 a couple of months ago, then were content to run the easier 15s for vault since, due to time constraints or what have you.
yeah, thatâs definitely true. iâm in the mid-2300s and only have half my 20s done. itâs a mix of a lot of factors, but the biggest one lately is just not being as enthusiastic about pugging at 20 as i was at 15-17. practice is the biggest thing, just running the keys over and over until you stop making silly mistakes â which is much less frustrating when youâre with a steady group of cool people and not random pugs. iâve improved way more pushing from 2200-2300 than i did going 0-2k.
I run about 15-20 keys a week, but a lot of them end up being carry runs for alts/not having the right covenants for serious attempts. For some reason, Iâm on the third tyrannical week with scheduling conflicts as well which isnât helping.
Could always hit me up if youâd like a more consistent tank. My usual play times are 5-9pm, I run a lot with guild and generally in discord.
Billion#1444
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nice, Iâll add you when i get home! my key character is Pyrii on Borean Tundra (251 resto, kyrian). i have a tank pal i was running with sometimes but our schedules didnât sync up so he finished his 20s without me. my schedule isnât super predictable but if Iâm on and not in raid Iâm usually down to heal keys
I drive truck, so my schedule can be wonky too, but if Iâm going to get online, itâs pretty much always in that time frame.
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I just checked where my gear was about 2 months ago, and it was in the 236 to 237 range. If people were pushing 18s and 19s at both that gear level and without the covenant buffs that came in, Iâd argue thatâs more impressive than doing a 18 or 19 now.
The honest answer is thereâs not really a reason to care about pushing above 15âs and doing some 16âs simply due to that being they key you have. My highest timed keystone as done a little over 2 months ago with harder affixes than we currently have right now, while I was 12 itemlevels lower.
The 15-16 range just has the issue of players that legitimately know what theyâre doing and donât care about pushing, and those that struggle a lot to get KSM because theyâre not sure what theyâre doing and they blame their mistakes on everyone else in the group.
Yep, exactly my point. I wonder if there arenât many who had the skill to time a couple of respectable keys a couple of months ago, but for whatever reason (perhaps simply general disinterest in Shadowlands) have either stopped playing or chose not to continue to push for reasons that you described.
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If mythic raiding wasnât a thing, and I didnât have a guild at the moment, I wouldâve quit a long time ago.
It also helps to have a key group, or at least 3-4 players all the time. Pretty damn hard to pug 20s as a non meta dps too.
Tbh there isnât much going for this game unless youâre playing with friends. In CN we had a lot of player quit pretty early into the patch. Felt just as bad in 9.1 and the lack of content/stagnation of progress killed an entire guild I was in, in one raid night, a week or two into sylvanas attempts on heroic.
The lack of balance at the top end seems pretty disheartening too. I have a 229 ww monk alt and with a bit of practice Iâm sure itâs be way more valuable than my DK. Blizzard is too busy removing emotes and adding fruit too care about providing some meaningful balancing though.
I donât know how many more mythic painsmith wipes I can last at this point -_-
/end rant
i think the key owner gets to experience all the risk and puts in the time building the team. so âsomeâ carrying is fair.
with that in mind, members joining should be aware of what theyâre joining.
but some carrying is fair.
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Sometimes people even write âmy key your carryâ in the description. 
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Well yes, usually key holders invite people who are better than them to their groups, so theyâre usually carried a little. But they shouldnât be doing less damage than the healer, thatâs goofy.
We do the work of creating groups with solid comps and members, you do the work of being a solid member.
My key, your carry!
i donât think most people mind as long as that expectation is communicated clearly up front