If the war within is to be 18 months long, as has been assumed/speculated based on various hints and tells, 11.1.5 is the halfway point of the expansion. It’s time for level 79 heirlooms. They aren’t in the current build.
Heirlooms are no longer about XP bonuses (though a deep alt roster can benefit from rest management made easier by heirlooms), we have plenty of those from events, the lovely new mentor system, and so on. Heirlooms are about a reasonably current set of gear that occupies most slots, that will level with you in this new rapid leveling reality where leveling time is spent half getting to the current expansion, and half within said current expansion. A lot of leveling content scales to our current level, and so in a fast-leveling reality, a non-heirloomed alt’s gear is outdated quickly, which feels bad. Heirlooms exist to keep most of your character relatively current. Despite the often maligned item level, the idea of most gear dinging with you is still highly valued in a rapid leveling reality.
It’s time. It’s not in the current 11.1.5 build. It’s “late” if it doesn’t happen with this patch. Please either support this feature or announce its sunsetting like archaeology, so we can set expectations.
Thank you.