M+ System Rework (Suggestion)

Gameplay Dungeons, Raids and Scenarios
1

Clipping this out of a different thread because I like the idea, might as well give it a more broad forum for consideration.

Random thought, would you (directed at the community as well) be more interested in having a system that allows you to complete keystones without a timer, but you don’t gain any IO score for doing it?

Example, you list a +15 weekly no leaver, you’re OBVIOUSLY not going to time the key, so you don’t really care about the score from doing it. What you’re after is the valor and gear from it.

Would an easy fix just be removing the timer, and then removing the score pairing to it as well? If the key gets bricked so be it, you’re there to complete it.

There would have to be a secondary drawback to this as well, example being the key level doesn’t go up, but instead will go down by a key level after being completed. This will prevent the abuse mechanic of buying a 15 key, then rotating on it all week for gear.

You won’t gain score for it, but you’ll be able to complete what is quite literally a “weekly” key, scoop your loot, then you’ll get another +15 from your vault.

The only benefit from doing a higher level keystone is the higher gear drops, so if you really want to slam out +2’s all week you can, but this would incentivize the community to invite people who are competent, even non-meta, and alts, to come crank out a weekly key and comp it. If someone leaves, nbd just restart the run key doesn’t deplete or degrade until it’s been completed.

Is this a viable solution? I’d love feedback on it.

Example gameplay loop -

Right click, toggle the key to “completion”. List group for a completion key, grab some geared players that catch your eye, and run it for loot. Key is completed, degrades by 1 level and rerolls to a new dungeon.

If you decide hey I want to push the key up a bit, you right click and toggle into “timer” mode, push the key up by +1 +2 or +3 (like we’re used to).

The only difference is the “timer” key will grant score, degrade, or upgrade based on the timer (which is the current gameplay loop), while the “completion” key will only degrade once the key has been completed.

2

I’m having a hard time understanding how this is different than the current system. Is it literally just a toggle that tries to attract players that won’t leave if the key goes sour?

3

It’s a defined mode that allows you to get gear / valor without the “well what if someone bricks my key” issue.

Hyper tl;dr

AverageLock is a raid logging heroic / early mythic prog raider, they don’t really enjoy doing keys, but are kinda unable to stay competitive in their progression team because of unlucky loot drops, so they are a little forced to do the content for that reason.

AverageLock has a 16 key from when they did a weekly vault key with the guild, but doesn’t have anyone online to do the keys with, so they decide to pug it.

BoostedMage is a key runner that isn’t that great, but will gladly use their inflated IO score to sign-up to higher keys. AverageLock doesn’t know any better, so they invite BoostedMage and a handful of other people to a key listed as “+16”

BoostedMage dies to the first boss frontal, leaves the key immediately. AverageLock is now left with a +15 key and no loot for his time investment.

AverageLock re-lists the key as a +15 weekly no leaver, invites a handful of people, and the key goes great. Some IRL stuff happens and the healer has to leave, so now AverageLock has a +14 key - again, with no loot for his time investment.

– You can see where I’m going with this. –

With a system like this, AverageLock can just post his +16 key as a “completion” or “no timer” key, run it with whoever until the key is completed, collect his loot chance or even just a weekly vault, then move onto something else.

I can probably list 30 more reasons why this is a good thing to have, but that’s the best example I can give on short notice.

There is absolutely zero drawback to this that I can think of, and it’ll bring a lot more people into the key scene that honestly may be scared of doing keys because of the timer.

First time doing a key? No problem, list it as a completion key and you’ll get some experience with the mechanics. Want to learn how to do +10 affixes? Great, list it as a completion key and learn the +10 affixes, you might get a handful of higher io player alts, but there will be absolutely zero conflict within this key outside of the time investment to attempt it.

If anything, this is the single best solution we can do with the current system to both fix the bricking keys issue, bring in new life to the m+ keys system, and win/win it for both raiders and key junkies alike.

4

If you’re going to no leaver it anyway, then who cares whether there is a timer or not?

I do, however, believe there should be a way to practice a key. Lot’s to learn in keys without any real place to learn, it’s very overwhelming for new players, especially tanks. It would be great to be able to practice any key you have, that way you can get a feel for the key and then go on to actually chase the timer.

5

People don’t read the title, life happens, internet goes out, etc. Having the ability to lock it, such a simple change, will completely negate any “oops” that could happen over the course of a key.

That’s something I mentioned in the above response post, having the ability to practice keys or just have an “entry” to some of these more intense mechanics (things that are currently blocking people from wanting to do keys) is nothing if not entirely beneficial to everyone involved.

Plus it’s literally a toggle, it doesn’t change the current system of m+, it just adds an option.

6

This would get abused to no end. How would you prevent the abuse and degenerate gameplay?

7

I explained this in the main post as well

Completing a “locked” or “completion” keystone will give no io score and will degrade the key by 1 level + reroll it after it’s been completed.

You can run it however much you want, but until you kill the final boss and collect the loot from it, the key will stay exactly the same, at which point it will reroll and degrade by 1 level.

This means you can’t sell it for io, and the gearing is basically the same as farming for valor all day - you still need score to upgrade it, so it incentivizes doing actual score keys, or running higher keys to get the higher level loot drops by default.

It’s the exact same key too, so you can run it at a 15 for the loot on completion, then once it rerolls to a 14 you can just toggle it to a timer key, push it back up, and continue rotating on it.

Abusing it for gear is literally an after-thought, we do this already, and valor is uncapped on the 14th. It’s all win/win.

It also helps alleviate (doesn’t negate it entirely) the meta-only mentality we’re in. You can pull whoever you want for your comp keys, since you’re just going to try and complete it anyways, and there’s no risk outside of time investment to complete the key.