I’m not entirely sure why this is so difficult for people to comprehend.
M+ is kind of garbage. When you look at it from every possible lens, its been poorly iterated on, has extremely limited development from its inception, the key depletion system is a joke, the affix rotation system is an even bigger joke (pushing = "I cant play until a certain week). I cannot think of any affix that adds something fun to the table. It is *“the least intrusive affixes = the best affixes”. The M+ pug community is MOBA levels of toxic (a lot of that is Blizzards fault for how its designed). And balance, while a tall task with a group of only five, has been a poor to say the least.
When we look at M+ as a whole, its an objectively poor system from a game design standpoint. It fails in so many regards where it doesn’t need too. I know a lot of players have “WoW brain” and don’t touch other games, but man the moment you look out at the grass, you realize how much greener it is.
So why then, is M+ so popular? Why isn’t raiding as big? PvP? Am I just some enlightened know - it - all who thinks he knows better than everybody? No, I’m pretty stupid. Fortunately, it doesn’t take rocket science to see why.
Mythic+ is and likely will remain the premier endgame activity for the majority of players because it requires 5 players. That’s it. That’s really it. The approachable endgame content for a game that attracts PvE players.
We can sort of lay out the progression path a lot of players likely take;
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Player has reached max level.
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Player enjoys the game enough to stick around.
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Player either takes the very casual route (happy to see new content occasionally, collects things, makes alts, transmog, queueable content etc.) or decides that they want to push into endgame content.
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“Raiding” requires a large amount of players and a level of organization. This is a no - go for a lot of players. While not entirely accurate, the perception the common gamer has of raiding in any MMO is that it’s “sweaty, time sinking, giga - hardcore extreme gaming for the biggest nerds”. Raiding outside of the occasional) pug or LFR is off - the - the - table for the player. Maybe PvP?
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PvP can be done with small groups. Problem is that the majority of people don’t play MMOs to PvP in 2024. Those that are interested are likely to give it a try and be ABSOLUTELY overwhelmed because WoW PvP in 2024 has an ABSURD skill floor. PvP is out.
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That leaves, you guessed it, M+. Varying difficulty levels, pug - able (to an extent), can be done in small bursts requiring less time commitment than raiding, rewards relevant gear and most importantly, it only needs five players. As I said, MMO’s attract PvE players primarily. M+ needs only five and less time commitment in a single setting, so it automatically wins over raiding for most.
Are there people who genuinely like M+ for what is is? Sure. Are there a LOT of players who invest most of their time in it, hate the timer, hate the over - designed dungeons, hate the key system and hate the class balance, but stick around because its a much more convenient endgame system than the alternative? Absolutely.
I decided I was done with Key pushing in SL. Its not like I never had fun. Not every pug experience is terrible. Some dungeons are reasonably designed and beating the timer in a high key with just a few seconds remaining is always a dopamine hit.
But its toooo much. I’ve met some of the most detestable people in gaming pugging mid - to - high keys. I’ve seen some of my calmest, most collected guildies at each others throats over it. I’ve seen friendships fractured over it. Its a breeding ground for vitriol, and its for that reason that I always recommend people stay the F away from it UNLESS they have a consistent, coordinated group of people they play with and get along with.
It dawned on me that M+ has a similar effect on players that MOBAs do. Sure, MOBAs can be genuinely fantastic competitive games. What they are, at their core, is great, and many people still enjoy them. HOWEVER, there is a LARGE part of the MOBA player - base (LoL is worse than DotA, but both can be bad) that are addicted to them and nothing more. You know em. I know em.
We all know at least one (or multiple) person / people who fall to MOBA addiction. It brings out the worst in them, they’re angry, they play compulsively because of the dopamine hits that come in - between the rage. They can’t admit it because the addiction is a crutch. Some people can handle these kinds of games with no issues. Some people realize that it doesn’t jive with their personality, and accept that they can’t really invest into these kind of games. But there are a lot who are unwilling to admit that its unhealthy for them.
These are the kind of people you can’t play competitive games with. Smash Bros, Street Fighter, all - off - the - table. Mario Party might be too much. Many of their qualities are great and there is a reason you remain friends, but if you’re in this kind of environment with them, that friendship may not last.
M+ is very similar. Dependent on (often random) players for your rank / score. Little consequence for screwing you over and leaving. A general feeling of “my teammates keep f’ing me over”. A ridiculous reliance on META - gaming that even the pro players admit isn’t relevant to 99% of the community. Very repetitive. Its the perfect formula for bringing out the worst in somebody.
So OP, you’re completely right and completely wrong. Relevant, endgame - small group content was an ENORMOUS boon for World of Warcraft. There’s a plethora of players who only play because this exists. M+ has massively increased the pool of players who tackle endgame content.
The system itself though, is the problem. Think of M+ as a Cheeseburger, and raiding or PvP as more “exotic” foods. Those can be hard no’s for a lot of people, and even those who do like them, they can be an acquired taste. A cheeseburger though. Sure not everybody likes em, but its a pretty safe bet that a TON of people like Cheeseburgers. They got to endgame, saw these bizarre foods in raiding and PvP, probably thought this game just wasn’t for them but than BAM, Blizzard introduces Cheeseburgers. Content for the majority.
Early on, that Cheeseburger was pretty plain, but had a lot of potential. People were still figuring out what kind of ingredients to put on it. It wasn’t always good, but Blizzard had a future in Burger Buis.
Fast forward multiple expansions and the meat has rotted. The cheese is moldy. The buns are stale. There’s been a focus on all of the OTHER ingredients. Sure, its a fancy burger. There’s like, 20 different things on it. There is a LOT to it. Some weeks, its got cinnamon, maple syrup and creme fraiche on it, others it has oysters, gasoline and anchovies. It may be WAY to much for most. It might taste awful. It might not go down easy and it may have you cursing your life decisions on the toilet when you’re done, but it is STILL A CHEESEBURGER, and most people, eat Cheeseburgers.
TLDR: Relevant small group PvE content for endgame players was a massive positive for the game, and will always have more widespread appeal than raiding or PvP. The actual system itself however, is an abomination by almost every metric. I strongly believe that its popularity is entirely down to its accessibility, and not its quality. It shood be nuked from orbit and replaced with a similar system without all of the needless potholes.