Puzzling Cartel Chip Update (Part 1)

We’ve been closely following your feedback on our recent announcement of the upcoming Turbo Boost event. We understand that while most of the benefits of the event - such as double drop rate on Warbound-Until-Equipped gear from dungeons, or extra upgrade tiers available on all existing items - will be available immediately, the prospect of waiting three additional weeks to purchase select Liberation of Undermine items from Consultant Wrexxle is a frustrating one.

In light of that, we’re changing the structure of the quests for Puzzling Cartel Chips, so that the first week’s quest will now reward 3 Chips, enough to purchase one item immediately. The 6-quest progression will continue as planned after that, allowing each character to earn up to 9 Chips (up from 6) and purchase up to three Liberation of Undermine items.

We also want to take a moment to offer some context on the goals of the Cartel Chip currency, and how they compare to past experiments such as the Dinar system in Shadowlands Season 4, a natural point of comparison for many players.

In Shadowlands and Dragonflight Season 4, there was a very compressed season timetable that rotated through multiple raids, making it extremely unlikely for any player to get a particular raid drop. We introduced the Dinar system as a primary means of acquiring specific chase items that would otherwise be unobtainable for most players. Those seasons also weren’t about progression, but rather “farm from the start,” letting players re-experience familiar content from earlier in the expansion with updated rewards. And of course, they came at the very end of their respective expansion, with a full power reset just on the horizon, and little need to worry about the long-term implications of giving players access to gear with a power level several tiers above their normal rewards.

The middle of The War Within Season 2, however, presents a very different situation. Puzzling Cartel Chips were designed primarily as bad luck protection, allowing players who’ve been chasing specific raid items without success to have a guaranteed path to earning them. They also provide a path for players who have only done the Normal version of the raid to get a few guaranteed Hero items, without undermining a core motivation for the challenge and coordination required in Mythic raid progression. We also need to be mindful of how we will transition into the next season. Giving players who don’t normally engage in high-end content access to Item Level 680+ trinkets would essentially obsolete those slots for Season 3.

We understand that players who don’t raid, or who have no interest in Mythic raiding, are disappointed that they can’t get Myth versions of these desirable items. The Puzzling Cartel Chips system will still allow someone who only does Normal mode of Liberation of Undermine to earn, for example, a House of Cards trinket at Item Level 672 once it is fully upgraded. We hope that will be an exciting prospect for many players.

This event is an experiment on our part, aimed at giving a wide range of players a boost towards achieving their progression, collection, or power goals as we move into the second half of the season. Your feedback is deeply appreciated, and we’ll be listening and watching closely to inform any future plans.

–The WoW Development Team

47 Likes

Unlike say a 658 ring at the end of season 1… Based on the way you are increasing the ilvl veteran gear will move up to where the myth track is right now, just like it did in season 2. So you are worried that a ilvl 680 item which will be veteran/champion gear is going to make all the other season 3 gear obsolete? Do you actually buy this because it really feels more like this is a method for engagement and that is 100% fine. I am okay with hero track gear, I don’t do anything else that requires more than that. But, come on, don’t make really bad excuses like making things obsolete for the next season when the moment next season comes up out myth track gear is already obsolete.

To quote Ron Burgandy “I don’t believe you.”

184 Likes

So to be clear, all non raiders are told to take a hike still yea?

Nothing for M+ or anything?

172 Likes

Until you make it so we can purchase myth track items without going in mythic, save it.

You guys just wanted to increase mythic boosts.

194 Likes

So instead you make them useless to m+ players who don’t mythic raid

actually, mostly useless except for a subset of players who haven’t killed gally but have killed one armed, cause once you’ve killed gally, you don’t really need the gear

68 Likes

I think this is one of the fastest times Blizzard has responded to criticism.

18 Likes

Stop there criminal scum!

19 Likes

can i get non-BiS stuff for less than the 3-token cost, like just for mogs?

10 Likes

Wouldn’t the solution to be to allow Mythic+ items to also be purchasable, and set a certain dungeon threshold for Myth track purchase?

It just seems odd to create this whole system only for Raiding, when BIS Dungeon loot is just as scarce due to Vault restrictions.

107 Likes

No, not an exciting prospect. Stop. Just make it like s4 dragonflight it was better. Stop trying to force people into mythic raiding.

108 Likes

Wait isn’t the max hero track 665?

How are normal raiders getting a 672 out of this?

1 Like

Why can Normal raiders get Heroic items. But Heroic raiders can’t get a Mythic item - despite trying to contend for m+ still?

97 Likes

Considering Myth track items (such as ones acquired from the vault) will have their max track increased, that REALLY makes dinar for Hero Trinkets even more worthless.

Who is this patch for?

lmao.

63 Likes

M+ will be crying until the next expansion.

14 Likes

They are increasing the track for hero and myth items to 8/8 instead of 6/6.

3 Likes

“Responding” here means telling people they’re outta luck. Season completely ruined.

30 Likes

Ah thought that was myth only

Also kinda huge overlap of ilvls now

4 Likes

Based. Ty.

Is the unlock going to be warbound? Or character specific

3 Likes

wait so mythic items from this tier are better than season 3 gear?

9 Likes