The idea of achieving max renown over a 20-week period is excellent. With the long seasonal cycle, Blizzard needs a way to maintain player engagement while developing the next season’s content. A progressive renown system tied to weeks is a solid solution. However, the current renown rewards seem to follow the old philosophy that “gear is the ultimate reward” or that “rewards must scale up over time.” I believe this approach is flawed and detrimental to the game’s longevity. Many successful games in the market don’t follow this design. Here are my thoughts:
1. Early Access to Upgradeable Gear
The gear upgrade system and crest cap effectively limit when players “finish” gearing up. However, when players acquire decent Normal gear but fail to get Heroic or Mythic upgrades for a long time, it can be frustrating. Providing an early-season option for players to choose and upgrade a piece of gear—similar to the Artifact Weapon in Legion or the Heart of Azeroth in BFA—would be a better approach. For example, players could receive their first upgradeable piece of gear at Renown 2 or 3. This gear could then be upgraded throughout the season and serve as a BiS item of their choice.
Currently, however, the reward design makes this less impactful. Players nearing max renown, who have already unlocked Crest achievements, will simply skip Normal and Heroic crests to upgrade directly to Mythic item levels. In this scenario, offering gear that can be upgraded multiple times loses its meaningful progression. It might as well just be a Mythic-level token.
2. Convenience Features Placement
Utility features, like self-resurrection, mailbox access, or auction house access, don’t need to be locked behind early renown tiers. Early-game challenges like corpse runs and resource preparation are part of the excitement of progression and don’t detract from the difficulty of opening weeks. These conveniences are more beneficial during the farm phase when players are looping through alt runs and repeating content. By then, players would greatly appreciate time-saving tools.
For example, these features could be placed in higher renown tiers, similar to how teleportation perks are handled now. Additionally, convenience features could offer consumables (e.g., alchemy daily lottery potions or flasks) to encourage players to engage with alts during downtime. This would not only extend player activity and engagement but also promote alt play, enabling veterans to guide newcomers while diversifying their gameplay experience.
3. Cosmetic Rewards as Motivation
If Blizzard is concerned that convenience-focused renown rewards won’t sufficiently motivate players to grind renown, higher renown levels could feature desirable cosmetic rewards—such as pets, mounts, or transmog sets. These items would serve as long-term goals for collectors and provide a satisfying sense of accomplishment for players nearing max renown.
4. Personal Loot with Renown Integration
I believe personal loot is superior to group loot and could be further enhanced by integrating it with renown. For example, renown levels could provide players with an additional “roll chance” when they don’t receive loot (similar to the old bonus roll system, but universally available). As players progress in renown, the odds of getting loot from this roll could increase, giving them a tangible reward for their renown investment.