Why don't people like domination shards?

Community General Discussion
1

So, I’m hearing people are complaining about domination shards. Do they really “not like domination shards” or is it more that they want old-style tier bonuses instead?

I mean the bonuses to the shards are pretty apparent:

  1. The ability isn’t tied to a single slot or number of pieces
  2. They’re front-loaded with potential longevity bonuses if you raid a lot
  3. They clearly differentiate raid rewards from Valor and Research grinds
  4. They are varied enough that you can choose different buffs depending on your skill and play style (survivability, speed, damage, etc.)

So, what are the disadvantages?

  1. They’re not like old tier bonuses that change class abilties (which conduits do now)?
  2. They’re not frozen until you run the next level of raid?
  3. You have to carry them around and swap them?
  4. You “have to raid” and can’t just do mythics?

Just curious.

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2

how come u get so many levala and dont pick horde yet ! !

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3

I finally got my last domination socket piece of gear this last week because rng.

That why.

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4

But RNG affects all gear. I finished more than one expansions with incomplete tier sets and only completed them soloing later.

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5

Yes but domination sockets also contribute a large amount of DPS. When you are screwed out of them you underperform. The only reason I have had a raid spot is my guild is casual.

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6

I haven’t had the option to pick horde yet. I’ve just gotten to where we’ve discovered the ship that crashed into the turtle. I’ve been leveling part time in heirloom gear, so I’m always rested.

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7

How are you getting screwed out of them? I’ve got almost all of them and I don’t play that many hours per week. Do you not raid or do LFR? They’re a raiding-specific bonus, like tiers used to be. Some come from world bosses.

I mean you could have done heroic once and called it, I don’t know how much you raid.

8

Unironically asking a heroic raider if they raid LFR.

Why are you defending something so bad?

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9

I’m asking what’s bad. I see nothin but an upside to them.

10

Have you tried using your eyes? I mean they’re typically used for seeing.

11

My issue with shards is rather simple…
Blizzard is following “One size fits all” approach.

With Tier sets, it is unique for every class and every spec. And it’s a set. A goal. Something to strive to.

As WotLK veteran myself, I will never forget getting 4/5 T10 all at 251 and passing up on 264 pieces as bonuses were hecka more valuable.

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12

You mean to snoop on people’s accounts? Not often. I feel the argument should be separate from the individual player.

13

Okay so this is the answer it seems like I’m hearing most. There’s nothing intrinsically wrong with the shards themselves, people are just upset that they aren’t tier sets. I mean a lack of tier sets is a valid complaint but not an argument against shards.

14

Before they made all the socket pieces give all the bonuses, people were getting stuck without a bonus or having to use a terribly sub par bonus because of rng.

I got the piece to unlock the bonus I needed the week before they made that change three months in… Because I farmed LFR for weeks and pugged into normals.

But I am an adult with a life outside of the game and don’t have time to run LFR and normal and heroic every week. Hence I only got my last piece last week.

No. I mean you are saying you don’t see why the system is bad. It’s fairly obvious why it’s bad, anyone with two braincells to rub together knows why it’s bad. If you can’t see then you obviously aren’t using your eyes (or your brain). You should try that.

2 Likes
15

Basically, some are able to get the shard quickly. And some are not.

My mage and warrior got all 9 in two weeks, however, my dk after over a month still only has 2 frost and 1 blood and they’re not even the dps shards…

Not only that, it took a month to even be able to get domination set pieces. People dislike them because of how unreliable the drops are. Some have gone on to even describe (on Twitter with mythic raiders) that they were benched because they still don’t have access to either the sets, the shards or both for optimal play. While you may be lucky (and me for my warrior and mage) there’s just as much people out there who are not so lucky at all.

6 Likes
16

Well, yes & no.
Bottom line, shards work. There are quite a few limitations in place.
Domination slots are locked behind certain slots. A lot of people had to recraft their lego’s just to free up a slot.

If you want dom shards, you cannot use Head/Shoulders/Chest/Boots. At all.
You also get what, 2-3 shards per spec? Healer shards are trashy too.

It is just not fulfilling. Do you know? It’s an easy damage% slap on.
Previous tier sets focused on classes and their abilities. Shards are just plain boring.

Just my 2 cents.

4 Likes
17

Okay, that seems like a reasonable complaint. I don’t push as hard as many people so the change was already made before I started caring about the sockets.

18

That’s kind of what conduits do, now. Would have been cool if they made conduits a little more interesting class-wise.

19

it kind of is, though? you need three pieces of dom gear AND the same three shards to get it to work

I was on the train that dom gear = tier sets, but after almost finishing this tier, I can say they are far, far from it. i like tier sets, I miss them, and I hope they return. this system was…very poor. it took me almost a month to get all the shards I needed. and that’s full clearing heroics every week. until sylv dropped a shard every kill, I don’t know how long it would’ve taken me to get them all.

2 Likes
20

I think I’m starting to see the disconnect. The way I play, a month is really no time at all to get stuff. So it’s people who don’t take their time and play slow like me who hate them.