At this point in the game, the percentage buff isn’t necessary. Most players have 6-piece gear and significantly better overall gear, making the raid much easier than it was early on. The difficulty was front-loaded, but now with proper gearing, encounters are far more manageable. If a group is still struggling, it’s likely due to execution and coordination issues rather than tuning problems.
Some argue that SE isn’t scaled properly, but the reality is, the raid was designed and tuned for the gear that drops within it. Early on, players entered with a mix of AQ, Naxx, and ZG gear, which made encounters feel harder. But as players geared up, the raid naturally became easier—which is how progression is supposed to work.
While bringing 30+ players isn’t necessary now, it’s understandable that guilds recruited heavily at the start to ensure stability and flexibility in rosters. However, as time goes on, the natural cycle of player turnover will take effect, and raid sizes will likely decrease as more players start quitting SoD or moving on. Eventually, most guilds will settle into the intended 20-player structure as the game stabilizes and the demand for extra bodies fades. The tuning isn’t the issue—it’s just the natural cycle of MMO raiding.
Taking six weeks to clear a boss isn’t a failure—it’s how high-end raiding has always worked. Just look at Naxxramas 40 in vanilla; that raid took far longer to be fully cleared, and it wasn’t because of poor tuning, but because it was genuinely challenging and required preparation, execution, and progression. Overcoming difficulty without nerfs or buffs is a testament to player skill—not something that should be dismissed.
Some call for a scaling buff similar to ICC, arguing it’s “optional.” But historically, when Blizzard has introduced these buffs, almost no one turns them off. There’s no incentive for groups to handicap themselves, and even high-end guilds rarely disable them. Calling it “optional” ignores the fact that it effectively becomes a baseline change, softening the difficulty rather than providing a true choice.
SE is in a great spot. More and more groups are full clearing, and the fights are already tuned to a reasonable level. Bosses are dropping in under three minutes, proving that progression has stabilized. At this point, it’s about refining execution and enjoying the content as it was meant to be played—not demanding unnecessary buffs or nerfs.
SE doesn’t need to be changed. The raid is functioning as intended, and players who focus on adapting their strategies, improving execution, and utilizing the gear they’ve earned will find success. No buffs, no nerfs—just proper progression.