When World of Warcraft Dragonflight season two started on May 9, I didn’t have much to do except to run a couple of Mythic+ dungeons a day to increase my rating. It was hard to pinpoint what exactly changed this season, but when I read Max “Maximum” Smith’s tweet explaining how Blizzard Entertainment is simply catering too much to seasonal players, it became clear this could harm the game in the long run.
If you were like me and couldn’t be separated from Dragonflight in season one, you most likely started the new season with 420 item-level gear and immediately jumped into Heroic Aberrus, the Shadowed Crucible, and +15 runs. Before you know it, you have your bags full of Shadowflame Crests, and your bucket list for this season is already ticked off. You’re not alone.
Hundreds of other “full-time” WoW players are suffering from this same issue. Team Liquid’s raid leader and guild master nailed down the cause of this problem perfectly, explaining that Dragonflight season two can be completed quickly and “there isn’t much to strive for” if you’re a dedicated player.
If Blizzard continues down this path and only caters to seasonal players who just come back to the game to check out the new patch, WoW could be doomed. Full-time players could find their new home in games like Final Fantasy or League of Legends and never look back, just because there isn’t enough to keep them hooked.
With the most dedicated WoW players leaving, the game could truly become purely seasonal, which is virtually dead between patches and only has a tourist player base who occasionally return. Back in the golden days of WoW, you could easily spend days without showering just to get a couple of more minutes of playing.
Now, the game really doesn’t have a hook that will keep you, especially if you’ve reached the maximum item level, got your Mythic+ rating, and progressed through the raids. You could always run old dungeons and raids if you’re a completionist, but farming irrelevant dungeons for pretty transmogs and mounts can’t keep you intrigued forever.
In the first week of Dragonflight season two, I already earned my Keystone Master achievement and my gear upgrades, capped my Shadowflame Crests, and unlocked all the gear I could from open-world quests and activities. The next week it was Keystone Hero, and again, I capped all currencies.
If the dungeon balancing wasn’t so wonky and out-of-place at the beginning of the season, I could have gotten an extra 100 Mythic+ rating. Then, I took a break from the game and only came back for Patch 10.1.5 to check out Dawn of the Infinite. Once I’m done with my progress, I can comfortably enjoy other games—a benefit, I suppose, but I’d rather be enjoying WoW.
I believe all long-term WoW players are going through the same, largely because this season’s inclusions are simply too easy to complete, especially when compared to the difficulties we were used to with previous seasons. So, of course, we’re moving on and trying other games.
The reason why Dragonflight didn’t meet our expectations and has been underwhelming, and had easy seasons can be traced back to the release of Diablo 4. The season started a month before Diablo 4’s release. So, to have as many players as possible playing Diablo 4, it feels like Blizzard shortened progression and gearing and sent them packing for the Sanctuary.
Liquid’s Maximum believes Blizzard’s approach to Dragonflight seasons won’t change with season three and we’ll once again see a similar progress curve. I really hope Blizzard will rethink its choices, remember WoW’s good old days when it was the No. 1 priority, and give players who enjoy the game that much an opportunity to do so. Dragonflight reignited that WoW spark in many players, but you can’t judge an expansion by its first season.
We still have to spend a little over a year on the Dragon Isles, so, hopefully, Blizzard will make it worthwhile.
