Legion’s fast-paced patch cycle and the grind that never ends

By Rachelle Riddle

Legion has been unprecedented in the amount of content put out, a direct response to the negative experience in the previous expansion. Warlords of Draenor suffered from lack of end-game content, which led to loads of alts to fill the time, as well as stagnation once the last patch content drought kicked in. To fix the problem of Warlords, Blizzard swung the opposite way on the pendulum to deliver a more enjoyable playing experience. However, when Blizzard swings the opposite way, it doesn't always work for the better. Sometimes we just need things in moderation.

Blizzard's mantra for Legion is that they always want something for you to do. No matter what you're doing, you're progressing your character in some way. There is a singular focus on your main, you are always working, always "on." Perhaps this was exacerbated by the RNG and Artifact Power grind that has been present in the expansion. Constant patch content ensures that you can never relax. Right when you get close to finishing something, something else comes out which starts the grind again.

The Netherlight Crucible had good intentions, but it started up the Artifact Power grind again that so many players loathe and we have a new threshold of 75 traits per spec before we can consider ourselves set. Tomb of Sargeras is a great raid, but it was heavily overshadowed by Argus going on the PTR a mere week after it released. Paragon reps made it so you're never done with them. The Argus dailies reset multiple times a day, as do Order Hall missions. Just when you get to the mid-point during a raid cycle where you feel you can relax again, a new zone comes out with brand new requirements. Broken Shore did it to Nighthold, Argus did it to Tomb of Sargeras. We're expecting an expansion announcement at BlizzCon, which likely leaves us with a year of Antorus...again. Had these patches been more spread out, perhaps they would feel more natural and less overbearing.

I feel like Mists of Pandaria had the perfect mix between dailies and raiding. Dailies were truly once a day and you could do them at any time of the day and stop once you got to exalted with the factions. Timeless Isle was a perfect version of a new zone — we could go exploring at will, do a smattering of dailies, and play an alt or two. Legion, on the other hand, has felt like content has been thrown at us and any leisure time is accidental.

Several nights a week, I raid for a few hours and then do world quests for another few hours. I don't even do Broken Isles world quests anymore, just Argus and emissaries.  This is what Blizzard wants, always progressing your character. Sometimes I like to do things like transmogs, old raids, or alts, but I never have time because because I'm either progressing in raid or progressing outside of it. "Always progressing" means you're never done. I miss when raid progression happened inside the raid and the open world was more leisurely. Yes, Warlords was egregious in its lack of content and content drought. But we just needed a small stream to quench our thirst, not a tsunami.