World of Warcraft: The War Within is about to be a beauty, as Blizzard has heard our cries and is planning to make huge changes to the Mythic Keystone affix system. As per the revealed info in their official Bluepost, this is big news for anyone grinding through Mythic+ dungeons.
Blizzard is moving away from the one-size-fits-all approach that made balancing a nightmare and restricted design space. Let’s be honest, we’ve all felt the frustration of affixes that just didn’t mesh with our playstyle or group comp.
They’re reducing the total number of mechanical affixes on a keystone from two to one for players progressing through the system. This means we can focus more on the dungeon itself rather than juggling multiple affixes.
Old affixes are getting removed, Sanguine, Bolstering, Raging, and Bursting are getting the boot. Affixes that were present in the first Test of TWW: Reckless, Focused, Attuned, and Thorned are also out. These changes are designed to make the affix system more balanced and less exclusionary.
Blizzard is introducing some new thematic elements by bringing Xal’atath into the mix. Starting at keystone level +2, Xal’atath’s Bargain affixes will appear. We have two new affixes for the first test: Ascendant and Frenzied. Ascendant is particularly interesting as it rains down orbs that empower enemies but can be disrupted for player buffs. Frenzied makes non-boss enemies more dangerous and vulnerable at low health. This kind of give-and-take is precisely what we need to keep things interesting.
At keystone level +7, there will be Challenger’s Peril which is going to affect the dungeon timer. This affix subtracts 15 seconds from the timer when a player dies, rather than just 5 seconds.
IMPORTANT CHANGES
When you hit keystone level +12, Xal’atath’s Guile replaces the Bargain affixes, which increases the health and damage of dungeon mobs by 20%. On the other side, Fortified and Tyrannical now alternate between keystone levels +4 and +10 on a weekly rotation.
The New Keystone System
- Keystone levels +2 through +11:
- +2: Xal’atath’s Bargain affixes on a weekly rotation
- +4: Fortified or Tyrannical, alternating weekly
- +7: Challenger’s Peril
- +10: Fortified or Tyrannical, alternating weekly
- Keystone level +12 and up:
- Fortified
- Challenger’s Peril
- Tyrannical
- Xal’atath’s Guile replaces the weekly Bargain affix
Blizzard wants to ensure that the changes offer players a variety of ways to engage with the content. What do you think about this change? I know how it feels, especially if you’re playing healer or a tank. Let us know your thoughts on this in the comments below!
