World of Warcraft: Dragonflighthas undoubtedly been a well-received expansion among its players, but Week 2 ofDragonflight’s inaugural Mythic Season experienced an even steeper drop than that ofShadowlands. With Echo seizing theWorld First Kill for Mythic Raszagethin Vault of the Incarnates, all eyes have now turned towards Mythic Keystone dungeons. Ever since its introduction inLegion, Mythic+ has become a permanent fixture inWorld of Warcraft’s endgame, and the popularity of these high-difficulty dungeons has gone on to rival even the traditional raids.
When it comes to Mythic Keystones, the personal enjoyment factor for mostWorld of Warcraftplayers is strongly tied towards a Mythic+ dungeon’s weekly affixes. Unfortunately, the affixes Blizzard intended for Week 2 ofDragonflightSeason 1 have been rather painful, to say the least. There are frequent examples of players takingthree hours to complete Ruby Life Poolson higher keys, and while Mythic Keystones aren’t meant to be easy given the power level of the gear they award, having over 200 deaths isn’t a fun experience for anyone.
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This seems to be reflected in the actual numbers, asWorld of Warcraftdungeon runs inDragonflighthave dropped severely going from Week 1 to Week 2. The graph was compiled and posted by Nora the Destroyer on the officialWorld of Warcraftsubreddit, and it shows that from 3.2M completed Mythic+ dungeons in Week 1, there have only been 1.8M Mythic+ dungeon runs in the following week. This drop has madeDragonflight’s numbers appear lower when compared toShadowlandsSeason 1. While this is certainly no cause for concern, it should nonetheless be important to examine the factors behind the drop.
IfWorld of Warcraftfans had to choose between bashing their heads against the merciless affixes of Week 2 in overtuned dungeons such as Ruby Life Pools, versus enjoying a calm holiday week with family and friends, the vast majority would prefer the latter. One can’t help but wonder if Blizzard decided to push the hardest set of affixes precisely on the one week when the lack of player engagement was justified. After all, the season is young, and there are plenty of opportunities for players to push towards Keystone Master inDragonflight.
The numbers for Week 3 are going to hold some interesting implications for player engagement inWorld of Warcraft, as the combination of Fortified, Sanguine, and Volcanic should make things significantly easier for healers and Mythic+ groups overall. Whether the numbers bounce back or continue a downward trend will do little to temper Blizzard’s confidence inDragonflight, as theroadmap forWorld of Warcraftin 2023promises six content patches of varying sizes. On the other hand, it may cause the developers to rethink some of more annoying affixes such as Grievous.
World of Warcraft: Dragonflightis available now for PC.
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