wow 35+ Artifact Traits Disabled for Instanced PvP S2

[Starym 3,800]

 

It seems the community outcry over the enabling of all artifact traits in instanced PvP that came with this latest patch was loud enough for Blizzard to re-think their position. Season 2 will proceed as normal so far, but the lifting of the cap will come back with Season 3, but that will come with 7.2 that brings with it a lot of other changes and additions to the Artifact Trait system as well so it seems like a much better point to introduce the PvP change.

The hotfix has already been applied to US and Oceanic servers and they'll be included in tomorrow's EU patch as well.

Ornyx (source)

Character progression is a core element of World of Warcraft, and that includes PvP. In Legion, empowering your Artifact to become stronger is a key part of character progression. When Artifact Knowledge levels were low at the beginning of the expansion, we deactivated the 35+ Artifact Traits in instanced PvP to avoid having large power gaps when compared to players who hadn't made much progress on their Artifact yet.

In Patch 7.1.5, we added several methods that allow players to catch up their Artifact progression very quickly. Brand new players can advance up to Artifact Knowledge level 15 without any research time, and existing players can mail Artifact Knowledge Compendiums to alts, which immediately bring them as high as level 20. At this point, the power gap between a player with 35+ traits in their Artifact and a player just starting out is significantly less of a concern, as the gap can be closed very rapidly. For those reasons, we felt that Patch 7.1.5 was the right time to re-open Artifact progression to PvPers who had already earned the first 34 traits.

However, we did not communicate this change (and its purpose) with enough advance notice to allow players to effectively prepare for it. Furthermore, while the improvements in Patch 7.1.5 make it much easier to unlock those final traits for new players or alternate characters, they weren't available until today. While we still believe activating these traits is the correct choice for World of Warcraft PvP, the middle of an ongoing season is not the right time to make this change.

As of a few minutes ago, we've applied a hotfix that once again disables the 35+ Artifact Traits in instanced PvP on North American and Oceanic servers. In other regions, this hotfix will be applied with the patch. The 35+ Artifact Traits will remain disabled for Legion PvP Season 2.

Once Season 3 begins, we'll re-enable them. Note that Patch 7.2 will include some further expansions to the Artifact system that will make it highly valuable to have spent some Artifact Power on those traits (another reason we feel it's important that they be enabled in PvP). We'll have more details to share on those changes once Patch 7.2 has begun its public testing phase.

Thanks for your feedback and understanding on this topic.

 

[vizzor 0]

So, correct me if I am reading this wrong but going over Level 35 is a waste of time and energy ? I am into Prestige Level 1 Level 13 Bg. So all of that is now gone and all I will get is a shiny slap on the back and a hardy thank you ?? Thanks ??

[Valks 2,375]

On 1/14/2017 at 4:11 AM, vizzor said:

So, correct me if I am reading this wrong but going over Level 35 is a waste of time and energy ? I am into Prestige Level 1 Level 13 Bg. So all of that is now gone and all I will get is a shiny slap on the back and a hardy thank you ?? Thanks ??

Your work will be rewarded in the next season, since you'll have to farm much less it seems.

[vizzor 0]

Thanks Blaine, i was wondering if i was just spinning my wheels, so now i guess i will head on back into Bgs with a little more purpose :)