wow The First Week of Valor Was Chaotic: Low Key and +15 Farms, Bad Affixes, Boosting Impact

[Starym 3,800]

 

The first week of Valor was a hectic one, hitting the Mythic+ community hard and changing it quite significantly in many areas, from the greater focus on low level keys to the even greater focus on +15s for specific drops. This all affected regular players just coming up through the keys trying to get groups a lot, and it also may have had an impact on boosting.

First off we have the massive influx of low key farming, from +2s to around +6es, as high-end players focused on speedy runs due to the Valor rewards being equal no matter the key level, netting you 135 points for a +2, same as for a +20. This made the lower keys more valuable, as some players were even running into the 10 instances per hour limit due to lowering their key levels by starting a key solo then leaving. It also made things both better and worse for regular players that were on those key levels naturally, as they could get carried easily by extremely over-geared characters if it was their key, but would also have an incredibly difficult time getting picked for groups they applied to since there were so many high item level/RIO options readily available.

The +15 were even more crazy, as players farmed specific gear that they could then upgrade using Valor for the minimal cost possible, which made certain dungeon +15 keys (De Other Side, Spires of Ascension) extremely sought after (for items like Blood-Spattered Scale and Inscrutable Quantum Device). A similar situation arose as it did for the low keys, as heavily over-geared players were swarming specific dungeon keys for those sweet, sweet trinkets.

The blue post clarification that came in the middle of the week dampened things a little, as players found out that the 5,000 cap, increasing by 750 each week, was actually season-wide and not weekly as some presumed, so there wasn't quite as much need for the rampant farming.

The bad/difficult affixes also affected the way the week played out, as players preferred staying in the low key farms to avoid the harder stuff for the week, as the next one coming up was easier. The Valor system also had several effects on the boosting world, as it was now much easier to get carried in dungeons without having to pay for it, as long as you had a key, and if you had a good dungeon at +15/16, you were set. However, the demand for Shadowlands Keystone Master: Season One also rose significantly, as it's needed for the maximum item level upgrades. So the prices should actually go down as there's more "natural" boosting happening, but it's highly dependent on having your own keys.

And so the first week of the new Valor system, implemented mid-season has come and gone and it was a very hectic one. You can read even more details on it over on Raider.IO, but this upcoming second week is going to be even more interesting, as plenty of players reached the 5K cap in week 1, and now only need the new 750 Valor - but they'll still be needing those base item drops from +15s! This second week brings more favorable affixes with Fortified, Spiteful and Grievous so let's see what happens.