Players focused on delves for gearing have hit a significant wall as Tier 8 rewards no longer provide meaningful progression. Without additional options, many are left dependent on Great Vault rewards and weekly quests to gear up. Is it time for a new tier?
Upgrading Issues
For delve-focused players, upgrading Hero track gear past Item Level 610 has become a frustrating experience. The lack of 
Gilded Harbinger Crest drops in delves forces many to either grind Mythic dungeons or Heroic raids, which isn’t appealing for all players. Weekly chests and world quests also fall short of providing necessary upgrades, both in the form of gear or upgrading materials.
The Main Issue: Missing the Sense of Progression
Some Mythic+ players and raiders might say that delves already provide decent gear. But imagine you only have a few hours to play each day and don’t want to commit to Mythic+ or a strict raiding schedule — you still want to feel like you’re progressing. Right now, that’s not really happening. Weekly caches don’t offer much beyond Restored Coffer Keys and Veteran-level gear. Your only option for gear at this point is to grind Tier 8 delves. You hope for good drops from the weekly chest or wait for a quest that rewards Hero gear. Those two 
Runed Harbinger Crest in Bountiful Delves help out a little, but also have their limits. The 
Delver’s Bounty maps may as well not exist for some players. There are those that only received one in hundreds of runs. And the level of RNG on the maps isn’t really something that should be encouraged, as it only adds to the frustration.
Potential Fixes
Blizzard should reconsider the current drop rate of Gilded Harbinger Crest in delves and think about adding more difficulty tiers for better gear progression. Once you outgrow Tier 8, you’re left with lots of Champion loot that’s only good for disenchanting. Players should at least have the option to choose between gear and Gilded Crests at the end of Tier 8 runs.
The improvements above would alleviate the reliance on limited sources like the Great Vault and weekly quests. This would make delves more rewarding for dedicated players. Exchanging lower crests for Gilded crests would also help, don’t you think?
The upcoming Patch 11.0.5 will offer some improvement with new weekly caches, but they fall short of providing a lasting solution.
