Dragonflight Season 2 Mythic+ Affixes - An Assessment

Dragonflight Season 2: A Review of the New Affixes and Reworked Affixes

With the release of Dragonflight Season 2, World of Warcraft players were introduced to three new affixes and some reworked old affixes. In this article, we will review the changes and offer our thoughts on what we hope to see in Season 3 affixes.

New Affixes

• Afflicted

Afflicted, a new affix added in Dragonflight Season 2, has been met with mixed reviews from the community. Often referred to as a "passenger affix," Afflicted's difficulty level varies greatly depending on the class composition of the group. This has resulted in a wide range of experiences, from trivial to highly challenging, with significant punishment for failure.

Initially thought to be a replacement for the "healer" affix Grievous, Afflicted has not proved to be a healer affix at all. While Afflicted Souls can be dispelled, healing them directly is a difficult task due to targeting and their large health pool. This has caused a shift in the meta, favoring classes with hybrid roles that can easily dispel the Afflicted Souls, while classes without a dispel ability feel less useful and are excluded from key groups.

In addition, the high frequency of the affix can feel overwhelming, with a chance of it spawning every 30 seconds. This means players can encounter up to 60 sets of Afflicted in a 30-minute dungeon run. Instead of focusing on the dungeon itself, players find themselves strategizing and building their group composition around dealing with the affix.

Overall, Afflicted has not met its intended purpose and has resulted in a negative perception in the community. Classes without a dispel ability already lack utility in dungeons, and this affix further discourages their inclusion. If the goal is to encourage diversity in class composition, Afflicted falls short in achieving that objective.

• Entangling

Entangling, another new affix introduced in Dragonflight Season 2, has been much better received by the player community. This affix is relatively easy to deal with and imposes minimal punishment for failure. The mechanic involves running out of a circle within a given timeframe, granting players eight seconds to break the tether. Certain classes even have abilities that allow them to break the tether without moving.

While Entangling can present some positioning challenges for tanks, as they have to leave the circle, overall, this affix is a welcome addition compared to the other two new affixes. The only point of contention is whether the 30% slow effect is necessary, as it could potentially be reduced or altogether removed.

• Incorporeal

The third new affix introduced in Dragonflight Season 2, Incorporeal, has received mixed reviews. Initially, Warriors and Death Knights were at a disadvantage due to the affix, as they lacked the ability to hard crowd control (CC) the Incorporeal enemies. However, this was later addressed, and every class now has a way to deal with Incorporeal enemies.

The affix still presents its challenges, spawning every 45 seconds and requiring some classes to rely on long-cooldown abilities to handle every set. Similar to Afflicted, the high frequency of Incorporeal spawns can feel overwhelming and can even lead to wipes if not handled correctly. The affix has some utility in the form of mind control effects, which reduce the enemies' damage output temporarily. However, its overall impact is not as significant as desired.

While Incorporeal has a redeeming quality in its utility, it still falls short in terms of engaging gameplay and the balance between the affix and the dungeon itself. Changes or alternatives should be considered for Season 3 affixes to create a more enjoyable experience.

Reworked Affixes

• Bolstering

Bolstering underwent a rework in Patch 10.1, where it no longer increases the health of mobs with each stack, but only their damage output. This change has been widely appreciated; however, the affix still poses challenges, particularly when combined with mobs that have healing checks or high effective health pool (EHP) requirements.

The removal of health increase was a step in the right direction, but the affix still presents a time loss for players. Managing pull sizes and ensuring mobs die at the same time or prioritizing dangerous mobs become crucial strategies to avoid wipes. Despite the improvements, Bolstering often dictates the gameplay instead of allowing players to focus on the dungeon itself.

Further adjustments, such as decreasing the damage per stack or significantly reducing the duration, could alleviate some of the issues associated with this affix. Season 3 offers an opportunity to fine-tune Bolstering and create a more balanced and engaging experience.

• Raging

Raging, on the other hand, has been largely improved in Dragonflight Season 2. Previously, this affix increased monsters' damage, but the latest changes have made it more manageable by removing the damage increase. While Raging is generally well-received, it still presents challenges in specific circumstances.

When mobs flee, such as in Brackenhide Hollow or Freehold, and when mobs need to be "stopped," like the Containment Beam in Halls of Infusion or Vicious Clawmangle in Brackenhide, Raging can feel overly punishing without the ability to Soothe. To address this, it may be worth considering removing the Raging affix on the first crowd control or allowing it to be easily removed through other means. These minor adjustments could make Raging a fantastic affix in Season 3.

• Sanguine

In Dragonflight Season 2, the duration of Sanguine puddles was reduced from 20 seconds to 12 seconds, with no other changes to the affix. However, this modification did not significantly affect the difficulty of Sanguine encounters.

Sanguine is one of the two current affixes that lead to a time loss in dungeons. The short duration of the puddles does little to alleviate the challenge, as most mobs only stand in Sanguine for a few seconds before requiring urgent attention. Moreover, Sanguine puddles stack, making it difficult to avoid significant self-healing by mobs. The affix demands immense focus and knowledge, with severe consequences for failure.

Addressing Sanguine in Season 3 is crucial, as it stands as one of the most grueling affixes in the game. Potential adjustments, such as reducing mob healing through Sanguine, diminishing puddle sizes over time, scaling flat damage with key level, or other creative changes, could create a more balanced and engaging gameplay experience.

• Spiteful

In Dragonflight Season 2, Spiteful received a 10% reduction in melee damage, and its scaling no longer extends past keystone level 20. These changes have significantly improved the affix and made it more manageable, especially for melee players. While Spiteful remains slightly more challenging for melee, the damage it inflicts is bearable and does not spiral out of control as it did before.

This change showcases the potential of limiting scaling for specific affixes, a concept that could be extended to other affixes in the future. The implementation of similar scaling limitations could provide a refreshing dynamic to the game.

Unchanged Affixes

• Bursting

Bursting, as an affix, generally requires healers to provide additional throughput at the end of pulls. The affix is manageable for the most part, but the presence or absence of a priest in the group can significantly impact the experience. Bursting feels all or nothing when it comes to group composition, creating a wide gap between having a priest and not having one. While Bursting does not pose as significant a challenge as some other affixes, a slight adjustment to reduce this gap could make it more enjoyable for all players.

• Storming

Storming, often considered the melee counterpart to Volcanic, is generally well-received with only a few minor concerns. However, the affix can present issues for tanks due to its circular pattern and knockback effect. This can disrupt mob positioning and cause mobs to evade or perform abilities on other players. Slowing down the tornado or adjusting its trajectory could address these concerns and improve the overall experience for tanks.

• Volcanic

Volcanic, as an affix, does not require significant changes. It is generally well-managed by players, as its stationary nature allows for easier tracking and avoidance. While mistiming an avoidance maneuver can lead to complications, overall, Volcanic does not present significant issues that require immediate adjustments.

Wishlist for Season 3 Affixes

Looking ahead to Season 3, there are a few key affixes that would benefit from improvement:

• Sanguine: Addressing the time loss and the difficulty associated with this affix is crucial. Considerable changes, such as reducing mob healing, diminishing puddle sizes, or scaling flat damage with key level, could make Sanguine more enjoyable.
• Bolstering: While the removal of health increase was a step in the right direction, further adjustments could enhance the affix. Reducing damage per stack or significantly decreasing the duration may provide a better balance between the affix and the dungeon itself.
• Afflicted and Incorporeal: Class stacking issues with these affixes may be difficult to address. Removing these affixes altogether could be a viable solution to encourage diversity in class composition and alleviate frustration.

In conclusion, the new affixes introduced in Dragonflight Season 2 have shown potential for engaging gameplay, but there is room for improvement. While some affixes have been well-received by the player community, others require significant adjustments to create a more balanced and enjoyable dungeon experience. As we look forward to Season 3, we hope to see affixes that incentivize the inclusion of less popular classes, rather than further rewarding already highly sought-after classes. The affix pool has the potential to make World of Warcraft dungeons more dynamic and engaging, ensuring a diverse and exciting experience for all players. As usual, you can always rely on WowCarry for Mythic+ services. We are always glad to see you at our store!