One of the most exciting new features in World of Warcraft: Season of Discovery is the 10-man raid adaptation of Blackfathom Deeps. Unfortunately, many find the self-imposed entry barrier is proving too stringent.
Finding a group to complete activities in World of Warcraft is a time-honored tradition. For many in Classic WoW, this will start with Ragefire Chasm from around level 13 and getting into a group at that stage is relatively easy.
As players progress to max level, some find getting into groups for endgame raids more difficult if their gear is not seen as good enough. Traditionally, this is more of a fluid issue in Classic, with many of the requirements based on perception rather than the tangible Gear Score measurement used in Retail WoW.
Now, some are reporting that the latter has made its way into Season of Discovery, making it difficult for many to experience the flagship endgame activity.
Some groups are setting BFD entry requirements too high
In a post on Reddit, one user shared their experience and difficulties in finding a group for Blackfathom Deeps over recent days.
In the post, the player describes hard limits for Gear Score being used as a deciding factor. Additionally, they confirmed this had actively been used as an excuse to remove them from the raid that they had already completed more than once.
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For those who aren’t too familiar with the Gear Score system, it’s a reasonably useful tool designed to demystify the myriad gear options in Retail WoW. Each piece of gear is given a score based on its relative effectiveness in the game. While this works in that setting, it can be quite misleading in Classic WoW, which has a far less prescriptive gearing system.
Many quickly agreed that the use of Gear Score and other prohibitive systems has already gone too far. One said: “Gearscore in Classic is the ultimate stupidest thing I’ve ever heard. Lots of MC gear is viable in Naxx. DFT/Rejuv Gem are from a T2 raid and are god-tier trinkets. You can wear Robes of the Exalted easily until AQ40. Where you get your gear might be no indication of how good it really is.”
Another pointed out that the software used to measure Gear Score is laden with bugs in Season of Discovery, saying: “It is also bugged ATM. Shining Silver Breastplate is a 30gs item, when you upgrade it to void-touched it drops down to 7gs. Not to mention the +6 spirit trinket from that questline adds like 20 gs and does absolutely nothing for most classes.”
In any case, with enough persistence it should be possible to find a group more friendly to the inexperienced or undergeared. Additionally, the desire of many to ensure high-level group composition will lessen as they finally secure the loot they are after.