Toward the end of World of Warcraft Shadowlands, Blizzard made changes to the game’s Mythic+ Dungeon system that looks to spruce up the content going into Dragonflight.
Following some feedback from players, Blizzard has started including dungeons from previous expansions as a part of the Mythic+ dungeon pool so that, from season to season, players get a fresher experience throughout the course of the expansion.
But if you’re looking forward to seeing dungeons from The Burning Crusade or Wrath of the Lich King anytime soon, you’re out of luck.
In an interview with media yesterday, WoW game director Ion Hazzikostas said it is highly unlikely players will see dungeons from the first few expansions added to the Mythic+ pool.
“It’s possible but unlikely without major changes,” he said. “When we get to dungeons from that era we are more likely to do what we’ve done to some dungeons like Uldaman in Dragonflight where it’s a full re-imagining.”
So how far back is too far back, and what dungeons make the cut for consideration? To newer players, that line might not be clear, but for the wiley WoW veterans, Hazzikostas’ explanation makes all the sense in the world.
“We’ve drawn a line around Mists of Panderia, when it comes to how far back we’re going to look for Mythic+ rotating seasonal dungeons in part because there’s something a bit more modern about the encounter design,” he said. “Even Mists dungeons were designed with challenge mode as a system and a time trial as a concept and a higher difficulty concept.”
Meanwhile, the way the game has evolved over the years has affected the way dungeons are run by players as well as the way devs approach them. In the early years of WoW, the idea of speed-running dungeons was not at the forefront of the designers’ minds.
Hazzikostas noted bringing a dungeon from Cataclysm or earlier would not only present challenges with fidelity, but the goals that Blizzard had in mind when creating older dungeons were holistically different.
“We weren’t necessarily asking ourselves the same questions that we ask when making dungeons today,” he said.
In Dragonflight season 1, four legacy dungeons will be used in the Mythic+ pool that has eight total. Two will come from Legion, Halls of Valor and Court of Stars. Additionally, Temple of the Jade Serpent from Mists, and Shadowmoon Burial Grounds from Warlords of Draenor will be included.
Using Mists as a starting point for grabbing dungeons for M+, there are five expansions to you, Mists, WoD, Legion, Azeroth, and Shadowlands. Shadowlands is the most recent expansion so it’s unlikely players will see dungeons from there early in Dragonflight.
