World of Warcraft offers countless ways to immerse yourself in its sprawling universe. Among the current systems in Dragonflight, Crests and Flightstones play a crucial role in gearing and progression. However, for those who love playing alts, the system feels about as welcoming as a Mythic raid without a healer. Let’s explore why these systems need to be more alt-friendly and what that could mean for players juggling multiple characters.
What Are Crests and Flightstones?
Before diving into the alt-friendliness debate, here’s a quick primer:
- Crests: These are earned from activities like dungeons and raids and are essential for upgrading gear to higher item levels.
- Flightstones: A currency earned from virtually everything you do in Dragonflight, used alongside Crests for gear upgrades.
Together, they form the backbone of the gear progression system. The catch? It’s a grind-heavy setup that doesn’t take kindly to those who want to spread the love across multiple characters.
The Problem With Crests and Flightstones for Alts
For players with just one main character, the system works well enough. But when it comes to alts, things start to unravel faster than a low-level PuG group in a Mythic+.
1. Grinding Feels Redundant
Re-earning Crests and Flightstones on each alt feels like doing homework for a subject you already aced. The game expects you to invest equal effort into every character, which can be exhausting.
2. Time Investment is Overwhelming
Juggling weekly caps and farming enough Flightstones across multiple characters is a massive time sink. For anyone balancing real-life commitments, it’s downright unrealistic.
3. Alt Progression Lags Behind
By the time you gear up your alt, the raid tier might already be outdated. Crests and Flightstones don’t scale well for catch-up mechanics, leaving your alts perpetually behind.
Why Alt-Friendliness Matters
World of Warcraft has always encouraged players to explore different classes and roles. Making Crests and Flightstones more alt-friendly would benefit the game in several ways:
- Encourages Class Diversity: Players can enjoy experimenting with different specs without feeling punished.
- Boosts Engagement: A smoother alt progression keeps players invested longer.
- Levels the Playing Field: Alt-friendly systems reduce the gap between hardcore players and those with limited time.
Ideas for Making Crests and Flightstones Alt-Friendly
1. Shared Currency Across Accounts
Imagine if Crests and Flightstones were account-wide. Instead of grinding them individually on each character, you could pool resources and use them where they’re needed most.
- Why It Works: Players spend less time grinding and more time enjoying the game.
- Potential Drawback: Hardcore players might burn through content faster, but let’s be honest—they’ll always find something to farm.
2. Catch-Up Mechanics for Alts
Introduce scaling rewards for alt characters based on your main’s progression. For example:
- Earn double Crests and Flightstones on alts until they reach the same upgrade level as your main.
- Add bonus rewards for activities completed on multiple characters.
This approach ensures that alts can catch up without trivializing the grind for your main.
3. Weekly Caps Per Account, Not Character
Instead of separate weekly caps for each character, make the cap shared across your account. Players can then decide how to distribute their effort.
- Why It Works: Flexibility to gear alts without feeling locked into endless farming.
- Bonus: It reduces burnout for players who want to raid or run dungeons with multiple toons.
4. Lower Costs for Alts
Reduce the number of Crests and Flightstones required for alt upgrades once a main character reaches certain thresholds.
- Example: If your main has upgraded gear to item level 420, your alts only need half the resources to reach that level.
This system rewards effort on your main while giving alts a smoother ride.
What the Community Thinks
Players have voiced concerns about alt-unfriendly systems for years, and Dragonflight’s implementation of Crests and Flightstones is no exception. While Blizzard has made strides with alt-friendly mechanics in the past, there’s still room for improvement.
The WoW community thrives on experimenting with different characters, and making progression systems more accessible would enhance the overall experience.
Conclusion: Time to Give Alts Some Love
Crests and Flightstones are vital to Dragonflight’s gear progression system, but they leave much to be desired for alt players. Making these currencies more alt-friendly wouldn’t just reduce grind fatigue—it would open up the game’s full potential for those who love exploring everything Azeroth has to offer.
Blizzard has a golden opportunity here: streamline alt progression, encourage class diversity, and keep players engaged longer. Because at the end of the day, the more we get to play the way we love, the better World of Warcraft becomes for everyone.
So, here’s hoping that Crests and Flightstones get the alt-friendly glow-up they deserve in future updates!
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