Patch 9.2 GamesBeat Interview With Ion Hazzikostas and Sara Wons

A new GamesBeat interview with Game Director Ion Hazzikostas and Senior Level Designer Sara Wons reveal insights regarding Patch 9.2 and the upcoming Sepulcher of the First Ones raid, while discussing lessons learned from previous expansions, borrowed power, and the min-max mentality.

Patch 9.2 Design Goals

While much of the content in Patch 9.2 was designed in response to player feedback, one of the design goals was to address pain points that players would traditionally run into a few months in as they begin experiment with alts and switch mains. With class tier sets representing large power gains that players would normally need to farm several weeks to obtain, the Creation Catalyst system was implemented to help new characters catch up, while also allowing benefitting existing characters ability to better micromanage their sets of gear.

Ion Hazzikostas, via GamesBeatFirst off, we’re adding a ton of new content. But in a lot of ways it’s carrying forward the philosophies that we pivoted to, in many cases, in 9.1.5 in response to player feedback over the course of Shadowlands. Building a whole new ecosystem, a whole new piece of content from the ground up with those in mind. We’re bringing back class sets. How will players feel two months into the patch when they want to switch characters or their friends are coming back and they feel like they’re behind with no way to catch up on getting their set pieces? Okay, let’s add a system, the sort of thing we previously patched in down the line, from the start. We have this creation catalyst that players will be able to unlock using currency a couple months in to target and specifically accelerate their acquisition of set pieces, build their own sets in a deterministic, Read more on wowhead.com