I gotta say, I’m surprised that Fractals of the Mists doesn’t live up to its name. When they were first ushered in, it was with the grandeur of a new dungeon with infinite levels that would increase in difficulty and reward. That’s ‘infinite’ as in ‘not finite’ as in, as was my impression, progression is limited by skill as fractal difficulty increased. Unfortunately, with the 1/28 update, this is not the case. The Fractals aren’t even the problem, believe it or not, it’s the boss mechanics on The Jade Maw.
Despite the hearsay about it being impossible to get level 50+ dailies, I got a group of friends together to try just that – post 1/28 patch. We made our attempt on difficulty scale 54. Like [almost] every other group that makes it to the Maw on level 40+, we elected one among us to be resurrected just as the agony is applied. Agony at level 54 is intense, so the window to resurrect was, of course, very small.
Little did we know, there was actually no hope for us at all. After the first agony strike (which is unavoidable, and in no way related to skill), we were all instantly killed, the 99 res plan foiled. No problem, Plan B. Resurrection Orbs. Nope, can’t do that, either. No problem, Plan C. Seeing as how we had four guardians and an elementalist, surely we could devise a strategy involving the correct timing of the guardians’ Signets of Mercy or Lights of Deliverance in combination with the elementalist Mist Form, you know, think outside the box? Nope, can’t do that, either. No problem, Plan D. A combination of Plans C and D! Nope, can’t do that, either. Plan E. Surely the agony doesn’t kill you so fast that you can’t just res one person a little at a time as the rest of the party strips, jumps, and resses as they die a terrible death? Well no, that might have been a dumb idea anyway. Now, one thing we didn’t try is pulling mobs to the edge and using them to rally as you die again and again, but that idea also shows little promise.
Am I venting? Yes. I loved fractals because it was the only place in the game (except sPvP) where true talent could be found in other players – where skill, above all else, is what players relied on. It was a place to meet the best players in the game, new friends as you faced difficult obstacles, and share new ideas about builds and how to overcome those obstacles. But no more.
Progression in the Fractals of the Mists has been halted (unless you find a player at a higher level and enter odd scale fractals). Daily achievements are now limited to those levels under 50 (I was able to complete level 48 for its daily chest).
Now some may argue that there are new amulets, more agony resistance, armors may come soon adding even more, and weapons in the future! You are correct. The 50’s tier daily may one day be attainable, but the problem will remain. We can only add so much agony resistance. At some point, there will be a new wall that cannot be passed.
Devs, if you read this, please help. I loved fractals. I loved progressing. It was fun.