Following the foundational improvementsDragonflightmade toWorld of Warcraft,The War Withinneeded something to contribute to the lasting success of the game. Delves were that addition, providing a highly flexible form of content directed at solo players. Delves were supported by Blizzard as being a new pillar of end-game content, filling a hole in the range of options players can choose from at max level.
With more delves on the way in Undermined,The War Within’s 11.1 content patch, it’s safe to say that Blizzard is standing by the addition. Delves have already found their niche as a solution to a long-standingWoWproblem, but could use some changes to sustain their continued development and relevance. To further cement delves as a permanent pillar ofWoW,Blizzard should look to them as an opportunity to re-implement beloved content and further diversify the content contained within them.
Solo Players Were In Need Of Sustainable Content
Delves Solve An Age Old MMO Problem
While MMO games thrive off their multiplayer component, there is no denying the sizable base of players who engage with the games solo. Every MMO has this subset of players, and, even if it seems somewhat antithetical to the multiplayer aspect of MMO games,creating content solo players can engage with is paramount for a healthy game.WoW’s recent success in this regard is already being seen throughsolo players' enjoyment ofThe War Within.
Which Version Of World Of Warcraft You Should Start With (& Why)
In the past 20 years, World of Warcraft has both grown and branched off into many different iterations, leaving new players wondering where to start.
MMO games often struggle with this goal. Endgame is often centered around group content, so after the initial excitement of leveling and exploring new zones, many players tend to depart. Delves were a perfect solution to this problem. Essentially acting as dungeons with scaling difficulty, more unique objectives, and an NPC companion to help fill party roles, they’re a form of solo content that has the benefit of being both replayable and challenging. Delves are a massive benefit to solo players and can offer whatever the player seeks from them, ultimately proving to be agreat addition toThe War Within.
Penultimate Bosses Fill A Mage Tower Hole
A Seasonal Challenge To Strive For
Zekvir was introduced to delves with the introduction ofThe War Within’s season one. For players who raise their delve difficulty high enough, Zekvir and his lair serve as the final delve to challenge them. He is the penultimate challenge of the season one delves, a fight that requires precision and planning but remains entirely possible to solo. Undermined is bringing with it a new final challenge, showing thatBlizzard is interested in maintaining a seasonally changing final boss for players to fight.
Every World Of Warcraft Expansion, Ranked By Popularity
Over the past twenty years, World of Warcraft has released a total of 10 expansions for the massive game, with some received better than others.
These final bosses are a well-executed replacement for one of the most belovedWoWchallenges, the mage tower fromLegion.The mage tower was a specialization-specific fight that had a similar level of challenge to Zekvir, presenting a way for players of any style to show their mastery over the game. The system was so loved that abrief re-introduction of the mage towerexcited a large part of the community. While mage towers have been left behind, pinnacle delve bosses are a comparable form of content, achallenge that can be progressed over the course of a season.
Make sure to defeat Zekvir before his mount reward is gone with 11.1’s release.
Looking onward, delves are the perfect place to experiment with new challenges. High-end multiplayer content is already full of things to do and rewards to climb for, but solo-able content can always use a lift. Thanks to the flexibility of party sizes entering into delves, they are a form of content that can easily be enjoyed by all players.This inherent flexibility makes delve additions worthwhile for a majority of players andwould be further enhanced with the addition of challenging goalsto maintain the replayability of this new pillar of content.
Delve Objectives Should Get Even More Creative
Delves Need More Distinction From Dungeons
Another component Blizzard should focus on isfurther diversifying the nature and objectives of delves. Each delve already contains multiple variants to keep them replayable, held together by the same general aesthetic and supplementary mechanics. As a new foundation of endgame content, delves need to push further and take their already creative design philosophy in even more unusual directions.
After 20 Years, Is It Too Late To Start Playing World Of Warcraft?
World of Warcraft has been out for 20 years. With several expansion packs and constant updates, is it too late to start playing in 2024 and beyond?
Delves should draw players into them, so a further distinction between them and traditional dungeons is essential for keeping them a worthwhile and engaging piece of content as their freshness fades.More puzzles, platforming, environmental hazards, and unique settingswould all be fantastic options for keeping delves in the minds of players.
It’s yet to be seen how the new batch of delves will be received in Undermined, but even if they don’t push any boundaries, Blizzard has plenty of time to ensure delves can maintain their luster. Fundamentally, delves present a solution to an issue that plagues MMO games, and they deserve to be properly maintained and developed inWorld of Warcraft.
