Dungeon Finder: Call to Arms

[Holyssa]

http://us.battle.net/wow/en/blog/2568337

In patch 4.1 we'll be introducing Dungeon Finder: Call to Arms, a new system intended to lower queue times. Call to Arms will automatically detect which class role is currently the least represented in the queue, and offer them additional rewards for entering the Dungeon Finder queue and completing a random level-85 Heroic dungeon.

Any time the Dungeon Finder queue is longer than a few minutes for level-85 Heroics, the Call to Arms system kicks in and determines which role is the least represented. In the case of tanking being the least represented role, the "Call to Arms: Tanks" icon will display in the Dungeon Finder UI menu where class roles are selected, and will also display on the UI when the queue pops and you are selected to enter a dungeon. Regardless of your role, you'll always be able to see which role currently has been Called to Arms, if any.

Call to Arms is meant to lower wait times by offering additional rewards for queuing as the currently least represented role. To be eligible for the additional rewards you must solo queue for a random level-85 Heroic in the role that is currently being Called to Arms, and complete the dungeon by killing the final boss. Every time you hit these requirements (there is no daily limit) you'll receive a goodie bag that will contain some gold, a chance at a rare gem, a chance at a flask/elixir (determined by spec), a good chance of receiving a non-combat pet (including cross faction pets), and a very rare chance at receiving a mount. The pets offered come from a wide variety of sources, and include companions like the Razzashi Hatchling, Cockatiel, and Tiny Sporebat, but the mounts are those specifically only available through dungeons (not raids), like the Reins of the Raven Lord from Sethekk Halls, Swift White Hawkstrider from Magister's Terrace, and Deathcharger's Reins from Stratholme.

This system is meant to address the unacceptable queue times currently being experienced by those that queue for the DPS role at max level. The long queue times are, of course, caused by a very simple lack of representation in the Dungeon Finder by tanks, and to some extent healers. We don't feel the tanking and healing roles have any inherent issues that are causing the representation disparity, except that fulfilling them carries more responsibility. Understandably, players prefer to take on that responsibility in more organized situations than what the Dungeon Finder offers, but perhaps we can bribe them a little. While this system gives tanks and healers something extra, the incentive is being provided so that we can help players in the DPS role get into more dungeons, get better gear, and continue progressing.

While the gold, gems, flasks, and elixirs are OK incentives, we knew we needed something more substantial. We had briefly considered Valor Points and epics, but decided that wouldn't be working toward the goal of helping DPS players progress, and ultimately wouldn't keep tanks and healers in the Dungeon Finder system for very long. We settled on pets and dungeon-found mounts as they’re cosmetic/achievement items that players tend to try to get on their own, so why not change that up and offer them a chance to get some of those elusive pets and mounts in a way that also helps other players? Even if they don't get a pet or mount, or get one they already have, the gold and other goodies still feel rewarding enough that it won't feel like a waste of effort.

We think it's a pretty solid incentive to get tanks and healers queuing, give max-level players another way to collect the pets and mounts they so desire, and above all, to improve wait times for DPS players sitting in queues. In the case of lower level dungeons, it's actually not uncommon for DPS to be the least represented role, and so if this new system works out and we're pleased with the results, we may consider applying this same mechanic to lower level dungeons as well.

The flask, gold, and gem are awesome. Mini Pets and mounts even moreso for those that lack the time to continent-hop and plow by old content. But why do I have this irritating gut feeling that it'll only motivate inexperienced people into queueing as tanks just for the free toys?

[Scryll]

Sure it will. But that's already happening quite a bit with the instant queues.

[Kailand]

From the forums and how long the thread has gotten to that blog post, and how negative the majority seem about it, I can see them reverting this proposed change. My opinion it is a dumb idea, and will cause more fail-tanks queueing, as well as increase resentment among pure DPS vs hybrid. About the only thing that they could change to make me somewhat support this is if they made the rewards bind on account, but that still doesn't solve the case of fairness when a person only has one character who is a pure DPS class. Blizzard also hasn't thought of the case of partial groups queueing, and infact this system will encourage tanks and healers to not run with groups/guilds/friends just to farm these. It should improve DPS queue times, but I don't expect it will be by much, especially after the first week or so, as tanks will collect all the mounts/pets in a hurry, or the drop rate will be so bad, that they will give up on queueing.

Tanks/healers already have a reward for queueing - fast queues, and faster rate of acquisition of points as a result. I've seen lots of tanks in randoms who die or cause a wipe due to their own stupidity (grabbing more mobs that the healer can heal through, standing in bad stuff and blaming the healer when they die, breaking CC and then blaming the CCrs when they get killed) and then rage quit, or call everyone else fail. And who can forget the tanks who don't like the instance they get in and drop group at the start, or drop group after one wipe.

Now, there are statistically more fail DPS in the queue than fail tanks, but the vote to kick feature could, and should be used as a filter for this. Most of the issues with the current Heroic queues will be solved as people get better geared, i.e the next tier, where everyone but new characters will outgear the heroics, and as such everything will become more like wrath of the lich king with AOE everypull. If they want to encourage more geared and experienced tanks to queue, they could probably do something about repair bills (i.e. make epics as cheap to repair as greens) as well as increase the gold from completing the random instance.