#0 - May 29, 2009, 8:37 p.m.
Once 3.2 comes out the chain will then be
Heroics > Naxx > Ulduar > 3.2 > Icecrown
I'm suggesting creating a Valor level of 5 man instances to help bridge the gap to getting to Ulduar once 3.2 comes out, by allowing for Naxx level drops in new harder 5 mans and allowing the end bosses in them to drop valor tokens (on a weekly timer).
The big problem with the progression in BC was that a good portion of the player base got stuck and couldn't get geared enough to see TK, BT, MT. While LK is much easier to progress the same problems are going to start showing their head as the gap between the haves and the have nots extends with more steps in the progression chain.
Today (and I'm speculating) lets say that the average player is able to run VoA, OS, and a wing or two of Naxx a week. That is roughly 5 to 8 valor tokens a week for gear that is 60 to 80 tokens a piece. At 8 tokens a week that means it would take some one 10 weeks to get the 80 token piece and another 8 weeks for that 60 piece. All this for a person that would be trying to catch up and get to Uldar which by 3.2 won't even be the highest tier raid.
If Valor was added to increased difficulty 5 mans to say the end bosses, then that opens up another 10 tokens (again on a weekly basis) and accelerates that process for getting to Naxx and beyond it by weeks. And it doesn't take anything away from the top two tiers of raids because the gear earned would still only be the gear required to get into 3.1.
For most people 5 mans are easier to run then 10's or 25's and it's a bunch of content that for a lot of players is no longer relevant. This would extend the use of those instances without taking anything away from the rest of the game.
Progression has always been a line, why not make it a funnel?
Again, this would only be after 3.2 and is not to replace the gear obtained in Ulduar or higher. It's to allow other ways of getting gear equal to what comes out of Naxx, after 3.2.
