I don't understand Blizz's VP logic.

07/12/2011 04:10 PMPosted by Lorkanthal

it seems weird yes but look at it this way, t11 raids reward the points to buy t11 gear.

That's a significant part of the thought process, yes. Also, Valor Points are intended to reward top quality items, and we don't think that they should be trivial to obtain in any significant numbers. Allowing them to persist in older content once new raids are added would defeat that purposes.

Besides, there should be some added incentive to explore those older raids in the future anyway.

07/14/2011 12:11 PMPosted by Beliskner

In this case it seems the approach is a little confused. You do not wish VP's to be trivial to obtain, however, 5 mans which are trivial award these which awards top level gear?

Valor Points are intended to reward top quality items, and we don't think that they should be trivial to obtain in any significant numbers.

Raids and the tougher heroics remain the best way to obtain large amounts of VP quickly.

07/15/2011 10:53 AMPosted by Feandel

I'm trying to create a reasonable amount of variety in the avenues available for groups to play that game of catch up. Not just one single "best and only" route. The current design is self-destructive and unhealthy for WoW's long term health. Right now there are no options. You either raid "the newest raid" or you run heroic dungeons till your eyes bleed.

Valor Points aren't awarded in a vacuum though, nor are ZA and ZG necessarily the 'best and only' route. Overall, running a raid, even the previous tier's raid, is going to be more rewarding for most players overall than just hitting up ZA/ZG. You can acquire gear of a high ilevel that provides set bonuses to help prepare for the next tier of content, as well as get a chance at potentially lucrative (or useful) BoEs; opportunities you won't find in the troll dungeons.

That's not to say that there aren't advantages to hitting up ZA/ZG to cap your VP if that's all you're after; but to believe that it's necessarily the most rewarding path if that isn't your sole goal, is, I think, a mistake. They still offer viable alternative for those players who have already spent a good deal of time in the tier 11 raid content too.

On a related note, we're looking at ways to make raiding accessible and easier to get organized, without at the same time compromising the experience for those who are looking for a challenge. We adjusted tier 11 specifically so that players who haven't seen the content yet will have a chance to get in there and mix it up. In fact, we think that things work best overall when we have heroic raids, normal raids, and then previous tiers all available at the same time - which was an arrangement we didn't quite have in place when Cataclysm launched (unless you count Argaloth, but we don't think a single boss counts as a tier).

We adjusted tier 11 specifically so that players who haven't seen the content yet will have a chance to get in there and mix it up. In fact, we think that things work best overall when we have heroic raids, normal raids, and then previous tiers all available at the same time - which was an arrangement we didn't quite have in place when Cataclysm launched (unless you count Argaloth, but we don't think a single boss counts as a tier).

Well, I can't speak for others, but my first experience raiding in this xpac turned me right around and back out the door. And sadly enough, first impressions are the strongest.
I haven't even stepped foot into firelands nor do I have the urge to. I know a few on my server that feel the same as I do. Basically it just snowballs in effect and now theres a bunch of disgruntled unhappy players out there.

Is that your impression since the content was adjusted, or is that a first impression from the earlier days of Cataclysm?

Perhaps it's time to take a second look?