Dragonflight patch 10.0.5 arrived this week and alongside it came the Revival Catalyst, Season One‘s version of the Creation Catalyst. And while its arrival is welcomed by those struggling to get their 4-piece tier set completed, there’s some aspects of it that can be improved — especially when compared to our memory of its originally implementation. Of course that’s a little unfair — the Creation Catalyst in Shadowlands Season 4 was a different experience than when first released, with more charges per week and easier gains of Cosmic Flux at the end. Still, it does feel a little like we’re starting at a disadvantage.

The main issue is that it unlocks in an unusable condition. Sure, the quest chain to open it up is short, and the required content to build a charge isn’t too onerous (even though they’ve nerfed the value of the World Boss contribution) but the Creation Catalyst could be opened in advance and the necessary Cosmic Flux banked in anticipation. While the effort is likely less now — especially considering that alts bank charges with no additional effort — there was still a disconnect this first week.

Of course, there’s also the question of whether this should’ve been the first week; it feels like it’s coming too late to make a difference. Fifty guilds have cleared mythic and over 2500 guilds have cleared heroic already, and while I’m sure there are many who appreciate the help, I can’t help but think it would’ve felt better if the Revival Catalyst had been operable two weeks ago.

I propose the best solution to these quandaries is to both open the Catalyst earlier — four weeks after the raid opens seems appropriate, and wouldn’t impact any of the major races — and also give players the opportunity to unlock it and bank a charge the week prior. This would give them the opportunity to get two pieces of tier right away, making up for any poor RNG that they have been dealing with. In addition any need to promote alts would result in a better opportunity to contribute sooner.

How has your experience been with the Revival Catalyst this week? Do you think it should’ve opened sooner, or are you ok with the schedule? Do you prefer the “fill up the bar” earning of a charge over the Cosmic Flux cost of the Creation Catalyst? And do you think there should be a better way to identify an eligible item — is “catalyzable” a word?

Blizzard Watch is made possible by people like you.
Please consider supporting our Patreon!

Advertisement