Been trying to do this on my rogue here and i have to say, the game is drastically more fun when you avoid going to heroic tier and above +6 keys, this sets your general items to 445 and 455. (just need to get that 460 belt down to level as i got it beore i started)
The thing is, I am actuall rather surprised at how different the game feels at this particular item level, i am not stressed out about completing high tier keys and i am not worried about wether the party will massively fail at heroic raiding and thus waste everyones time. At this ilvl, the game is a game.
Other advantages include gear combinations that are literally impossible above 445 as blizzard has failed us in providing correct itemisation such as with the gloomblade build which i use that cannot be done at a higher item level.
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Glad you’re enjoying it! I suspect these experiences and feelings are different for everyone. I’m playing higher keys and mythic raiding and I don’t have those fears, enjoying M+15~M+18 with friends and guildies myself. I do have a bit more pressure of wanting to always have better gear, though that’s entirely self inflicted 
I’m not familiar with that build, though I do understand what you mean. Some azerite traits and trinkets were good fun in older raids, sadly there’s no higher ilvl variant. Despite that Razor Coral (ashvane) and Font of Power (Azshara) are still in high demand though!
Playing the game casually is definitely a lot more fun when you’re not trying to compete. It removes any kind’ve toxicity. Glad you’re enjoying
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When im doing m+ i still get ppl suggesting that they are going to boost my +6 key… and others who are confused at why i specify “+6 untimed” tho which i find rather amusing, im literally just inviting anyone who is 445+
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Sounds great.
In shadowlands I intend to only push one character through Mythic content and play much more casually like you with an army of ALTs.
You pay the sub to play the game the way you want to. Remember that.
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Interesting experiment ! Glad that you enjoy it .
Same as me. Whenever I do low keys on my main I try and make sure the players I invite are lower ilevel (usually around what the dungeon requires). People who join +4’s etc and are 475 ilevel seem to be a lot more entitled, and up themselves, with a go-go mentality.
Heroic raiding +7 keys ARe faceroll if people know tactics
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The problem is most end game content is designed for the go go mentality.
They seem to be slapping a timer on everything these days.
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Since the game has been out for like 14 years before I joined I’d rather farm mounts/transmog/pets than work hard on gear that would be obsolete in the next expansion.
So for me the 425 I get from timewalking is quite enough.
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Next expansion I will finish playing after doing main quest line and heroic dungeons, provided I will be playing at all and chances are I will not at all. Endless grind and repetitivness I can find elsewhere, like PoE.
I’m sure it’s way more chill to play this way, but some people (myself included) prefer to play the game in a more challenging way and I think that’s fine aswell.
To me personally doing a +6 key with ilvl 445+ sounds horrible boring for the same reason i hate the leveling dungeons. At that ilvl you can just ignore 90% of the mechanics.
I prefer content that requires me to pay attention at all times over content that you can just breeze through, but others don’t. I honestly think it’s great we have options and I like m+ especially for that. Everyone can find a lvl at which they have fun playing.
As someone who spent all of legion in the legion equivalent I agree. I was never stressed for gear, could chill if needed. People were generally way friendlier and i had a blast playing how I wanted.
This is my first time aiming for +15 and trying to find a heroic raid group (currently failing to find one). And I am enjoying it a lot but I feel a lot moee pressure up in the 12-15 key range and as soon as I crossed 10, i found a ton more elitiest and a ton of horrible players who havnt a clue what they are doing
Have to say i agree just for me the ilevel is 460.Resubed and extra month just to enjoy my 3 classes and love the way they play.
Put myself at 445 on hold also 
I figure we get gear in prepatch and for what I do it’s high enough
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The build requires perorate x3 to funtion naturally and preferably 3x inevitability so it just isnt possible higher up, not even one piece of raid gear provides perforate for example.
However, the results are unusually impressive, the build actually drops shadowblade, only using it as a gap closer, focusing more on keeping the damage buff active longer and refreshing Shadow Blades faster. (probably shoulda named those 2 abilities so thy don’t sound so similar)
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Yes this makes a lot of sense at the end of the expansion. Though farming Legion mogs (which I do a lot) requires a bit higher ilvl if you want to swoosh through it. Anything else is just fine 
My 450 hunter is still having some difficulties going through Aggramar on LFR
Unless you wanna pvp, in which case 450 item level is worthless.
I still haven’t gotten to legion mogs. Still trying to complete the Blackrock Foundry Paladin set on my Draenei, as well as farming for Dragon Mounts. I want that Emerald Drake mount.
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Problem is; too many don’t remember that…
As far as gear levels go, I have nine L120’s with AiL 445+; two of them don’t have “Cloaks” - why induce heart failure stress levels to get any further? Many of the (random) players you encounter doing so, that induce said stress levels, ain’t worth it.