The thing is, they already did a Balance change and INCREASED the reward of the Delves. Also they can not really decrease the reward of Delves because Hero Gear is only once per week guarenteed and the treasure maps where you could also get a Hero Gear is really rare. Also they can not really do it like M+ where not everyone could get loot, Delves are solo content so you can not let randomly reward loot or not. So the only thing they could do in S2 is up the Difficulty for the highes reward like they do in M+ so then you need to do T9 or maybe even higher to get Hero Vault Gear.
If a Season lasts for ~6 months, and we’re 1 month into it, and it’s the first Season, and the first experience we have with Delves, do you think people will enjoy them in 2 months? In 2 years?
I remain unconvinced. Unless Blizzard makes big changes. But I remain unconvinced of that as well.
Personally I like the way Delves currently are. If I would change something it is that higher difficulties increase the chance to find a Treasure map inside and make the maps warbound. This way you have another reason to go with your higher equipt char on higher difficulties to make it easier for your not so well geared chars to gear up.
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lots of people wouldnt do dvelves if the chalenge was kept as on day 2 of season . when mini bosses were wrecking dvelves and blizzard moved them back to +9 after couple of hours.
peopel do them because they are a joke and offer extra powerful rewards.
and because m+ is borderline unaplayable atm
The mini bosses were unfair because some classes could skip them. On my Druid I was just going into stealth, shifting to bear, using a CD, getting the objective then running away.
No other class can go invisible for free then get tons of armor, health and a huge DR from a CD.
All content in WoW is about getting loot, as long as I find it fun enough I’ll do it. I would not do Delves if I thought they were bad and not fun.
You’ve obviously done tons too because I saw you say you’ve completed the Delver’s Journey and your Brann is level 57.
From hating on the Mole People to becoming one of our most esteemed members. That’s a journey in itself.
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I didnt enjoy them even on the first 2 week or the idea of them 
Delves are unfun on ranged specs for me. I’d probably enjoy it more if Brann was tanking, but right now it’s just kiting kiting kiting, and I absolutely hate that.
As a solo player I say delves are mostly fun content. Some problems that I have are:
- Too few different scenarios, feels like it’s the same 4 delves with the same objectives every day.
- There should be a sure way to get maps IMO.
- Delvers journey rewards do nothing for your main.
- Brann should have more options like a small talent tree.
- TOO MANY FREAKING CLOAKS IN THE LOOT TABLE.
- Also bosses should be harder.
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That’s fair enough.
I find them lacking though.
And I think once people get their gear, the popularity will plummet. If it hasn’t already.
And there are reasons for that.
If you think about other games that have a repeatable solo playthrough experience, then they usually have something in the gameplay design that makes you want to go again.
Slay the Spire. That whole deckbuilding element along with the randomized paths and bosses, sort of encourages you to try again and see if next time isn’t going to be a little bit better. Because now you have more cards, and maybe you get some better treasure along the way.
Delves have none of that. If you can do a +8, then you can always do a +8. There’s no curiosity to see if you can do a +8 a little bit better than last time, because why? And if you can there’s no real reward to it, because progression isn’t the reward - it’s the loot. And you’ve already secured that.
Diablo IV has dungeons and players run them like crazy. But the hook for Diablo IV is its gear progression. You need those dungeons for those lucky chances to get a legendary or some material to upgrade your existing gear or glyphs or whatever. It’s the constant feed of dopamine through a glorified slot machine.
And again, Delves have none of that. WoW doesn’t emphasize gear enough to lean into this slot machine design. We get very few upgrades in WoW and then we’re “done”. So WoW can’t really get people to farm Delves a million times over, because the game doesn’t have a reward scheme to support that. I’d wager people are done with Delves after ~20 runs. Then it’s weekly vault and not much else.
It’s hard to identify the core pillar of compelling gameplay design that Delves are built around. There has to be something to captivate players, but what is it?
Same with rifts in diablo 3, between seasons only found it interesting till had completed new set and tested it for two or three rifts, the concept of just increasing health of mobs and aoeing pack of mobs in 4 mins instead of 1 min is pretty dull on its own. Never saw reason doing rifts or higher levels if they only increase mobs hp/dmg. Thats pretty much why I play only PvP in wow too cause its the only content that has variables due its nature that players make variables.
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It doesnt matter if it is boring or fun, just give us good rewards if you are doing t9-t11 like mythic+. I did delve t11 today and you get ZERO rewards coz it is still the same rewards as t8. What is the point to add t9-t11 if you cant get better rewards like mythic+ as I said. Give us crest gilded, hero and mythic version?!
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Yeah. I would even say that its historically been WoW’s forte - other players, and in PvE the group content. Raids and 5man Dungeons. That stuff is replayable because of the other people you play with. The Dungeon is always the same, but the players you bring are not. So that makes the gameplay experience ever-changing. PvP obviously has that going for it by its very nature.
But Delves fall squarely into the solo gameplay design, and there needs to be something else there. Hades, Slay the Spire, Vampire Survivors, Diablo IV, they have it. Delves don’t. Blizzard needs to figure that out. Hopefully sooner rather than later.
And yeah, I’m also just doing Battlegrounds these days. Weird times.
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what do you mean ? you do realise most peopel run them in 5 man groups as its trivilaizing them compelty making it a lol-fest.
like i hit max level on my monk last night - 520 itlv from leveling - opened 4 crates from weekly wq rewards - 4 dvelve keys - making group in group finder taking first 4 randoms who apply and cleared 4 dvelves - today another 4 and im gucci - 3 x 616 options in GV + 603 gear i got in them
gl replicating it in m+ 
Delves are awesome and fun, means I don’t ever have to run m+ ever again and only do content I enjoy.
You have realized it. In Slay the Spire the whole Gameplay itself is the Reward. Meanwhile in Delves the Gameplay is only a partual Reward. The Main Reward until T8 is to get Gear up to Heroic Level. Meanwhile T9-11 are a reward for being good at your class. Because the Delves should be the Endgame Pillar for Solo Players so if you finish Solo Delves in Difficulty T11 Solo you get an Achievment and even a heroic feat for bragging right like AotC if you manage it without dying.
This way the casual solo players can get good gear while the Hardcore Solo Players can prove how good they are with their class if they find fun at killing mobs efficiently.
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As you say, then people run them in groups to trivialize them and get through them quickly and easily in order to get their gear. Not because they’re truly interested in them or because they enjoy them, but because they want the gear. Once they have that gear, they’re not going to do them anymore.
So alas the design inevitably has to hone in on the solo experience, which was Blizzard’s pitch in the first place as well. That’s where Delves can have some profile. As group content they don’t really offer anything in terms of gameplay. It’s just easy gear.
It’s the solo experience. It’s all about that at the end of the day. If Delves are to succeed, that’s what they should succeed on. But it doesn’t feel like they are, or that they will.
They need something more in their gameplay design to make them really compelling. Right now they’re pretty banal in terms of just plowing through the trash and the boss. Increasing the health and damage as difficulty modifiers doesn’t really do much in terms of compelling gameplay.
I know what they are. I’ve heard Blizzard talk about them at length.
My point is just that it ain’t good enough. I don’t think players are going to throw themselves at Delves for months and months, years and years, because they’re a way to prove themselves or get half-decent gear.
Players will grab the gear (so long as Blizzard keeps it easy to obtain) and then they’ll wave goodbye to Delves.
There’s nothing in the design that compels players to keep doing Delves as a regular thing.
I’m a solo player. I should be doing Delves. I don’t. I do my Zekvir kills to get my Vault. That’s it. I already have Champion gear. Why would I bother with running Delves? It’s not very rewarding and I know I can do it, so it’s also pretty boring. And even though the “stories” change each week, it’s still the same Delves. And they’re not very awe-inspiring to adventure through, let’s be real.
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Im actually at lvl 9 and im progressing my solo experience slowly. Using 2 chars mainly and 2 other with less success. Ill arrive at 11? maybe cuz i know there is a huge gap from 9 to 10. When ill be successful (or if) ill continue to run them cuz i find them nice.
And when ill arrive to finish the delve line (the one you can have mogs and the final reward. dont remember the name)? probably ill run some here and there every week.
Sincerely i find delves very fun and satisfactory. Done 19 this week and i would like to run again.
Idk I can just facetank bosses on my mage just by keeping the potion HoT up, seems pretty good to me.
Well you are right. They made a change. Now Zekvir is no longer counting as a T8 Delve so you have to bother completing T8 Delves for Vault Reward again.
See, that’s exactly the reason I stopped playing Diablo III, and why I’m not touching IV with a ten-foot-pole.
I find delves highly enjoyable (and playable) and in their current form I’m going to keep playing them at least until a) I have all the related achivements or b) I give up on getting them - I’ll might keep running them if there are mogs/recipes that can drop I have any interest in.
Which for some - like me - is a good thing. Having somewhere we know we’ll succeed, making it less frustrating when failing, and without hoping that mob won’t show or this mob spawns over there.