HUGE Timewalking CHANGES coming in patch 11.1.7
1. Overview of Timewalking Changes
Blizzard has introduced significant updates to Timewalking dungeons in an effort to provide a more authentic and balanced experience for players. These changes focus on enhancing the challenge, encouraging class learning, and rewarding players who optimize their gear.
Key Changes (as per Blizzard’s Blue Post):
Enemy and Boss Health:
Enemy health has been increased in all Timewalking dungeons.
Boss health has been significantly increased to make encounters more challenging.
Difficulty Scaling Adjustments:
Lower-geared players are now more damage-resistant, taking less incoming damage.
Geared players will notice more incoming damage, making encounters more challenging.
Item Level Scaling Fix:
Enchantments, gems, trinkets, and other borrowed power sources now scale properly in Timewalking dungeons.
Reward Changes:
Timewalking dungeons now drop Adventurer gear (was Explorer gear).
Completing a Timewalking dungeon now rewards 25 Timewarped Badges (was 10).
Developer’s Intentions:
The goal of these changes is to:
Provide a realistic combat experience where players can practice class mechanics (rotations, healing, defensives).
Reward the effort of acquiring powerful gear, as better gear improves damage, healing, and survivability.
Ensure consistency in scaling mechanics for all players.
2. Baseline Item Levels (Based on Heirloom Gear)
Understanding thebaseline item levels (ilvl)is crucial for optimizing performance in Timewalking dungeons. These baselines are determined by the character’s level and are used to calculate scaling mechanics.
Baseline Item Levels (Per Level):
| Level | Baseline ilvl (Heirloom) |
|---|---|
| 10 | 15 |
| 20 | 68 |
| 30 | 123 |
| 40 | 178 |
| 50 | 232 |
| 60 | 287 |
| 70 | 337 |
| 80 | 554 |
Scaling Adjustments:
Below Baseline ilvl: Characters with gear below the baseline will take significantly reduced damage.
Above Baseline ilvl: Characters with gear above the baseline will deal more damage but will also take noticeably more damage in return.
3. Insights from Testing
3.1. Borrowed Power Fix:
Blizzard has fixed an issue where borrowed power sources (e.g., enchantments, gems, trinkets, tier sets) did not function properly in Timewalking dungeons. The fix ensures that borrowed power now scales as intended.
Example: Two characters with the same ilvl were tested—one with borrowed power gear and one without.
The character with borrowed power dealt 10% more boss damage during a 45-second encounter compared to the one without.
3.2. Geared vs. Non-Geared Performance:
Testing revealed the following key insights:
Lower-Geared Characters:
Characters with no gear equipped (naked) took significantly less damage compared to geared characters.
Naked characters could easily solo Timewalking dungeons due to the reduced incoming damage.
Fully Geared Characters:
Fully geared characters dealt significantly more damage but took noticeably more damage from enemies and bosses.
3.3. Twinking Strategy:
Level 70 remains the most efficient level for twinking due to its ability to equip gear that significantly outperforms the baseline ilvl.
However, new strategies allow twinks to balance:
Borrowed Power Gear: Focus on equipping gear with enchantments, gems, and tier set bonuses.
Below Baseline ilvl: Equip only borrowed power gear while keeping overall ilvl below the baseline to reduce incoming damage.
4. New Meta and Strategies
4.1. Understanding the New Meta:
The new meta revolves around balancing gear, borrowed power, and survivability. Players must optimize their setup based on the following factors:
Baseline ilvl: Stay below the baseline to reduce incoming damage.
Borrowed Power Focus: Equip enchantments, tier sets, trinkets, and other borrowed power items to maximize damage output and survivability.
4.2. Optimizing Your Twink:
Level 70 Twinks:
Level 70 remains the strongest twinking level due to its ability to exceed the baseline ilvl by over 100 points.
Equip powerful borrowed power gear (e.g., fully gemmed tier sets).
Below Baseline Twinks (New Strategy):
Equip only borrowed power gear while staying below the baseline ilvl.
This ensures maximum survivability while still benefiting from significant damage boosts.
Example: At level 80, baseline ilvl is 554. A twink with borrowed power gear at ilvl 490 can deal strong damage while taking minimal damage.
5. Testing Results
5.1. Soloing Timewalking Dungeons:
Naked Characters: Characters with no gear equipped could easily solo Timewalking dungeons due to the reduced incoming damage.
Fully Geared Characters: Geared characters cleared the same dungeons faster but took significantly more damage.
5.2. Overtuned Boss Encounters:
Previous issues with overtuned bosses (e.g., one-shot mechanics) have been mitigated by the reduced incoming damage for lower-geared characters.
Example: A level 80 twink that previously struggled to survive overtuned boss mechanics could now complete the fight without significant healing, even when standing in avoidable damage pools.
6. Rewards and Progression
6.1. Adventurer Gear:
Timewalking dungeons now drop Adventurer gear, which is a higher tier than the previous Explorer gear.
6.2. Timewarped Badges:
Players now earn 25 Timewarped Badges per dungeon (up from 10), making badge farming more efficient.
7. Conclusion
The changes to Timewalking dungeons aim to create a more balanced and rewarding experience for players. By understanding the new scaling mechanics, optimizing gear setups, and leveraging borrowed power, players can maximize their performance in Timewalking content.
Key Takeaways:
Focus on borrowed power gear to increase damage output.
Stay below the baseline ilvl for reduced incoming damage.
Level 70 remains the best choice for twinks, but new strategies allow flexibility at other levels.
Enjoy increased rewards and improved scaling mechanics.
With these strategies in mind, you’re ready to tackle the updated Timewalking dungeons and make the most of the changes!
