Why Karazhan still requires attunement
by Mike Schramm 
Feb 13th 2008 at 7:00PM
Here's a good question from Strykt on the forums: why does Karazhan still require attunement? Blizzard has already dropped attunements on SSC and TK, and patch 2.4 will bring the removal of attunements on BT and Hyjal. So why are we still being forced to get those key fragments and attune people to Karazhan?Bornakk shows up in the thread and says simply that it's a good way to find people to run Karazhan with, implying that Blizzard wants guilds to help each other get attuned, and that in essence, it's not so much a gear check as a group check-- you can't get into Karazhan as a guild unless you've helped each other to get in there first. And I actually like that idea-- if your guild wants your help in Karazhan, they've got to lend a hand first to get you into the instances to get the key fragments. "No guildie left behind," if you will.
I don't have a problem with having an attunement quest to enter the endgame (and you'll probably remember that Onyxia, BWL, and Molten Core attunements are all still in the game). And it seems that Blizzard doesn't either-- they're willing to open up the later endgame as time goes along, but you've still got to get some help to enter it in the first place.
Filed under: Analysis / Opinion, Guilds, Blizzard, Quests, Raiding, Bosses
Reader Comments (Page 1 of 2)
JasonTerminator Feb 13th 2008 7:09PM
More like so the noobs don't beg to be let into the Kara runs.
Rocks Feb 13th 2008 7:12PM
Onyxia, BWL and MC as well as Karazhan are ALL attunements that did require a raid dungeon to get attuned. All could be completed by running multiple 5mans or UBRS.
Hyjal, SSC and TK required taking undergeared people through a tough raid encounters. A very important distinction.
Spoony Feb 13th 2008 7:11PM
You actually touch on an interesting point why hasn't MC, BWL, and Naxx got their key requirements dropped? i'd love to get a raid going there for fun but to many people aren't attuned anymore.
theRaptor Feb 13th 2008 8:24PM
Because the attunements except for Ony are stupid easy to get? If you can't get your raid to run through BRD for 15 minutes to touch the stone, then you wont be making it past the first trash pack in MC. UBRS can be two manned, and Naxx is just a cash attune.
Gimmlette Feb 14th 2008 9:35AM
Actually, my guild mates and I are wondering if the attunement to BWL has been nerfed.
While running UBRS to get attuned for Onyxia, people saw another portal. "Ooooh! What's this?" "Oh that's BWL and you have to be attuned for it. At the end of UBRS is a stone. Touch it and you're attuned......huh?" as I watched all of the party members INCLUDING our newly minted level 57 priest run into BWL and excitedly say this was where we were going next. I have touched the stone but over half of the group had not. Yet there they were, standing in that very first room debating how many people it would take to do this instance. I remember my first UBRS run and not being able to go through the portal. What gives? I don't remember reading about a nerf and couldn't find info to that effect.
Spoony, I run a retro raiding guild whose purpose is to see ALL WoW content. I'm keyed and one of my hunters and my holy priest are keyed. We did the process on our own with friends from other guilds. I would love to run Kara with my guild but I'm not putting pressure on my other 70's to get keyed. We're going to tackle Onyxia first and then look toward the Core.
I think the pressure to get into Kara takes its toll on people. When you have to run SL or BM multiple times to get multiple people or yourself keyed, you begin to loathe the process. I remember, in my former guild, people coming on saying, "Okay, let's get a group for SL to get X and X and X their first Kara frag," and the silence was deafening. After awhile, you just don't want to do it regardless of who needs it in your guild.
Was it like this pre-BC? Was the pressure to get into Onyxia and the Core as intense as it is to get into Kara? Many of us feel you are looked down on as a player if you aren't wearing a purple from Kara. There must be something wrong with you, particularly if, like me, you have your key and haven't gone. If I go, I go, but Kara seems more like a job than part of a game and that's the opposite of what my guild and I are trying to do.
Tankin Feb 14th 2008 4:58PM
Gimmlette: The "attunement" for BWL, like MC, is not really an attunement. Technically, anyone that can get to the green portals as part of a raid could get in. What you refer to as attunements are actually just shortcuts.
Dan Feb 13th 2008 7:12PM
This is exactly the sort of thing that keeps casual players like myself out of Karazhan. I'd love to run it but I don't have the time or patience to be running all over the world collecting key fragments.
Spoony Feb 13th 2008 7:15PM
It takes 2 full instnace run and two more for up to the first boss. If you have 4 other people helping you, you can get it done in like 2- 2 1/2 hours.
It is by no means some arduous process taking days on end like it was for 40 mans (Revered or Exalted with Argent Dawn, seriously who that was a good idea >.>).
Foxfyr Feb 14th 2008 9:09AM
I hate to say it but it's true.
If you can't finish Shadow Labs, Arcatraz, and the first room of Regular Steamvaults, you shouldn't be in Kara.
Havitech Feb 13th 2008 7:20PM
The attunement process for Kara requires that you run certain dungeons to collect the key fragments. Just do a dungeon here and there when you have time, and you'll eventually be attuned. If you can't make time for that, then you won't have time for a Kara run anyways.
Heilig Feb 13th 2008 7:21PM
This is exactly why the attunements are still there. If you "don't have the time or patience to be running all over the world collecting key fragments" then you don't have the time or the patience to run Karazhan.
JPN Feb 13th 2008 7:31PM
I will say, it's incredibly easy; if you can't get 9 people to help you get the fragments, you won't be in Kara anyway.
Mr. Pink Feb 13th 2008 8:19PM
Yeah, I agree and now after doing the fragments quest (which I have), I have to find a guild to do it and with these stupid applications to fill out and "uber 1337" no life players requiring stupid stuff to join, it just isn't fun anymore.
Rich Feb 13th 2008 8:34PM
I am a casual player and I got my key. I haven't been in Kara but I got the key. It took a week to get it done. The hardest part was getting pugs together to do it.
If you can't hack getting the key then you are less then casual.
Alch Feb 13th 2008 7:20PM
They need to change the exalted with Argent Dawn to Have said hi to a member or something.
Even a lower end guild running Gruul, Kara and ZA weekly can start to leave people behind. It can become a pain to run peoples alts or new members to get key frags.
JPN Feb 13th 2008 7:30PM
Gets people into the instances that have the key fragments, too.
Raaj Feb 13th 2008 7:42PM
Well, given the fact that I've been in countless groups that couldn't even complete Durnholde on 2(!) characters, I won't be setting foot in Karazhan anytime soon.
Calaana Feb 13th 2008 8:02PM
Kara as a whole is a player check. Player in question needs to have half decent gear with the right stats, not in high amounts but it helps, and be able to comprehend somewhat complex and out of the norm strategies. Illhoof, maiden and moroes are all up there, not to mention shade, curator, nightbane, prince and netherspite.
Until wrath, this attument should never be removed. Just like I would be aghast if the old mc/bwl attuments were removed while they were the endgame.
Dean Feb 13th 2008 8:09PM
All you have to do is run 4 lvl70 instances once. If you still haven't seen them then there's more than enough of the game left for you to explore without needing to see Kara. And if you can't get a group to run them, or complete them, you won't get anywhere in Kara either.
Plus the questline is pretty cool.
theRaptor Feb 13th 2008 8:22PM
There is nothing wrong with easy "retard check" attunements. The attunement is seriously easy unless you are completely stupid or horribly under geared. You only need a full run of SLabs, then SV/ARC frag runs can be done in 10-15 minutes, and most groups can do BM easily these days.