alt="Diminishing Returns Header" />

Valor Points and the like are what
help to make the World of Warcraft universe spin. Players can collect
these points and purchase juicy rewards such as armor and weapons for
their character. Valor points in particular are collected by
completing various PvE content, such as raids and dungeons and could
be said to be one of the primary reasons why players are motivated to
complete these tasks. The system used to collect these points has
changed numerous times over the years and while improvements have
been made, it still doesn't seem like things are quite right.

World of Warcraft Valor Point System

In the past the Valor Point system has
undergone a plethora of changes. In the beginning players were
introduced to a system that used a variety of emblems. This was
changed to a point system, then a points system where you could gain
a week's worth of points in a single day. From here the system
further evolved into the one we know in today's World of Warcraft.

Currently players can earn 1000 Valor
Points every week, with the maximum cap set at 3000. This cap was put
in place to limit the amount of Valor Points a player could earn, as
well as forcing the player to spend them rather than horde the
points. Currently the most efficient way to to reach these caps is to
log on and take on a raid or instance every day. It seems sure that
with the changes this system has already seen, that further changes
will be incoming sometime in the future.

This assumption of future change was
somewhat confirmed in a post almost a month ago written by the one
and only Ghostcrawler via Twitter to a fan who posed a direct
question about the system. Check out the picture below to see the
conversation including the question and Ghostcrawler's response:

alt="Ghostcrawler Twitter Valor Points" />

Diminishing Returns

In the post shown above, a World of
Warcraft fan asks that instead of hard caps shouldn't Blizzard be
considering diminishing returns instead? Ghostcrawler responds that
the company is already thinking along those lines, meaning this could
be the system we see implemented for the Valor Points system in the
near future.

In a system of Diminishing Returns,
your Valor Points would be collected as laid out in the example that
follows:

  • Instance 1 of the day: 100 Valor Points
  • Instance 2 of the day: 60 Valor Points
  • Instance 3 of the day: 55 Valor Points
  • Instance 4 of the day: 40 Valor Points

The idea behind this system is that
after each instance, or after a set number of instances, the amount
of Valor your character will receive will decrease. Eventually, after
completing enough instances, running instance will become completely
unbeneficial for the day. This concept of diminishing returns could
also be applied to any other system in the game that awards currency.
This could help the need some players feel to run heroic after heroic
day after day to try to fill their weekly quota in as little time as
possible.

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Conclusion

The thought of a diminishing returns
system in place in World of Warcraft is an interesting one to me.
Especially since I was once one of those hardcore players who ran
instance after instance day in and day out just to earn more and more
Valor Points. It seems, after reading various forums and gauging the
reactions of other players, that diminishing returns is a rather
popular option and I find that I am also drawn to it. What better way
to ensure players still feel the need to run instances, but also
cannot all but burn themselves out in one day continuously pushing to
fill that cap?

However, as appealing as this system
may seem, we need to take it with a grain of salt. While changes will
probably inevitably come for the Valor Point system, what they will
be remains to be seen. Ghostcrawler is nothing but vague when it
comes to confirming things that may or may not happen inside the game
and therefore we cannot draw any real definite conclusions from his
answer. The only thing we can be sure of is that it is likely that
change is coming, and a diminishing returns system is in the running
as a candidate.

What do you think of using a
diminishing returns system for Valor Points in World of Warcraft?
Share your thoughts with us by using the comment section below!


To read the latest guides, news, and features you can visit our World of Warcraft Game Page.

Last Updated: Mar 29, 2016

About The Author

Amunet, also fondly known as Memtron, is an organic life form best known for its ongoing obsession with Blizzard Entertainment's numerous properties. To that end, Amu has authored hundreds (thousands?) of the most popular World of Warcraft guides, editorials, and Top 10 lists on the planet. When not gaming and writing, Amu is busy chasing after her three children in a perpetual loop of ongoing disaster.

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