World of Warcraft: Ion Hazzikostas 9.1 Interview

WoW's head honcho, Ion Hazzikostas has a lot to say about Patch 9.1 including one "Git Gud" statement for those of you who want a Mythic+ group finder. 

Summary

• Due to the pandemic, Chains of Domination is the first patch that has been completely created remotely by Blizzard.
• A "Nazjatar Manapearls" mechanic is being implemented to upgrade gear. 
• Soul Cinders will drop from Torghast Layers 9+.  They will be used to upgrade Legendaries past Item Level 235.
• 4 new Soulbind rows are being added in 9.1.
• Torghast layer 9 will have a new User Interface with stars to measure your overall performance. Unlocking higher difficulty layers requires a four-star rating.
• Tier Sets will return in Patch 9.2.
• They are happy with how Renown catch-up works for alts. 
• 1 item level is 1% of damage. Ion commented that an Item Level 220 player dealing a lot more damage than an Item Level 200 player is a skill issue.
  • Preach asked why there was such a big power gap between Heroic and Mythic players DPS-wise in Shadowlands. Ion said it's a skill issue and that inflation is down to just 13 item levels per difficulty.
• Death Knight's Anti-Magic Zone is too good and may get an absorption cap. 
• The encounter team is currently working on increasing the melee spots in raids from 7 to 8.
• Mythic AoE cap is fine.
• 9.1 is soon™.