Blizzard has finally released details on the Dinar system. It’s called Puzzling Cartel Chips for Season 2, and if you’re a fan of flexible gearing, you might want to cool your excitement. While the Dinar-style token system was a welcome addition in previous seasons, this new version comes loaded with restrictions that feel needlessly punishing, especially for those of us with alt armies or who are more invested in Mythic+ than Mythic raiding. We’re getting enough Chips to purchase two three items of our choice (this was updated recently).
What’s Wrong Here?
To get to the point: the requirement to kill a specific boss before you can buy their loot with Chips defeats the entire spirit of what the system is supposed to be.
The Dinar system is meant to be a catch-up mechanic. It helps players who aren’t part of cutting-edge Mythic raid teams access trinkets, weapons, and key items. Tying these purchases to boss kills means only players already progressing in raids get the benefit. It leaves out Mythic+ mains, casual raiders, and punishes alt-heavy players like myself.
And by the time Chips become available, which is weeks into the season, the top guilds are already done progressing. They don’t need the help. This doesn’t protect their prestige. It just delays everyone else’s ability to gear up.
Not only that, but if I spend a Chip on a Heroic-track Jastor’s Diamond, do I need to spend another Chip on the Mythic version later after we down Gallywix? That doesn’t seem right. And if I hold onto the Chip and wait, I’m holding back potential gear that could help our team progress now. Either way, it’s a bad tradeoff.
What About Alts?
Alts are getting the short end of the stick here. If I kill a boss on my main, why shouldn’t that unlock the ability to purchase that loot on my alt? At the very least, make the unlock account-wide or warbound. I want to enjoy gearing different characters, not grind the same raid on three toons hoping for RNG drops just to be allowed to buy something.
This System Favors Boosting
Let’s not pretend this won’t be monetized. Locking loot behind boss kills gives boosting communities a perfect business model. Need a specific trinket? Pay for a carry. This design directly incentivizes selling runs rather than rewarding honest progression or effort.
Blizzard’s Rationale
To their credit, Blizzard responded quickly to the backlash. The feedback was instant and, for once, unified. Reddit, forums—you name it. Everyone was saying the same thing.
They posted an update, and this part stood out to me:
“The middle of The War Within Season 2, however, presents a very different situation. Puzzling Cartel Chips were designed primarily as bad luck protection, allowing players who’ve been chasing specific raid items without success to have a guaranteed path to earning them. They also provide a path for players who have only done the Normal version of the raid to get a few guaranteed Hero items, without undermining a core motivation for the challenge and coordination required in Mythic raid progression. We also need to be mindful of how we will transition into the next season. Giving players who don’t normally engage in high-end content access to Item Level 680+ trinkets would essentially obsolete those slots for Season 3.”
My Take on This
If the concern is that 680+ trinkets will be obsolete next season, then address that through item tuning. Blizzard has nerfed plenty of overperforming trinkets between seasons. We even have a certain ring equipped that was designed to be used into this season that saw multiple adjustments.
This feels like gatekeeping. It’s an artificial limiter meant to preserve progression prestige instead of empowering players. If the worry is that the item is too strong, let’s cap the upgrade track. Let people buy it, but only allow them to upgrade it to 6 out of 8 until they’ve killed the boss. Simple.
What I’d Change
Let’s fix this. Here’s how:
- Remove the boss kill requirement, or at the very least, make it account-wide. If I’ve killed it once, that should be enough.
- Cap the upgrade level if you’re worried about power. As mentioned, let the item go to 6/8 until the boss is cleared.
- Add Mythic+ and Delve items to the vendor. These are just as important as raid gear and deserve a place in the system.
The Puzzling Cartel Chip system could be something amazing. It could be one of the most player-friendly systems Blizzard has added in recent years.
But right now? It just feels like a missed opportunity.