So there’s an MMO I play that went through a period of inviting the top progression guilds to do the testing for new content. The results were pretty predictable: they tested a raid, said it was too easy and the devs needed to make it harder. No, the second version was too easy too. And the third. It had to be harder, damnit! These were guilds at breezed through the hardest raids on the hardest difficulty mode, and in their opinion the easiest version of the new content could, in fact, be completed by a cat walking across the keyboard.

After all this testing, the new content was released. Average guilds struggled to complete it on the easiest difficulty modes, but they could do it if they had exactly the combination of builds. A typical PUG couldn’t complete it at all. There was also a solo version of the content, and many solo players were unable to complete it. I was one of the few who did, but I was playing my favourite build - not strictly the strongest in terms of numbers, but I am very good at that particular build, which I believe gave me an edge. I wouldn’t have been able to complete that content with any other build. Effectively 99% of the player-base had been designated as Craigs, but not because they were bad players. They just weren’t elite enough. So the content went through various patch cycles to be reduced in difficulty until the easiest difficulty modes could be completed by a PUG.

It turns out that thinking only the most competitive raiders count is a really, really bad idea. Now all new content goes through public testing, which captures a broader range of the player base in the hopes of finding that middle ground. The solo modes are aimed at requiring slightly more competence than a cat walking across the keyboard, and the group versions increase in difficulty from there.