Fortune Favors the Casual: Changes to Instances

Because I am perhaps best defined as a "jack-of-all-trades" WoW player as opposed to a hard-core PvE-er/raider, I was probably more excited than some at the news that all endgame content will be available to 10-man groups. I was even more excited at BlizzCon's Dungeons and Raids panel to discover some more exciting news about running instances, which are a considerable boon to the casual player:

• Instances are supposed to be shorter. They may look bigger (Blizzard want us to really feel how epic the dungeons are), but the days of 4-hour Karazhan runs may be over. This means shorter distance to dungeon bosses, and, as it seems in raids, bosses which are easier to get to but harder to kill, emphasizing interesting play style over marathon raiding (Naxxramas will be an exception to this, weighing in with 15 total bosses.).
  
• Most raids will have player-defined "difficulty settings" which will allow for adjusting the dungeon on the fly depending on experience and preference. For instance, Chamber of the Aspects has a main boss along with three sub-bosses. Players can choose to attack the main boss with all three sub-bosses (hardest difficulty) or to kill one, two, or all three of the sub-bosses beforehand, thus making the encounter easier. Raid rewards will scale depending on how these bosses are killed.
• Raid sets can be completed by both 10- and 25-man items. While items will be divided by one tier, they will be related, much like arena gear is. So a player can combine any ratio of 10-man and 25-man raid items and still achieve a complete set.
• There is no "lockout period" between 10- and 25-man raids. Players can run a 10-man raid, and then turn right around and run the 25-man version without having to wait.
• Instances do not require attunement. The one exception is the Eye of Eternity raid. All other raids and heroic instances can be entered by anyone upon achieving the appropriate level.
  

Some very nice new developments which should make it easier for those without a lot of time, or a consistent raid group to enjoy end-game content.