The forgotten difference
There has been a lot of arguing about forgotten weapons in the past, this is true. Some would say that another forgotten weapon thread would be kicking a dead horse. I disagree, and I have something new to bring to the table.
Exhibit A
Here we have a picture of the difference between an Elite blaster set and a forgotten bow, which is about to be equipped. The forgotten bow gives slightly more DPS and hit %, which points in its favor, but again, slightly. It lowers armor, dodge, health regen, and mana pool. The proc lowers hit % by 30 %, which really isn't much considering the average endgamer has oober high hit % anyway.
Next, Exhibit B
This is a level 51 with what I would consider "top tier" gear. While this is not as accurate due to the fact that it would be an impossible dual spec, it still proves my final point in a way. First, the stats are not that much higher than the old "top tier" gear. If you think they are, you might not want to see the next screenshots to come.
Exhibit C
This is the stat difference from a level 17 pink talon and 15 pink (platinum purchased) wing. This was a very common combination among low level bears in the past, not so much now. I think the dps being multiplied by itself speaks for itself, but just in case, I'll help it. If you haven't already noticed, DPS in low level is actually DPS. The tiny amount of armor means that the DPS stat will be much more accurate on the battlefield. Just to clarify, this is 2x the DPS from the previous common weapon.
Exhibit D
The previous "special" weapon. The Snowball Launcher (SBL), is very much overpowered in low level PvP. This was also a commonly used weapon before the forgotten bows, the 15 purple SBL. It ranged from 350-500k. The proc freezes your opponent if you're lucky, giving you the chance to stomp them for a COMBO, dealing extra damage and looking pretty sweet. The forgotten proc debuffs hit percentage down 30%, which is a big deal in low level, where every hit counts (especially when they deal 200+ damage when buffed). Notice that the DPS goes up 62 points and the proc is debatably stronger. No stats go down in this trade for weapons, so long as you're trading for the forgotten bow.
Before the forgotten update, most (if not all) low level bears were pure spec dexterity. At 51-56 PvP, bears dual spec-ed dexterity and strength. At endgame, anything was possible, but usually the only pure dexterity spec would be a bird.
The point (finally): 70-71 PvP was slightly affected by this update because the weapons stats just weren't up to par to compete with the endgame weapons in the first place. It's just not worth giving up the set bonus and 70 crafted weapons/shields (or 71 elite blaster in this case). 51-56 PvP was affected because the stats on the forgotten weapons slightly trump the stats on the 51-56 weapons, but when the base stat requirement was raised, PvP mostly returned to normal, as few gave up their dual spec to equip a forgotten bow. Lastly, we have 10-17 PvP, where the stat difference is pretty similar, and obviously overpowered. The damage doubles that of the previously used weapons, and even goes as far as to add to other stats like dodge and hit % (when paired with the SBL). Since most low level bears were pure spec anyway, the base dexterity requirement being raised did not quite fix this weapons dominance over all others. I could write a book on how OP these bows made birds, but I don't know the first thing about birds.
I'm not quite finished though, here we have Exhibit E
For all of you darlings who want to wag your finger and say "Oh but the SBL was OP before, and no one complained then", I show you this. A considerable amount more DPS, sure, but take a closer look. -11 Hit %, and -9 Armor. That's a huge disadvantage. HUGE. Now, you're probably saying "Oh but the SBL freezes, silly
Here are the last two, they go hand in hand. Exhibit F and G
Me using my X-bow to kite a forgotten bow. In this situation, it is either a stalemate (because my opponent will be smart enough to run back and take cover from my long range weapon), or I am at the advantage (because my opponent will not be smart enough to do that, and I will hit them with a dozen arrows before they get within range).
Me using my forgotten bow, hiding behind a wall. In this situation, it is either a stalemate (because my opponent won't walk around the wall to their guaranteed death), or I have the advantage (because my opponent is dumb enough to walk around the wall to his/her guaranteed death).
I just had to add these last two to help people visually grasp the concept that kiting doesn't always work. When the first stalemate occurs, the forgotten user must run to cover, and if they're smart, they will see the X-bow from far away and just camp behind a wall. When they take cover or sit behind said wall, the second stalemate occurs. At this point, the two must either agree to use something other than forgotten bows, or the X-bow user must switch to the forgotten bow. When either player chooses to no cooperate, it all boils down to the forgotten weapons. Since most here know that low level isn't exactly "full" of cooperative players, you can make an educated guess that they won't be calling, they will be using the OP forgotten bow in the case of a stalemate. With such an overpowered weapon, the use of it is inevitable, if someone wishes to succeed. It's not just the cheap common weapon here guys, its the only option.
Thanks for reading. (If you didn't read it all, save your flames for another time)
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