Regarding Itemization

[Serancha]

About Itemization

This is something that has been discussed amongst the longer-term players quite a bit, and I would like to bring the concerns to the attention of the devs.

The term "itemization" is said to be a method of staggering the release of gear to prolong player interest for a longer period of time. However, in reality this term is being used as the reasoning behind releasing new gear that is below the stats of the gear used in the previous season.

The rationale is that they increased the player stats too much by releasing gear that gave too large a jump in damage over the next-best gear available. We can all agree that this is in fact true, when looking at the mythic weapons and arcane ring from the level 41 cap.

Instead of increasing the mob difficulty to account for this apparent error in calculations, they choose to release gear with sub-par statistics. This leaves players without any motivation to play. Unless there is something that is mathematically better than what we are currently using (and used 5 levels ago), most people don't see any reason to work for it. Especially given the extremely low drop rates, limited farmable maps, and large numbers of crafting ingredients needed.


Jewels

These factors also apply to jewels. We need to farm for well over a dozen years (as calculated on several other threads) to get a single noble jewel that is 1 stat point better than our grand gems. So not only is our level 41 gear superior, it also has the gem boosted stats which we will never in our lifetimes get in the new gear as things stand now.

While I can see where the logic came from that this is a re-adjustment period, what I think the devs missed in the calculations was the sheer number of gems in the game, and the critically low drop rate of jewels. What also seems to have been forgotten was that we were told that elite maps would have better drop rates and higher-tiered jewels.

To make the adjustment period actually work, the new gear would have to be better than the gemmed gear we are currently wearing, and the drop rates of the primary stat jewels would need to be increased enough to make it worthwhile farming for them. As it stands now, if I do 5 runs, I get 1 random cracked jewel. That gives me the feeling of hopelessness and turns the game from entertainment into work to be avoided. This feeling is what is happening to the majority of players.


Elite Gear

There has been no response to the numerous queries about elite gear.

Elite armour and helms, and especially elite weapons have always been a staple in this game, at least until itemization was implemented in Tindirin, making the armour and helms useless by virtue of their low stats. However, we still had weapons to farm for, which held that season together. Elite farming drives the economy for the start of each season, and it gives players a sense of reward and success - meaning they feel like their time is well spent.

Last season we at least had elite weapons to farm and make money from, but this season there are none, and we would like to know why.


Summary

Players expect to progress. That means we want to work for gear that is better than what we are using. We want to farm for and have a realistic chance of looting a piece of gear that we can sell and make money on. We don't want long low-drop quests that force us to run the same maps all the time, and we want to be able to have a reasonable expectation to jewel our gear.

If the developers think our stats are too high, they only have to increase the mob's stats by the same amount. It won't make the game any easier, but will still give us the impression that we are getting value for our time and money. We need something to work for, and the psychological ramifications of seeing one's stats go down when you equip gear 5 levels higher are not beneficial for either the community or the game as a business.



Note:
This post was constructed in hopes of starting a constructive dialogue towards improving the current game situation. Please keep the conversation civil and constructive. Thank you.