Kindly ask for a buff for imbued mage and rogue helms please

[Haligali]

http://tapatalk.imageshack.com/v2/14/11/29/92396dcfc617323e788cffb9a5b7298b.jpg
http://tapatalk.imageshack.com/v2/14/11/29/0da735ef047cc513f4a5e8873974767d.jpg


If i upgrade Dark crystal helm to imbued helm, i loose - 1 armor.
Is this a joke, cuz im not laughing.

[kinzmet]

Its clearly a mistake, maybe it will be buff next year with the sorc buff.

[Madnex]

Agreed. They did mention a buff in those is being discussed so here's hoping they make the items actually desirable (not that they're attainable ATM, but that's is another topic).

[Serancha]

That's appalling.

[Superduck]

I wonder how many smurfs have left this game, they say next year: but come on that is ages away.

[Haligali]

I wonder how many smurfs have left this game, they say next year: but come on that is ages away.
Seeing how every new mage gear sucks, scythe, new imbued gear, etc, but they continue buffing warriors, I highly doubt they can offer a real buff, they prob make another kershal or something similar useless thing, just like they did in the so called "sorcerer expansion"

And if you will go rage on forum they will answer, it will be too op else. Doesn't matter if a rogue gear is too op, or warrior gear or skills unnerfed, but if something too strong mage related, yeah that's a problem.

[Haligali]

Okay, so a rogue will helm, which supposed to be the high armor version has lower armor than an average ancient druid helm. Looting this helm cost me 12m gold today.

[Samhayne]

Thanks for the head's up on the helms. We will look further into them.

[Haligali]

Thanks for the head's up on the helms. We will look further into them.
Thank you for your response Sam.

[Carapace]

I'm going to try and get some time to look at this one today or tomorrow, to see where they stack up and where it would be wise to modify them. Thanks for the feedback guys!

[Haligali]

Yes please, don't forget the mythic helms got 3 gem slot, 6 int>0.4 raw damage, even the imbued gem cap assault got less damage than the current mythic helm for sorcerers.
A bit armor boost would be nice, dont wanna loose armor stat with upgrade, and there are plans to mage buff, it will be a small step in this direction.

Rogue helms also need a bit damage buff, and a huge armor buff. Its just not acceptable that there are better helms in auction for 500 gold with +100 or more armor stat.

So my tips:
Mage helms: bit damage, bit armor buff
Rogue helms: bit damage, huge armor buff.

No recipe, no money.

[extrapayah]

i believe those imbued gem armors' armor value are a lot lesser than the current legendary event gears, which is strange, but not for the warrior's version though

i believe some of already show that long time before, as for why devs only reply now, is also strange

[SacredKnight]

Buff Scorch....please...

[Carapace]

Yes please, don't forget the mythic helms got 3 gem slot, 6 int>0.4 raw damage, even the imbued gem cap assault got less damage than the current mythic helm for sorcerers.
A bit armor boost would be nice, dont wanna loose armor stat with upgrade, and there are plans to mage buff, it will be a small step in this direction.

Rogue helms also need a bit damage buff, and a huge armor buff. Its just not acceptable that there are better helms in auction for 500 gold with +100 or more armor stat.

So my tips:
Mage helms: bit damage, bit armor buff
Rogue helms: bit damage, huge armor buff.

No recipe, no money.

While certain buffs to the items are needed, there is a notable difference in stats of a more substantial nature because of the suffix type. The Rogue Mythic helm is of type Brutality, which inherently has more damage in its statistics. Tactics by comparison will have more crit, but less damage. This is normal, so in an essence it's a case of apples to oranges in the comparisons.

[Carapace]

Here's a snapshot of where the baselines for the same suffix version of the helm currently sits on my test server. Note that this is raw and without gems of any kind. Looking for feedback/thoughts on these numbers, thanks!

Rogue Dark Crystal and Imbued Crystal comparison to Upgraded Mythic Helm
111298

Sorcerer Dark Crystal and Imbued Crystal comparison to Upgraded Mythic Helm
111299

[Serancha]

Thank you for posting this for us to provide feedback on. Very much appreciated. However, compared to what the warriors get on their inbued of assault set? Not even close, I'm afraid.

I think the full sets need to be looked at here for mage and rogue. It's like the syrillax gem. The reward needs to equal the effort involved. Remember, there is nothing else that drops in the tombs that we can get a return on our potion / ankh / elixir money with. That means these items must be coveted (stat-wise) in order to make it worth the effort and / or provide a return on investment.

I am all for working hard, but to work that hard for something that only gives me 3 damage more than I have? The mythic set has 3 gem slots, remember. So at full gemmed stats we will still be taking a loss in damage in exchange for 17 (rogue) or 48 (mage) armour? Is that worth weeks or months of resource-using grinding? Not to me.

[Ardbeg]

it s a bit late for me, but i will post tomorrow the stat gain of the warrior imbued assault set. out of my head its 260 armor and 30 dmg for the vest and 9 dmg and 46 armor for the helm with 2,x crit. the will type vest has 318 armor gain over myth with no dmg penalty.
for the effort necessary (there are already a few threads on this and the costs involved) rogues and mages deserve better than just being barely positive on a few stats.

[Madnex]

Skip the Dark Crystal and focus on buffing the Imbued ones. It's simple, if you have the gold to buy or loot the dark crystal base which is well over 10m for a set, you can definitely afford the recipes too.

Raw comparison is not helpful in this situation. You've left us upgrading L36 mythics for three seasons so naturally, most of us have supergemmed each and every slot months ago. That means the extra +6 main makes the damage difference minuscule. In addition, it means that we're only going to swap to specific types of gear (Assault/Will, Potency/Brutality, Brutality).

I also agree they should be looked at and improved as sets. Warriors are getting +300 armor with no damage trade off or any other noticeable downside, for the matter. What do the mage and rogue sets have to show that'll be worth spending ten times the gold needed for a mythic set?

[Serancha]

Not only do warriors not have a damage cost, they get a major damage buff

Ard's info coincides with the info I have from Maarkus, which means for the full imbued of assault set, warriors are getting close to 40 damage increase over a super gemmed mythic set, along with their huge armour buff. Compare the stats shown above to this, and you'll see where the request for a fix came from. And no, don't nerf the warrior one, these ones need to be worth the effort also.

In fact, all the imbued sets should be noticeably better than the current mythics, given the difficulty to obtain. There should not be "trash versions" of imbued gear.

[Haligali]

The mythic amulets has no suffix, the is only Lunar Pendant, Fang and Doom. No Lunar brutality, fang potency, doom assault. What Serancha said, forget the type and try to compare to all, there should be no trash version.

[Carapace]

Thanks guys, I'll toy with a bit more. As you say, I'll probably just be adhering to the Imbued and not the Dark Crystal. Given the numbers we're talking about however, would tweaking the Warrior Set down be helpful? The numbers were likely dialed in such a way to provide a much needed boost to Warriors, over the Mythic and don't need adjustment but for the sake of argument I'm asking.

[Serancha]

Really appreciate you working on this with the community. It means a lot.

Given the rarity of the items I don't think cutting the warrior boost is necessary. It is universally agreed that warriors need a boost for pve reasons. How this affects pvp is not something I can speak on, however. There really does need to be a proper boost to make things worth the effort, and in their case it makes the gear worth working for.

Perhaps half that boost for rogues and mages would be appropriate so that the warriors still get the extra they need, but it's also worth the effort for the other classes? Just a thought.

[Ardbeg]

Thanks guys, I'll toy with a bit more. As you say, I'll probably just be adhering to the Imbued and not the Dark Crystal. Given the numbers we're talking about however, would tweaking the Warrior Set down be helpful? The numbers were likely dialed in such a way to provide a much needed boost to Warriors, over the Mythic and don't need adjustment but for the sake of argument I'm asking.

nooooooooooooo! acquiring only one of the warrior assault parts is an investment of 20-25m. unless people buy tomb chests and try for their luck which is much more expensive, given the odds.
i voted to bring rogue and mage gear in line so that at the given rarity it s worth the effort. tuning it down will only make people loose interest in farming the tombs. with the costs for ankhs and pots, we need items worth the effort for all classes, not another batch off good looking armors with no real gain.
please keep in mind, we re still using the same armor since last cap. it s time for a real jump in stats.

[Avaree]

Thanks guys, I'll toy with a bit more. As you say, I'll probably just be adhering to the Imbued and not the Dark Crystal. Given the numbers we're talking about however, would tweaking the Warrior Set down be helpful? The numbers were likely dialed in such a way to provide a much needed boost to Warriors, over the Mythic and don't need adjustment but for the sake of argument I'm asking.

Thanks for your response Carapace,

I am against the "tweaking the warrior set". As Ard said above we are playing in last seasons armor. Buff the rogue and mages Imbued sets, keep Imbued worth farming for. :)

[Kriticality]

Thanks Carapace for the convo. I agree with Sera and Ard as well. Whether you farm full out for the gear or buy, it's VERY expensive. I don't think that most people are focused on the dark crystal anyway. I'd assume almost everyone that loots or buys is interested in the imbued items. Keep the warrior items the way they are and give a proper buff to the rogues and squishy items. :)

[Kingofninjas]

How about giving a health boost to the rogue and mages imbued gear, kinda like you did with singe. The para gem already unbalanced the health:damage ratio in pvp and this may be a good opportunity to help solve it. The armor and damage of rogue and mage definitely needs a buff but this is something I hope you will consider too.

[Madnex]

Although this will mean we're going to have to hide more from the maxed out arcanabs, I too think there should be no tweaking down on the warrior sets but rather a restoration of the armor boosts that the imbued sets used to offer at the beginning.

[Haligali]

Agree, dont nerf warrior items, buff mage and rogue items instead. You will see more people buying ankhs and elixirs for farming tombs.

[Kingofninjas]

Agree, dont nerf warrior items, buff mage and rogue items instead. You will see more people buying ankhs and elixirs for farming tombs.

At thats the entire purpose of the tombs isn't it?

[Leonut]

Here's a snapshot of where the baselines for the same suffix version of the helm currently sits on my test server. Note that this is raw and without gems of any kind. Looking for feedback/thoughts on these numbers, thanks!

Rogue Dark Crystal and Imbued Crystal comparison to Upgraded Mythic Helm
111298

Sorcerer Dark Crystal and Imbued Crystal comparison to Upgraded Mythic Helm
111299

To add, please look into the other items like imbued security gem cap. It should also add more damage instead of reducing it (compared to mythic helm) and more armor. If to reduce the damage is your intention then please increase the armor more significantly. To be honest it only added 80 plus armor above mythic helm, which is horrible.

Having this buff will give sorc more depth and variety. Some like to have more survivability so that we don't become the ultimate suckers who spend the most on ankhs because we get one shot the most.

[Serancha]

To add, please look into the other items like imbued security gem cap. It should also add more damage instead of reducing it (compared to mythic helm) and more armor. If to reduce the damage is your intention then please increase the armor more significantly. To be honest it only added 80 plus armor above mythic helm, which is horrible.

Having this buff will give sorc more depth and variety. Some like to have more survivability so that we don't become the ultimate suckers who spend the most on ankhs because we get one shot the most.

It has been requested that there be no trash versions of imbued items, so if they are fixing one variety they need to fix them all, or just make one standard set of imbued for each class.

[Zeus]

It has been requested that there be no trash versions of imbued items, so if they are fixing one variety they need to fix them all, or just make one standard set of imbued for each class.

Yep, there has to be no trash versions. There's a very low chance of obtaining a useful piece of dark Crystal gear.


Sent from my iPhone 6 Plus using Tapatalk

[Carapace]

Thanks guys, appreciate all the feedback on this

[Carapace]

Here's a quick snapshot with where the Rogue stuff ended up today. While it's notable that on the helm Damage goes down a nominal amount on tactics and Will versions, the amount of crit gained is quite large. Overall health numbers dip a bit low but Armor is improved as well. The goal is to make something worthwhile that doesn't go to the extreme, while also being worth the farm. It's impossible to make them all "equal" in the obvious sense, so the important thing to keep in mind is that they are different choices depending on your preferred play style. Thoughts?

112213

[Zeus]

Here's a quick snapshot with where the Rogue stuff ended up today. While it's notable that on the helm Damage goes down a nominal amount on tactics and Will versions, the amount of crit gained is quite large. Overall health numbers dip a bit low but Armor is improved as well. The goal is to make something worthwhile that doesn't go to the extreme, while also being worth the farm. It's impossible to make them all "equal" in the obvious sense, so the important thing to keep in mind is that they are different choices depending on your preferred play style. Thoughts?

112213

I think you hit the sweet spot, Cara! The stats are a nice increase but not anything that's a unnecessary extreme!

[Leonut]

Why nothing on sorc? Once again 3rd class citizen?

[Zeus]

Why nothing on sorc? Once again 3rd class citizen?

Yep, sorcerers also need a buff!

[Carapace]

Why nothing on sorc? Once again 3rd class citizen?

I'll have that here in a little bit, Rogue is all I could get into honing before end of day yesterday :)

[Energizeric]

Carapace, just a suggestion here.....

At level 41, each extra primary stat point delivers approximately 1 point of damage. So if the new Imbued helm has 3 more damage than the upgraded mythic helm, that +3 damage actually becomes -3 damage when both helms have full grand gems.

Also, considering the rarity of these Imbued helms and how hard they are to acquire, why not just make the crafted versions mythic so they have the third gem slot, but keep the dark crystal versions legendary. That will help bridge the gap by allowing the third gem slot and also will reflect their actual rarity. Just a quick look in the auction will tell you that Imbued helms are far more rare than even the new mythic weapons as you can see barely any of them for sale, but quite a few of the mythic weapons.

[notfaded1]

I'll have that here in a little bit, Rogue is all I could get into honing before end of day yesterday :)

We were looking for Godlike (contrary to Zeus) but this is so much improved!

[notfaded1]

Carapace, just a suggestion here.....

At level 41, each extra primary stat point delivers approximately 1 point of damage. So if the new Imbued helm has 3 more damage than the upgraded mythic helm, that +3 damage actually becomes -3 damage when both helms have full grand gems.

Also, considering the rarity of these Imbued helms and how hard they are to acquire, why not just make the crafted versions mythic so they have the third gem slot, but keep the dark crystal versions legendary. That will help bridge the gap by allowing the third gem slot and also will reflect their actual rarity. Just a quick look in the auction will tell you that Imbued helms are far more rare than even the old mythic helms are.

3rd slot would be nice on imbued version that's crafted. Maybe that's not possible... idk.

[Energizeric]

Also one more additional suggestion: When you view the Imbued crafting recipes at the tombs vendor, there is no mention of the dark crystal item in the crafting components, just the other items. So many players have purchased these recipes expecting to be able to craft, only to find out after spending their fragments that they need this super rare Dark Crystal item first. The other issue this has caused is that very few players are aware that the Dark Crystal armors and helms are used to craft Imbued items, so when trying to sell a Dark Crystal item in the auction, it looks way overpriced since much of the cheap event gear has better stats.

This needs to be fixed..... the Dark Crystal components need to be listed in the recipes when viewed for sale at the tombs vendor. This will help to educate the player base as to what they actually are.

[Sorcerie]

Carapace, just a suggestion here.....

At level 41, each extra primary stat point delivers approximately 1 point of damage. So if the new Imbued helm has 3 more damage than the upgraded mythic helm, that +3 damage actually becomes -3 damage when both helms have full grand gems.

Also, considering the rarity of these Imbued helms and how hard they are to acquire, why not just make the crafted versions mythic so they have the third gem slot, but keep the dark crystal versions legendary. That will help bridge the gap by allowing the third gem slot and also will reflect their actual rarity. Just a quick look in the auction will tell you that Imbued helms are far more rare than even the new mythic weapons as you can see barely any of them for sale, but quite a few of the mythic weapons.They've upped the drop rate of the Elite Planar Chest as well as put them in the fragment vendor and made fragments craftable - meaning these gears should filter out to the playerbase at an acceptable rate moving forward.

Let's not make something mythic that wasn't meant to be.

[Serancha]

I'll have that here in a little bit, Rogue is all I could get into honing before end of day yesterday :)

Appreciate the time, Carapace. Looking much better. I like ener's suggestion for the extra gem slot too.

[Candylicks]

Also one more additional suggestion: When you view the Imbued crafting recipes at the tombs vendor, there is no mention of the dark crystal item in the crafting components, just the other items. So many players have purchased these recipes expecting to be able to craft, only to find out after spending their fragments that they need this super rare Dark Crystal item first. The other issue this has caused is that very few players are aware that the Dark Crystal armors and helms are used to craft Imbued items, so when trying to sell a Dark Crystal item in the auction, it looks way overpriced since much of the cheap event gear has better stats.

This needs to be fixed..... the Dark Crystal components need to be listed in the recipes when viewed for sale at the tombs vendor. This will help to educate the player base as to what they actually are.

This exactly!! It's very confusing the way it's listed I totally agree here.

[Carapace]

Carapace, just a suggestion here.....

At level 41, each extra primary stat point delivers approximately 1 point of damage. So if the new Imbued helm has 3 more damage than the upgraded mythic helm, that +3 damage actually becomes -3 damage when both helms have full grand gems.

Also, considering the rarity of these Imbued helms and how hard they are to acquire, why not just make the crafted versions mythic so they have the third gem slot, but keep the dark crystal versions legendary. That will help bridge the gap by allowing the third gem slot and also will reflect their actual rarity. Just a quick look in the auction will tell you that Imbued helms are far more rare than even the new mythic weapons as you can see barely any of them for sale, but quite a few of the mythic weapons.

An interesting idea, however with the mythic annotation the perception of the armor changes significantly. Additional primary stats may be a relevant change to hep offset what you are discussing here.

[Carapace]

This exactly!! It's very confusing the way it's listed I totally agree here.

Due to limited space the vendor now has a conversation in regards to the specifics of the recipes when you talk to him. We're very limited on UI space for adequate information at times in game based on the mobile environment. Our apologies on that.

Here's an update of where the Sorc looks at the moment. Thoughts?

112401

[Powerawesomer]

Due to limited space the vendor now has a conversation in regards to the specifics of the recipes when you talk to him. We're very limited on UI space for adequate information at times in game based on the mobile environment. Our apologies on that.

Here's an update of where the Sorc looks at the moment. Thoughts?

112363

the imbued gem robe of brutality is on there twice.

[notfaded1]

The 3rd one is obviously force...

[Zeus]

An interesting idea, however with the mythic annotation the perception of the armor changes significantly. Additional primary stats may be a relevant change to hep offset what you are discussing here.


Yep, tacking on +6 to primary should alleviate that issue.


Additionally, I'm not expert of sorcerers but it seems the stats you've given them seem great as well!

[Energizeric]

Yes, looks good! :eagerness:

[Energizeric]

An interesting idea, however with the mythic annotation the perception of the armor changes significantly. Additional primary stats may be a relevant change to hep offset what you are discussing here.

Yes, that would have the same effect.

[Carapace]

I've updated the image, it is Force just the wrong header over top.

It sounds like we have a general consensus that Rogue and Mage are good to go?

I'll let this sit overnight to take in any more feedback, otherwise expect this to go in with an update before the weekend. Subject to change of course but should be cleared by then internally.

[Zeus]

I've updated the image, it is Force just the wrong header over top.

It sounds like we have a general consensus that Rogue and Mage are good to go?

I'll let this sit overnight to take in any more feedback, otherwise expect this to go in with an update before the weekend. Subject to change of course but should be cleared by then internally.

Yes, I believe they're pretty good now. Please just don't forget to add 6 primary stat on the helm and armor to compensate for lack of slot in mythic helm/armor.

[Carapace]

Yes, I believe they're pretty good now. Please just don't forget to add 6 primary stat on the helm and armor to compensate for lack of slot in mythic helm/armor.

The current images above reflect a +3 already included in the stats, so the +6 will reflect an additional 3 over the images.

[Zeus]

The current images above reflect a +3 already included in the stats, so the +6 will reflect an additional 3 over the images.

Okay, sounds good. :)


Sent from my iPhone 6 Plus using Tapatalk

[Leonut]

Carapace,

Thank you. This looks more reasonable.

Mages! Start your engines. =)

[Carapace]

Here's what the final stats are looking like:

112418

112419

[Zeus]

Here's what the final stats are looking like:

112418

112419

You're the man, thanks Cara! Planar tombs are definitely worth farming for now. We can expect these tomorrow?

Also, it seems imbued gem suit potency and brutality have the same stats?

[Madnex]

Looks pretty good. Also noticed rogue brutality and potency suits are the same, probably a mistake though. The potency helm + brutality body has the exact same stats as a set with brutality helm + potency body, if this helps.

[Carapace]

A bad copy/paste here's the Potency stats:

112539

[Serancha]

I think we can forgive the bad copy/paste. Nice work Carapace.

[Haligali]

Carapace the man! I forgive everything.

Sent from my XT1092 using Tapatalk

[Kriticality]

Awesome!!!

[Haligali]

I wanna thank again, people are using tactics and force versions too, i vote for this is the best thing what happened last year.

[Kingofninjas]

About the new update coming, will imbued be able to be crafted to a lvl 46 version or will we need new dark crystals for lvl 46 imbued or simply no imbued on lvl 46? I and many other just recently started to get our sets or imbued gear and if a new cap is coming I'm worries about them losing value and their title as the best armor and helm as of now.

[Madnex]

They'd better be the best sets for at least 5-6 months. The amount of work required to put in to make them instead of just popping locks should justify that. Scale them to L46 if needed (I meant directly, without having to scrap the expensive gems we put in).

[Kriticality]

I wanna thank again, people are using tactics and force versions too, i vote for this is the best thing what happened last year.

Couldn't agree more. I bought will set bc I heard you liked it. I have no arcane ring and still at 1734 armor. It's a significant difference imo.

[pepperx]

Please buff the character so not so squishy like you said you would and the frost gun and imbued! Why mages always get the short end of the stick.
Signed
Concerned rouge

[Kingofninjas]

They'd better be the best sets for at least 5-6 months. The amount of work required to put in to make them instead of just popping locks should justify that. Scale them to L46 if needed (I meant directly, without having to scrap the expensive gems we put in).

Yea. This is exactly what I was hoping for. How about giving us a questline where we have to farm lets say 200 fragments to upgrade it to mythic rarity lvl 46 armor/helm and leave both the current gems in and give us 1 more slot. Energezeric suggested this i believe and I would like to see it implemented.

[Haligali]

Be careful what you wish, upgrading destroyed economy once,caused hyperinflation on the remaining top items. What if lvl46 gears would be just slightly better, so lvl41 imbued still useable.

[Leonut]

Be careful what you wish, upgrading destroyed economy once,caused hyperinflation on the remaining top items. What if lvl46 gears would be just slightly better, so lvl41 imbued still useable.

Been said many times. We don't need lvl 46. We need skill revamp and balance. Anything else is just plain stupid especially asking for lvl 46.

[Haligali]

Been said many times. We don't need lvl 46. We need skill revamp and balance. Anything else is just plain stupid especially asking for lvl 46.

Where did you see me asking for lvl46?? It wasnt me who brought up..

[Energizeric]

Be careful what you wish, upgrading destroyed economy once,caused hyperinflation on the remaining top items. What if lvl46 gears would be just slightly better, so lvl41 imbued still useable.

The problem was not that they were upgradable. The problem was that the quest was far too easy and did not require any items that could be farmed and traded or sold. Imagine if instead of that stupid easy upgrade quest they had an upgrade quest that required an ingot, a dragonite bar, and some other assorted items that can also be farmed and traded. Then you keep the economy going while still offering a path to upgrading.

[Haligali]

The problem was not that they were upgradable. The problem was that the quest was far too easy and did not require any items that could be farmed and traded or sold. Imagine if instead of that stupid easy upgrade quest they had an upgrade quest that required an ingot, a dragonite bar, and some other assorted items that can also be farmed and traded. Then you keep the economy going while still offering a path to upgrading.

Yea, but then its no difference if you farm for a new gear or farm for an ingredient. Upgrading was requested because season 3 was kinda short(2 months), with 1 year long expansions, if the new gear is released right after expansion start, then i have no objection against last season gear become obsolete. Why may upgrading came into play again, because imbued gear was released a bit late, the lifespan can be extended with a later upscale of planar tombs too.

[Energizeric]

Yea, but then its no difference if you farm for a new gear or farm for an ingredient. Upgrading was requested because season 3 was kinda short(2 months), with 1 year long expansions, if the new gear is released right after expansion start, then i have no objection against last season gear become obsolete. Why may upgrading came into play again, because imbued gear was released a bit late, the lifespan can be extended with a later upscale of planar tombs too.

I agree, but make the upgrade quest something that is very hard and will take a month or two. If people can upgrade their gear in 2 days, then it's far too easy and will contribute to a bad economy.

[Leonut]

I agree, but make the upgrade quest something that is very hard and will take a month or two. If people can upgrade their gear in 2 days, then it's far too easy and will contribute to a bad economy.

I see where the both of you are coming from and I agree. It's true that items from the previous season should naturally lose its value. That is how progression should be. However to retain old items value and worth, it could be an ingredient to the next new item. That way invested gold and plat will not entirely lose its value. It would be hard for new players to catch up, but that's life.

They could try to make it through locks? An evil suggestion but that's life again.

Many mmos use this concept and it had worked well.