Is this where it begins?

[Rustic]

Is every reward in future end-game, including Adoulin, to be considered majority Sidegrade? Is this where actual vertical gear progress stops, and we end up with a horizontal spread of situational gear - most of it taking many weeks or months to obtain? (I have no problem with the weeks/months, so long as the end result is worth it).

Not sure I'm going to enjoy looking forward to "meh" rewards from otherwise fun events for the rest of the games life.

It's a habit I wouldn't be surprised to see them slip into. Then again, we managed it for the duration of the L75 era as improvements were gradual rather than radical. Similar results at L99? Wouldn't shock me.